Counselor Connection
La Canada High School
PRESIDENTS' DAY
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
From: History.com, Staff; Website Name: History.com
Continuing to notice, choose and act after Challenge Day, here's this week's Challenge:
The quote of the week is . . .
“The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.”
–Benjamin Franklin
Franklin was one of America’s founding fathers as well as a leading author and painter. He was a satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat. As a scientist he was a major figure in the Enlightenment movement and is most known for his discoveries and theories of electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, and musical instruments. He also founded the first fire department in Pennsylvania.
The Challenge for this week is to share appreciation for two people who have given you wisdom in the past.
LCHS Students in Action!
Spartan News!
Make sure to check out the Spartan Newspaper´s newest video broadcast outlet, LCTV! Every week we will provide highlights of everything Spartan--from sports teams to clubs to school events, we´ve got you covered. If you would like to be featured in one or more of our videos, please contact lchsspartan@gmail.com
FRESHMAN FORUM
Attention AP Students
AP Exam Sign-Ups have begun and will go through Friday, March 18th. Please see the flyer posted in your AP classes. Sign-ups will not be taken during class time. Be advised that the fee is $95 per exam from February 8th through February 26th, but will increase to $105 per exam from February 29th through March 11th, and again to $115 per exam from March 14th through March 18th. Checks should be made out to LCHS-AP Exams. If paying with cash, please have exact change. Sign up early. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE SIGN UPS WILL BE TAKEN!
PSAT
PSAT Results Night is TONIGHT! February 9th at 6:30pm in the LCHS Auditorium. We look forward to having you and your student join us to receive your score report, analysis and interpretation of scores, next steps for students, and a question and answer session with Princeton Review.
CSF Announcement:
The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a statewide organization that recognizes academic excellence upon graduation at the high school level. All students with good grades and citizenship are encouraged to apply each semester. To attain full membership and a CSF Gold Seal, a student needs to successfully submit an application at least 4 semesters of high school. One semester must come from senior year.
Now is the time to turn in the application with last semester’s report card! The application is currently available online only (we are not running off copies to hand out). They are available at lchsspartans.net, through the student portal; click on the CSF app. The applications, along with a copy of the student's last report card, are due to Mrs. Alequin no later than 3 pm TOMORROW, February 10th.
Questions? Email Mr. Spitler: cspitler@lcusd.net Thank you!
ACT Prep
The Princeton Review will be holding a 6 week ACT prep course here on campus at LCHS starting this Saturday, February 13th. The prep course meets once a week after school on Thursdays in addition to 3 Saturday practice exams. Make sure you use promo code LCHS100 to receive a discount. Check out the course flyer here for more details.
Course Selection for 2016-2017 School Year
The 2016-2017 class registration process kicks off this week. Counselors begin the process by presenting information to students in their English classes. The information presented will include course information, selection, reviewing graduation and a-g college admission requirements, transcript review and summer school. Students will each receive a copy of their transcript and a registration form. Students will be given explicit instructions on how to complete the registration form which will be due to their counselor 1 week following the presentation in their English class. Counselors will be visiting 9th grade English classes on February 17th.
Claremont College High School opportunity
Are you wanting to learn interesting things from Claremont College students? Splash is a one-day weekend event (February 27th) where you will come to Harvey Mudd College and take some super-cool classes of your choosing taught by students from the Claremont Colleges. The 2015 course catalog can be found here. Link for further information: https://claremont.learningu.org/learn/index.html
Summer Programs
Thinking of summer learning opportunities? Start here for some of our archived summer program information (some application deadlines start as soon as January): Summer Programs for High School Students
NCAA
Thank you for attending a wonderful NCAA Information Night presentation put on by the LCHS counseling department. The presentation and handouts are available in the counseling section of the LCHS website. Here is a direct link in case you were not able to join us and want to learn more about the NCAA eligibility process.
http://www.lchsspartans.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=359200&type=d&pREC_ID=778738
Naviance
On Friday, January 29th, counselors conducted Naviance training during ninth grade science classes. Students were introduced to the tools and resources of Naviance Family Connection, as well as completed a StrengthsExplorer assessment to help guide them through post-high school exploration. The counselors encourage students to use their new login/passwords to share with parents and continue utilizing this college/career tool throughout high school.
SAT and ACT Prep Opportunities Click here for a list of local options and La Canada student discounts.
FYI: Mark your summer calendar! The counseling department has confirmed our fall registration dates. Incoming sophomores will register on Monday, August 8th @ 1:00-3:00 p.m.
SOPHOMORE SCENE
Attention AP Students
AP Exam Sign-Ups have begun and will go through Friday, March 18th. Please see the flyer posted in your AP classes. Sign-ups will not be taken during class time. Be advised that the fee is $95 per exam from February 8th through February 26th, but will increase to $105 per exam from February 29th through March 11th, and again to $115 per exam from March 14th through March 18th. Checks should be made out to LCHS-AP Exams. If paying with cash, please have exact change. Sign up early. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE SIGN UPS WILL BE TAKEN!
PSAT
PSAT Results Night is TONIGHT! February 9th at 6:30pm in the LCHS Auditorium. We look forward to having you and your student join us to receive your score report, analysis and interpretation of scores, next steps for students, and a question and answer session with Princeton Review.
CSF Announcement:
The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a statewide organization that recognizes academic excellence upon graduation at the high school level. All students with good grades and citizenship are encouraged to apply each semester. To attain full membership and a CSF Gold Seal, a student needs to successfully submit an application at least 4 semesters of high school. One semester must come from senior year.
Now is the time to turn in the application with last semester’s report card! The application is currently available online only (we are not running off copies to hand out). They are available at lchsspartans.net, through the student portal; click on the CSF app. The applications, along with a copy of the student's last report card, are due to Mrs. Alequin no later than 3 pm TOMORROW, February 10th.
Questions? Email Mr. Spitler: cspitler@lcusd.net Thank you!
ACT Prep
The Princeton Review will be holding a 6 week ACT prep course here on campus at LCHS starting February 13th. The prep course meets once a week after school on Thursdays in addition to 3 Saturday practice exams. Make sure you use promo code LCHS100 to receive a discount. Check out the course flyer here for more details.
Course Selection for 2016-2017 School Year
The 2016-2017 class registration kicks off this week! Counselors began the process by presenting information to students in their English classes. The information presented to the students included course information, selection, reviewing graduation and a-g college admission requirements, transcript review and summer school. Students each received a copy of their transcript and a course selection contract. Students were given explicit instructions on how to complete the course selection contract, which is due 1 week following the presentation in their English class. Counselors visited sophomore classrooms last Friday, February 5th. Course selection contract is due to counseling office (Mrs. Erickson's desk) by February 17th due to the long weekend.
Claremont College High School opportunity
Are you wanting to learn interesting things from Claremont College students? Splash is a one-day weekend event (February 27th) where you will come to Harvey Mudd College and take some super-cool classes of your choosing taught by students from the Claremont Colleges. The 2015 course catalog can be found here. Link for further information: https://claremont.learningu.org/learn/index.html
TESTING INFO:
-ACT: The deadline to register for the April 9th ACT test is March 4th. Sign up through ACTstudent.org
-SAT II Subject Test: Some universities request students to take the SAT II subject test to show subject proficiency. Consider preparing for 2 or 3 exams in subjects you feel confident in and plan to take the June SAT II test date. To find out whether a university requires subject tests check out the college admissions page for more details.
Summer Programs
Thinking of summer learning opportunities? Start here for some of our archived summer program information (some application deadlines start as soon as January): Summer Programs for High School Students
NCAA
Thank you for attending a wonderful NCAA Information Night presentation put on by the LCHS counseling department. The presentation and handouts are available in the counseling section of the LCHS website. Here is a direct link in case you were not able to join us and want to learn more about the NCAA eligibility process.
http://www.lchsspartans.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=359200&type=d&pREC_ID=778738
SAT and ACT Prep Opportunities Click here for a list of local options and La Canada student discounts.
FYI: Mark your summer calendar! The counseling department has confirmed our fall registration dates. Incoming juniors will register on Monday, August 8th @ 10:30 a.m- 12:30 p.m.
Junior Junction
Attention AP Students
AP Exam Sign-Ups have begun and will go through Friday, March 18th. Please see the flyer posted in your AP classes. Sign-ups will not be taken during class time. Be advised that the fee is $95 per exam from February 8th through February 26th, but will increase to $105 per exam from February 29th through March 11th, and again to $115 per exam from March 14th through March 18th. Checks should be made out to LCHS-AP Exams. If paying with cash, please have exact change. Sign up early. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE SIGN UPS WILL BE TAKEN!
PSAT Results Night is TONIGHT! February 9th at 6:30pm in the LCHS Auditorium. We look forward to having you and your student join us to receive your score report, analysis and interpretation of scores, next steps for students, and a question and answer session with Princeton Review.
CSF Announcement:
The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a statewide organization that recognizes academic excellence upon graduation at the high school level. All students with good grades and citizenship are encouraged to apply each semester. To attain full membership and a CSF Gold Seal, a student needs to successfully submit an application at least 4 semesters of high school. One semester must come from senior year.
Now is the time to turn in the application with last semester’s report card! The application is currently available online only (we are not running off copies to hand out). They are available at lchsspartans.net, through the student portal; click on the CSF app. The applications, along with a copy of the student's last report card, are due to Mrs. Alequin no later than 3 pm TOMORROW, February 10th. Questions? Email Mr. Spitler: cspitler@lcusd.net Thank you!
ACT Prep
The Princeton Review will be holding a 6 week ACT prep course here on campus at LCHS starting February 13th. The prep course meets once a week after school on Thursdays in addition to 3 Saturday practice exams. Make sure you use promo code LCHS100 to receive a discount. Check out the course flyer here for more details.
Course Selection for 2016-2017
The 2016-2017 class registration process kicked off last week. Counselors began the process by presenting information to students in their English classes. The information presented included course information, selection, reviewing graduation and a-g college admission requirements, transcript review and summer school. Each student received a copy of their transcript and a registration form. Students were given explicit instructions on how to complete the registration form which was due to their counselor yesterday. If you have not submitted your course selection worksheet, please turn in ASAP. Counselors visited 11th grade English classes on February 1st.
TESTING INFO:
-ACT: The deadline to register for the April 9th ACT test is March 4th. Sign up through ACTstudent.org
-SAT II Subject Test: Some universities request students to take the SAT II subject test to show subject proficiency. Consider preparing for 2 or 3 exams in subjects you feel confident in and plan to take the June SAT II test date. To find out whether a university requires subject tests check out the college admissions page for more details.
Claremont College High School opportunity
Are you wanting to learn interesting things from Claremont College students? Splash is a one-day weekend event (February 27th) where you will come to Harvey Mudd College and take some super-cool classes of your choosing taught by students from the Claremont Colleges. The 2015 course catalog can be found here. Link for further information: https://claremont.learningu.org/learn/index.html
Spring Break?!
Making plans to visit family in the mid-west or a vacation out east, why not incorporate college visits in the mix? Many colleges all have different spring break schedules, so this is a great opportunity to see the campus in action. Contact the admissions department to schedule a campus tour and/or information session. Sometimes students can even sit in on a professor’s lecture! Lastly, if you can we highly recommend you check out the dorms and cafeteria.
Summer Programs
Thinking of summer learning opportunities? Start here for some of our archived summer program information (some application deadlines start as soon as January): Summer Programs for High School Students
Scholarship and Financial Aid
For scholarship and other financial aid opportunities, please visit http://connection.naviance.com/lchsca Click on the college tab, then click on scholarships. Mrs. Erickson will also keep hard copies of any local scholarships on file in the counseling office. She is available in the front office between the hours of Noon-3:45 p.m.
NCAA
Thank you for attending a wonderful NCAA Information Night presentation put on by the LCHS counseling department. The presentation and handouts are available in the counseling section of the LCHS website. Here is a direct link in case you were not able to join us and want to learn more about the NCAA eligibility process.
http://www.lchsspartans.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=359200&type=d&pREC_ID=778738
SAT and ACT Prep Opportunities Click here for a list of local options and La Canada student discounts.
FYI: Mark your summer calendar! The counseling department has confirmed our fall registration dates. Incoming seniors will register on Monday, August 8th @ 8:00-10:00.
Senior Stop
PCC Spring Symposium
Want to know how to get from high school to a community college, and/or transfer to a highly selective university? Get these answers and much more as Pasadena City College’s President’s Asian and Pacific Islander Advisory Committee presents the annual “Spring Symposium: “Paving a Successful Pathway: From High School to College, Career and Beyond” event on Saturday, Feb. 27 in PCC’s Creveling Lounge.
High school students who attend the event will have on-the-spot acceptance to PCC’s highly successful Pathways Program. Attendees will also learn about Transfer Admissions Guarantee (TAG) to select four-year institutions and gain valuable information on how to finance college expenses.
Workshops include:
· Parent 101: Understanding the higher education system and how to help your children
· Financial: Laying out a financial plan with cost differences for PCC and four-year institutions
· Transfer: What it is and how it works
· Support services at PCC
A campus tour by PCC’s Mirror Pool will begin at 8 a.m., and the event will convene in Creveling Lounge from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For more information, please call (626) 585-7878.
Attention AP Students
AP Exam Sign-Ups have begun and will go through Friday, March 18th. Please see the flyer posted in your AP classes. Sign-ups will not be taken during class time. Be advised that the fee is $95 per exam from February 8th through February 26th, but will increase to $105 per exam from February 29th through March 11th, and again to $115 per exam from March 14th through March 18th. Checks should be made out to LCHS-AP Exams. If paying with cash, please have exact change. Sign up early. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE SIGN UPS WILL BE TAKEN!
CSF Announcement:
The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a statewide organization that recognizes academic excellence upon graduation at the high school level. All students with good grades and citizenship are encouraged to apply each semester. To attain full membership and a CSF Gold Seal, a student needs to successfully submit an application at least 4 semesters of high school. One semester must come from senior year.
Now is the time to turn in the application with last semester’s report card! The application is currently available online only (we are not running off copies to hand out). They are available at lchsspartans.net, through the student portal; click on the CSF app. The applications, along with a copy of the student's last report card, are due to Mrs. Alequin no later than 3 pm TOMORROW, February 10th.
Qualifying Seniors must pay $5 directly to Mr. Spitler in Rm. 114 in order to receive their cord and seal from CSF. If you feel comfortable attaching a 5 dollar bill to the application, that is fine. I will collect applications at least once a day. Thank you!
Questions? Email Mr. Spitler: cspitler@lcusd.net Thank you!
Financial Aid
LCHS is happy to announce that we will be electronically sending the GPA’s for all students this year, so there is no longer a need to submit the Cal Grant GPA verification form. Yay!
What is Cal Grant? Cal Grant is State based aid. It requires the filing of the FAFSA in order for families to be considered. Students must list an eligible in-state (California) college on their FAFSA application to trigger Cal Grant review. The order in which you list the colleges will not impact your eligibility for state aid. Please note that LCHS encourages ALL families to submit a FAFSA.
What deadlines should I mark on my calendar?
- March 2: The most important deadline for Cal Grants is March 2. Be sure you submit your FAFSA and your verified Cal Grant GPA (LCHS will do this automatically for ALL students) by the March 2 Cal Grant application deadline.
- September 2: If you’ll be attending a California Community College in the fall and missed the March 2 deadline, you have a second deadline of September 2. There are only a limited number of awards available for those who apply in the fall, so try to meet the March 2 deadline.
Keep in mind that your college may have earlier deadlines for its financial aid programs, so be sure to check with each college you’re considering. Also, deadlines for private scholarships may be earlier in the year.
Don’t procrastinate! Start your FAFSA today! www.fafsa.ed.gov
Scholarship and Financial Aid
For scholarship and other financial aid opportunities, please visit http://connection.naviance.com/lchsca Click on the college tab, then click on scholarships. Mrs. Erickson will also keep hard copies of any local scholarships on file in the counseling office. She is available in the front office between the hours of Noon-3:45 p.m.
Winter Timeline Reminders (December-February) from Campus Explorer.com
- Continue to work hard in your classes. Make your last semester count!
- Schedule your college interviews to finish up the admissions process.
- Complete your FAFSA so you can get the most possible financial assistance for college.
- Request that your high school send your first semester grades to every college that you applied to. Remember, schools will continue to track your grades as you finish out your senior year, so now’s no time to slack.
- Verify with your counselor that your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and test scores have been sent to your prospective schools.
- Send an email or make a phone call to make sure your colleges have received your application. While you’re at it, check to see that they have everything else they need, including your transcripts and financial aid material.
- Continue your hunt for scholarships and apply for scholarships.
- If you do not plan to apply to 4-year universities, continue researching your options by using Naviance and by meeting with your counselor. We have resources oncommunitycollege, trade/vocational schools, Gap year programs and more.
Counseling Corner Resources
Sleep
Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Teens often find themselves distracted by electronic devices during their normal sleeping times, which could potentially lead to sleep problems and maybe even lower grades. Please encourage your teen to not only just turn the lights out, but to turn off the electronic devices off as well. Easier said than done, we know, but the more we all promote healthy sleep habits, the better off our teens will be!
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_157111.html
Girl Talk! and Institute for Girls' Development are two local resources for parents of high school girls. (These resources/references are for parent information only. La Canada Unified School District (LCUSD) does not endorse any one specific therapist or treatment center. LCUSD does not claim or make any representation of financial responsibility.)
Tweet! Tweet!
- Click here for La Canada Flintridge Community Prevention Council resources available
The LCHS Counseling Department is on Twitter! Come follow us for important reminders, announcements, and upcoming events. Our Twitter handle is @LCcounselors
- These short video segments featuring Denise Pope and Madeline Levine are based on current research and offer practical strategies to parents on topics such as How Parents and Kids Define Success Differently, Increased Stress in Kids, Developing Self Regulation, Finding the Best Fit College and many more click here