Saranac High School Counseling News
May 2019
May is here! There is so much to do this month and we are ready to get started! We just completed course requests with our freshmen and immediately shift focus to AP exams starting May 6th. We have also begun to think about next year's PSAT and PreACT exams. These exams will be for our current sophomores, and students must sign up before the end of the school year for the counseling office to order exams. We will also be joining the middle school for the third year at their career fair on May 21st. We had great success last year linking our upper-classmen with careers they were interested in and hope to do the same this year!
May 1st Senior Commitment Day
Seniors that have been accepted to a four year college must put down a deposit by today, declaring their commitment to attend in the fall. If you have any questions about this, please contact us as soon as possible!
Freshman Meetings
Our meetings with freshmen have involved course requests, but have also helped students with so much more. In September, we worked with students to take the career interest inventory in Career Cruising. During our freshman meetings, we discussed the possible 40 career options that came up for them and the education needed for careers they were most interested in. We then helped make connections to high school course planning and what we could do to help. We will continue to use this program and its many features for college and career searching over the next few years with students, and have included the link for you to also review at home!
SchoolTool
Please remember, as parents and guardians, you can log into SchoolTool and check your students grades at any time. This is a very helpful tool and we encourage you to monitor your student's grades on a regular basis. If you have any concerns you can reach out to the teacher or counselors at any time. If you are not aware of your SchoolTool login please reach out to the main office and you will be directed to the IT department.
RAMP with Coryer Staffing
We are working with Kevin Patnode at Coryer Staffing for students that are interested in directly entering the workforce after high school. He will place students in a job shadowing program with local companies to expose students to opportunities in the area. If your child is interested in this program please encourage them to stop by the counseling office for more information.
PSAT and PreACT
Current sophomores should begin thinking about taking the PSAT and/or PreACT this fall. We will be sending a letter home that has a portion to be returned to the counseling office if students are interested in taking one or both exams. The PSAT will be offered October 16th during the school day in our gym and is $16 (unless a student qualifies for free or reduced lunch). The PreACT date is yet to be determined, but it will cost $12 and no fee waivers are provided. We must know by June 3rd if a student plans on taking the PSAT and/or PreACT.
AP Exams
AP exams begin Monday May 6th and this will be the second year we take exams off site due to the number of students taking the test. This year AP English Literature (grade 12) and AP U.S. History (grade 11) will be taken in the Village of Dannemora Gymnasium. We will provide transportation both to and from the Village of Dannemora. The remaining tests will take place here at the High School. Please note: we will still take AP Calculus AB on Tuesday May 14th regardless of our early dismissal.
Excelsior Scholarship
The Excelsior Scholarship is now open for seniors and must be completed by August 15th in order to qualify for the scholarship.
Enhancement Scholarship
The Enhanced Tuition Scholarship is similar to the Excelsior Scholarship except it is for participating New York State private colleges. The deadline to complete the application is August 15th.
Junior Volunteer Program at CVPH
The Junior Volunteer Program is currently accepting online applications through May 24h for the summer. This is a great opportunity for any student ages 14-18 interested in working in the healthcare field.
Important Dates
5/4/19 SAT Test (registration deadline was 4/5/19- find more info at www.collegeboard.org)
Monday 5/6/19 AP Government Exam 8:30am (Seniors)
Wednesday 5/8/19 AP English Exam 8:30am (Seniors)
Friday 5/10/19 AP US History Exam 8:30am (Juniors)
Tuesday 5/14/19 AP Calculus Exam 8:30am (Seniors)
6/1/19 SAT Test (registration deadline 5/3/19- find more info at www.collegeboard.org)
6/8/19 ACT Test (registration deadline 5/3/19- find more info at www.act.org)