PHS Counselor Connection
November/December 2021
In this Newsletter:
- Important Dates & Information
- Emotional Well-Being: Be the Boss of Your Thoughts
- Future Ready: Info for All Grades
- Helpful Resources for Families and Students
Considering WCTC? Join them for an in-person Open House on November 18th!
And the best news...there is a NEW TRANSFER AGREEMENT with the 4-year UW campuses that allows students to transfer CORE classes from WCTC to the UW system colleges. Students can now save a TON of $$$ by beginning their college career at WCTC and then transferring to a 4 year campus! Read more about the new agreement in this article. Check out this site for more information on specific transfer credits.
There's Still Time to Apply For Financial Aid!
FINANCIAL AID PRESENTATION
Join UW HELP, along with representatives from UW-Green Bay, UW-La Crosse and UW-Milwaukee as they discuss the financial aid process, how to compare financial aid offers, how financial aid funds are disbursed, and more. Students and families are encouraged to attend. Registration is required.
- Wednesday, November 17th at 3:30 PM - Register Here
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yjtnvjxdQKScz7OIteuymw
Wisconsin Education VIRTUAL Fair Pre-registration
Check your intended college(s) for more information about their priority deadlines.
What Can I Do When I'm Experiencing Too Much Stress?
Tame tense muscles. Relax them with this simple exercise: Choose a muscle group, tighten it for a few seconds, then let go. Focus on one section at a time and work through your whole body. This is sometimes called progressive muscle relaxation.
Be the boss of your thoughts. Try to turn any negative thoughts into positive ones. Picture yourself facing your fears head-on. The more you do this in your mind, the easier it will be to deal with it when it happens.
Schedule your worry time. It may sound backward to plan to worry, but doctors actually recommend that you pick a time to think about your fears on purpose. Take 30 minutes to identify what’s bothering you and what you can do about it. Have your “worry session” at the same time every day. Don’t dwell on “what-ifs.” Focus on what actually makes you anxious.
Breathe deep. It sends a message to your brain that you’re OK. That helps your mind and body relax. To get the most out of it, lie down on a flat surface and put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Take a slow breath in. Make sure it fills your belly enough that you can feel it rise slightly. Hold it for a second, then slowly let it out.
Recap: Future Ready Days
When you have a moment, talk with your student(s) about these experiences. What did they learn that may help with future decisions? What careers did they learn about? Was there a career that they found an interest in? Maybe there was one that they need to cross off the list! What is something that they can take away from this experience?
Juniors (and parents) have all received their practice ACT score reports via email and have their question book and answer sheet- if you have a junior and have not heard about this you may want to ask ;-). Pre-ACT reports for freshmen and sophomores take about 6 weeks from when we send them in. We expect to be able to distribute the reports in December.
Future Ready Conferences Feedback
“Our Future Ready Conference provided us with great insight into our daughter’s future plans.”
~PHS Parent
Last spring, approximately 400 personalized Future Ready Conferences were held between students, Future-Ready advisors, and parents/guardians. While parent/guardian participation was not required, we are excited to share that 90% of these conferences included an adult family member! We truly appreciate your involvement and support in these important conversations with each student! Additionally, based on the survey data, only 2 parents/guardians (raw number) did NOT find the conference to be beneficial! We believe in the value of having these conferences, focusing on how our students are developing their future plans for life beyond high school!
Over the summer, all of the feedback provided by students, families, and staff were read and analyzed. We would like to share some of the highlights of that feedback here. This feedback is being incorporated as we revise and enhance our Future Ready lessons and conferences for this year.
Students felt that discussions regarding career exploration were most valuable, followed by the four-year plan and personal strengths/interests.
Parents/guardians felt that discussions regarding goal-setting were most valuable, followed by discussions on personal strengths/interests and career options.
Students indicated a preference to return to in-person conferences, while families preferred an option of in-person or virtual conference formats.
Both students and families would like more exposure to careers through speakers or other formats.
Students requested more opportunities to check in with their advisors throughout the year.
Both students and families would like the conferences to include more dialogue between students and families.
Thank you to all who provided feedback!
If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to Continuous Improvement Coordinator Adriana Plach at placadr@pewaukeeschools.org.Getting to Know Your Counselor!
Counselors will be begin meeting with sophomores very soon!
Juniors will have their 1:1 family meetings this winter/early spring. If you'd like to meet with your students counselor earlier, please reach out to schedule a meeting.
Tutoring Resource Through the Pewaukee Library!
The library has shared with us this opportunity to receive live, online academic tutoring. Click HERE for more information.
College Representative Visits
College are still having info meetings!
Link to List of Current College and Military Scheduled Visits (for PHS students only-check back often!). Come meet with these reps for some great info that you can't learn from a website!
College Representatives are calling regularly to schedule times so make sure to check this list regularly.
Scholarships & Resources
Now is the time to be looking for and applying to scholarships. They will continue to come out throughout the spring. HERE is a link to the PHS list of scholarships that come through our office. HERE is a flyer with some of the popular scholarship databases. Going Merry is particularly nice as it is like a common app for scholarships; apply for multiple scholarships with only one application.
On December 16th during resource, all seniors will attend the Pewaukee Scholarship Fund meeting to learn about scholarships through that orgnaziation.
Remember to use your Future Ready planning document and Resource Guide to help with some basic information. Counselors are here to help with every step of the way!
Looking for Volunteer Opportunities?
Looking for a JOB?
ACT Prep Opportunities for Juniors
ACT Prep: Don’t forget- all juniors have access to the online ACT prep course through Method Test Prep. This is true wether they are enrolled in the ACT prep class through PHS or not. Students can find the program in their Xello accounts on the menu on the right. This can be used at any time. The counselors keep this list of area tutors who reach out to us about their services. We do not endorse anyone but provide this list as a resource for your convenience.
Most students take their first ACT with the high school in February/March and then take the April, June or July tests if they wish to retest. Some juniors will take the December test. Some seniors will take the September or October tests if they are still trying for a certain score.
Thinking about the UW System?
Paying for College Resource
Juniors- Considering College Athletics?
NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete
District Community Resources List
(use the links on the left to navigate resources for various topics)
In Building Community Therapy Options
Pewaukee School District works with two local agencies to provide in bulding Mental Health services. Various insurance companies are accepted. Families should reach out to the contacts indicated on the form
Your Choice Parent Webinars- Sessions on various topics that parents may find useful. Topics include resiliency, drugs, alcohol, vaping and screen addiction
Healing Hearts Fall Grief Groups (youth and adults)
Resources from the Pewaukee Library- Help Now (Live online tutoring), Teen Reading Challenge, Teen Book Club, Virtual Magna & Anime Club
Student Job "Board"- Often times, local employers will let us know of positions that they are hiring for. This document will be updated each time we learn of a new opportunity so check back often!