Hi *****,

I am **** *******'s wife. We wanted your advice about the 11th grade courses that our daughter, ****, should be taking. **** attends the ******* ******* ***** in ******. She is also on the varsity swim team. Her 9th and 10th grade courses were:

9th grade:

H Humanities CORE 1 - A/A
H Humanities CORE 2 - A/A
H Biology - A/A
French 1 - A/A
H Geometry - B/A
Varsity Swim - A/A

10th grade:

H Humanities CORE 1 - A/A*
H Humanities CORE 2 - A/A*
H Chemistry - A/A*
French 2 - A/A*
H Algebra 2 - B/A*
Varsity Swim - A/A*

*progress grade

proposed 11th grade courses:

AP U.S. History
H Humanities CORE 1
H Humanities CORE 2
French 3
H Math Analysis
science or technology????
Varsity Swim

proposed 12 grade courses:

AP English Literature
AP French
H Calculus AB
H Humanities CORE 1
H Humanities CORE 2
Varsity Swim
AP Art History???

**** wants to major in English literature in college. She also is interested in history and psychology. She took an introductory psych course at ****** College last summer and got an A. She is planning on attending Oxbridge at Oxford in the summer of 2009 and will "major" in English Literature and "minor" in Psychology and English Literature. She is working on the Girl Scout Gold Award (her project proposal was just approved) and has been a Scout since first grade. She is on the board of the temple youth group and was just re-elected for a third year. She also works at the temple on Sundays as a teaching assistant in the 5th grade. She is a very well-rounded young woman. She is an avid reader and gifted writer. Writing is her passion.

She also has a unique background. She has a twin brother who has autism and who also has had cancer three times. **** has experienced multiple family crisis surrounding her brother's life-threatening illnesses. She has had to deal with issues few children are faced with. She has emerged a stronger, more positive, compassionate and wiser person. By the way, her Gold Award project involves cancer patients at ******* Hospital.

Here is our issue. **** will have to take a "zero period" class in order to fit in swim team. So she will be taking 6 academic classes next year. She would like to take a science class at Valley College over the summer so that she can take a technology class (****** graduation requirement) in the fall as her 6th class. This would lighten her load a bit. If she can't take science at ****** College over the summer, then she will take a technology class. We know she needs a third year of lab science. There is an astronomy class offered at ****** College this summer which her school counselor said will count towards graduation. We are more concerned with whether a top-tier college will accept this class as a third year lab science. If it won't, she won't take it and instead will take a science class in 11th grade. If she does take a science class in 11th grade, she would like to take AP Biology. However, she saw her counselor again yesterday and her counselor insisted that she take Physics (something **** would like to avoid since she isn't taking Calculus until 12th grade).

Also, she would like to take only 3 years of science. She will take 4 years of math. We were told by a counselor at **** ***** (this is provided free by my law firm) that 3 years of science is fine if she wants to be an English major. Her high school counselor told her yesterday that she should take 4 years of science.

We would like your opinion about the astronomy class at ***** College, the AP Bio vs. Physics issue, and the 4th year of science. We want to pay you your hourly rate for your assistance.

Please give me a call to discuss this. We are very confused by ****'s high school counselor and don't have much faith in the information she is giving us. It seems to us that she has her own agenda, which is to push Physics.

I can be reached during the daytime at ***-***-****. In the evenings I can be reached at home at ***-***-****.

I look forward to speaking to you.

Ruth