Grafton High School Counseling News
Information from the GHS Counseling Dept. November 2020
The Class of 2021 is Making Plans
Seniors: Financial Aid (FAFSA)
The FAFSA opened on October 1st. Each college can set their own priority deadline- if you haven't yet, be sure to complete the FAFSA ASAP and prior to the first priority deadline. If you need help completing the FAFSA- check out the opportunities for College Goal WI or the GHS Financial Aid Fall 2020 presentation.
Naviance Student
Virtual College Fairs
Virtual Career Fairs
There are many ways to research careers virtually. Below are a few resources that can help students explore future careers:
O*Net: Research career clusters, specific careers and even take a skills test on this great resource for those looking to explore careers.
Minnesota clusters site: this site, hosted by the Minnesota education department, provides information for those who are just starting the process. Learning about and researching the 16 career clusters is an important first step and this website has a wealth of information for those looking for this step.
WI Tech Colleges: This site a filled with many opportunities for researching your career and programs related to technical colleges. Research clusters, take a career questionnaire...
Career Clusters Info Page: Cluster info with videos
WI Technical College Main page
Junior ACP Conferences
All junior students and parents/guardians will be receiving an email from the GHS Counseling Office inviting them to a Junior Individual Academic and Career Planning Conference to discuss topics related to post-secondary planning. Topics will include: standardized test results, college and career planning, personality/interest/career inventory results within Naviance and additional related topics. Meetings will be held during students study halls or an elective class period throughout second quarter. All parents/guardians are highly encouraged to attend this collaborative conference virtually.
Practice ACT-Juniors
Grafton High School is committed to providing all Juniors with opportunities to prepare for the Statewide ACT administered in early March, 2021. All juniors will be taking a practice ACT test on November 5, 7:30-11:11 am. Juniors will then attend an ACT information meeting on November 10 during BHT in their homerooms to learn about how to prepare for the March ACT. Students will also have an opportunity in their Communication Arts classes to set goals and to develop an ACT Prep Plan based on their performance on the practice ACT.
ACT test prep options available through GHS include:
● Method Test Prep: Free -online ACT test prep is available to all students. Juniors will receive their login information in BHT on November 10.
● Wisconsin Test Prep: ( on-site ACT test prep class). Instructor is a GHS teacher. Starts in January for 6 weeks. Brochures are available in the counseling office
● Additional test preparation resources are available online at the counseling website under the Testing Information page
Every year GHS hosts a Junior Parent ACT Information Session during fall parent/ teacher conferences. Although we were not able to gather in person this year, we prepared an ACT informational video and ACT presentation slides for you to review. We hope this information will help you support your junior through this important step toward postsecondary readiness.
ACT/SAT
College Admissions Exams
Is your student planning on taking or re-taking the ACT/SAT for college admissions and/or scholarship consideration? Below are the 2020-2021 national test dates for each test:
SAT Test Dates
Mindful Minute Activity
Mindful Listening
This is helpful when the body feels tense, the breath is erratic, or the mind seems frantic, and focusing on any of those things feels overwhelming. Close your eyes and just notice the sounds around you — what sounds are in the room, in your body, outside the window? I love this practice because it literally gets us out of our heads and focused on the here and now.
Is Your Child Getting Enough Social-Emotional Support Series
REDgen
REDgen stands for resiliency(R), education(E), and determined(D) to make a difference in the health of a new generation (gen). This organization was founded by parents, educators and community leaders who are "dedicated to advocating for the mental health and well being of all youth." Visit REDgen's website for a calendar of events they sponsor throughout the greater Milwaukee area. A link to REDgen is also available on the Grafton School District website quick link District News. New this year, GHS has a REDgen school chapter and all students are invited to part of this group. REDgen will be planning activities for our school community to help improve mental fitness and resiliency. See Mrs. Lori (school psychologist) or Mr. Johnson (school counselor) for more information.
Teen Central
Selective Service
All males are required to register with the selective service when they reach the age of 18. Students can register at the Selective Service website.
Follow the GHS Counseling Department on Twitter and Facebook
@BHawkCounseling
Grafton High School Counseling Department
GHS Counseling Staff
Director of School Counseling
262-376-5520
Megan Greischar (R-U)
School Counselor
262-376-5521
Rosalyn Isbell (H-Q)
School Counselor
262-376-5522
Kelly Rieck
Counseling Office Registrar
262-376-5523