YHS Guidance Winter Newsletter
Winter 2023-24 newsletter
Greetings from the YHS Guidance Department
As a follow up to our fall newsletter, we hope that our students are enjoying a productive school year and have remained engaged in learning, growing, and obtaining important life long skills and lessons. Winter sports are underway and clubs and activities continue throughout the remainder of the school year. As you enter the 2nd marking period of your school year, we want to encourage you to continue to do well in your classes! Your cumulative grade point average (GPA) is calculated based on your final grades in 9th, 10th and 11th grade.
This newsletter will provide information and links for each class grades 9-12. Underclassmen will obtain a glimpse into what is to come in your junior and senior years! Save this newsletter to access links during the school year. A scheduling newsletter and spring newsletter will follow.
FAFSA link
Guidance webpage link
Access links to FAFSA, CSS profile, Common application, timeline, scholarship binder, NCAA eligibility center.
Financial Aid Night
Date: Monday December 4, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: YHS Auditorium
Admissions decisions!
Early Action and Early decision
Deferral letter
What should I do if I am deferred? At this time, grades are the most important piece of information colleges are looking for. Focus on doing your best in all of your classes. Mid-year reports (1st & 2nd quarter report cards) will be sent automatically to colleges in February. In addition to your grades, you may also update colleges with any new activities and leadership roles you have taken on since submitting your application by sending the admissions office a follow up email.
Transcript release forms due now!
Regular Decision college application deadlines & transcript release forms due!
Financial Aid Night Dec. 4th
Due to changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the anticipated launch date of December, join us to learn more about what to expect:
Date: Monday December 4th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: High School auditorium
Virtual Financial Aid Support
HESC is providing upcoming and on-demand virtual events designed to help students and parents with completing the new FAFSA as well as TAP, Excelsior, and other types of financial aid. Here is the link to Start Here Get There.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
FAFSA & CSS Profile: At this time, many parents have submitted the CSS Profile (if required by your college). Each college has their own financial aid application deadline. In November, the TAP application became available. Due to the FAFSA Simplification Act, it is anticipated the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) portal will launch in late December. As a result, financial aid packages for most colleges will be after this date.
Merit Scholarships: Many colleges offer merit scholarships based on academic achievement and/or special talent. Some merit scholarships are reviewed and awarded automatically as part of your application to the college; other merit scholarships require that the student apply for them. Visit each college website to see their criteria.
Scholarship binder: View our scholarship binder in the guidance office for any outside scholarship opportunities. It is updated monthly. See the guidance website for additional links to outside scholarship opportunities.
Grades!
Mid- year grades sent automatically
Update Naviance
NCAA link
Eligibility Center for Division I and II athletics
Community service link
SAT/ACTs: time to register
PSAT results were released in November
Juniors who took the digital PSAT in October, the College Board SAT service released the scores in November. If the student provided their mobile number during exam registration, they should have received a message giving them access to the Big Future School app to view their scores. Juniors may also login to their College Board account to view their scores. Students should use the same email address they used on their PSAT registration to create their College Board account. Questions? Contact the College Board student helpline at 1-866-433-7728. Juniors should begin to prepare and register for the "real" exam. View information below for prep and registration information for future exams.
Next steps: Practice and register!
1.Practice:
- SAT FREE practice: The College Board and Khan Academy
- ACT FREE practice: ACT Academy online
- YHS PTSA - Test Prep Information. See PTSA webpage for registration material and dates of SAT and ACT prep courses.
Register early to secure a spot at a testing site near you. If you receive free or reduced lunch, please reach out to your counselor regarding obtaining a fee waiver ahead of time.
The College Search and beyond
Meet with your counselor! College & post secondary planning meetings in Jan-Feb.
Do now! Complete your recommendation questionnaire in Naviance
Recommendation Questionnaire
Counselors write a letter for each of our students supporting their candidacy for admissions. All juniors who plan to apply to college or other programs are required to complete a Recommendation Questionnaire in their Naviance account detailing information about themselves to help us provide the best letter possible for you. Let your counselor know when complete.
Watch How to access your Recommendation Questionnaire or follow these steps: Login to Naviance Student using Classlink, select surveys from your school and select recommendation questionnaire.
Parent "Brag" sheet
Parents are welcome to print and complete a Parent Brag Sheet (link below) and email it to their child's counselor. Parent Brag Sheet link
Grades! Where will my grades send me?
Grades impact college admissions decisions. They may also impact scholarship opportunities, technical schools, some insurance companies and employment. Continue to do well in your classes. Your final GPA posted to your transcript is an average of your final marks in 9th, 10th and 11th grade. This is the last year to impact your overall grade point average (GPA) posted to your transcript. Senior year will be reviewed as well. Your counselor can provide you with the tools to help you to generate a list of "reach," "match" and "safety" schools based on your performance in school.
College visits & campus tours
College admissions: A holistic view
- Academic grades: As stated earlier, this is one of the first pieces of information a college considers when they review your application.
- Course rigor: Did you challenge yourself in your classes and enroll in your core academics throughout high school?
- Your activities: (non academic) clubs, athletics, jobs, community service, special talent (theater, dance, music, art). What makes you stand out and sets you apart from the other applicants?
- Your college essay: Usually no more than 650 words, this essay tells the college something about you that they would not necessarily see from just viewing your transcript. See essay prompts for topics. If you have a sensitive topic, discuss with your counselor whether or not it would be appropriate to write about in a college essay. View the junior section of the guidance webpage for more information.
- Letters of recommendation: Feedback from your teachers regarding your work ethic, character, participation and contributions to their classroom.
- SAT or ACT scores: Although many colleges went "test optional" for the current seniors college admissions testing policy for the class of 2025 has not yet been determined. Stay tuned for more information from colleges. View fairtest.org for updates.
Letters of recommendation
Student athletes: Division I & II
In the spring, a college essay workshop will be available for all interested juniors. Review the essay prompts and obtain help brainstorming ideas, developing an opening statement and beginning your first draft of your college essay! Stay tuned for more information later in the school year.
Scheduling meetings start in March/April
Sophomore year
Our goal for you in your sophomore year is to excel in your classes, continue the momentum from freshmen year and remain involved in clubs & activities. We also encourage you to explore your interests through community involvement. Career exploration is also a component of tenth grade as you continue to get to know your interests and find your passion.
Sophomore classroom visits: Career exploration
Next year, you will be meeting with your counselor as a junior for your college and post secondary planning meeting! Exploring your career interests now help you to narrow down a possible major in college. It is okay if you change your mind. This is the year to explore!
Scheduling meetings March/April
Freshman year ahead
We also encourage you to identify your strengths, learn how to navigate through challenges, develop as leaders, and continue to be involved in extracurricular clubs, activities and community service. For some it is sports; for others it is visual or the performing arts. Every student is an individual and we encourage you to honor your passion. Counselors are available to assist you through this process.
Freshmen meet & greets
December: Counselors meet individually with every freshmen during the month of December to review their transition to high school, set academic, career and/or personal goals, and answer any questions they have about navigating high school including clubs, activities and extra help. Freshmen are sent a scheduled date and time for their meeting.
Freshmen classroom visits: Career exploration
Building your resume!
Freshmen and sophomore years go by fast! Before you know it, you will be looking at colleges, visiting campuses in your junior year and applying to universities, scholarships and summer programs.
Other than your grades, an important factor considered by college admissions (and prospective employers) is how you spend your time outside of the classroom. The activities you participate in lets colleges know something about your personality, interests, passion and motivation. Do you care about others and volunteer in your community? Are you creative and involved in theater, music, art or dance? Are you athletic and busy with daily practice or coach a younger team? Are you proactive with your career search and participate in internships or initiate shadowing opportunities? Do you have a lot of responsibilities in your household with siblings or a grandparent and hold down a job? Every student is an individual and colleges want to get to know what makes you unique.
Scheduling meetings March/April
Information for all!
Classlink: single login; multiple access!
- Student schedule in eSchool
- Google classrooms for all classes (including guidance!)
- Teacher gradebook
- Report cards
- School email
- Naviance (career & college search)
Working papers
Links for all
Academic support!
Teachers: after school help with your teacher during period 9 is available most days of the week. Speak with your teacher about any questions you have pertaining to homework, classwork and upcoming exams.
National Honor Society (NHS) peer tutoring available after school and in the library. The NHS Advisor creates a contact list of NHS students who are available to provide tutoring help in a subject area. Parents may contact those students and make arrangements for help for a nominal fee. In addition, NHS students volunteer, on a rotating basis in the library, to offer academic help most periods of the day.
High School library: NHS tutors available multiple periods throughout the school day to offer academic help in a variety of subjects.
Skills support: There are skills available in many academic subject areas (i.e. social studies skills, geometry skills, biology skills, etc). If your schedule allows, skills may be added to your program. This can be initiated by a teacher, parent or student.
Writing Center: Stop by for help with your written assignments.
YESS support: The Yorktown Executive Strategies for Success offers support in academic areas including note taking, organization, and executive functioning to help students be successful in high school. It is scheduled around your academic classes during a free/lunch period. This intervention may be added, if appropriate, following a team meeting with your teachers, parent, and other support staff.
Scheduling meetings in March/April for all grades
Our scheduling newsletter will arrive prior to meeting with your counselor to provide information about scheduling, academic placement and a link to the online course directory with information about course descriptions, prerequisites and electives.
Dates to remember: for all grade levels
- December 1-8: Transcript release forms due in our office for seniors with regular decision deadlines.
- December 25 - January 2: Holiday recess (schools open January 3rd)
- Month of December: counselors will be holding meet & greets with our freshmen.
- January - February: counselors meet with our juniors for their College & post secondary planning meeting. Reach out to your counselor for appointment date/time. Juniors complete your Recommendation Questionnaire located by selecting "About Me," then "Surveys from your school" in Naviance.
- January - May: Juniors arrange campus tours during our February or April break.
- February 2: End of 2nd marking period
- Academic Eligibility list generated approximately every 5 weeks
- February: mid-year report (1st and 2nd Qtr. report cards) will be automatically sent to colleges for seniors.
- February 19-23: Winter Recess
- March: Teachers make placement recommendations for the following school year.
- March: Scheduling begins. All grade levels. Students review online course directory and meet with your counselor to discuss academic placement as well as elective choices. Invites will be sent.
- April 1-5: Spring recess. Juniors: consider signing up for campus visits/tours.
- April 19: End of 3rd marking period.
- April: Counselors visit sophomore classrooms to cover career exploration.
- Academic Eligibility list generated approximately every 5 weeks
- May 1st: National college decision day for seniors!
- May: Senior Exit meetings (seniors will meet with their counselor to discuss admissions decisions and post secondary plans)
- June 1-6: Juniors, ask two (2) teachers whether they would write you a letter of recommendation. Finalize your resume and share it with your teacher and counselor.
- June 7: Senior Day! A special day of events for seniors hosted by YHS counselors.
- June 11: Last day of classes for grades 9 - 11
- June 12 & 13: Local final exams. Schedule will be posted on the YHS webpage at a later date.
- June 14 - June 25th: Regents exams. Schedule will be posted on the YHS webpage at a later date.
- June 26: End of 4th marking period
- Academic Eligibility list generated approximately every 5 weeks at the midpoint and end of each marking period.
- June 21: Graduation rehearsal (pick up cap & gown and tickets). Time: TBD
- June 22: High School Graduation ceremony! Time/location: TBD
- July: Final transcripts are automatically sent to colleges for our seniors.
Note: Dates subject to change. Please check YHS calendar for updates.
Contact information
Guidance Teacher Leader:
Erin Fink: efink@yorktown.org
School Counselors
Lauren Calman: lcalman@yorktown.org
Kasey Genevese: kgenevese@yorktown.org
Allison Greenberg: agreenberg@yorktown.org
Eric Levine: elevine@yorktown.org
Michelle Snyder: msnyder@yorktown.org
Timothy Sullivan: tsullivan@yorktown.org
Marissa Warren: mwarren@yorktown.org
Office Assistants:
Maggie Braig: mbraig@yorktown.org 914-243-8050 Ext. 11606
Christine O'Meara: comeara@yorktown.org 914-243-8050 Ext. 11602