Upper School Back-to-School 2025-26

Welcome to the 2025-26 School Year!

To-Do Before School Begins: All Upper School Students

STUDENT SCHEDULE AND CALENDAR:
View your fall schedule in Veracross. In the portal, you can also click on “My Calendar” at the top of the page to view important events and dates. If you have any concerns about your schedule, please see Your Academic Schedule below.

TEXTBOOKS:
In Veracross, students, you should see a link for “Booklist” under Student Links on the right hand side. Parents, under your child‘s name, you should see three tabs. “Info,” “Reports,” and “Links.” If you click on the “Links” tab, you should see “Booklist.” Click there to view the specific editions and ISBNs of the books you’ll need.

The Park School is committed to taking action toward diversity, equity, and inclusion, and one option for action is supporting Black-owned businesses. We hope that you will consider purchasing books for this school year from a Black-owned independent bookstore. The lists below of stores all over the U.S. can help you in that process. You might consider contacting a shop in a community to which you have a connection. Remember to give yourselves and the stores some lead time to process your order. 

Here is a link to an extensive list at the website of the African American Literature Book Club.

And here is a link to the AALBC list sorted for stores that have an online presence.

FULL-YEAR BLOCK CALENDAR:
Click on this link to view; print and keep this crucial scheduling document.

IMPORTANT DATES:
Click on this link to view the important dates for the 2025-2026 school year.

UPPER SCHOOL HANDBOOK:
View the Upper School Student Handbook in your Veracross portal (scroll down to the documents section). Please take a close look at the Handbook this year — there are several important updates, including regarding device usage in school.

STUDENT IDS:
All students are given a student ID. If you are new to Park, we will take a photo for your ID during orientation. Returning students: if you have lost your ID, please fill out this form so that we can get you a new ID. Please note: we will replace any IDs lost over the summer, but after that, there will be a $5 replacement fee for any lost ID cards during the school year. In order to not incur a charge, this form must be filled out by August 29. Any requests made after August 29 will be charged.

SUMMER READING DISCUSSION GROUPS:
View the list of the summer reading groups here.

OFF CAMPUS ACTIVITIES POLICY AND ALL-SCHOOL AND UPPPER SCHOOL POLICIES:
When logging into the Veracross portal, click on All School Resources, select Upper School, and scroll down to the “Important Policies” section. Here you’ll find the Off Campus Activities Policy and important all school and Upper School policies for review.

ATHLETICS:
Find information about preseason athletics here, including the welcome letter from the Athletic Leadership Team.

ARTS INFORMATION:
Find information about Park’s Upper School Music program, including trips and preseason Performing Arts Rehearsal information here.

PEABODY AT PARK PROGRAMS:
Peabody Preparatory offers dance and music programs that take place in the Wyman Arts Center (music rooms and dance studio) during weekday afternoons and evenings. Peabody Prep oversees and manages all facets of the program, including registration, scheduling, and billing. Visit the Peabody at Park website to learn more about their offerings and register.

To-Do Before School Begins: Parents

MEDICAL FORMS AND HEALTH INFORMATION:
Complete your child’s online medical forms. A fully completed Medical Statement must be on file for your child to participate in athletic activities. For the 2025-2026 school year, we will be switching our student health record management system from Magnus Health to August Schools. Please look out for an email from our Director of Nursing Services the week of August 4 with more detailed information.

ACTIVITY AGREEMENT AND RELEASE FORM:
Please fill out the Activity Agreement and Release Form for Student Participation in Challenge Course so that your child is ready and able to participate in challenge course activities throughout the school year.

TRANSPORTATION:
Find information about transportation options here.

HOUSEHOLD CALENDAR:
Logging into the Veracross Parent Portal will allow you access to the Veracross Calendars. Your Household calendar will display important events and dates that specifically affect members of your household. For information on how to subscribe, click here.

THE PARK SCHOOL DIRECTORY:
The Park School Directory will be accessible through the Veracross portal. In order to ensure we have the most up-to-date information for the directory, please update your information in the Veracross portal by Monday, August 19.

PUBLIC LIBRARY CARD:
For research purposes, all Park students are asked to have a Baltimore County Public Library Card. You do not need to be a resident of Baltimore County to register for a card. Click here to register.

COMPLETE THE CAFETERIA AND SCHOOL STORE PURCHASE LIMITS FORM:
OPTIONAL: Click here to set monthly purchase limits on your child’s cafeteria account and the NEW School Store account — if you do not want to set a limit, you do not need to fill out this form. Note: prior limits set will remain in effect unless you resubmit this form. The new School Store (located in the lobby of the Athletic Center) will be selling a variety of snacks, drinks, and grab and go items, as well as Park spirit apparel, P.E. shirts, hats, accessories, and gifts.

GRANDPARENTS:
The Veracross portal includes a section in the “Family Update Form” called “Grandparents.” By updating contact information for grandparents, you will enable Park to share community news periodically, and invite grandparents to future events and other community activities

Cafeteria Reminder!

Students can purchase breakfast, lunch, and snacks in the cafeteria using either their student ID card or their ID number. The cafeteria is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Actual charges are billed monthly in arrears to the student’s FACTS account. If desired, a monthly limit can be placed on the student’s account using the link here. Limits will roll over from year to year. The cafeteria menu can be found here.

School Supplies Reminder!

As you start your back-to-school shopping, please note that there is no list of prescribed school supplies for Upper School. Your teachers will let you know during the first few days of class of any special requirements; at a minimum, though, you should be sure to bring paper, a quad ruled notebook, writing implements (both pen and pencil), scissors, a ruler, binders and/or folders, and a calculator on the first day. (The current recommendation of the math department is the TI-30XS MultiView scientific calculator.)

Juniors and Seniors

DRIVING EXPECTATIONS (JUNIORS AND SENIORS) AND VEHICLE REGISTRATION:
All juniors and seniors (whether or not they plan to drive to school) must complete the permission forms (found in your Veracross Portal) by Friday, August 22, 2025. If you plan on driving to school, you must register the vehicle prior to parking on campus. The Vehicle Registration form is located at the bottom of the Driving Expectations forms.

Find the junior form here.

Find the senior form here.

Click Here for Orientation Schedules for all 9th Graders and new students

Click Here for the First Day of School Block Rotation Schedule for all students

Letters from Student Council and Important Information for Students

Dear Returning Upper School Students,

Welcome back! We hope that everyone had a relaxed and safe summer full of growth and discovery. Whether you were working hard at a job or catching up on your favorite shows, we hope you found renewal and comfort. In a few weeks, we will be gearing up for the new school year. We, as your new Student Council, are here to support and listen to you. We are excited to be back on campus with all of you and we are ready to make this upcoming year one to remember.

We hope that you continue to explore your interests and passions the same way you did in your previous years at Park. If you’ve enjoyed spending time in nature, join Hiking Club, and if you’ve enjoyed working with younger students, join the Partners Program. Take classes that interest you; continue to grow as an individual and student. Let’s enjoy the last bit of summer we have left and anticipate the intellectual challenges we’ll face this year.

The things that make Park most special — the community, the people, and the commitment to learning — are stronger than ever. We encourage you to invest in your education and pursue new experiences this year, whether it be in a class, a club, or something else altogether. Know that we are dedicated to supporting you in any way! 

Your workload will be greater, and you will have new responsibilities, as well as more exciting opportunities to look forward to. We hope to make this year more productive through change that you want to see. You, as a part of the student body, are an integral member of life at Park; we want to hear your voice and ideas, and communicate ours to you. We hope you explore the opportunity to run as a senator, or drop in to our weekly Senate meetings. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sia, President
Owen, Vice President
Nava, Treasurer
Aria, Secretary

Dear Class of 2029 and New Upper School Students,

Congratulations on your entrance to the Park Upper School! As your Student Council, we write to welcome you to the community and share some of the experiences that helped us adapt to the new environment. We hope that your transition to our community will be smooth, and we will do all we can to support you throughout the process.

Whether you’re coming from downstairs, across the street, or across the globe, we are excited to have you be part of our community. Park is a place in which everyone has the chance to get to know themselves through new experiences (both in and out of the classroom). We hope you consider joining one of the many clubs we offer; Mentors, Terraform, Student Senate, and countless other clubs continue to bring joy to the Park community. If you don’t see something that interests you, we are here to support you in starting a new club!

Many of these activities take place outside of class time. In addition to exploring new things and clubs, we also suggest that you use your free time to set up meetings, get ahead on your homework, join our music groups, or just relax.  

We hope that you find Park’s Upper School both challenging and welcoming. Make sure you get to know your teachers and advisor, as relationships with faculty are an excellent way to ensure your success, whether it be through advocacy, helping you understand a difficult concept from class, or whatever else you may need. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or for help.

No matter what you’re interested in or how you spend your free blocks, we know you’re going to do great at Park. As your Student Government, we are here to support you and excited to meet you at orientation! 

Have a great year! 🙂

Sia, President
Owen, Vice President
Nava, Treasurer
Aria, Secretary

Information for New 10th and 11th Grade Students

Dear Students and Families:

Once again, congratulations on your acceptance to Park School, and welcome to the community. You comprise a very special group of students who are entering Park after 9th Grade. There’s much to learn about how the Upper School works, and we know that the next few months will involve a certain amount of orienting and adapting. But please know how excited we are about what you’ll bring: fresh energy, innovative ideas, and new ways of seeing.  

Still, though, it might be nice to know where your locker is! Fortunately, there are a number of people and resources in place to help you find your way. We have matched you with a “buddy,” a veteran Park student who will get in touch with you before the start of school to answer any questions you have, and then partner with you during New Student Orientation, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26. At orientation, you will have a chance to bond as a group, navigate the building and the schedule, learn about co-curricular activities, have lunch with members of your class, discuss the school’s philosophy, and meet your faculty advisors. The schedule for the day will be sent to you in mid-August. 

Your advisor — whose name is listed on your class schedule — is an important source of support and guidance this year (and every other year). Once the school year starts, you’ll be part of an advisee group composed of five to ten students. You and your advisor will have at least one scheduled meeting together each week, usually with the group, with other meetings occurring informally or as needed. Your advisor will oversee your academic and socio-emotional progress,  help you access resources and activities, provide support and guidance when needed, and act as the primary contact for your parents with the school. 

Parents and guardians, we recognize the importance of this last function for you, particularly as your child makes the leap to Park, and therefore hope you’ll be able to attend Back-to-School Night (Thursday, September 4), which will begin with time set aside for parents/guardians of new students to meet with their child’s advisor. This is a great opportunity to find out how the first few weeks of the transition to Park are going and to establish protocols for staying in touch. We look forward to seeing you there.

Your Upper School schedule is located on Veracross. Talking through it with your advisor during Orientation will help launch you for the first day of school. If you study it now, you will notice occasional periods (M, G, and X blocks) when you see no scheduled obligations. While you will have free time during the day, these blocks also provide important opportunities to meet with teachers for extra help, research in the library, work on group projects, or catch up on homework. These blocks are also used for musical ensembles–for example, Parksingers (the Upper School chorus) — class meetings are scheduled, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion and Wellness classes are held, and co-curricular activities meet. You will learn much more about our exciting clubs and activities at the Activities Fair during Orientation, and be encouraged to join according to your interests. 

You’ll also notice that your schedule does not show any Physical Education classes. Park requires students to earn six P.E. credits before graduating, either by playing on an interscholastic team (1 ½ credits per season) or by taking P.E. classes (1 credit per class) after the end of the school day. You can get in touch with Kate Davidson (one of our Upper School Administrative Assistants) to find out whether you have P.E. credits left to earn, and to learn about opportunities for doing so. Sign-up for P.E. will take place during the first week of school. If you’re thinking about playing on a team this fall, the time is near; please go to Park’s website to find out about the preseason practice schedule by clicking here. Although preseason participation is not required, it is strongly recommended, and expected for any player trying out for Varsity. It is a great way to ease yourself back into the school year.

As you start your back-to-school shopping, please note that there is no list of prescribed school supplies (other than the technology requirements found here) for Upper School. Your teachers will let you know during the first few days of class of any special requirements; at a minimum, though, you should be sure to bring basic school supplies — paper, a quad ruled notebook, writing implements (both pen and pencil), scissors, a ruler, binders and/or folders, and a TI-30XS MultiView scientific calculator on the first day.

If you have questions about any of the details in this letter, don’t hesitate to contact the Upper School’s Administrative Assistants Lauren Blum (lblum@parkschool.net) or Kate Davidson (cdavidson@parkschool.net).

If you have questions or concerns about your schedule that can’t wait until August 28, please get in touch with Dorrie Bright-Whitson, our Registrar (410-339-4104 or dbright@parkschool.net). She will be available to answer questions and solve problems at Orientation as well. 

We hope you have a wonderful end to your summer, and we look forward to an adventure with all of you this year.

Best,

Traci Wright, Upper School Principal
Elliott Huntsman, Upper School Dean of Students 

Keep an eye out for an email with the specifics for the day! Students should plan to be on campus from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26.

Information for 9th Grade Students

Dear Members of the Class of 2029 and Families: 

Welcome to the Upper School! With Middle School behind you, the great adventure of high school is near at hand. We are thrilled that you will be joining us and excited about what you will bring: fresh energy, innovative ideas, and curiosity. 

Before ninth-grade orientation arrives, we want to share some of the resources and people who will help you find your way. For ninth graders new to Park, there is your “buddy,” the veteran Park student you met this spring, who will get in touch with you before the start of school to answer any questions you have and then partner with you during Orientation. 

Your advisor — whose name is listed on your class schedule — is an important source of support and guidance this year (and every other year). You will be part of an advisee group composed of five to ten students, some of whom will also be ninth graders. You and your advisor will have at least one scheduled meeting together each week, usually with the group, with other meetings occurring informally or as needed. Your advisor will oversee your academic and socio-emotional progress, provide support and guidance when needed, and act as the primary contact for your parents with the school. 

Parents and guardians, we recognize the importance of this last function for you, particularly as your child makes the leap to high school, and therefore hope you’ll be able to attend Back-to-School Night (Thursday, September 4), which will begin with a meet-and-greet for advisors and ninth grade parents and guardians. This is a great opportunity for you to meet your child’s advisor, find out how the first few days of the transition to Park are going, and establish protocols for staying in touch. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and get a sense of what each class will be studying this year. Details Back to School Night will be sent to you in early September. 

We also hope you’ll join us at the Ninth Grade Parent/Guardian and Student Meeting (Thursday, September 18). We’ll send more information as the evenings get closer; in the meantime, please save the dates. We look forward to seeing you there. 

As you will read in the letter from our Counseling and Wellness Department, our counselors, Edwin Gordon, Kara Ker, and Tucker Snow, are available to speak with you at any time. Our Learning Resource Teachers, Karyn Fisher and Rich Espey, advise students on organization, study skills, test accommodations, and learning plans, and are available to you, too.  And, of course, you have your teachers and us to talk with at any time when you wonder about Upper School, your classes, and the opportunities you are finding here. 

Turning to Orientation, when you join us on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26 from 8:30 a.m – 3 p.m., you’ll have the chance to meet new students, find (and operate!) your locker, navigate the building, master the schedule, attend an Activities Fair, get to know your class advisors, Elizabeth Fisk (US Science) and Jay Golon (US History), and a number of older students; and spend one-on-one time with your faculty advisor. 

Your Upper School schedule is located on Veracross. Talking through it with your advisor during Orientation will help launch you for the first day of school. If you study it now, you will notice occasional periods (M, G, and X blocks) when you see no scheduled obligations. While you will have free time during the day, these blocks also provide important opportunities to meet with teachers for extra help, research in the library, work on group projects, or catch up on homework. These blocks are also used for musical ensembles–for example, Parksingers (the Upper School chorus)–class meetings are scheduled, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion and Wellness classes are held, and co-curricular activities meet. You will learn much more about our exciting clubs and activities at the Activities Fair during Orientation, and be encouraged to join according to your interests. 

You’ll also notice that your schedule does not show any Physical Education classes. Park requires students to earn six P.E. credits before graduating, either by playing on an interscholastic team (1 1⁄2 credits per season) or taking P.E. classes (1 credit per class). P.E. offerings may include activities like Frisbee, weight-training, and fitness. Sign-up for P.E. will take place during the first week of school. 

Although preseason participation is not required, it is strongly recommended, and expected for any player trying out for Varsity athletics. It is a great way to get to know peers and older students outside of the classroom, and to begin getting in shape and adjusted to high school. If you’re thinking about playing on a team this fall, the time is near; please go to Park’s website to find out about the preseason practice schedule by clicking here. 

As you start your back-to-school shopping, please note that there is no list of prescribed school supplies (other than the technology requirements found here) for Upper School. Your teachers will let you know during the first few days of class of any special requirements; at a minimum, though, you should be sure to bring basic school supplies — paper, a quad ruled notebook, writing implements (both pen and pencil), scissors, a ruler, binders and/or folders, and a TI-30XS MultiView scientific calculator on the first day.

If you have questions about any of the details in this letter, don’t hesitate to contact the Upper School’s Administrative Assistants Lauren Blum (lblum@parkschool.net) or Kate Davidson (cdavidson@parkschool.net).

If you have questions or concerns about your schedule, please get in touch with Dorrie Bright-Whitson, our Registrar (410-339-4104 or dbright@parkschool.net). She will be available to answer questions and solve problems at Orientation as well. 

We hope you have a wonderful end to your summer, and we look forward to an adventure with all of you this year. 

Best, 

Traci Wright, Upper School Principal
Elliott Huntsman, Upper School Dean of Students 

Keep an eye out for an email with the specifics! Students should plan to be on campus from 8:30 to 3 p.m. on both Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26.

Your Academic Schedule

You are now able to log into Veracross to see your tentative schedule for the full year. Your fall classes will display on the landing page, and there are links to color-coded pdfs of your schedule for each term:

If you have forgotten your password or are otherwise unable to log into Veracross, please contact portals@parkschool.net.  

I wrote above that your schedule is tentative, because if you want to make  a change to your schedule, you may!

  1. First, please check here to see if the class you want is full and that you have space for it in your schedule. Please note the two tabs at the bottom for the fall and spring semesters. If there is room in the class, zap me a note (dbright@parkschool.net) to let me know what you’d like to do.  
  1. If the class is full, please both add yourself to the waitlist here and send me an email about what you’d like to do. I’ll be in touch! Please note that I will not start to draw students from the waitlist before August 15, to allow time for all students to review their schedules. Please also note that all classes are listed on the form; not just the full ones (so that I don’t have to keep adding or removing classes as enrollments change). 

 If you put yourself on a waitlist, please be sure to check your email everyday after August 15. Students will have 48 hours to respond to an email from me inviting them to join a waitlisted class. Once the school year begins, students will have only 24 hours to respond.

If the class is not full, please do not use the waitlist, but email me to let me know that you’d like to enroll.

  1. Please note that as of the first day of school, we expect that everyone will be settled into their schedules. After classes begin, students must complete a class-change form to make any changes to their schedules. Please reach out to me to kick off that form (dbright@parkschool.net, Room 342). Students may not join a class in progress after Thursday, September 11.  
  1. As always, please be sure to read the course description (including prerequisites) in the Program of Studies.

Recommendations for Viewing Your Schedule

  1. You can download a color-coded pdf of your schedule — there’s one for each semester. It’s often nice to have that paper reference, though it is static, and will not reflect any schedule changes, such as a weather delay or special events in the Upper School.
  1. Your up-to-date calendar may be viewed in Veracross. Please see “the easiest way” in the linked document.
  1. We strongly recommend that students have Veracross feed their class schedules to Google Calendars, which are linked to the Google Classrooms used by faculty. Please see “a convenient way” in the linked document.

Understanding Student Choice, Scheduling, and an Abundance of Electives
We build our schedule around student requests by placing classes in blocks where the most students can take them. Classes are filled randomly with students who have requested that class. Unfortunately, there are myriad other constraints on the schedule that compete with choice — classroom space, teacher availability, and conflicts with required classes.

Please understand, too, that our system does not make it any more likely that a student will get a very popular class. If 45 students request to be in a class of 16, 28 students will not get that class under any system. That’s a 40% disappointment rate! However, students stand a much better chance of having smaller classes of interest open to them, whereas under another system, only your required classes are considered.

Our system is about being fair and equitable to all students and does not guarantee that any individual will get their first or second choices. Many students do.

Regular Spanish Electives, Statistics, and Discrete Mathematics
Students recommended for “Statistics or Discrete” or for the regular Spanish electives have been placed in the classes that work best with their other requests, while keeping section sizes balanced.

Maximum Class Sizes
Please understand that different classes have different maximum sizes. Sometimes we have to cap one section so that the other section maintains a critical mass of students (like Math 10-3 for 24 students, for example; if one section goes to 18, the other will have only 6 students). Sometimes classroom safety is the dominant factor (as when working with power tools or chemicals, for example).  

Rooms
Rooms will be assigned in August and will then appear on your schedule in Veracross.

Google Classrooms
Will be available to students by the first day of classes.

Spring Independent Studies and Teaching Assistantships
Students wishing to apply for a spring-semester independent study or teaching assistantship may do so in the fall. We do not approve or schedule them before that time.

I look forward to working with you this year!

Dorrie Bright-Whitson
Upper School Registrar
410-339-4104
dbright@parkschool.net

Reference Materials

A Message from the Counseling and Wellness Office 

Dear Students and Parents, 

Welcome to the 2025-2026 academic school year! 

A new school year is always a refreshing opportunity for new beginnings; this year is no exception. 

The entire Counseling and Wellness Team, with unwavering dedication, is committed to providing the high-quality social and emotional programming and support you are accustomed to. We are thrilled to introduce fresh initiatives and approaches to the school community, ensuring a smooth transition for students and families.

Here is what you can expect from the Counseling and Wellness Team:

  • Meet and Greets: Individual sessions will be held with students new to Park throughout the fall. In preparation for these meetings, Grades 6-12, please take some time to fill out this survey  for the counselors to understand the needs and support of our students.
  • Human Sexuality Education: Park’s Human Sexuality Education is taught by Debbie Roffman in the Lower School and Ashley Edwards in the Middle and Upper School. Holistic in nature and comprehensive in scope, Park’s trained health educators focus on healthy social and emotional development, healthy relationships with self and others, and community health and well-being. 
  • Counseling: The role of Park’s school counselors is to promote wellness, facilitate student social and emotional development, and work with individual students and families to address social, emotional, and mental health challenges that affect students’ learning and development. We are always here for you, providing confidential, brief counseling support for students and families.  
  • Please contact us to request support services at any time. Lower School families, please contact Lower School Counselor Amy Ancona at aancona@parkschool.net or 410-339-4129. Middle and Upper School families, please contact Kara Ker at kker@parkschool.net or 410-339-4158, Tucker Snow at tsnow@parkschool.net or 410-339-4117, and Edwin Gordon at egordon@parkschool.net or 410-339-4170.  Please note that we cannot support requests for students to participate in teletherapy with community clinicians at school.  
  • Park Connects: Our Park Connects program strives to create, strengthen, and support the connections between and among students and adults in our community and to promote students’ healthy development and physical, social, and emotional well-being. To that end, this year’s Park Connects program will include the following:
    • A universal bank of online parenting resources that address current parenting challenges
    • Collaboration with the Parents’ Association to provide relevant topics and resources for parent grade-specific discussions
    • Parent Meet-and-Greet sessions with the Health Team

Please visit our Park Connects page for more information.

  • Counseling and Wellness Database: Park’s Health Team has created a database of resources (articles, books, lectures, podcasts, etc.) — and can be found here. These resources are intended to provide parenting education about developmentally appropriate topics.
  • Referrals: From our robust professional network, we can refer you to community providers for assessments and more extended-term treatment. 

We are eagerly looking forward to welcoming you back on campus soon! We hope you will become acquainted with us this academic year. If you or your family have concerns you want to discuss confidentially before the year officially begins, we encourage you to reach out in late August. 

Warmly, 

The Counseling and Wellness Office (Amy, Ashley, Edwin, Kara, Tucker & Debbie)

Letter Regarding 9th Grade Math Placement

Dear Incoming 9th Graders and their Parents:

Each year, the Math Department places incoming 9th Graders into one of four levels of math. All classes study an integrated curriculum consisting of algebra, coordinate geometry, and trigonometry. These classes move at a variety of paces, differing also in depth and level of abstraction. The most advanced class covers many of the same topics, but also covers Euclidean Geometry and some additional topics. All groups study habits of mind for problem solving such as tinkering, simplifying the problem, and representing problems visually and symbolically.

Here is a description of each class:

  • Math 9-1 will move at the fastest pace, touching on algebra, coordinate geometry, and trigonometry, as well as Euclidean geometry and additional topics.
  • Math 9-2 will work from the integrated algebra/coordinate geometry/trigonometry curriculum. This class will move at a brisk pace, assuming comfort with algebra and a high level of abstraction. 
  • Math 9-3 classes will work from the integrated algebra/coordinate geometry/trigonometry curriculum, with more time spent on fundamentals.
  • Math 9-4 classes will also work from the integrated algebra/coordinate geometry/trigonometry curriculum, with some extra support.

At the end of the 9th Grade year, we will have a detailed and individualized understanding of students’ mathematical abilities and progress, which will inform their placement into their 10th Grade courses. Students will have conversations with their teachers in the spring of 9th Grade about what 10th Grade course is most appropriate for them to take, and if any summer work is necessary. Our goal is to ensure that each student is always in a level that is engaging and challenging for them.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Tom Brown, Upper School Math Chair, at tbrown2@parkschool.net or (410) 339-7070 x4524.

We are excited to begin working with this year’s group of students. 

Sincerely,

The Park Upper School Mathematics Department

PS: Here is a problem you might like to think about before school begins.

You have 25 racehorses. Each horse takes a different amount of time to run a course. You can run five horses against each other at a time. You have no timer, but need to identify the three fastest horses. How many races will it take for you to know the answer?

Tech Requirements

To support both in-school and at-home academic programming and to minimize the risk associated with sharing devices, Park is requiring that each student have access to the following technology:

9th – 12th Grade

The table below applies to students in Grades 9-12

Personal laptop with a built-in webcam Macintosh or Windows PC
Minimum laptop specifications13″ screen
M1, i5, or Ryzen 5 processor
8 GB RAM
256 GB minimum hard drive		If purchasing a new device, 16 GB RAM is recommended.
Lightweight headset (headphones and built-in microphone)Stereo plugs or USB connection to connect to student’s device

Example brands: Cyber Acoustics Stereo PlugHeadset, Logitech USB Headset
Extended warranty (AppleCare or equivalent for PC or Chromebook)Recommended for laptops, but NOT required