Teachers take attendance at the beginning of each class period. At the end of the day, the system will automatically send you an alert if your child was marked as tardy (late) or absent from any class period.

If your child was marked absent for a class but was in school, check with your child to find out why they missed the class. Perhaps they were making up a test, on a field trip, or pulled for testing or other student services. If an error was made, please contact your child’s teacher directly.

If your child was absent and needs to be excused, please submit an Absence Note online, or submit a note to your child’s assigned Staff Center. You can also call the Staff Center Office: 302-323-2800 

• 9th Gr. Last Names A-K:     x-1411 (N2 Staff Ctr)
• 9th Gr. Last Names L-Z:    x-1400 (N1 Staff Ctr)
• 10th-12th Gr. Last Names A-Ga:    x-3410 (E2 Staff Ctr)
• 10th-12th Gr. Last Names Gb-O:    x-4400 (W 1 Staff Ctr)
• 10th-12th Gr. Last Names P-Z:    x-3400 (E1 Staff Ctr)

Colonial District Absence Guidelines:

Colonial Schools require that parents/guardians submit written notice for any/all of the following occurrences:

• All cases of absence or tardiness
• Requests for early dismissal
• Notification of extended absence
• Parent pick up at Dismissal

Be sure to submit the note within five days or the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Excused Reasons:

• When your student is sick
• When your child has a medical appointment
• A death in the immediate family
• A contagious illness
• Observance of a religious holiday
• Hazardous conditions
• Approved college visits

Unexcused Absences:

• Vacations/travel are NOT excused absences
• Oversleeping or missing the bus or Car problems
• Relatives visiting from out of town
• Child’s birthday
• Staying home to babysit or work

Note: Requests for early dismissal or extended absences must be made in advance. Permission will be granted in accordance with the policy of the school and district. Students will not be released to anyone under the age of 18, regardless of notes made on the form. Schools may need to call to confirm information with parent or guardian.

Students need to earn 24 credits to graduate from William Penn High School:

• 4 credits English
• 4 credits Mathematics, including Integrated Math III
• 3 credits Science, including Biology
• 3 credits Social Studies, including US History
• 3 credits Career Pathway
• 3.5 credits Electives
• 2 credits World Language (same language)
• 1 credit Physical Education (2 semesters of Gym)
• 0.5 credit Health (1 semester)

School counselors meet with students yearly to review their graduation plan and ensure they are on track for graduation.

In cases where students fail/ do not earn credit for a required course, they will need to make up the credit via Credit Recovery. Summertime Credit Recovery opportunities may require a fee. Information about these opportunities is shared towards the end of the school year via the principal’s weekly emails, Schoology announcements, and the school’s website.

Throughout the year, you can track your child’s class grades in the Home Access Center. You can contact your child’s teachers with any questions or concerns about class progress by emailing them. There are parent conferences twice a year (in November and March) where you can meet with your child’s teachers for one-on-one conversations.

The Home Access Center (HAC) is a website to view: Click here to go to the HAC website.

• Current schedule
• Grades
• Transcript
• Attendance

To reset your HAC password, click here or email your child’s school counselor.

• At the bottom of the page select forget password.
• Next screen, select Colonial School District and enter username first name.last name and you will receive an email at your Colonial Gmail account with a temporary password
• When resetting your password, you will create security questions – be sure to make questions and answers that you can remember!

Schoology’s Purpose: Schoology is used to house the student’s individual class information. Each individual class will have a Schoology course created by the teacher with current information, assignments, and grades. Schoology is also used by the School Counseling Department to share current information about upcoming college admission visits, scholarships, and any important information. Students should be checking their Schoology accounts daily. Students can also use Schoology to send private messages to their teachers or other staff members in the building.

Students’ Schoology login is their student id number and birth date. For example, if the student’s id is 123456 and their birthday is May 1, 2005. This is the information on how to log on: 123456@colonial.k12.de.us username and 05012005 password.

 

Guardians can see their students’ work on Schoology by creating an account at Schoology.com

To view step-by-step directions with screenshots, click here.

Reach out to any of your child’s teachers or their school counselor to get the parent ACCESS CODE.

You only need one access code to be able to see all of your child’s courses in Schoology. You do not need to get a separate code for each class.

SATs are a required standardized test that is used to (a) gauge the effectiveness of the school in teaching Reading and Math, and (b) help colleges with admissions decisions. Many colleges require the official SAT score as part of the application process. SATs are administered at William Penn in the Spring of 11th grade (usually in March). The date is set by The College Board & the Delaware Department of Education.

PSATs are a practice version of the SATs. PSATs are administered at William Penn in the Spring of 10th grade (usually in March). The date is set by The College Board & the Delaware Department of Education. It is important for students to participate in PSATs because it exposes them to the testing environment and procedures so that when they take the high-stakes SAT test the following year, they will know what to expect. It also allows the students, families, and school to see each student’s strengths and areas of improvement in Reading and Math.

 

Additional Resources- PSAT

In preparation for the PSAT, students can access the Student Guide. The Student Guide provides a breakdown of the test along with sample questions: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/official-student-guide-psat-10.pdf

Click to access full length Practice Tests: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice/full-length-practice-tests

 

Additional Resources- SAT​​​​

In addition to taking the required School Day SAT as juniors, students can register to take the SAT during a Saturday administration. It is recommended that students take the SAT at least one more time after the spring test in their junior year (typically the fall of senior year).  Please visit the College Board SAT website for additional information about test dates & locations: SAT
Students may also choose to register for the ACT. Please visit the ACT website for additional information: ACT

If you have any questions about college entrance exams, please speak with your counselor.

Important: Score Release Dates for most SAT scores are released about two weeks after test day. June scores take longer, up to six weeks. Find out when scores will be released.

SAT versus ACT

Both the ACT and the SAT are nationally administered standardized tests that help colleges evaluate candidates. Almost all colleges and universities accept either test. The following websites provide a comparison of the SAT and ACT:

• Kaplan Test Prep
• The Princeton Review

To order a final high school transcript to be sent to your college, university, or trade school, you must first create a Parchment Account.

You will send your transcripts a few times: First, when you are applying for colleges. Again, when you graduate and the college/university/trade school needs your final grades at the end of senior year.

1. Go to https://www.parchment.com/students/how-it-works/ and click the green button that says “Order Now”
2. Select your school: Type in “William Penn High School” and ensure it is the WPHS in New Castle, DE.
3. Start to create your account. Ensure that the green icon for Ordering Your Own Credentials is checked. You MUST use a personal email, not a Colonial email address. You will lose access to your Colonial email after you graduate. Click “Continue“.
4. Fill out your personal information to finish setting up your account. Choose a password. Click “Create Account & Continue“.
5. Once your account has been created, you will select which college/ university/ trade school you want the transcript to be sent. Ensure you are selecting the correct branch/ campus, if your institution has multiple options.
6. When you get to the check out screen, you MUST schedule when you want the transcripts sent. If you are applying to colleges in Fall of 12th grade, you can “Send Now”. If you are graduating, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you select “Hold for Grades”. This way, your transcript will not be sent until final grades are in and your Senior transcript is complete.
7. Click green “Complete Order” button to send it through. You should get a confirmation email.

 

If you participated in Dual Enrollment or Early College courses and need to transfer college credits, view more information here.