Chief Points
May 2016
May 12, 2016
Chief Points is a newletter targeted at providing information to students about topics pertinent to their education and future.
Class of 2018
Tomorrow's Leaders Today Class of 2017 for Current Sophomores
Deadline: May 26, 2016 (actual published deadline is 5/27 however, we do not have school that day so get applications in by 5/26)
Please take the time to read about this wonderful leadership opportunity. This program is a great opportunity, LOCALLY, for you to develop your leadership skills. Every year, high school sophomores apply to be part of Tomorrow's Leaders Today, a local initiative sponsored by Leadership Lackawanna and the Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Selected students will participate during their junior year. It is an excellent opportunity to connect with other local students and businesses. It's a great resume builder! This year, Katie Retzbach was Lakeland's representative for Tomorrow's Leaders Today. Katie found the experience to be fun, educational and rewarding. She was part of a team of students who completed 3 service projects this school year. You can read about their initiatives here. Katie has generously offered to answer qusetions about the program so don't be afraid to stop her and ask about Tomorrow's Leaders Today.
Leadership Lackawanna’s eight-month Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Program develops the leadership, interpersonal and managerial skills of high school juniors while giving them an enhanced understanding of northeastern Pennsylvania and the opportunity to explore teamwork. Participants learn collaborative decision making, explore different communication styles, and engage in problem solving techniques. The challenges and opportunities of northeastern Pennsylvania are discussed as participants meet community leaders and other high school students. Class members become concerned and committed citizens. Sessions are held one full weekday each month. Leadership Lackawanna’s Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Program accepts applications from sophomores who attend high school in Lackawanna County or in the Lackawanna Trail and Western Wayne school districts. Tomorrow’s Leaders Today began in 1997 under Skills in Scranton, a division of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and merged with Leadership Lackawanna in 2011.
Applications can be downloaded from www.LeadershipLackawanna.com and should be submitted to Mrs. deQuevedo. You may drop the completed applications off or email them to me at ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org
Please take the time to read about this wonderful leadership opportunity. This program is a great opportunity, LOCALLY, for you to develop your leadership skills. Every year, high school sophomores apply to be part of Tomorrow's Leaders Today, a local initiative sponsored by Leadership Lackawanna and the Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Selected students will participate during their junior year. It is an excellent opportunity to connect with other local students and businesses. It's a great resume builder! This year, Katie Retzbach was Lakeland's representative for Tomorrow's Leaders Today. Katie found the experience to be fun, educational and rewarding. She was part of a team of students who completed 3 service projects this school year. You can read about their initiatives here. Katie has generously offered to answer qusetions about the program so don't be afraid to stop her and ask about Tomorrow's Leaders Today.
Leadership Lackawanna’s eight-month Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Program develops the leadership, interpersonal and managerial skills of high school juniors while giving them an enhanced understanding of northeastern Pennsylvania and the opportunity to explore teamwork. Participants learn collaborative decision making, explore different communication styles, and engage in problem solving techniques. The challenges and opportunities of northeastern Pennsylvania are discussed as participants meet community leaders and other high school students. Class members become concerned and committed citizens. Sessions are held one full weekday each month. Leadership Lackawanna’s Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Program accepts applications from sophomores who attend high school in Lackawanna County or in the Lackawanna Trail and Western Wayne school districts. Tomorrow’s Leaders Today began in 1997 under Skills in Scranton, a division of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and merged with Leadership Lackawanna in 2011.
Applications can be downloaded from www.LeadershipLackawanna.com and should be submitted to Mrs. deQuevedo. You may drop the completed applications off or email them to me at ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org
American Debate League
This summer the American Debate League is offering one-week summer camps at various locations near here. They have a limited number of full scholarships to students in our local area that are highly recommended by the school administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors. To learn more about this go to http://www.americandebateleague.org Students interested in applying should contact their school counselor.
Summer Educational Opportunities
Not looking forward to the long boring summer... Consider a camp or course. Information about area, regional and national summer programs can be found on Naviance Family Connection.
Nearly Juniors!
Your sophomore year is wrapping up. Keystone Exams begin next week and Final Exams begin on May 25th. The last day of school is just three weeks away. What will you do with all of that free time? Below are a few suggestions!
Summer Goals for Juniors
- Log in to Naviance - Naviance is a great starting point as you begin your Junior year. Information about accessing and using Naviance can be found below.
- SAT or ACT? Both the SAT and ACT are used equally by college admission offices as part of the admission process. The tests are different. Articles comparing the two tests can be found on Naviance. There are basically two schools of thought. The first is to pick one test and prepare only for that test. The second is to take at least one of each test. Remember, you will have the opportunity to take the PSAT again this fall. It will be offered on Wednesday, October 19th so mark your calendars. You will need to sign up in the guidance office in the fall and there will be a fee. If, after two PSAT tests, you are dissatisfied, you should consider taking the ACT. Whatever you decide to do, plan on taking at least three tests; two in your junior year and one in your senior year The earliest you should plan on taking a test as a junior is November and the latest you should plan on taking a senior test is November as well.
- A word about Subject Tests Some colleges require Subject tests. Make sure you know if your school requires the subject test. If so, plan on fitting them in, in addition to the regular SAT
- Test Prep. SAT and ACT testing are not something you should do with little to no preparation. Besides being an admission factor, strong standardized test scores could score you some big $$$ in scholarships. Many colleges and universities review standardized test scores along with your high school record to determine scholarship awards. How can you prepare? There are so many methods of preparation out there. Just google "SAT Prep" and see what comes up. Here are a few choices you may want to consider. Go to a bookstore and buy a prep book. Use the free KHAN ACADEMY resource. Khan Academy has partnered with The College Board to provide a free SAT prep program. EPrep and PrepScholar are popular online services that provide test prep for both the SAT and ACT tests, but keep in mind, both have a fee. Penn State Worthington Campus offers an SAT Prep program. If you aren't the online type and prefer to be in a class, this is the most affordable local option. Last priced at $299. Lastly, don't forget those handy phones you carry everywhere. There are so many test prep apps both free and for pay.
- Talk to current college students. School is out for the summer, not just for high school students but college students. Take advantage of college students you may know and pick their brain a bit. Learn from what they did right and what they did wrong. Most college students are happy to talk about their own experiences. They can talk to you about class size, campus life, the food, you name it!
- Visit colleges. Did you think it was too early to do this? Absolutely not. Summer is the best possible time to fit a couple of college visits in. You should plan on applying to 3-5 colleges, but you may visit a dozen or more to narrow down your choices. Even if your schedule doesn't allow to you to travel far, consider one of our local colleges for a visit. You may be planning on going away to school but it certainly can't hurt to have a comparison school. Call the admission office to set up and appointment. There are several different types of visit formats. For the first time, consider going to a group presentation. Many students and their parents find it helpful to hear what other people ask. When you become more comfortable with the process, you could plan on going to individual appointments to talk specifically about your own admission prospects.
- Be Organized. This year you will see the amount of mail you receive increase exponentially. Organize your mail as it comes in. Don't toss everything immediately. Set time aside to review what you receive. Keep things that interest you so that you can go back to them. For mailing received via email. Consider either creating an email address just for college applications and scholarships or use email filtering systems to move mail into specific folders or tags. Just don't forget to go back an review what you have filed. Word of warning, while it may seem convenient to use your Lakeland email address, you may want to consider not doing so. Graduating students lose access to school mail soon after graduation and you may lose access to important emails. If you do choose to use your school email, set up a schedule to forward everything to a private account so that you don't lose important emails.
Naviance
Information regarding scholarships, colleges, and careers can be accessed through Naviance Family Connection. Parent access to Naviance Family Connection is available. Parent access codes were mailed home for the 2015-16 school year. Guest access is also available. Students can access Naviance Family Connection using their school email address and student id (lunch number). Students applying to college, for scholarships or to dual enrollment programs will be referred to Naviance Family Connection to request transcripts and letters of recommendation.
Dual Enrollment
You may be wondering what Dual Enrollment is. Dual Enrollment is basically an agreement between the Lakeland School District and a neighboring college or university to offer courses on or off campus that allow students to earn college credit while attending high school Students are in fact enrolled in both high school and college at the same time, thus the use of the word "Dual". Dual Enrollment courses are offered at steep discounts allowing a family to possible save significant amounts of money. One word of caution, do your research! Not every college accepts every credit so if you are considering Dual Enrollment, it would be wise to reach out to colleges your are considering applying to and learning more about their credit transfer policies. To learn more about Lakeland School District's Dual Enrollment program, go to the guidance website.
Lakeland School Counseling Office
Mrs. deQuevedo - classes of 2016, 2018, 2020 and soon 2022
Mrs. Valonis - classes of 2017, 2019, 2021
Mrs. Valonis - classes of 2017, 2019, 2021
Email: ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org
Website: http://lakelandsd.schoolwires.net/Page/73
Location: 1355 Lakeland Drive, Jermyn, PA, United States
Phone: 570-254-9485
Twitter: @chiefsguidance