Counselor Connection
January 2024
Quarterly Newsletter #2
Welcome to the second of four Counselor Connection newsletters, where we will share updates about the LCHS Counseling Department! Each newsletter will be broken down into American School Counselor Association domains for school counseling (Academic, College/Career, and Wellness aka Social/Emotional) and will also include additional resources for students and families.
Counselors presented at the January 18th PTSA Meeting, where we provided answers to common questions from parents, gave an overview of past and upcoming Advisory presentations, course registration, summer school and more. Please visit the PTSA website or download the PDF to view our presentation.
The Counseling Department is also pleased to highlight that two weeks ago, the Coca Cola Scholarship Corporation notified 250 students across the country that they had been named Regional Finalists in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. At LCHS we have TWO incredible students who are recognized as Finalists. These high school seniors have made it through our extremely competitive second stage of selection. Regional Finalists will now participate in virtual interviews with a committee of Scholar alumni and staff members in the coming weeks.
After these interviews are complete, 150 of the 250 Regional Finalists will become Coca-Cola Scholars, receive a $20,000 scholarship, and be honored at the 2024 Scholars Banquet on April 25 in Atlanta.
LCHS students are doing great things. We are proud of everyone's accomplishments from semester one and we look forward to a fantastic semester two.
ACADEMIC
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Attention all LCHS students: Did you know that the counselors have created a Google classroom for each grade level? To log-in, simply go to your classroom link and look for your graduating class!
SEMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS
Report Cards:
Will be released by: Monday, January 22.
Midyear Transcripts for Seniors:
The counselors will be processing and sending your mid-year transcript beginning next week and by no later than January 31. To ensure we are sending to the correct colleges, please log-in to your Scoir account and update your college list.
AP EXAM REGISTRATION
If you have not already purchased AP exams, you can buy your exam next week, between January 22nd and January 26th. NO AP exams will be purchased after Friday, January 26th. The cost is $170 per exam. You can purchase the exam online (CLICK HERE) or in the main office, see Mrs. Sarkissian or Mrs. Milton.
COURSE REGISTRATION DATES
Rising 12:
Presentation (2/7 & 2/8)
One-on-one meetings (2/26-3/1) during English classes
Rising 11:
Presentation (2/14 &2/15)
One-on-one meetings (3/1- 3/8) during English classes
Rising 10:
Presentation (2/21-2/22)
One-on-one meetings (3/11-3/15) during English classes
SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
LCHS students often take advantage of a variety of summer enrichment activities or programs. Some students work a summer job or take summer school classes. Many of these types of activities are beginning to take applications. The attached list was compiled by your LCHS counselors and is being provided as a tool to get you started in thinking about summer options.
COMPREHENSIVE COUNSELOR ADVISORY UPDATES
Freshmen
Freshmen were introduced to an online tool that can help them create a road map of their four year plans for high school. Counselors discussed graduation requirements, college admission requirements and growth mindset as part of our presentation and students were then given time to begin working on the tool. 95% of students surveyed reported feeling better equipped to select courses after the advisory lesson!
Sophomores
Counselors will present on "Self Advocacy and Communication Skills" this March! The goal is to help students learn effective ways to communicate with both adults and peers, as well as empower them to advocate for themselves in a positive and productive way.
Juniors
Seniors
The comprehensive counseling team will be presenting to seniors during the month of May! More information to follow as May gets nearer. The topic will focus on gathering survey information and providing guidance for transitioning to life after high school
COLLEGE AND CAREER: C3 NEWS
C3 ADVISORY UPDATE
1/12/2024: PCC Application Workshop for Seniors. Follow up to be held this spring!
1/17/24: Career Interest/Strength Inventory - 10th Grade
1/24/24: Scholarship Search - 12th Grade
February: College Admission Consideration/Search - 9th Grade
March: Narrowing/Brainstorming College Essay - 11th Grade
C3 ADDITIONAL INFO
Students are welcome to stop by before school, at break, during lunch or after school to utilize the resources or may schedule an individual appointment with C³ should they have more than just a quick question or if they require additional assistance.
We have many great resources available in the C3. For example, Please check out the following lists!
C3 Scholarship List: https://bit.ly/C3-Scholarship
C3 Internships/Research Opps: https://bit.ly/C3-Intern-Research
C3 CALENDAR OF EVENTS SPRING 2024
FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
FAFSA 2024-2025 is now available:
Make sure to create your StudentAid.gov account—and remember your username and password so you can access and submit the 2024–25 FAFSA form when it’s available.
If your parent(s) will need to contribute to your form, make sure each contributor creates their own StudentAid.gov account. Even if a contributor doesn’t have a Social Security number, they will be able to create an account when the 2024–25 form goes live.
Watch “Preparing for the FAFSA Form” playlist to understand what information and documents you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA form.
Learn more about the new redesigned and streamlined FAFSA.
FAFSA 2024-2025 is required for all California seniors to complete unless the parent/guardian opts out. LCHS will be sending a docusign to confirm the completion of FAFSA.
COLLEGE AND CAREER: ADDITIONAL INFO
California State University (CSU) Campuses Still Accepting Applications
Please click HERE to access a list of CSU campuses still accepting applications.
*CSUN has extended their deadline to January 31, 2024
NACAC SPRING COLLEGE FAIR
The NACAC National College Fair for the Greater Los Angeles area will be held in person at the Pasadena Convention Center on February 13, 2024 from 9:00am - 1:00pm and again in the evening from 6:00pm - 8:30pm. Students and a parent/guardian are encouraged to attend.
Distinguished Young Women of Los Angeles County Scholarship for Class of 2025
Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women (DYW) is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. It positively impacts the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes reaching your full potential, includes Life Skills Workshops, and makes available over $1 Billion in scholarships every year. Distinguished Young Women strives to give every young woman the opportunity to further her education and prepare for a successful future.
The Distinguished Young Women of Los Angeles County Scholarship Program for the Class of 2025 will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2024. Please note that the deadline to apply is Friday, February 2, 2024 and there is absolutely NO COST to participate.
All local participants are eligible for scholarships from participating universities, just by participating in the program. Participants selected to represent Los Angeles County will receive a cash scholarship and the opportunity to compete for $30,000 in cash scholarships at the Distinguished Young Women of California program in the summer of 2024.
PCC DSP&S FAMILY NIGHT
Moving from high school to college can be particularly challenging for students with disabilities. Although high schools usually offer tailored support and accommodations, the transition to college requires more self-advocacy and independence. DSP&S Family Night is an event that can provide valuable information and guidance to prospective students who are interested in starting their academic journey at Pasadena City College.
CASH FOR COLLEGE WORKSHOP
Get FREE help filling out your 2024-25 financial aid application at Glendale Community College event on Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 9:00 am
WELLNESS
WELLNESS CENTER ADVISORY
November’s Monthly Wellness Theme was GRATITUDE
All Advisory classrooms reflected on the following questions with the aid of this video made by Peer Support: What are you most grateful for? If you woke up tomorrow with only those things, how would you feel? What would you miss?
Spartans also shared their gratitude with local food pantry, Friends in Deed through a school-wide Food Drive Advisory Challenge. Prizes went to the grade-level Advisory classes with the highest food donation participation rates.
December’s Monthly Wellness Theme was STRESS LESS
Stress reducing activities were promoted schoolwide and offered in the IRC and Wellness Center leading up to Finals Week, including the annual community-building and finals study event “Cocoa and Cram.” At Coca and Cram, students from all levels gathered in the cafeteria for hot cocoa and study time! Teachers and peer tutors from every subject area were available to provide assistance to students. Comprehensive counselors and Wellness Center Staff were also on hand to provide additional layers of support.
January’s Monthly Wellness Theme is MOTIVATION
According to Search Institute’s Developmental Asset research, achievement motivation is one of 40 assets most correlated with youth wellbeing and risk reduction. Our theme activities will culminate with “Motivation to learn” as the topic for all grade level Advisory classes on January 31st.
For more information on services or programs in the Wellness Center, email wellnesscenter@lcusd.net
CALENDLY LINKS
Students are encouraged to sign-up to see their counselor using "Calendly." Students will select a date and time that works for them and should make arrangements in advance with their teacher to miss class and discuss any missed materials. Students must use the calendar invite as their "hall pass" by showing it to their teacher on the day of the appointment. They can print it or show it on their phone, or they can ask Mrs. De La Rosa in the counseling office to make a hall pass for them.
Students should not schedule appointments during tests or quizzes and are responsible for arriving to the appointment on time.
Parents may reach out to the counselor directly by email (preferred) or phone to make an appointment. Parents may also contact Mrs. De La Rosa at 818.952.4253 for assistance in making a parent appointment.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Newsletter published by LCHS Counseling Department
La Canada High School
4463 Oak Grove Drive
La Canada, CA 91011
CEEB Code 051312
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