Riverside -- School Counseling
March 2020
About Our Department...
The Riverside School Counseling department is a team of 16 dedicated individuals working collaboratively to meet the needs of 1,880 students, including teachers and parents. We have an open-door policy, but at times we are needed at meetings or have scheduled appointments with other students and parents. To serve you more efficiently, we ask that you please call or email us to schedule an appointment. Welcome to our new School Counseling Assistant, Ms. Kathy Jackson.
We support Riverside High School by:
working with staff to address obstacles that interfere with students’ learning and success.
focusing on skill development through a variety of ways, such as small group or individual counseling sessions, classroom guidance, and consultation and coordination with parents, administrators, and teachers.
helping when students experience challenges. We focus on conflict resolution, transitions, study skills, test-taking skills, crisis intervention, bullying prevention, suicide prevention, and special needs of students.
preparing students with post-grad planning. College visits, career days, internships, scholarships, and job matching are just a few resources available to help our students succeed in life after high school.
RVHS School Counseling Office Hours
Hours: 8:00 am to 4:15 pm
Website: http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/domain/17735
Follow us on twitter @RVHCounseling
Luke Mason, Director of School Counseling
Susan Westgate, Registrar
Kathleen Jackson, School Counseling Assistant
Donna Smith, School Counseling Assistant
Robin Robinson, Career Center Assistant
Astrid Willemsma, (long term sub) School Counselor (A-Burc)
Kevin Burke, School Counselor (Burd - E)
Cassandra Asekhauno, School Counselor (F-Jer)
Kimberley Harris, School Counselor (Jes-Marn)
Susan Pangman, School Counselor (Maro-Pf)
Anna Rizzo, School Counselor (Pg-Sm)
Tracy Wood, School Counselor (Sn-Z)
Noelia Garcia-Gettmann, School Psychologist
Mrs. Frances Jester, Social Worker
Kim Hager, Student Assistance Specialist
Susan Sabloff, Parent Liaison
Congratulations to Riverside's 2020 National Merit Scholarship Finalists
UPCOMING EVENTS
College Planning Night 2020
Juniors College Planning Meetings
Spring Break College Visit Planning
LCPS Annual Career and Apprenticeship Fair
Amazon interview event for Seniors
Course Selection for the 2020-2021 School Year
Dear Parents and Students,
The course selection process for the 2020-21 school year began on January 27. Please review all of the events listed below that we have planned to assist in making the best possible course selections for next year. For more details about the process click here.
Two Step Registration --Dual Enrollment Classes for Fall 2020
Naviance Presentation for Parents
The “Introduction to Naviance Student – How Parents Can Assist Their Students with College and Career Readiness” presentation took place on October 21st. The session was recorded and will be posted at www.lcps.org/parentresourceservices. Once you are on the webpage, click on workshops and events, and then archived videos.
Senior Capstone Projects
For our current seniors we would like to extend an invitation to join our Senior Capstone Experience. The LCPS Capstone Experience mission is to provide students an opportunity to acquire and demonstrate foundational skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication and citizenship through a short-term experience with businesses that are relevant to their passions.
This means in May, accepted seniors would be excused from class to instead spend the time experiencing their passions. It is a time to work towards your career aspirations through an job shadowing, mentorship, service learning choice, or community service during your final weeks as a high school senior.
It is similar to completing an internship or project in your final year of college. If you are interested in joining the program, we invite you to start getting a placement over winter break and attend the information session in January. If you have questions or concerns, you are welcome to visit our website or reach out to our Capstone Coordinator - Michelle Plunkett - through email-Michelle Plunkett: Michelle.Plunkett@lcps.org or stopping by room 1404.
Seal of Biliteracy Information
Do you speak, read, and write in another language other than English? Would you like for your diploma to formally reflect your language skills for future career opportunities after high school?
Take the test for the Seal of Biliteracy on Thursday, April 2, 2020! See any of our World Languages and Cultures teachers or e-mail Shawn.Nabors@lcps.org / Erica.Gravely@lcps.org for more information!
SEAL OF BILITERACY TEST SIGN-UP DEADLINE: Friday, March 13, 2020
The Seal of Biliteracy is an award made by a state department of education or local district to recognize a student who has attained proficiency in English and one or more other world languages by high school graduation. The Seal serves to certify attainment of biliteracy for students, employers and institutions of higher education. It is a statement of accomplishment that helps to signal evidence of a student’s readiness for career and college, and for engagement as a global citizen.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who determines if a student is eligible to receive the Seal of Biliteracy?
- Local school divisions will be responsible for reviewing evidence submitted by students as proof of proficiency and determining if the student has met the requirements. The requirements for eligibility can be found in the Guidelines for Issuing a Virginia Seal of Biliteracy.
- Can this seal be given in conjunction with another seal?
- Yes.The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded independent of the other Seals and as such can be earned alone or in any combination with other Seals.
- Does the Seal of Biliteracy come with any high school credits?
- No. The Seal of Biliteracy is a recognition of a minimum proficiency level attained by a student in at least one language in addition to English. The Seal of Biliteracy is not awarded based on seat time or course completion requirements and it is not tied to credits. Attainment of the Seal does not by itself provide credits towards graduation. See the Standards of Accreditation section 8 VAC 20-131-110 for more on the awarding of credits.
- What kind of insignia will be provided to students who earn the Seal?
- One gold, embossed, self-adhesive seal will be provided for each qualifying graduate. It is a state-wide seal that has been specially designed for the Seal of Biliteracy designation.
- Does the Seal of Biliteracy apply to American Sign Language (ASL)?
- Yes. In Virginia, ASL is considered a foreign (world) language.
Military Representatives
Interested in taking the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)? ASVAB scores are used to determine if you qualify to enlist in the military and to assign you to an appropriate job within the military. The ASVAB will next be offered on Tuesday March 3 at 8:30 p.m. at Loudoun Valley HS and at 9 am at Heritage HS. Note that March 3 is a student holiday. Click here to register.
SUMMER ENRICHMENT 2020
Boys and Girls State Summer Program 2020
The Ashburn Leonard W Kidd American Legion Post 2001 will again sponsor both girls and boys to attend Boys State and Girls State activities this year. The program is quite prestigious but more importantly, allows students to learn and live in an environment that stresses Civic Mindedness/American Citizenship. Attendees learn about our democratic government and actually run their city and state governments. Boys State will be held at Radford University and Girls State will be held at Longwood University.
These week long events will be held June 21-27, 2020.
More information about the Boys State program can be found at http://www.vaboysstate.org/
and Girls State information is at VA Girls State.
Students in grade 11 will be eligible.
Specific information will be posted when available.
See Mrs. Robinson in the Career Center if you are interested.
Interviews will be held at date/time to be determined @ Stone Bridge HS.
Hispanic College Institute
At the Hispanic College Institute (HCI) approximately 150 Hispanic high school students from across the Commonwealth come together on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA for this four-day, three-night (July 9-12, 2020) pre-college empowerment program where they learn to overcome both real and perceived barriers to college access.
The students participate in
STEM day
College and career workshops
Networking with Hispanic professionals from various fields
Meeting with college admissions officers
Learning about conflict management and civic engagement
Interacting with near- peer mentors
Listening to inspirational speakers
Competing for scholarships
Throughout the on-campus experience, the students build their confidence and receive practical tools to help them along their pathway to college. The HCI is free of cost for student participants. For more information, contact us at hci@valhen.org.
To apply for the Hispanic College Institute click here. Deadline is April 6, 2020 and students should be notified by May 11, 2020.
New Summer Internship Opportunity
Global Inheritance The Leading Ladies Initiative is our flagship program that provides qualified and selected participants who are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors in Loudoun County high school's with a STEM internship opportunity during a 3-week work-based learning program to prepare them as leaders, for the college application process as well as to become effective contributors in the STEM workforce. We believe that many people, particularly young women are underrepresented and fail to reach their potential due to lack of opportunities, resources and mentoring.
The 3-week work-based learning program will take place between June 12 - July 3 and includes an internship opportunity at a local business on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Each week there are also Leadership Development days that are held on Tuesday and Thursday where STEM emphasized industries will host the Leading Ladies cohort on a site specific tailored to their industry and will have the opportunity to tour facilities, learn from leaders, and understand how what they are learning in the classroom applies to the work-place and the STEM field as a whole.
Attached is our one pager with additional information and link to our application for students for our 2020 Leading Ladies Summer Cohort is on our website.
Summer at Smith
Columbia University
Christopher Newport University
Christopher Newport University's Summer Humanities Institute is a two-week residential program where students who take or plan to enroll in college-level coursework while in high school (AP, IB or DE) can learn in and outside the classroom from dynamic college faculty in the disciplines of philosophy, history, literature and cultural studies.
The 2020 Summer Humanities Institute theme “Suffrage, Inclusion and Representation” commemorates the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees and protects the right of women to vote. Through seminar-styled courses, students will explore and creatively interpret themes of humanistic democratic engagement as represented in historical and contemporary Western thought and artistic expression. Students will also examine various cultural understandings of how democratic ideals are embodied in the humanities, while also considering their own potential engagement as a student and community member.
The multidisciplinary immersion course supports the advanced courses students are taking in high school. Participants live in our residence halls, eat in the dining halls, learn in college classrooms and earn three college credits.
Check out the program website for additional information, and encourage interested students to apply!
STANDARDIZED TEST INFORMATION
SAT Preparation Offered
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Rust Manor--Event Support and Management
Event Supervisor: https://www.novaparks.com/about/employment?p=job%2FoJuacfwj
Event Support Staff: https://www.novaparks.com/about/employment?p=job%2FoEkhcfwb
For more information, please contact Ms. Laura Fagan, Facility and Events Sales Manager
Rust Manor House at Rust Nature Sanctuary
lfagan@nvrpa.org
Dog Krazy?
Chik Fil A Lansdowne is Hiring!
Sheetz has been a family owned business since 1952 and is based out of Altoona, PA. They are rapidly expanding in the Northern Virginia market and looking for new employees. Contact Jackie Foderaro at jfoderar@sheetz.com for more information/to inquire.
High Sierra Pools is Hiring
Students are paid between $9-14/hr, are certified with the American Red Cross, and have a $50 per recruit referral program (For every person they recruit who gets hired, they get paid $50. They themselves must be hired to get compensated for referring someone). The only requirement is to be 15 years old the day they start working and know how to swim.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Friends of the Ashburn Library Scholarship
The Friends of the Ashburn Library (FOAL) will award scholarships this spring to graduating seniors! Last year, four scholarships totaling $4,000.00 were awarded to students from Riverside, Broad Run & Stone Bridge. Applications will be due to the Ashburn Library electronically by April 17, 2020. Click here for the application.
LCPS - Loudoun Credit Union will offer two (2), $1,000 scholarships to members of Loudoun Credit Union that have joined Loudoun Credit Union by December 1 of the prior year. Applicants must be the primary member of their own account, not just a joint owner on someone else’s account and be in good standing. The applicant must be entering college as a freshman who will be taking at least nine credit hours per semester at an accredited college or university and in an undergraduate program or associates degree program at a community college. Applicant may be entering a technical school. A transcript and two teacher references and an employer or community leader must be included. Complete application package must be received at Loudoun Credit Union by the close of business on March 1, 2020.
Lockheed Martin launches vocational scholarship, renews STEM scholarship
Lockheed Martin is launching a vocational scholarship for high school seniors and college students pursuing vocational and trade degrees. The program will award up to $6,600 each to 150 recipients this year. The scholarship will fund degrees at accredited vocational-technical schools to prepare students for careers in technology and advanced manufacturing that do not require a bachelor's or advanced degree.
"As a global leader in innovation, we recognize the urgent need to address our nation's skills gap by encouraging, attracting, and developing the next generation of workers in science, technology, engineering, and math," said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President, and CEO Marillyn Hewson.
"Lockheed Martin's new vocational scholarships will develop the skills of workers who want to work in advanced manufacturing, but do not choose to go to a four-year college. This program shows that our company is fully committed to preparing workers at every level for the competitive challenges of the modern global economy," Hewson added.
For the second year in a row, Lockheed Martin will also offer its four-year STEM Scholarship program. This program is open to high school seniors and undergraduate students who plan to pursue a major in engineering or computer science, demonstrate financial need and come from underrepresented or underserved communities. In 2020, the program will award an additional 200 scholarships worth $10,000 in renewable funds per student.
Both programs are being funded by proceeds from corporate tax reform and are part of a larger investment of $460 million by Lockheed Martin in education and innovation throughout a period of five years. The scholarships are one piece of Lockheed Martin's 2018 pledge to create 8,000 new workforce development jobs and invest $50 million in educational enrichment programs.
The goal of these educational investments is to encourage students to consider a rewarding career in the technology and advanced manufacturing industry.
The application is open from Jan. 15, 2020, until March 12, 2020, and is being administered by Scholarship America, an organization with more than 60 years of experience designing and managing scholarship programs.
Visit the Vocational Scholarship page at https://www.lockheedmartin.com/vocational and the STEM Scholarship page at https://www.lockheedmartin.com/scholarship to learn more about eligibility requirements and to apply.