Senior Counseling Chronicles
September 2021
Senior Post-Secondary Planning Meetings - VERY IMPORTANT!!!
College Planning Series - SAVE THE DATES!!!
Thursday, September 16th - College Essay Writing with Jane Ganther (UWM Admissions)
Wednesday, September 22nd - Getting Started with Scholarships
Wednesday, September 29th - Integrating Common App & Xello
Thursday, October 7th - SOS for College Applications
Wisconsin Education Fairs (WEF) - College Planning & Financial Aid Information
WEF will be offering both in-person and virtual education fairs this year! Click the link below for information and to register.
2021 -2022 Virtual College Fair Opportunities
NACAC offers two types of virtual college fairs: signature and focus. Signature Fairs are held on Sundays starting at 1 p.m. ET and are large events featuring more than 500 colleges and universities from the US and worldwide. Focus Fairs are smaller events that are promoted to students residing in specific geographic areas or who have specific program interests.
- Sunday, Aug. 29: Signature Fair: 1-6 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Sept. 12: Signature Fair: 1-6 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Sept. 28: Northeastern US Fair: 4-8 p.m. ET
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont - Sunday, Oct. 3 Signature Fair: 1-6 p.m. ET
- Thursday, Oct. 14: Midwest US Fair: 5-9 p.m. ET (4-8 p.m. CT)
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin - Sunday, Oct. 24: Signature Fair: 1-6 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Nov. 2: Arts & STEM Fair: 4-8 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Nov. 14: Signature Fair: 1-6 p.m. ET
UW Help and UW Journey
WHAT IS UW HELP?
UW Higher Education Location Program (UW HELP) is the front door to the UW System and all 26 of its campuses. This website helps students find information on campuses and programs that meet their needs.
WHAT IS UW JOURNEY?
UW Journey is a mobile app that helps students determine which UW System campuses best meet their needs and interests.
Private College Information
Technical College Information
FAFSA Completion
College Goal Wisconsin
Scholarship Update
- PWSSD Local Scholarship Application: This application will be released to students in December. We encourage ALL students to apply.
- College/University Scholarships: Information available on each individual school's web page. Please note that some colleges will allow students to begin applying for scholarships as soon as the admission application is SUBMITTED. Contact the university for specifics.
- Nation-wide Scholarships: Students can search online for many scholarships. We also include some scholarship opportunities on the Senior Haiku page. Please do NOT ever pay for a scholarship search.
Does Your Child Need to Retake the ACT Test?
Juniors and seniors can take the ACT more than once, for a fee, by registering through the ACT website. Check the website below for upcoming dates.
Academic & Career Planning (ACP) - Xello & Inspire
In October, students will have their first virtual Academic & Career Planning (ACP) lesson. The focus of the lesson is to remind our students about to two very valuable ACP Resources: InspireWI and Xello.
InspireWI is our local partner that helps connect our students with meaningful career experiences right here in our area. Opportunities available to our students include; job shadows, work co-ops, and a variety of field tips and career exploration events. This year, there will be many virtual and in-person opportunities for students. For more information visit: InspireWI.org
Xello is an online program that is designed to help every student understand and navigate their future academic and career possibilities. Xello helps students discover relevant college, university, trade, and career options based on their personality, skills, and knowledge. All students have access to Xello at anytime. Ask your child to show you their Xello Dashboard!
Inspire Virtual Career Events Calendar
This fall, InspireWI will be offering many virtual and in-person career experience opportunities. Experiences may be available in healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, business, aviation, engineering, and much more. If your child finds an experience of interest, make sure to register for the event on the InspireWI webpage below. All virtual events will be recorded, so if your child is unable to attend at the time it is offered, don't worry, you will have access to the recording. Don't see something of interest? Check back as InspireWI will be adding additional experiences regularly.
Click HERE for the InspireWI Career Experience Calendar
OFS Parent Education & Resources
Ozaukee Family Services (OFS), located in Grafton, offers a variety of free and low-cost parent and child resources and workshops.
Visit the OFS website for additional information, to register for upcoming workshops, or to view previously recorded workshops. http://ozaukeefamilyservices.org/
Small Group Offerings at PWHS
PWHS Universal Screenings
The Port Washington-Saukville School District’s mission is to “Educate all children to reach their greatest potential.” To support this mission, students are regularly screened academically and physically (i.e., vision and hearing) via a multi-tiered system of support. During the school year, students in grades 9-12 will also be screened using the Connections Survey and the Devereux Student Strengths Assessments (DESSA).
The goal of the DESSA screeners is for teachers to identify students’ social and emotional skills, which are essential to academic achievement. The DESSA screeners are brief, strength-based rating scales measuring the social and emotional skills that help students do well in school, at home, and in the community. Your student’s teacher will complete the strength-based assessments based on direct observations of the student’s daily interactions at school. This information will be used to better plan for all students, focusing on their individual strengths.
The goal of the Connections Screening is for students to identify adults and peers in the building with whom they have a connection. Research indicates that youth who have at least one positive adult connection in school are more likely to do better in school and are less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors. The survey simply asks students about the connections they have in this building, both adult and peer.
Consistent with practices for analyzing academic data, the results from the screenings will be used by school staff to best meet the needs of all students. Parents/guardians will be notified if the results indicate that a student may be in need of additional instruction in one or more social/emotional areas.
The Port Washington-Saukville School District strives to provide a safe and positive environment for all students. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your student's teacher, school psychologist, and/or building principal at 262-268-5500.