TIGER TRIBUNE
WPHS GUIDANCE EDITION
WINTER EDITION OF THE GUIDANCE NEWSLETTER:
As we enter the end of the first semester, please know that your child's school counselor is here to support you and your child. School counselors provide a variety of services to all students such as personal counseling, academic advising, high school program planning, schedule changes, and college and career planning. If you ever need anything, please feel free to reach out; we are here to support you and your children, especially during these difficult times.
Please visit the Guidance Department website linked below for our school counselors contact information.
GUIDANCE NIGHT: Program Planning
Please join us for our guidance night on Thursday, January 20th at 6:30pm via Zoom. The topic to be discussed is program planning. Program Planning is WPHS’s course selection process. This evening, counselors will present new courses, explain the differences between Advanced Placement (AP), honors, and dual enrollment courses and discuss the course selection process at WPHS. This presentation will be presented in English and Spanish.
English Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/4814521794?pwd=SGFVWDdYZGRMMDROQzFZTWpBNFdndz09
Meeting ID: 481 452 1794
Passcode: 2022
Spanish Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/92314975026?pwd=V0tISEdqMHNUNThKUWVCSDdBNzF6UT09
Meeting ID: 923 1497 5026
Passcode: 971437
Thursday, Jan 20, 2022, 06:30 PM
Zoom
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS:
Click here for the link to the Local Scholarship packet.
IMPORTANT FINANCIAL AID LINKS:
It is not to late to complete your FAFSA!!!
FAFSA (this form is required by all colleges)
CSS PROFILE (this form is required by many but not all colleges)
https://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile
Colleges Requiring the CSS Profile
NYS TAP Application:
https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/nys-tap.html
Federal Guide to Financial Aid:
https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/do-you-need-money.pdf
Sign up here for Financial Aid Workshops sponsored by NY State
MOCK ACT Exam
Friday, Jan 28, 2022, 07:45 AM
H- Cafe
WCC High School Entrepreneur Bootcamp
Westchester Community College in partnership with 21iQ Innovations, will be hosting a 12 week bootcamp for high school students to learn business essentials and the foundation to creating their own start up. Students will work in teams from conception to implementation, working with industry mentors.
Students will:
• Learn with industry mentors and speakers
• Learn the business pitch journey
• Make yourself real world and college ready
• Participate in pitch competitions with rewards
• Advance your personal growth
• Engage in fun interactive workshops!
If you are interested please click here to find out more information:
Enrollment for Testing Accommodations on College Board/ACT Tests
Students who are granted testing accommodations on their IEP, 504, or Declassification Documents, about testing accommodations for College Board (SAT) and ACT are not automatically granted. Accommodations on these exams are granted by the organizations that administer the tests. If you are interested in applying for test accommodations through these organizations, we ask that you please research and familiarize yourself with the accommodation application process in its entirety. Both College Board and ACT have informative websites that provide detailed information regarding a variety of topics including: application deadlines/important dates; forms; eligibility criteria; documentation guidelines; taking the exam with accommodations; changing accommodations; appealing an eligibility decision; frequently asked questions; and helpful tips. We also recommend that you contact your child’s guidance counselor to further discuss the College Board/ACT application process after you have had an opportunity to review the College Board and/or ACT website. You are additionally welcome to contact College Board/ ACT directly to ask any questions that you may have regarding the application process.
College Board (PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests):
- Website: https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/request-accommodations
- Once you have reviewed the College Board website, spoken to your child’s counselor, and have made a decision to apply for College Board accommodations, you must complete the College Board Consent Form for Accommodations Request. This form can be found on the College Board website (https://www.collegeboard.org/pdf/ssd/ssd-consent-form-accommodations.pdf) and complete this form https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/cms/lib/NY01000029/Centricity/Domain/178/College%20Board%20SSD%20Universal%20App.pdf found on our Guidance website. After you have completed this form, please return it to the school counselor. The school will then begin processing your request for accommodations.
- You can complete the consent form at any time, but at least 12 weeks prior to the exam.
ACT:
- Website: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/
- The process for applying for accommodations for the ACT exam does not begin until you are ready to schedule a date to take the exam. You can apply for ACT accommodations through ACT Extended Time National Testing or ACT Special Testing, depending on which accommodations you are requesting. Again, it is important that you refer to the ACT website to learn about the ACT accommodation process.
- All ACT application materials should be submitted to your counselor at least 10 weeks prior to the exam date. Please submit this form with your materials: https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/cms/lib/NY01000029/Centricity/Domain/178/Request%20for%20Testing%20Accommodations%20for%20ACT%20Exams%20-%20Universal%20Form.pdf
White Plains High School Program Planning Calendar
During the first week of February, counselors will be pushing into classes to review the Program Planning process.
February 7th to March 25th: Students meet one on one with their counselor to select courses for 2022-2023 school year. A few important program planning notes:
- Students will choose core courses they would like to take for next year.
- Students choose electives, which can be supplemental courses in the above departments and/or courses in business, the arts, music, technology or physical education.
- Students must provide at least three elective choices in case we cannot schedule their first or second choice.
- In addition to other elective choices, all juniors and seniors must provide three choices for P.E.
- Students should make their selections carefully. Once they have put in a request for a course, if we are able to schedule it, they are obligated to take it.
- Parents/Guardians should receive a copy of their child’s program planning sheet including all core and elective course requests. Please sign and return that form to your child’s counselor by March 25th.
- If you disagree with a course that has been selected or have any questions, please call your child’s counselor.
- If you wish to meet with your child’s counselor during program planning, please schedule an appointment.
*If your child has not brought home his or her program planning sheet for your signature by
March 25th, please call your child’s counselor.
Honors/Advanced Placement
WPHS provides access to honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses to all students. Students currently in an AP or honors course may plan their academic program for the appropriate subsequent AP or honors course. Since honors and AP courses are rigorous, with increased expectations regarding the level of student work, conversations should take place between the student, parent, and school counselor to determine if placement in one or more of these courses is in the best interest of the student. Students will, however, still be required to have taken prerequisite courses where applicable. Please note that our dual enrollment courses taken for college credit from Westchester Community College, SUNY Albany, Syracuse University, Marist College and Rochester Institute of Technology have specific prerequisites which can be found in the course description.
Dual Enrollment Offerings at WPHS
Dual enrollment courses allow a student to simultaneously earn high school and college credit while exposing students to the rigor of a college level course. Students may take these courses just for high school credit and pay nothing. To earn the college credit, you must pay tuition to the college that we are partnering with, and the student must earn a C or better in the course for that credit to be transferrable to other colleges. The tuition that colleges charge for dual enrollment credit is far below what they would charge on campus. These courses offer students one of the most cost-effective ways to earn college credit while in high school. We strongly encourage your child to take advantage of the dual enrollment opportunity. Enrollment for college credit will occur in September during class. Some of our partner schools may provide tuition assistance for qualified students.
Below, is a short list of the benefits to students taking advantage of college credit in a dual enrollment course:
- Less time required after high school to finish a college degree.
- Exposes students to the rigor of a college level course
- Dual enrollment classes often save students money on college tuition.
- College credits acquired in a dual enrollment program are transferable to other colleges and universities besides the one where you had earned those credits.
- Students can get core college courses like introductory English and Math classes out of the way in high school, making more room on your full-time college schedule for classes specific to your area of study.
If you or your child have any questions regarding dual enrollment options, please reach out to your child’s school counselor.
Check out the WPHS Course Catalog for the dual enrollment offerings!
White Plains High School Academic Coordinators
English
Social Studies
Mr. Douglas Cronk
422-2190
Mr. Richard Dillon
422-2172
Mathematics
Mr. Albert Laporte
422-2152
World Languages
Ms. Lisa Panaro
422-2230
Science
Dr. Margaret Doty
422-2248
Gap Year Fair @ Scarsdale High School
Join us in person for this Gap Year 101 presentation & gap year fair to get the most up to date information about planning a gap year. Whether you're dreaming of Spanish language immersion in Costa Rica, rock climbing in the American Southwest, or pursuing a virtual internship from the comfort of your living room, there are so many gap year options to choose from!
Learn the ins and outs of gap year planning from an expert gap year counselor, then speak directly to gap year program representatives, counselors, and gap year alumni at the fair. Both gap year counselors and gap year program providers will be available to speak with you directly and answer any questions you might have, like...
- Who takes a gap year?
- What gap year experiences might be the right fit for me?
- When should I start planning my gap year?
- Where can I actually go during my gap year?
- Why are so many students taking gap time during COVID?
Thursday, Jan 6, 2022, 06:00 PM
Scarsdale High School, Post Road, Scarsdale, NY, USA
WHITE PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
The Guidance Department at White Plains High School provides guidance and counseling services to all students from the time that they enter the high school until graduation. Guidance is a service function, which includes a series of planned and informal activities designed to assist students to understand themselves better, to cope with the normal problems associated with growing up, and to become contributing citizens. The goal of our program to help achieve a successful high school experience.
Guidance and counseling is, however, more than a program of activities. It is also a relationship that exists between a student and a guidance counselor. From grades nine through twelve, the guidance counselor advises and counsels students about the selection of courses, relationships with teachers and other significant adults, relationships with peers, extra-curricular involvement, career and post-high school planning, coping with pressures, tensions and the day-to-day problems of growing up in a complex, multi-faceted society.
Website: https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/Page/1221
Location: 550 North Street, White Plains, NY, USA
Phone: 914-422-2182