• PGMS Connections Classes 

    Connections  

     

    PGMS Connections Class Information for the 2023-2024 School Year

    General Connections Offerings (Grades 6, 7, 8) 

    Students will be enrolled in the General Connections Classes unless there are specific course requests for the elective courses listed below. Every effort is made for students to be exposed to each of these courses throughout the year and during the three years that students are enrolled at Piney Grove. Our General Connections Classes may run for one quarter or one semester, and each will fill one of the seven periods of a student’s daily schedule. Some classes will have uniforms, field trips, and other fees which will be paid using . 

     

     

    Fine Arts

    Art (Grades 6, 7, 8): Students will learn the fundamentals of art while creating individual and group projects to demonstrate their understanding. Students will learn to be problem solvers as they use traditional and unconventional materials to create 2-D and 3-D works of art. Students will enjoy having the opportunity to showcase their masterpieces in the hallway or in the annual art show.

     

    Physical Education

    Health (Grades 6, 7, 8):  Health Education is a set of intended learning outcomes or objectives that directly relate to students’ acquisition of health-related knowledge, attitudes, and skills. It is a planned progression of developmentally appropriate lessons or learning experiences that lead to achieving health objectives. There is a continuity between lessons or learning experiences that clearly reinforce the adoption and maintenance of specific health-enhancing behaviors. The content or materials correspond with the sequence of learning events and help teachers and students meet the learning objectives. Assessment strategies are assigned to determine if students have achieved the desired learning. Units will focus on the mental, social and physical well being of each student along with alcohol and drug abuse. A final unit will include a portion on Sex-Education in accordance with Forsyth County and State mandated guidelines.  

    Physical Education (Grades 6, 7, 8): Physical education is a nine-week course designed to expose your child to the importance of physical exercise in daily activities. Course content is varied according to the seasons of the year and the type of weather we encounter and includes (but is not limited to) the following: exercise fundamentals, team sports, recreational sports, lead-up games, rhythm activities, drills, skills tests, practical applications, knowledge of history and rules, sportsmanship, team play, etc.  Students are assigned to a specific instructor and will complete the requirements of the activity according to the expectations of his/her teacher.

    Outdoor Education (Grades 6, 7, 8): Outdoor Education promotes an appreciation of the outdoors and provides physical activities and adventures in an outdoor environment which include but are not limited to: camping, fishing, hiking, canoeing, aquatics, orienteering, low element rope courses, backpacking, repelling/rock climbing, outdoor cooking, cycling, geocaching, boating safety, hunter safety, and archery. Outdoor Education at Piney Grove contributes to a physically literate and active lifestyle for all students.

    7th Enhances skills and appreciation for camping, fishing, hiking, orienteering, backpacking, repelling, outdoor cooking, boating safety, hunter safety, and archery.

    8th Provides further skills development in a chosen area(s) of outdoor education activities and overnight field trips to apply their new skills.

     

    CTAE

    Engineering/Technology (Grades 6, 7, 8): Engineering Class introduces STEM concepts to students and allows for hands-on application of those concepts. Students will learn about the Engineering Design Process and apply that process to projects like Bridge Building, 3D Modeling, and Robotics. 

    Marketing (Grades 6, 7, 8): Students will gain knowledge of basic marketing concepts and will develop skills that will allow them to use the marketing information through project-based instruction. Students will develop basic personal, social and employability skills through their development of portfolios and delivery of presentations.  Each grade level will have similar activities that are designed to build on and improve the student's ability to use the computer with a variety of applications.

    (Grade 6  ): This course will provide an exploratory foundation in Audio Video Broadcast & Film. It is designed to be taught in a 9-week rotation in daily classes. Standards should be taught in the order presented with the exception of Standards 1 and 7 being embedded standards with ongoing learning regarding employability skills, career investigation, and career-technical leadership opportunities. Through integrated instructional activities, students will have opportunities to apply employability skills and to research possible career options in the Audio Video Broadcast & Film Industry. They will also complete many hands-on activities to build a strong foundation of Audio Video Broadcast & Film techniques/skills. Students who successfully complete this course will be prepared for the following pathways upon entering high school: Audio Video Broadcast & Film



    Connections Offerings - Elective Classes 

    Elective classes are chosen by students. In order to be considered for these courses, students must submit requests! All efforts are made to satisfy requests for these courses, though class size limits and teacher recommendation/placement may impact a student’s ability to enroll in these courses. Courses may be quarter-long, semester-long, or year-long. Some classes will have uniforms, field trips, and other fees which will be paid using . 



    Band – Year-Long (Grades 6, 7, 8) -Auditions Required for 7th and 8th grade

    Students will be placed in band sections based on auditions and/or instrument-alike groupings. Auditions and performance evaluations will be conducted for students joining the band after 6th Grade. Performances outside of the regular school day may count as a portion of the student’s overall grade.

    Chorus – Year-Long (Grades 6, 7, 8) -Auditions Required for 7th and 8th grade

    Auditions/performance evaluations may be conducted for students joining chorus after 6th Grade. Performances outside of the regular school day may count as a portion of the student’s overall grade.

     Rising 6th Graders: Participation in this class is open to all PGMS 6th grade students with no audition required.

     Rising 7th & 8th Graders: Auditions/performance evaluations may be conducted for students joining chorus after 6th Grade. 

    Drama – Semester-Long (Grades 6) 

    Students in 6th Grade Drama will be introduced to the fundamentals of acting and stage performing, including character development, improvisation, pantomime, audition techniques and preparation, stage movement, and performing in an individual, small group, and large group setting. Students taking this course will also assist with some aspects of the annual PGMS musical and prepare for their involvement in the production as 7th & 8th graders.  Participation in this class is open to all PGMS 6th grade students with no audition required.

    Drama – Year-Long (Grades 7, 8) -Audition Required 

    Students in Musical Theater will build upon and improve their skills in acting and stage performing, character development, stage movement, audition techniques, and tech theater to prepare and present a large ensemble musical or play for an audience. Auditions / Performance Evaluations are required for participation in this course and performances outside the regular school day may count as a portion of the student’s overall grade. 

    Peer Buddies – Quarter- long (Grades 6, 7, 8) -

    Piney Grove is host to several Specialized Instruction Classrooms, serving students with a wide range of physical and intellectual disabilities. Peer Buddies will have the opportunity to work with students in our Mild/Moderate Intellectual Disability and Severe/Profound Intellectual Disability classrooms,  providing valuable generalization opportunities for those students to work with their grade-level typical peer students. These Peer Buddies also have the opportunity to attend field trips, including Community Based Instruction and Special Olympics with their peers. This course is a Non-Graded Elective course, and additional parent permission may be required.  and are required. 

    Weight Training – (Grades 6, 7, 8) 

    Students in Weight Training will not be scheduled for General Physical Education segments. Students who elect to take Weight Training will be scheduled for multiple segments during the year.

      Semester -(Grades 7 & 8 )

    This course will provide an exploratory foundation in Audio Video Broadcast & Film. It is designed to be taught in a semester-long rotation of  daily classes. Standards include learning employability skills, career investigation, and career-technical leadership opportunities. Through integrated instructional activities, students will have opportunities to apply employability skills and to research possible career options in the Audio Video Broadcast & Film Industry. They will also complete many hands-on activities to build a strong foundation of Audio Video Broadcast & Film techniques/skills by producing a daily/weekly broadcast for the school. Students who successfully complete this course will be prepared for the following pathway upon entering high school: Audio Video Broadcast & Film  

    (Semester Grade 7 & year long  Grade 8 ) This course will provide an exploratory foundation in Audio Visual Skills and Yearbook. Specifically, exploring how we use and engage with media arts daily as students participate in creating the school yearbook and helping to document the activities and events of the school. It is designed to be taught as a yearlong class. Students will gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills as required to be productive in a changing, technological, diverse workplace to be able to be independent and apply teamwork skills. Projects will be incorporated at the completion of all standards as time allows. Students who successfully complete this course will be prepared for the following pathways upon entering high school: Yearbook 



    PGMS Connections Class Information for the 2023-2024 School Year 

    Students have the opportunity to request/register for Elective Connections classes. These classes are part of larger programmatic offerings and are not a part of our general Connections offerings. Students who are participating in these courses in the current school year WILL NOT BE AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED in the same courses for next year. Families must make these elective choices during the online registration window using Microsoft form sent through IC  messenger. Students may request to change from an elective connection after the first 5 school days of the year or at the quarter by contacting their grade level counselor.  They will be randomly assigned to a general connection course at that time. 

    Students may select UP TO TWO courses, and may only choose ONE from each column. Placement determinations for connections classes may be made by teachers (i.e. Band placements for instrument fittings, audition results for Chorus or Musical Theater), and student schedules will be adjusted accordingly. In the event of schedule conflicts, efforts will be made to fulfill student requests where possible. Students may only register for courses offered at their grade level. If an error is made at the point of registration, it may not be possible to satisfy course requests.

     

     

    6th Grade Courses

    C

    First Connections Period 

    Second Connections Period

    6th Grade Chorus 

    68150

    6th Grade Drama 

    68160s

    6th Grade Band (Brass) 

    68110

    6th Grade Band (Woodwind) 

    68110

    Weight Training 

    65300

    Weight Training

    65300

    Peer Buddies

    69010

    Peer Buddies 

    69010

     

    7th Grade Courses

    C

    First Connections Period 

    Second Connections Period

    7th Grade Chorus

     78150

    Drama (Musical Theater)

    78160y

    7th Grade Band – Concert Band
    78110

    7th Grade Band – Symphonic Band

    78110

    Weight Training 

    75300

    Weight Training

    75300

    Peer Buddies

    79010

    Peer Buddies

    79010

    Audio/Visual 

    Yearbook

    79142

    Audio Visual

    77172

     

    8th Grade Courses

    C

    First Connections Period 

    Second Connections Period

    Chorus 

    88150

    Drama (Musical Theater)

    88160y

    8th Grade Band – Concert Band
    88110

    8th Grade Band – Symphonic Band

    88110

    Weight Training

    85300

    Weight Training

    85300

    Peer Buddies

     89010

    Peer Buddies

    89010

    Audio Visual

    Yearbook

    89142

    Audio Visual

    87172

     



     
Last Modified on May 3, 2023