COUNSELOR CONNECTION
La Canada High School
DAILY LCHS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Can't hear the PA Announcements in class? Did you know that all of the announcements are posted on the school website? Just go to the Student Portal on the upper left corner of the website, then "PA Announcements" on the right gold bar. (Or, you can click here for the link.) Stay informed and never miss an announcement again!
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Block Schedule
Block schedule begins tomorrow, Wednesday, August 31st (Periods 1-3-5) and Thursday, September 1st (Periods 2-4-6). STEP classes will begin September 21st.
SAT/ACT Testing Dates
Click below for important SAT and ACT dates and deadlines.
Hurry! October 1st SAT test registration deadline approaching on September 1st! October 22nd ACT test registration deadline approaching on September 16th!
2016-2017 SAT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
2016-2017 ACT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
LCHS Clubs
ASB is currently conducting club renewals and creation of new ones. All current clubs must complete the club renewal document (available in Room 125) and submit it to Room 125 by 3 pm this Friday, September 2nd. If you are interested in creating a new club, you should complete the LCHS 2016-2017 Club Contract and LCHS 2016-2017 Club Application. These forms are also due by 3 pm this Friday, September 2nd. The resulting Club List will be posted on Sept. 7th. Please direct any questions regarding clubs to Adin Ryssdal via Facebook.
The first semester Club Day will take place during lunch in front of the North Gym on Wednesday, September 14th. For current LCHS clubs it is a great way to recruit new members and for students it’s a great way to meet new people who have similar interests to you.
PSAT Sign-ups
The PSAT will be on Saturday, October 15th. Sign-ups begin, for juniors only, on September 6th. Sophomores and freshmen may sign up beginning September 19th. The cost will be $25 until September 23rd. Please have your student see Mrs. Hicklin before school, during break, during lunch, or after school, NOT DURING CLASS. Please note that the price will increase to $30 on September 26th. The last day to sign up is September 30th. Have your student sign up early, as space is limited.. When paying, please use check or cash only. If paying cash please have exact change. Make checks payable to LCHS, include your student’s name, ID number and PSAT on the memo line at the bottom of the check.
On the day of the exam, please bring the following:
· #2 pencils with good erasers
· A photo I.D.
· A four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator
Please arrive at school between 7:30 and 7:45 AM. The test starts at approximately 8:30am and is a two-hour test. You should be finished at about 11:00am.
Back to School Night
2016-2017 Back to School Night will be on September 7th beginning at 6:30 p.m.
California Scholarship Federation Announcement:
The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a statewide organization that recognizes academic excellence upon graduation at the high school level. All Sophomore, Junior and Senior students with good grades and citizenship are encouraged to apply each semester. (Freshmen have to wait until second semester to apply). To attain full membership and a CSF Gold Seal, a student needs to successfully submit an application at least 4 semesters of high school. One semester must come from senior year.
Now is the time to turn in the application with last semester’s report card! The application is currently available online only (we are not running off copies to hand out). They are available at lchsspartans.net, through the student portal; click on the CSF app. The applications, along with a xeroxed copy of their last report card, are due to Mrs. Alequin no later than 3 pm on Wednesday, September 14th.
Seniors: No need to pay your $5 now, unless you are CERTAIN that you will have qualified with your 1st semester grades from this fall. Mr. Spitler will accept $5 cash now if you want to get the payment out of the way. (no checks please!)
Questions? Email Mr. Spitler: cspitler@lcusd.net Thank you!
SAT and ACT Prep Courses at LCHS
LCHS is partnering with The Princeton Review again this year to offer discounted SAT and ACT courses here on campus. Click here for LCHS student discount information. Click herefor general information. Classes begin as early as September 17th.
"Harvard, Berkeley, or Bust"
LCHS families are invited to a special presentation by Collegewise Head Counselor and Vice President Arun Ponnusamy on "Highly Selective College Admissions"
Have you ever wondered what it really takes to get into a school like Stanford? While this presentation alone will not get students into Stanford (if it could, we’d need a LOT more seats), Arun Ponnusamy, head counselor and vice president of Collegewise, will discuss how schools like Columbia, USC, MIT, and the rest of the nation’s most selective colleges make decisions from pools full of the most qualified applicants. He will also explain what those admitted students do to set themselves apart from the rest of the applicant pool. Mostly importantly, he’ll reveal some Collegewise strategies to improve a student’s chances of admission to such schools as well as offer some wisdom on why hundreds of other colleges might actually make more sense to be on a college list as opposed to only those with admit rates in the single digits. And finally, this is a process that can be joyful and offers opportunities for self-reflection and growth. He’ll explain how.
Arun has personally reviewed the college applications of over 8,000 high school seniors and read approximately 20,000 college essays. If that sounds mathematically impossible (it did to us the first time he said it), here’s how it worked. Before he became a college counselor at Collegewise, Arun was an assistant director of admissions for five years at the University of Chicago (his beloved alma mater). He then held the same post for two years at Caltech and spent two final years as an admissions reader for UCLA. If you’re still with us and doing the math, that’s nine admissions cycles for three highly selective colleges in two states. But Arun doesn’t believe that the most prestigious colleges are necessarily the best. In fact, he was raised in Ohio where it is apparently a state law that residents not only fanatically love Ohio State, but also treat anyone who loves the University of Michigan with great contempt (it’s a college football rivalry thing, for the uninitiated).
You are invited to a special presentation by Arun Ponnusamy on "Highly Selective College Admissions"
Location: LCHS Audtiorium
Time/Date: September 29th 6:00 p.m.
ACT, SAT, and College Application Fee Waivers
The college application process can quickly become expensive, but fee waivers for the ACT, SAT, Common Application, and NCAA are available for students who qualify.
General eligibility information can be found at the following links: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/fees/fee-waivers
http://www.lcusd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=455497&type=d&pREC_ID=985769
If eligible, your counselor can provide you specific information about each waiver.
Freshman Forum
Link Crew Tailgate Barbeque this Thursday!
All freshmen are invited to a tailgate event this Thursday, September 1st after school. Join your Link Crew leaders for hamburgers, hot dogs, and games near the football field right after sixth period! Then continue the festivities by joining your peers at the LCHS Frosh/Soph Football game vs South Hills at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Link Crew this year!
Instagram: @LCHSlinkcrew / Snapchat: LClinkcrew / Twitter: LCLinkcrew
Remind 101 Counseling Text Reminders
- If you would like to receive text reminders and valuable information from your counselor this year, text @yourcouns to 81010 to join the Freshman Forum Remind 101.
"Lies People Tell High School Freshman" by Kevin McMullin
Kevin McMullin is the founder and president of Collegewise and the author of If the U Fits: Expert Advice on Finding the Right College and Getting Accepted.
SOPHOMORE SCENE
Remind 101 Counseling Text Reminders
- If you would like to receive text reminders and valuable information from your counselor this year, text @yourcoun to 81010 to join the Sophomore Scene Remind 101.
JUNIOR JUNCTION
Remind 101 Counseling Text Reminders
- If you would like to receive text reminders and valuable information from your counselor this year, text @juniorjun to 81010 to join the Junior Junction Remind 101.
SENIOR STOP
Important Dates:
- Sept. 7th: "Facing the College Application Process Parent Night" 5:30 p.m. (Location TBD)
Sept. 29: "Highly Selective College Admissions" presentation 6:00 p.m. La Canada High School Auditorium
Sept. 29: St. Francis College Fair 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 1: FAFSA application available online
Nov. 30: UC Applications Due -->Access the application starting NOW
Nov. 30: CSU Applications Due
Dec. 1: USC Scholarship Deadline
Upcoming College Visits*:
View College Visits Fall 2016 calendar
Rice University 9/2/16 8:15 AM
Chapman University 9/6/16 8:30 AM
University of Colorado at Boulder 9/7/16 10:00 AM
Loyola Marymount University 9/7/16 1:00 PM
University of Oregon at Eugene 9/7/16 2:00 PM
Bard College 9/8/16 11:00 AM
University of Notre Dame 9/8/16 12:30 PM
Sarah Lawrence College 9/8/16 1:30 PM
Texas Christian University 9/9/16 8:30 AM
University of Chicago 9/9/16 9:30 AM
Marist College 9/9/16 11:00 AM
Oregon State University 9/9/16 11:30 AM
*Visit sign-ups will take place through Naviance. Please remember to ask your teacher in advance, prior to the visit. When you sign up on Naviance you will be prompted to print a permission slip. You MUST bring the signed permission slip with you to the visit in order for it to be an excused absence.
Remind 101 Counseling Text Reminders
- If you would like to receive text reminders and valuable information from your counselor this year, text @seniorstop to 81010 to join the Senior Stop Remind 101.
College Applications
College application season is here! Commonly used websites include:
New application platform available for some schools: http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/
Testing
If you are applying to even one private school or out-of-state school, the GREAT majority of those schools will want a counselor letter of rec, a.k.a. the "Secondary School Report". This is in ADDITION to teacher letters of rec. Make contact with your teachers and counselor early, especially if you are applying Early Action or Early Decision. It is imperative that your Naviance account is up-to-date. Be sure to finish any summer tasks that were assigned during the Junior College Project.
College Application Support
There are many steps in the application process, but don't fret! Coming up on September 7th and 8th, the counselors will be presenting on "The College Application Process" via Gov/Econ classes. Students without a Gov/Econ class will be invited separately. At that time, we will go over the steps required to request a counselor letter of recommendation as well as providing an overview of the various application types. We will also be hosting a variety of workshops (personal statement help, application support, etc.) during STEP and/or lunch. STEP College Advisory Workshops will begin on September 21st in the IRC. Look for STEP Workshop sign-ups soon in Naviance!
Know your deadlines! Naviance is a great tracking tool. Be sure to use your Google calendar to track important events as well. Colleges have deadlines ranging from October 1 through May 31, and everywhere in between. It is your responsibility to know your deadlines.
Financial Aid-Changes to the FAFSA Process for 2017–18:
SUBMIT A FAFSA EARLIER: Students will be able to submit a 2017–18 FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2016, rather than beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. The earlier submission date will be a permanent change, enabling students to complete and submit their FAFSAs as early as October 1 every year. Be on the lookout for "Financial Aid Night" hosted at LCHS in October- Date and Time TBD.
USE EARLIER INCOME AND TAX INFORMATION: Beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, students will be required to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2017–18 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) will report their 2015 income and tax information, rather than their 2016 income and tax information. For more details and to sign up for a FAFSA ID number: https://fafsa.ed.gov/
Essays and Personal Insight Questions
Think about your college essays. Brainstorm ideas and look for common themes so that you do not reinvent the wheel with every essay. The earlier you begin your essays, the better. It allows for a calmer approach and more time to proofread and gather input from teachers and friends.
College/Career Resources
A CONVERSATION WITH BARD COLLEGE PRESIDENT LEON BOTSTEIN:
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 8, 2016
6:30-8:00 PM
Community Room, 2nd Floor
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, California
Join Bard College President Leon Botstein for an evening of conversation about Bard College, one of the nation’s leading liberal arts and sciences colleges. President Botstein will discuss Bard’s distinctive curriculum, civic engagement and study abroad opportunities, the arts, athletics, student life, advantages of studying sciences in a liberal arts school, and much more. The evening will be a Q & A format.
Students, families, and high school counselors welcome!Free and open to the public. Questions?
Please e-mail Janet Stetson, Associate VP for Admission, at stetson@bard.edu
The library's underground PARKING structure can be accessed from 7th Street between Santa Monica Boulevard and Arizona Avenue.
TUFTS UNIVERSITY PRESENTS:
WHO GETS IN AND WHY: A behind-the-scenes look at the selective admissions process
Denny Paredes, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Tufts University, will offer an interactive admissions workshop for high school students and their parents. The program will highlight the various elements of a successful college application. Topics include:
- How do colleges evaluate a high school transcript?
- Tips on successful essay writing & the impact of an application supplement
- The role of recommendations and interviews in a highly-selective admission process
- How to highlight "intangible" factors
Sunday, September 11, 2016
2:00 p.m.
Courtyard Marriott Los Angeles Sherman Oaks
15433 Ventura Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
RSVP: http://admissions.tufts.edu/visit/in-your-area/
To help students answer the UC Personal Insight Questions:
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/personal-questions/index.html
"To Get to Harvard, Go to Haiti"
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/opinion/sunday/to-get-to-harvard-go-to-haiti.html?_r=0
"Don't trust your friends' advice on getting into college - and other tips from admission experts"
COUNSELING CORNER
Distracted Teen Drivers
Click here for a powerful video about teens and distracted driving
Registration 2017-18
Save the Date Reminder - August 7, 2017 for grades 12-10, August 8, 2017 for grade 9.