Bowie Counseling News
January 2021
Welcome!
This newsletter's purpose is to share events and information from the Counseling Department. Please contact your counselor should you need further or specific information.
Here is a link to our Bowie Counselors.
What's New? COURSE SELECTION 2021-22
Course Advising Plan for 2021-22 School Year
Attached here is a copy of the working calendar.
Academic Planning Night: January 13, 5:30-6:30 PM
Parents and guardians, we will be hosting a virtual Academic Planning Night this year for our current Bowie 9th - 11th graders. The format will be “flipped,” meaning we will send out informational videos prior to January 13th. Families should watch these videos and bring their questions to the Academic Planning Night for a live Q&A from 5:30 - 6:30. Representatives from ACC and UT OnRamps will be present, as well as the Bowie School Counselors and Dean of Instruction, Ms. Leos. The videos and Zoom login information are posted here and in the Bowie Community Blend Page on January 13th. Please note the live event is a Q&A format, and it will be best to preview the videos beforehand.
9th-11th Grade Conferences
Counselors will be visiting 9th-11th grade classrooms January 14-28 to review the choice sheet for the 2021-2022 school year and the course selection process. See the course advising schedule for specific dates and classes.
Virtual Bowie Showcase: February 3
Study Skills
Welcome back to a new semester and a fresh start. We know it takes extra motivation, focus and time to stay engaged now, but we also know all good things are worth the extra effort and we believe in you!
Click here for tips Bowie counselors have assembled for you, including ideas to help you improve your grades and stay on track.
Mindfulness
Teen/ Family Activity
Cooking is a great skill for all of us! Let the teens explore in the kitchen for an afternoon or evening. There are dozens of cooking sources making their classes complimentary, including the Culinary Institute of America which has tutorials on basic techniques. On Instagram, teen fave TasteMade is live streaming "quarantine kitchen" with follow along food ideas and pastry chef Christina Tosi of Milk Bar (the inventor of cereal milk ice cream and potato chip/pretzel/coffee ground "compost cookies), does a live "mystery" baking recipe every afternoon.
Have a more advanced chef in your house? Let them take over dinner duties for a night—or have them Zoom meet with friends to cook, and eat, lunch. (From Parent.com)
Spring Semester Level Changes: Feb 15-19
Please note that spring semester level change requests for year-long classes were due on January 4th. If you have missed this deadline, please talk with your teacher about your concerns for continuing in the advanced level. The level change request form for semester classes (such as AP government and AP economics) will be available from February 15th - 19th, and is due February 19th (the end of the fourth six-weeks). The request form will be posted in the Blend Community Course.
Credit Recovery Options
If your student did not pass a class in the fall that is required for graduation, they will likely need credit recovery. Please reach out to your student’s counselor if you think your child may need credit recovery. A summary of our credit recovery options can be found on the JBHS website, as well as a list of graduation requirements.
Here are a few considerations when thinking about which option may be best:
Twilight Credit Recovery runs January 25th to April 1. Taught by Bowie teachers, before or after school, Twilight is a great way to recover credit while reinforcing learning. Registration for Twilight will open January 15th. More information about Twilight will be found on the Blend page and website including the schedule and registration form.
As a reminder, students can sign up for Garza Online classes year round, so students can make up credits now or wait until the summer. It is self-paced, so they can move through the material as quickly as possible.
Year-long averaging may be especially helpful for students who were fairly close to passing semester 1 and may allow them to forego credit recovery if they score high enough in the spring semester.
Delta is typically reserved for our seniors who need credit recovery built into their schedules. It is the only option for seniors in the spring semester, so counselors and the Delta teachers are able to monitor progress.
For Seniors Only!
Caps and Gowns
The time has come to start ordering your cap and gown for graduation! Herff Jones requests all orders to be completed online by February 15th: www.highschool.herffjones.com. If you have any questions, please contact the Herff Jones representative directly (listed on their website). Please note the district is still making decisions regarding graduation, and we will send out more information as it becomes available.