OHS Freshmen Newsletter
November 2021
November HIGHLIGHTS IN THE COUNSELING CENTER
- On-going student support as needed
- Transcript Awareness: Calculating your GPA
- November is Career Development Month: Check out the following link for important Career information, click here
- Winter Sports: Registration for winter sports is now open. Check out the student athletes website for more information: https://www.orangecountyfirst.com/domain/103
Message from Your School Counselor
Congratulations on successfully completing your first quarter of high school! As you begin your next quarter, I encourage you to reach out to your teachers, 9th grade administrator (Ms. Williamson) or myself (Mrs. Laws) if you ever need anything. We would love to hear from you to find ways to help you feel successful in your classes.
More important, we know that for several students the first quarter has been really, really hard. We want you to call or email us if we can help you feel more connected to OHS school community. I encourage you to read about all of the wonderful opportunities in this newsletter. In addition, consider joining an OHS club or organization. It would be a great way to meet new people or discover new interests. Let's look forward to the next 9 weeks and enjoying the fall weather.
With Panther Pride,
Mrs. Laws
Self- Care During the Chilly Months Ahead..
If you’re pulling out the winter coats and cozy sweaters...and a little worried about how you’ll handle the days getting shorter and temperatures drop, you’re not alone. But while winter might be cold and chilly this year, there are some strategies you can use to cope with stress and keep your spirits up:
UCLA Mindful
Available for iOS and Androd
Price: Free
If all the research on mindfulness has persuaded you that you need to meditate, the UCLA Mindful app could be a good place to start.
Developed by the Mindful Awareness Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the app features about a dozen meditations of different types in English and Spanish. You can learn to focus on your breath, your body, or sounds; work with difficult emotions; and cultivate loving-kindness in sessions ranging from 3 to 19 minutes long.
If you’re new to mindfulness, you might choose to take advantage of their Getting Started section, which offers information on what mindfulness is, how to choose a meditation, which posture is best for your practice, and what research-backed benefits you might expect from it.
Transcript Awareness: Calculating your Semester GPA
So understanding your GPA is a very important for future opportunities. Let's pretend that your grades from quarter one are your final grades. I would like for you to take those current grades and complete the following calculations (as pictured below).
- Add up all your grades based on the scale below
- Divide by four classes (the number of classes you are taking)
- The total will give you your semester GPA
Please note that if you GPA is 4.0 and above you are in the A range, if your GAP is in the 3.0 GPA and above you are in the B range, and so forth. If you would more expert advice on College Admission, you can also reach out to our College Advisor Raquel Butner at raquel.butner@orange.k12.nc.us
If you like your current GPA, keep working hard. But if your GPA isn't looking too good...take time now to make changes so that your final grades in January reflect who truly are as a student. This may mean re-evaluating your sleep habits, study habits, organization skills and putting up some boundaries to protect your time. If you need help, please don't hesitate to reach out to me in the counseling office or by email crystal.laws@orange.k12.nc.us
As one can assume, the higher the GPA, the more competitive that makes you for scholarships, college admission, internships, etc.
Attitude of Gratitude Mindset
Attitude of Gratitude Mindset teaches us the importance of seeking the positives from every experience and being thankful for all that we have. Through this mindset, we learn that we can use the positives or the negatives of our lives as the foundation on which to build. Choose the positives, and we are on our way toward extraordinary success; choose the negatives, and we embark on path toward disappointment, resentment, and suffering. In these lessons, we guide students to focus on all the things they have, leaving no time to be distracted by what they don’t.
The 4 critical components of Attitude of Gratitude:
1. Treasure Yourself
2. Be More Grateful
3. Thank It Forward
4. Elevate Your Perspective
The goal of 7 Mindsets is to expand the mindset to school-wide initiatives for all students in the school community. This month initiatives like card writing for Veterans, World Kindness Day post-it notes, and a school wide food drive to benefit local food pantries furthers our Attitude of Gratitude mindset!
Keeping it All Together
Join a Club
College Planning for 9th Graders
- Start keeping track of your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and academic competitions. This will help form your resume when you take Career & College Essentials.
- Create a 4 year plan. Think about what you’d like to accomplish while at Fox Chapel. Start researching what courses are required by the colleges you may want to one day attend. Schedule a meeting with your counselor to discuss course tracks and options.
- Save for college! It’s never to early to start saving!
- Explore summer opportunities—whether it’s volunteering, a part-time job, or shadowing/interning—maximize your opportunities during summer to further explore your career interests.
- Focus on academics—try to earn the best grades possible! Colleges and universities tell us they still look at a student’s transcript 1st when they’re determining if a student is the right “fit.”
- Get to know your high school counselor! We’re here to help support you socially, academically, and career-wise as you journey through high school!
Download your free College Planning Guide by clicking here
DON'T MISS OUT: GET IMPORTANT UPDATES FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE
Get important information and updates from the Counseling Office right on your phone.
Receive texts or notifications through remind:
For text messages:
Send a text to 81010 with the following message:
- For 9th grade students and parents-@oh2025
- For notifications:
Download the remind app, tap join a class and search by the same remind codes above.
Your 9th Grade Team:
9th Grade Administrator
- Mrs. Tenisha Williamson
9th Grade Counselor
- Mrs. Crystal Laws
Social Worker
- Ms. Latasha Brown
Career and Development Coordinator
- Mr. Nick Montgomery
Career Coach
- Ms. Tiffany Robinson (Durham Tech)
School-Based Therapist
- We also have a full-time school-based therapist in our building! Families interested in learning more about how this works or getting connected with this service should contact your student's school counselor for more information and/or a referral.
THE ROLE OF THE OHS SCHOOL COUNSELOR
The Orange High School counselors are here to assist students in achieving success in all aspects of their lives. We encourage students to book an appointment to come ask questions, seek information, and get support when needed. We are here to provide individual guidance on academic, personal, extracurricular, and post-secondary options. Each counselor serves a portion of the high school. Currently, Ms. Laws serves the freshmen caseload of 420 students. Therefore, it is imperative that we make an appointment to ensure that you can been seen by your Counselor.
The counseling offices are directly behind the main office.
Counseling office hours are: 8:30am-4:15pm on regular school days.
If you need to schedule a counseling session with the 9th Grade School Counselor please use the You Can Book Me Link
Orange High School
Email: crystal.laws@orange.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.orangecountyfirst.com/ohs
Location: 500 Orange High School Rd, Hillsborough, NC 27278, USA
Phone: (919) 732-6133