COUNSELING NEWSLETTER
Victor Senior High School
APRIL 2020
To all our Victor High School Students and Families,
We understand that this is a very challenging time as we adapt to changes in our life at school, work, and homes. Please know that your health is our primary concern at this time. As a Student Support Team, we are still here for you. While we adjust to assisting you from a distance, we will continue to support your child and family in any way that we can.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Question: “Who should I contact if my child or I have a question about their assignments?”
Answer: Please email your child’s teacher(s) first for help with their classwork. They know best how to support your student in their class.
Question: “How can I get in touch with someone from my child’s Student Support Team?”
Answer: Please contact your child’s School Counselor, School Psychologist or Social Worker. Please email us or call us at 924-3252 and dial the extension as indicated below. We will be checking our emails and phone messages each school day and will work to get back to you within 24 hours on school days.
Question: “Who do I contact if we have questions regarding academic programs, social/emotional issues, scheduling, college applications, transcripts, scholarships, etc.?”
Answer: Your child’s School Counselor supports students by the student’s last name
High School Counselors:
A-Co Mrs. Banaszak ext. 6418 banaszakm@victorschools.org
Cr-G Mr. Hooper ext. 6415 hoopert@victorschools.org
H-Mc Mrs. Nelson ext. 6419 nelsonh@victorschools.org
Me-R Mrs. Platzer ext. 6422 platzerm@victorschools.org
S-Z Mr. Mandile ext. 6416 mandileg@victorschools.org
Question: Who do I contact for questions regarding 504 Plans, IEP documents or CSE meetings?
Answer: Your Child’s School Psychologist supports students by the student’s last name
High School Psychologists:
A-L Mrs. Kate Mandile ext. 6421 mandilek@victorschools.org
M-Z Mrs. Gail Kass-Smith ext. 6420 kass-smithg@victorschools.org
Question: Who do I contact for concerns regarding food insecurity, job/financial insecurity, housing issues or community resources that may be of help to us?
Answer: Our School Social Worker supports all students/families
School Social Worker:
A-Z Mr. John Ryan ext. 6414 ryanj@victorschools.org
If you have an urgent concern for the mental health or physical safety of a student
Call 911 or the Mobile Crisis Team at (585) 529-3721 or Lifeline at (585) 275-5151
or Text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
24 hours/day, 7 days/week
AP Information
Best of all is the Frequently Asked Questions about the AP Exams this year, found here: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/faqs
College Admissions and Financial Aid Night Information
Dear Victor High School students, parents and guardians,
Since we were not able to hold our Spring College Admissions and Financial Aid Night presentation this week the Counseling office and the College Career Center wanted to send out information for your review.
Financial Aid video presentation: by Renee Swift, Associate Director of Financial Aid Nazareth College
College Admissions/Search presentation: by Megan Sarkis, Assistant Director of Admissions, SUNY Brockport
College Admissions/College Search Process
Given the current situation that we are all navigating, the college search process will look a little different this spring. While many campuses are closed, colleges have adjusted their process to assist prospective students in the college search process. Colleges are now offering virtual tours, information sessions, and webinars to assist students in their search. This offers our students the unique opportunity to “visit” many colleges from their own homes (even University of Hawaii!). In addition, many admission and financial aid offices are welcoming questions via email. We encourage all our students to explore Naviance and individual college websites to assist them, as they embark on their new “virtual” college search process.
You can also visit NACAC College Admission Search to get additional admissions information.
Things to remember:
Admissions requirements MAY change. Please visit individual college websites and understand that this is a continuing discussion and may change over the course of the next few weeks/months.
Colleges recognize that the majority of schools are closed across the nation and grading profiles and structures may look different. Colleges will modify how they review applications accordingly.
Due to SAT and ACT test date cancelations, colleges and NCAA are in the process of individually reviewing how they are going to adjust their admissions/eligibility criteria. Some schools are changing to a “test optional” criteria, that allows students to apply without SAT/ACT scores included. Please visit individual college websites and NCAA.org for the most accurate and up to date information.
The SAT and ACT are offered in the summer & fall for students who have not taken the exams and are looking for future opportunities to do so. Please visit www.collegeboard.org and www.actstudent.org for registration dates and information.
Please reach out if you have questions or need support with this process.
High School Counselors:
A-Co Mrs. Banaszak ext. 6418 banaszakm@victorschools.org
Cr-G Mr. Hooper ext. 6415 hoopert@victorschools.org
H-Mc Mrs. Nelson ext. 6419 nelsonh@victorschools.org
Me-R Mrs. Platzer ext. 6422 platzerm@victorschools.org
S-Z Mr. Mandile ext. 6416 mandileg@victorschools.org
College and Career Center:
Mrs. Zollo ext. 6423 zolloh@victorschools.orgPlease click the link below for information on wellness and self care for families
SENIOR NEWS
Some colleges and universities have put together a spreadsheet that provides live updates on colleges' visit policies, virtual visit opportunities, virtual accepted student days, updated decision deadlines and deposit dates. This information should help you with your college search and college decisions.
Visit this page at:
Dear Seniors and Parents:
This is indeed an unprecedented time for students, particularly seniors. Though colleges have cancelled their Accepted Students Days and suspended their campus tours, you can still “visit” your schools to gather information to help you make your final college decision. SUNY Binghamton, Daemen, Drexel and other colleges are offering “virtual” accepted student days and visit events as alternatives to on-campus visits. Check your email for information from your colleges about these events.
Below are a few steps you can take to help you make your final decision about the college you will attend next fall.
1. Take the virtual tours offered on college websites and through Naviance. From your application list on Naviance, click on the name of the college and most schools will have a video tour and/or gallery of photos.
2. Take advantage of the wealth of information available on college websites especially the admissions office website where virtual events may be listed.
3. Email or call your admissions counselor with questions and/or to set up a video chat with a student or professor. You may even be able to sit in on an online class.
We hope you find these suggestions helpful as you make your final college choice.
Additional Resources:
College Admissions Strategies
“A New Normal for Everyone”—Virtual Visits
Stay Healthy,
Mrs. Zollo
Naviance
1. Log in to http://student.naviance.com/vshs
2. Go to "Colleges I'm Applying To"
3. Click Edit next to the appropriate school
4. Under Results, select the appropriate decision
5. Click Save College Application
ATTENTION high-achieving graduating seniors planning to pursue a STEM degree at a public or private college in New York State this Fall!
STEM Incentive Program Applications Now Available
Students in the top 10 percent of their graduating class can now apply for a NYS Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Scholarship Program award. Recipients may attend any public or private in-state college, and will receive an amount up to the SUNY resident undergraduate tuition ($6,670 in 2017-18) or actual tuition, whichever is less.
For more information, visit hesc.ny.gov/STEM.
SENIORS/JUNIORS PLANNING ON PLAYING D1/D2 Sports—NCAA—visit this website to register for eligibility to play a sport in college. http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/eligibility-center
File Your FAFSA
Paying For College
Check out the website below for downloadable materials, articles and videos on the college financial aid process including the FAFSA, understanding award letters, student loans, and scholarships.
http://www.payingforcollege.comFAQs for SENIORS
JUNIORS!
What's The Difference Between ACT vs. SAT: An Expert Offers His Opinion
SAT/ACT Test Schedule
PLEASE NOTE!!
For those of you that were signed up for the ACT or SAT this spring:
The April 4th ACT was moved to June 13th.
The next SAT will be administered in the first week in June and they are looking to add more.
We'll keep updating this as things change.
Please click this link for frequently asked questions: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/faqs
Preparing for the College Application Process
Juniors! Now is the time for you to continue your career research and your search for college majors and degree programs. Mrs. Zollo has already visited your English classes to work on the College Search in Naviance. Continue thinking about career paths, the college major that will lead to that career and where you may want to attend college. Exploring careers, colleges and majors will help you make sure you choose a school that is the right fit for you.
Until campus tours and information sessions resume, take the college virtual tours offered on your college websites. Email and/or call college admissions offices with questions you may have. In addition, College Admissions Strategies published a great article entitled "A New Normal for Everyone." It includes a few great websites that provide videos and virtual tours of campuses, conversations with Admissions staff, videos of day-to-day life with students and a peek inside what goes on at different college campuses.
SOPHOMORES!
Career Research
Begin your career research in Naviance. If you haven't already, complete the Strengths Explorer assessment and research careers and career pathways, saving your favorites to your Naviance “Careers I’m Thinking About” list. You are welcome to continue this research at any time, as well as complete the “Do What You Are” personality survey, the Career Interest Inventory and other assessments that will assist you with your career research.
FRESHMEN!
Scheduling for 10th Grade
Current 9th graders!
Just a reminder--if you haven't done so, please click on this link https://forms.gle/McX8dcPWF4UPtmbV8 and complete your 10th grade scheduling sheet. Please make sure you include your name, last name first. Please do this ASAP. All course descriptions can be found at www.victorschools.org, High School, Counseling, Course Descriptions.
If you have any questions please contact your counselor.
Mrs. Banaszak A-Co banaszakm@victorschools.org
Mr. Hooper Cr-G hoopert@victorschools.org
Mrs. Nelson H-Mc nelsonh@victorschools.org
Mrs. Platzer Me-R platzerm@victorschools.org
Mr. Mandile S-Z mandileg@victorschools.org
In addition to completing your course requests, please log onto Naviance and fill out the Home 9th HS Annual Individual Progress Review. Follow the directions below:
Sign into your Naviance Account
Click on "About Me"
Go to "My Surveys"
Go to "Surveys Not Started"
Click on " Home 9th HS Annual Individual Progress Review"
Submit when done
Thank You,
The Counseling Department
OTHER NEWS
Ending Quarter 3
1) Q3 ended on Friday, March 13th (last day students were in school was Thursday 3/12).
2) Work submitted to teachers prior to, or on, March 13th can be graded.
3) Since students did not have the chance to turn in late work, missing assignments or missed assessments, they cannot be penalized or given a zero (a "missing" assignment is not the same as an assignment that was "skipped" or not turned in on purpose). Those grades will be waived for all students.
4) Students cannot receive a grade lower than a 65% for the 3rd marking period
5) The 4th quarter will be some sort of a "pass/fail" or "complete/incomplete" grade system. We have no idea what that looks like now, but will work to determine how that will look as we move forward. Students need to keep doing their work because it WILL count, even if it will look differently in terms of grades. No work = no credit = potentially failing the 4th quarter. Keep the work coming in to your teachers!!!!
For questions regarding how this may impact students who are striving for advanced designation diplomas, Magna/Summa diploma designations, scholarship opportunities, etc.: Many of these designations are made at the local (district and school) level. Mr. Siesto will continue to work with our building and district administrators to determine how the third and fourth quarter averages for the 2019-2020 school year will impact these designations for students currently in grades 9-11.
The IT Girls Overnight Retreat at SU
It Girls at Syracuse University
Presented by
Syracuse University Summer College and the School of Information Studies (iSchool)
June 27 - July 10, 2020
Please encourage your female students to apply to the It Girls Summer College program at Syracuse University!
Deadline to apply is May 1, 2020
The program is expanding to a two-week non-credit course.
Scholarships are available!
The It Girls Summer College Program has a variety of scholarships available to help support the program. These scholarships are sponsored by the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) and our industry partners: Microsoft, GE, IBM, Synchrony Financial, and EY.
It Girls Scholarships and reimbursement awards:
- Full scholarship for entire program up to $3,560
- 50% scholarship up to $1,780
- Merit based awards
- Travel reimbursements
To apply for any of these exclusive It Girls awards please follow these instructions:
2. Please select “It Girls” as your program of choice
3. To be considered for any award, please select in the application that you’re interested in "merit aid" and complete the essay prompt accordingly.
All students that are chosen for any of the scholarships or reimbursements will be notified via email to the email address they provided in the Summer College application.
It Girls scholarship deadline is April 15, 2020 11:59PM EST
University at Buffalo - Pharmacy Summer Institute
Student Career Exploration - FAME Panel of Career Speakers 4/21/2020
Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise (FAME) members are community leaders committed to building the regional workforce talent that helps advance and grow the advanced manufacturing industry.
Advanced manufacturing is an exciting field that invents and creates the products that people need and want. Virtually everything we use on a daily basis is manufactured.
Did you know that advanced manufacturing includes things such as:
· Robotics
· Computers
· Nanotechnology
· Engineering
· Electromechanical equipment
· Much more…
On April 21st at 9:15 FAME Companies: Optimax, Ortho Clinical, Advanced Atomization and GW Lisk will be here to talk about advanced manufacturing careers and training programs. They will also be talking about engineering, finance, IT, admin, supply chain, maintenance, logistics, etc. The presentation will take place in Room 102. Interested students should sign up in the College and Career Center.
SUNY Upstate Medical University
SUNY Upstate Medical University is hosting several events this spring to educate students about career fields and inform them about the degree opportunities at Upstate. See below for more information!
Online Information Sessions:
Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Online Information Session: Participants will learn about the careers in Medical Imaging (X-ray, Ultrasound, CT, MRI) and Radiation Therapy, the bachelor's degree programs at SUNY Upstate and admissions information. You are welcome to participate as well! This event will be held at 3:00 pm on April 22nd.
Respiratory Therapy Online Information Sessions: Participants will learn about the Respiratory Therapy career, the bachelor's degree program at SUNY Upstate and admissions information. You are welcome to participate as well! This event will be held at 3:30 pm on March 26th, April 28th and May 26th.
On Campus Events:
Clinical Lab Sciences Career Awareness Day (for students): Do you know students that are strong in the sciences and have an interest in health care that does not require them to work directly with patients? We're hosting a Clinical Laboratory Science Career Awareness Day on Saturday, March 14th at 10:00 am for students who want to learn about careers in Medical Technology and Medical Biotechnology. Please share the attached event flyer with your students.
Physical Therapy Information Session for High School Students: This session will discuss the Early Admission options for high school seniors and information about the DPT program at Upstate. Students and parents are welcome to attend to learn about PT and ask questions. April 6th at 10:00 am.
Physician Assistant Information Session for High School Students: Participants will learn about the PA program at Upstate and the admissions process. It’s never too early for students and parents to learn the steps to be admitted to our PA program. April 8th at 10:00 am.
Spring Open Houses: Do you have students considering a career in health care? We are here to help. This spring, SUNY Upstate will be hosting both Undergraduate and Graduate Open Houses. Faculty and staff are welcome to attend!
SUNY Upstate Undergraduate Open House
Saturday, March 28 at 9:00 AMSUNY Upstate Graduate Open House
Saturday, April 18 at 9:15 AM
What else? As usual, we offer a monthly College of Medicine Advisement Session at 11:00 am on the first Tuesday of each month.
If you have questions about any of the degree programs at Upstate, please feel free to let us know. For a list of all the degree programs at SUNY Upstate, please click here.
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Friends of Strong High School Student Volunteer Program
Please call the Friends of Strong office on April 28 after 8:30 a.m. to schedule an appointment for the 2020 Summer High School Program. Appointments are made on a first come, first served basis.
Requirements:
- You are at least 14 years of age or older by July 1, 2020. Students will be accepted through their senior year.
- You can communicate clearly and fluently in English.
- You can commit to volunteering three to four hours per week for 8 weeks.
For more information: call (585) 275-2420 or visit the website below.
High School Programs at Boston University
They are offering five pre-college programs for students to choose from, all of which provide rigorous and collaborative college life experiences that will enable students to gain a strong sense of their personal and academic potential. Here is a brief overview of their programs:
- High School Honors is a six-week residential, commuter, or online program in which students take Boston University undergraduate courses and earn up to eight transferable college credits. Students must be entering their junior or senior year of high school in Fall 2020.
- RISE Internship/Practicum is a six-week, non-credit residential or commuter program in which students conduct scientific research in a university lab under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students must be U.S. citizens and entering their senior year of high school in Fall 2020.
- Academic Immersion (AIM) is a three-week, non-credit residential program for students to focus intensively on a single academic topic while enjoying and experiencing life on a college campus. This summer we are offering three AIM tracks: Introduction to Experimental Psychology, Introduction to Medicine, and Creative Writing. Each track combines classroom work in the subject area with experiential learning activities. Students must be entering their junior or senior year of high school in Fall 2020.
- Summer Challenge is a two-week residential program in which students take two non-credit seminars of their choice and experience life on a college campus. Students must be entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school in Fall 2020.
- Summer Preview is a one-week, non-credit commuter or residential program in which students explore one subject of interest while previewing the college experience. Students must be entering their freshman or sophomore year of high school in Fall 2020.
If you have any questions, please contact Boston University at summerhs@bu.edu.
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Summer STEP Program
The 2020 University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Summer STEP application is open and the deadline is MAY 1, 2020 at 4 pm EST. For more information please see the flyer below and visit http://urpipeline.urmc.edu to apply.
PLEASE NOTE!! They are still planning on moving forward with this program and have extended the registration date to May 1. At this time they are uncertain if the program will need to be virtual or if it can be held in person, but either way it will be happening.
Students can apply at the following link - https://stepapplication.urmc.rochester.edu/.
Your Counseling Team!
Mrs. Banaszak
Counselor
Last names A-Co
Ext. 6418
Mr. Hooper
Counselor
Last names Cr-G
Ext. 6415
Mrs. Nelson
Counselor
Last names H-Mc
Ext. 6419
Mrs. Platzer
Counselor
Last names Me-R
Ext. 6422
Mr. Mandile
Counselor
Last names S-Z
Ext. 6416
Mrs. Mandile
Psychologist
Last names A-K
Ext. 6421
Mrs. Daniels-Farren
Psychologist
Last names L-Z
Ext. 6420
Mr. Ryan
School Social Worker
Ext. 6414
Mrs. Stone
Counseling Secretary
Ext. 6407
Mrs. Turner
Counseling Secretary
Ext. 6408
Mrs. Mereness
Internship Coordinator
Ext. 6424
Mrs. Zollo
College Planning Coordinator
Ext. 6423