Courtland Counseling Newsletter
Let's make your future happen!
In this issue
Grades 9, 10, 11, 12: Upcoming Events
Grades 9, 10, 11: Parent Workshop
Grade 12: Scholarships
Grades 9, 10, 11: Scheduling Information
Grades 9, 10, 11, 12: 20 Questions to Ask Your School Counselor About College
Grade 10: Sophomore Individual Meetings
Grades 9, 10, 11, 12: Finish strong with good study skills
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12: Parent Vue
March 4-April 2: Scheduling for 2015-16 school year
March 5 & 6: Interims issued
March 6: Local Scholarship Application due
March 7: January 24 SAT makeup
March 13: College Admissions for Parents, Courtland High School Auditorium, 8:00 a.m.
March 13: Deadline to register for the April 18 ACT
March 14: SAT
March 31: Community Service Logs are due for Seniors
College Admissions for Parents of Juniors: College application season is right around the corner! This presentation will help you help your child make college a reality. Topics to be covered: College admission tests, finding the right fit, what to do when, plus much more!
Sample of Scholarships listed in Naviance with March deadlines:
GREATER RAPPAHANNOCK CHAPTER OF THE LINKS, INC. due 3/13 Amount: $1,000
SANDRA HOLLAND KING EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP
Due: 3/13 Amount: $1,000.00
VIRGINIA MAYFLOWER SOCIETY MILDRED RAMOS SCHOLARSHIP Due: 3/15 Amount: $1,620.00
RITA BERKEY P.E.O. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Due: 3/15 Amount: $500
DELTA SIGMA THETA/CARRIE 'WY" HILL
BETTY JONES SCHOLARSHIP
Due: 3/21 Amount: $2,690
GILLARD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Due: 3/21 Amount: $1,000
THE JOYCE GROVES SCHOLARSHIP
Due: 3/21 Amount: $1,000
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Due: 3/23 Amount: $1,000
ODENZA MARKETING GROUP
Due: 3/30 Amount: $500
LEGACY OF LIFE
Due: 3/31 Amount: $5,000
RAPPAHANNOCK CHORAL SOCIETY, INC.
Due: 3/31 Amount: $500.00
SP $10,000 SCHOLARSHIP
Due: 3/31 Amount: $10,000
VA CREDIT UNION DOROTHY HALL SCHOLARSHIP
Due: 3/31 Amount: $2,500
See Naviance for more scholarship opportunities and more information on each scholarship!
Local Scholarship Application: now available in the Counseling Office. Deadline is March 6.
COURSE SELECTION FOR NEXT YEAR
Scheduling is almost underway!
Course selection for the 2015 – 2016 school-year has begun. Students will attend assemblies to receive information on the scheduling process and will meet individually with their Counselors to make final selections (see schedule below). Please take time to discuss course selections with your student in light of his/her academic strengths and post-high school plans. We encourage students to select rigorous courses that will provide an intellectual challenge and prepare them for educational and career pursuits beyond high school.
At the Scheduling Assembly students will receive a Scheduling Planning Guide worksheet, a Course Selection Sheet, and a Diploma Requirements chart. The Course Offering Guide includes information about course curriculum, prerequisites, and credit and should be reviewed online at: www.tinyurl.com/coursecatalog15-16
Scheduling Calendar:
Juniors
· March 4: Scheduling Information Session
· March 9-12 and March 16-18: Individual scheduling sessions with Counselors
Sophomores
· March 26 : Scheduling Information Session
· March 30-April 2: Individual scheduling sessions with Counselors
Freshmen
· March 18: Scheduling Information Session
· March 20 and March 23-25: Individual scheduling sessions with Counselors
Course Offerings Guide
The Course Offerings Guide contains comprehensive information on a wide variety of subjects including courses (curriculum, prerequisites, and units of credit), diploma types and requirements, Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment programs, diploma seals, honor roll, and grading. A direct link to the online Course Offerings Guide can be found on the Courtland High School website under ‘Site Shortcuts’ (2015-16 Course Catalog).
Course Recommendations
Teachers will discuss departmental course offerings and appropriate course level choice, such as Advanced and Advanced Placement. Teachers will be making level recommendations, and the Counselors will use these recommendations in course advising.
Changing a Course Selection
At the end of the individual scheduling session, the Counselor will give each student a list of courses that have been selected. We encourage parents to review this list. Changes may be made up to the end of the school year for all courses except Advanced Placement courses.
The deadline for changing an Advanced Placement course is May 29.
To make a change in course requests, students should complete a ‘Course Request Change Form' available in the Counseling office and return it to the Counselor. All course request changes require a parent signature.
Early Release
Early Release is offered to junior and senior students who are enrolled in Co-operative Education courses such as marketing or business.
Early release for students who are not enrolled in Co-operative Education courses and have extenuating circumstances must be approved by the Principal and Assistant Superintendent.
Advanced Placement Courses
Advanced Placement courses are college-level courses with rigorous curriculum and require a higher level of work, time, and commitment than regular or Advanced level courses. Most Advanced Placement courses require a significant summer assignment which may be due on the first day of school or even before school starts. Students may not drop Advanced Placement courses after May 29.
Students should consider their ability and work ethic when making decisions about Advanced Placement courses. Students are strongly urged to discuss course curriculum and requirements with the Advanced Placement teacher before selecting an Advanced Placement course.
Dual Enrollment Courses
Dual Enrollment courses are college-level courses with rigorous curriculum and require increased work, time, and commitment than grade level or Advanced level courses. Students who wish to take a Dual Enrollment course must complete a Germanna Community College application, provide qualifying test scores (such as SAT, ACT, VPT) and pay tuition. The Germanna Community College placement test (VPT: Virginia Placement Test) will be offered at Courtland High School in April (April 13-16). Please contact your Counselor for more information.
Promotion
Grade level classification is based on the number of credits a student has earned:
Freshmen …………………. 0–4 credits
Sophomores ………………..5 credits
Juniors …………………..… 10 credits
Seniors …………………….. 15 credits
Auditing a Course
· Reasons to audit a course:
o To increase mastery in a subject
o To improve the course grade
· A student may audit a course only if the student
o Has completed the course,
o Received a passing grade, AND
o Earned a credit.
· Audit results
o The audited course grade will be calculated into the students’ cumulative grade point average.
o The audited course will not award a credit.
Withdrawing (Dropping) From a Course
· A student who withdraws from a course after the first 9 weeks grading period will receive a “WF” (withdrew failing) or a “WP” (withdrew passing) which is treated as an “F” when calculating the grade point average.
· A student may not drop a required course at any time.
Weighted Courses
· Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses are ‘weighted’.
· Weighted courses earn higher quality points (used to calculate grade point average); and because of this, may increase a student’s grade point average and class rank.
20 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR ABOUT COLLEGE
Your school counselor is one of your best resources as you plan for college. Your counselor has information about admission tests, college preparation, and student education and career options.
Here are some basic questions to help get your conversation started:
1. What courses does my student need to take to be ready for college?
2. How should students plan their schedules so they will be successful?
3. Which elective courses do you recommend?
4. Which AP courses should my student consider taking?
5. When is the PSAT/NMSQT going to be given?
6. How should students study for the SAT, and is it given at this high school?
7. Do you have any college planning sessions scheduled?
8. What activities can my student do at home and over the summer to get ready for college?
9. What kinds of grades do different colleges require?
10. Are there any college fairs at this school or nearby?
11. What colleges do other students from our school go to?
12. Do you have any information to help my student start exploring careers?
13. If the colleges need a recommendation from you, how can my student help you know him/her better, so the letter can be more personal?
14. Are there any special scholarships or awards that I should know about now, so that my student can work toward them?
15. Can I see my student’s transcript as it stands now, to see if everything is as I think it should be?
16. What forms do I use to apply for financial aid and where I can find them online?
17. When should my student start the college application process?
18. What are the first steps in the college application process?
19. Does the Counseling Department offer any college planning or college application workshops?
20. How do I know if a college is the right fit for my student?
Sophomore Individual Meetings
In February, counselors met individually with each sophomore. This was an opportunity for the counselors to get to know the students better and discuss plans for the future. Students were also given the opportunity to ask any questions they may have at this point in the school year.
Here is some of the data collected:
Diploma type: 76% are working towards the Advanced Studies Diploma
Post Secondary Plans (students could choose more than one):
75% are planning on attending a 4 year college
12% are planning on attending a 2 year college
8% are planning on entering the military
5% are planning on attending a career or technical school
2% are planning on entering the workforce
2% are unsure
98% of the Sophomores say that high school has been a positive experience.
Finish Strong with Good Study Skills
How can you help?
Parents and caregivers can help their high school student stay motivated and do well in their schoolwork. Parents can contribute by becoming actively involved in their student’s school experience and by showing a positive attitude toward their school accomplishments.
What are study skills?
School is about learning and learning is a progressive process. Learning how to study or learning how to learn is a process adolescents are still developing.
There is no single right or wrong way to study. Each child is an individual and each will find something different that works. Your child’s study plan may differ from that of a neighbor or of another sibling. The idea is to find out what works best for each child and then stick with it. Learning to study is a gradual process and there will be some hurdles along the way. But you can help your child. Here are a few good practices to implement within the home.
· Turn off the TV set, silence the cell phone, put away the video games and limit internet activity. Make it a house rule.
· Designate a quiet well-lit spot for studying. Avoid places with distractions, such as people coming and going.
· Establish a routine that allows for balanced leisure activities.
· Play a role in your child’s success. Keep in touch with teachers through e-mail. Ask for weekly progress sheets to be sure your child is keeping up with the class. Discuss accomplishments and setbacks.
· Encourage your child to use their agenda book to record school assignments and plan ahead for long-term projects. Request to see what they are working on and what is coming up that is due.
· Require that your child use available resources at school to help them succeed.
· Give praise and positive reinforcements for academic success.
Source: John Champ High School (http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/)
PARENTVUE
Each parent/guardian will need to pick up his/her activation key. A designee may pick it up, but they must have a signed permission form and show ID to confirm they are the designee.
Additionally, you may sign an authorization form for us to release your activation key by email or mail. However, it is important to note that personally picking up the activation key is the most secure method.
If you haven't already received your activation key, make plans to do so today! This is an awesome resource for parents! There is even an app for your smartphone!
Counseling Department
Mrs. Emily Hall …………….…. Counselor A — De
Mr. Bart Nave ………….… Counselor Di—Kh
Mr. Dave DeSando ………... Counselor Ki—Ra
ddesando@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Ms. Mary Nelson ………….... Counselor Re— Z