LHS Counseling Weekly Update
Friday Oct. 6, 2023
Greetings!
The topics are all listed below, with a link to the pertinent information so that you can quickly scroll through to see if any of the topics pertain to you. There are 3 sections:
- Mental/Physical health support and resources
- Academic/Career information and resources
- Just for Seniors
MENTAL/PHYSICAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND RESOURCES...
- Managing the Homework Battle with your ADHD Student - Strategies for families
- WSD Mental Health Resources Hub: Find a variety of mental health resources available to families in the WSD in our Mental Health Hub
ACADEMIC/CAREER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES...
Say Hello to XELLO!
UPDATE: On Thursday, students and parents were introduced to Xello. Parents should have received an email invitation to join their child's Xello account. Check your inbox for an email from no-reply.xello.world. The invitation expires 7 days after receipt.
The Wentzville School District is excited to launch the district's new college and career readiness platform, Xello. Middle school and high school students in WSD have access to the platform and will begin teacher-led lessons during student success time.
Lesson 1: October 5th -13th
Lesson 2: November 9th-17th
Lesson 3: January 11th-19th
Lesson 4: April 4th -12th
The student driven future readiness program allows students to document their journey as they build self-knowledge, explore post-secondary options, create plans, construct resumes, build a student portfolio, and continually reassess as they take in new knowledge, skills, and experiences. Students also have the opportunity to apply for colleges, request letters of recommendation and transcripts, as well as learn about current job opportunities and scholarships in our community.
Student Opportunities:
Self assessment through personality, learning styles, and skill assessments
Post secondary pathway exploration experiences
College applications and recommendation letters
Unique student portfolio and resume creation
Individual career and academic planning for high school aligned with WSD pathways
Learn about local job opportunities and scholarships in our area
Watch this Xello for families video for a program overview. You can learn more about Xello on their website (including their pledge to never share student data with outside organizations:
Xello Lesson #1
Counselor Walk-In Appts for students during Soar Time!
1/2 Day Career Based Programs: CAPS and Lewis & Clark
Representatives from Lewis & Clark and CAPS will be here in the coming weeks. If you'd like to learn more about attending these career-focused programs next school year (see list of programs below), please sign up to attend one or both of these informational sessions:
Lewis & Clark meeting sign-up: 10/16 during 3rd period in the Auditorium. Students interested in signing up for a half-day shadow at Lewis & Clark should come see Mrs. Gerringer.
CAPS meeting sign-up: 11/2 during 6th period in the Auditorium.
- CAPS Website and Promo Video (on main webpage)
St. Charles Community College Open House Oct. 17th (Dardenne Creek Campus Programs)
ASVAB Test Sign-Ups
On Nobember 14th, we will be offering the ASVAB test to interested students.
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery:
- Provides feedback on both civilian and military careers.
- Students' scores are NOT shared with military recruiters.
- Administered on Nov. 14th, during the school day.
- There is no charge.
- Can be used to qualify for Honors Graduation
Students in grades 10-12 who are interested must sign themselves up to take the test; click here to sign up for the test ASAP. Seats are limited. A parent-signed permission slip (parents can print this out) will be required to take this test.
If you are taking the test for possible military enlistment, you can do some test prep in advance. A great free tool is on Learning Express Library. In the search bar, type ASVAB to access ebooks and practice tests.
College Rep Visits at Liberty
- Click HERE for a current list of colleges who are visiting LHS.
- Before signing up, do some research on whether or not the college is a good fit.
- Click HERE to sign up for a college. Only one college per submission. You must submit a separate sign-up request for EACH COLLEGE.
- You must sign up no later than 2:30 pm on the school day prior to the visit.
- College Reps visiting Liberty next week (10/9-10/13):
Kansas State University
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kalamazoo College
US Navy
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
ACT and SAT
ACT (at THS, Holt, or FZW)
Next Test: Dec 9; Deadline to register Nov. 3
SAT (at LHS)
Next test: Nov 4; Deadline to register (late) Oct 24
- Fee waivers available for students on Free/Reduced Lunch
- Colleges have no preference between the two tests
- Some colleges don't require test scores
- Make sure to list LHS as your high school when signing up
9th grade Presentation
10th grade Presentation
11th grade Presentation
Planning for College event 9/27
A+ Tutoring Opportunities
10th: You will get more information about A+ trainings in 2nd semester.
9th: Keep up your attendance and your GPA this year!
ALL GRADES: You can do up to 12.5 of your A+ Hours through Job Shadowing. Here is the A+ Job Shadowing Form. Open to all grade levels.
Current Opportunities for students who have attended Tutor Training:
- Chautauqua Application
- Special Opportunities (PTA/PTO, STEM Night, Parents as Teachers)
- Elementary Classroom tutoring (Instructions on A+ Contact List)
JUST FOR SENIORS...
October is "LHS Apply Month"
Apply month offers application help sessions throughout the month of October for 2-yr/4-yr colleges, technical colleges, Military Entrance Exam sign-ups, and career exploration sessions.
- Work on college applications in small groups with assistance
- Food and prizes for participants!
- Must sign up for sessions... watch for the email this weekend!
SCC Be Ready
Who should sign up for the SCC Be Ready Program?
- Seniors planning to attend SCC full time the fall after graduation
- Seniors who want to take 2 courses the summer after graduation and then transfer those credits to other universities (if using A+ Scholarship; this saves @ $4,000)
- Seniors who think of SCC as their "back-up plan"
- Complete application together in October
- SCC comes to LHS in February to administer placement tests
- Field trip to SCC campus in March to learn about programs and services
- SCC Advisors register "Be Ready" students for fall classes in April
- Signing up for Be Ready does not obligate students to attend SCC
FAFSA for 2024-2025
The 2024-2025 FAFSA was delayed (due to reformatting of the form). It will open "some time in December." You can read more about the delay and change in format HERE.
** For students who are graduating in December, and planning to begin college in the Spring Term, or for any senior who plans to take college courses next summer, you must submit the 2023-2024 FAFSA which IS open now.
College Rep Visits
College Reps come to Liberty to share information with interested students. You can see the list of schools on the calendar on the link below, and then sign-up on the Google Form if you'd like to attend. You must sign up by 2:30 on the school day prior to the visit.
This week:
Kansas State University
- University of Missouri-Kansas City
- Kalamazoo College
- US Navy
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Sign-up Link (one college per form submitted)
Scholarships
- Check college websites for competitive Scholarships. Also, are you close to the next tier of automatic/merit scholarships? Keep trying to raise your GPA and ACT/SAT test scores to bump up your scholarship amount; don't leave any money on the table.
- MASFAP Making a Difference Scholarship - application open until October 15, 2023
- LHS Scholarship Webpage (some scholarships listed are still for last year; they will be updated throughout the year as the organizations send updated information)
- Scholarship Search Websites (create a free account, and get matched to scholarships):
IMPORTANT EVENT: College-bound Senior Seminar - 9/27
In case you missed it, you can find the slideshow presentation from Wednesday's presentation on the WSD College and Career Hub under Parent Event Presentations.
Senior Meeting Recap
You can also read a recap of the content presented at the meeting HERE
Xello Resources:
- To login to your Xello account, find Classlink in the WSD Bookmarks. Once you are on the Classlink page, click on Xello. Then login with your WSD google account.
- How to Request a Transcript (quick guide) (we will begin sending transcripts on 9/15)
- Student Guide for Common App and Xello
- How to Request a Letter of Recommendation in Xello (make sure you are ASKING teachers at least 2 weeks in advance of the deadline; also provide them with a Brag Sheet)
Seniors in the "Driver's Seat"
Seniors, you should be the driving force behind your career exploration, college research, and applications. Your parents should remain actively involved in your decision-making, and are a good resource when you have questions or need guidance. But, it should be YOUR fingers on the keyboards when it comes time to apply for college, scholarships, jobs, tests (ACT, SAT, ASVAB), internships, job shadowing, A+ tutoring, etc. The only way to become responsible is to take responsibility. You can do it, and we are here to help!
I would recommend saving this email; it contains so much information, and you may need to refer to it later. Remember that we are here to answer questions and help you work through the process of planning for life after high school. Let us know how we can serve you.
A+ Program
If you have ALREADY been trained, you can start working on your hours any time.
- Chautauqua (elementary after-care) Application
- Elementary classroom aide (email the counselor at the building where you'd like to tutor; contact information is on the back side of the time sheet - available in the Student Center)
- LHS Teacher's Aide (if you want to earn your hours during the school day at Liberty, you must be placed by Mrs. Gerringer in one of two settings: algebra study lab or special education classes; come to the Student Center during Soar Time to make arrangements.
LHS Counselors
Last names
A-E: Mrs. Alicia Sheffield (aliciasheffield@wsdr4.org)F-K: Mr. Chad Cunningham (chadcunningham@wsdr4.org)
L-R: Mrs. Mary Ellen Riley (maryellenriley@wsdr4.org)
S-Z: Mrs. Paige Blackford (paigeblackford@wsdr4.org)
College/Career/A+ Program: Mrs. Shelley Gerringer (michellegerringer@wsdr4.org)
Educational Support Counselor: Mrs. Collin Miller (collinmiller@wsdr4.org)
Email: chelseamccain@wsdr4.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/wsdr4.org/lhsacademics/home
Phone: (636) 561-0075
Twitter: @lhscounselors3