Counselor Connections
VHS Counseling Department Newsletter - May 2022
Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2022
The Counseling Department wishes you a strong finish to your high school years and a bright beginning to your life after high school. Congratulations!
AP Exams
The College Board's AP Exams are scheduled to be May 2 - 13, 2022. The specific test day and time are listed below. All tests are scheduled to be in the main gym.
Remember to come prepared to test; be sure to read over the College Board's What Students Should and Should Not Bring and Mr. Lees' recommendations for testing email (such as having a #2 pencil, a blue or black ink pen, bringing a snack and water, dressing in layers due to the temperature in the gym and more). You should be at the testing room at least 10 minutes prior to the start of your AP Exam.
If you have any questions about your AP Exam(s), check with your AP teacher, Mr. Pratt (D-wing Counselor), or Mr. Lees (Assistant Principal).
2022 AP Test Dates and Times
May 2nd
8 am
AP Government
May 3rd
8 am
AP Environmental Science
May 3rd
12 pm
AP Psychology
May 4th
8 am
AP English Literature & Composition
May 4th
12 pm
AP Computer Science A (Coding II)
May 5th
12 pm
AP Statistics
May 6th
8 am
AP US History
May 9th
8 am
AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC
May 9th
12 pm
AP Computer Science Principles (Coding I)
May 10th
8 am
AP English Language & Composition
May 11th
8 am
AP Spanish Language
May 11th
12 pm
AP Biology
May 12th
8 am
AP World History
May 12th
12 pm
AP Physics: Algebra I Based
AZ529 College Savings Plan
The Arizona Family College Savings Plan is a state-sponsored 529 plan is a tax-deferred option that is designed to help families save money for college. Learn more at www.az529.gov.
College & Career Ready Summertime
Summertime can be a good time to research and explore your career and college options.
Have a career in mind? Or, trying to decide between a couple different careers? You could use your summer to conduct an informational interview, job shadow, and/or volunteer with a person or business related to a career you are considering. All of these opportunities can provide valuable insights into the careers you may want to pursue. You can find information about these ideas on our VHS Counseling & Career Center website, www.aguafria.org/vhscounseling.
You can also spend time on Naviance, the career exploration program the district provides for our students for their ECAP. As you navigate the site, be sure to complete the activities we have assigned as they are a great way to start your career exploration process and build upon each year. You can find your ECAP Advisory Lessons in your cohort's (2023, 2024, or 2025) Google Classroom. To get the most out of a program like Naviance, you will want to view your search as a process not a task to be done; you will want to complete what is assigned, then go beyond those activities to see what else is on the site.
When choosing a college to attend, you want to make sure that the college offers a major that will lead to the career you are interested in. After that, there are a variety of things you might consider, including the college campus and surrounding community. Summer can be a great time to visit a college campus; please keep in mind that some colleges may have restrictions in place so be sure to check with each college before heading out for a visit. Also, remember to compare the college's admission requirements to your high school graduation requirements, and if applicable college athletic requirements; you will want to make sure you have covered all applicable requirements.
Counselor Connections
Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment is an opportunity for students, while still in high school and taking classes on the high school campus, to earn college and/or university credit. There are certain conditions that have to be in place for a class to be offered under Dual Enrollment; as a result, offerings may vary from year to year and campus to campus.
For the 2022-23 school year, we anticipate having the following Dual Enrollment classes at Verrado High School:
Spanish II
Honors Spanish III
AP Biology
Honors Anatomy and Physiology
Sports Medicine I
Sports Medicine II
Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Modalities
If you are interested in a Dual Enrollment class, please be sure to email your counselor in late-July so they can check that you are scheduled into the right class.
Grades, Credits, and Graduation
You need to know your graduation requirements and your progress toward graduation. You can find our district's graduation requirements in our Course Description Book, www.aguafria.org.
If you need assistance with StudentVue (or ParentVue), be sure to reach out to the main Counseling Center. Our Counseling Clerks and/or our Data Specialist can help you.
Maricopa Community Colleges' Presidents' Honors Scholarship
The Presidents’ Honors Scholarship covers in-state/in-county tuition up to 15 credit hours (plus the $15 registration fee) per semester, excluding summer sessions. This is open to students planning to attend any Maricopa Community College.
For information specific to EMCC, go to the EMCC Presidents' Honors Scholarship homepage. The due date for EMCC's application is July 15, 2022 by 5 PM for Fall 2022.
Mental Health Awareness Month
Your health, mental and physical, impact the quality of your life. Life is full of challenges so it is important to have coping skills that help you maintain balance in your life.
We hope some of our Wellness Wednesdays posts in your cohort's Google Classroom have given you some strategies to try. We know not every tool works for every student; what's important is that you find the tools that work for you.
Remember, your School Counselors, School Social Worker, and School Psychologist are uniquely educated to support students on-campus and connect you, if needed, with resources off-campus.
Finally, let's support our Psychology Club's efforts to raise awareness for mental health by participating in this week's spirit week:
- Monday (5/2) - Growth Mindset Monday (wear green and/or something FAKE plant-related)
- Tuesday (5/3) - Vine/Meme Day (dress as something funny - laughter is the best medicine!)
- Wednesday (5/4) - Hero Day (dress as someone who inspires you, or just a superhero)
- Thursday (5/5) - Therapeutic Thursday (wear pajamas or something comfortable)
- Friday (5/6) - Suicide Awareness Day (wear teal and/or purple, the colors of suicide awareness)
9-8-8
Starting on July 16th, 988 is slated to be the new 3-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
When you call, text, or chat 988, you will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. They can provide support and resources to you.
The current Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, even after 988 is launched nationally.
Resources
As a reminder, here are resources our department has for VHS students and families:
Appointment Request (for students only)
Career Center (just off the VHS Reading Room)
Counseling Google Classroom (by grade level/cohort)
Counseling Remind (by grade level/cohort)
Counselor Connections (monthly newsletter)
Instagram: vhscounseling
Twitter: @Counselors_VHS
Senior Check-Out & Mandatory Graduation Practice
Summer School - Credit Recovery In-person and Online
The credit recovery summer school programs still have some openings for this summer. Students who have earned a failing grade in a core course, will want to take the course in our district's summer school program to help stay on-track for graduation.
To learn more about this summer's credit recovery in-person option, go to https://sites.google.com/aguafria.org/2022afuhsdsummerfreshmen/credit-recovery-in-person?authuser=0.
There is also credit recovery in-person option for July that was recently added. Go to https://sites.google.com/aguafria.org/2022afuhsdsummerfreshmen/july-session-of-credit-recovery-in-person?authuser=0.
To learn more about this summer's credit recovery online option, go to https://sites.google.com/aguafria.org/2022afuhsdsummerfreshmen/Home?authuser=0.
Questions? Please contact the Summer School Office at 623-932-7106 or summerschool@aguafria.org.