Kennedy Catholic Counseling News
October 26, 2017
KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
Email: montstreamn@kennedyhs.org
Website: kennedyhs.org
Location: 140 South 140th Street, Burien, WA, United States
Phone: (206) 246-0500
Twitter: @KennCathCnsing
CURRENT EVENTS
October 28: ACT
November 1: Open House
November 4: SAT
December 2: SAT
December 9: ACT
February 10: ACT
February 14: Sophomore Information Night
March 7: Junior Information Night
March 10: SAT
COUNSELING DEPARTMENT 2017-18
- grades 9-12, last names A-E
- grades 9-12, last names F-L
- grades 9-12, last names M-R
Kathryn Hutter
- grades 9-12, last names, S-Z
- Administrative Assistant
*Ms. Shearer will be out on family leave beginning September 1, 2017. In her absence, student’s counseling needs will be met by the following counselors:
Last Name M: Nancy Montstream
Last Name N: Michelle Markle
Last Names O-R: Kathryn Hutter
SAT and ACT
- SAT registration
- ACT registration
- Kennedy Catholic School Code: 481116
SAT and ACT Preparation
Kennedy Catholic High School Resources List for SAT/ACT Prep – Updated Feb 2016
We do not endorse any one particular program; this is an informative resource of available options.
College Board Resources
1. Free Practice Questions
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice
2. SAT Tutorials from Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
Kennedy Catholic High School SAT Prep Options
3. Kennedy Catholic hosts a 4-week spring SAT prep class with current English and Math faculty to guide students through practice questions and strategies. See your school counselor for details.
ACT Resources
4. Study materials produced from the creator of the ACT
http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/
Princeton Review Services
5. Options include free practice SAT/ACT sittings at local high schools, paid online self-paced programs, group tutoring, and individual tutoring. Prices vary based on services.
http://www.princetonreview.com/#tp
Testive
6. Free online self-paced coaching and programming for SAT and ACT. Students can also upgrade to 1:1 coaching and tutoring services online.
http://schools.testive.com/john-f-kennedy
Schmoop
7. Online testing guide (SAT, ACT, AP) with practice tests, review questions and strategies
http://www.shmoop.com/sat/test-prep.html
Mazor Test Prep Company
Local company with small class sizes and sessions leading up to each testing date ($595 per course)
Sandweiss Test Prep
9. Sandweisstestprep.com
Local company providing multi-week test preparation courses ($725 for full course)
National Testing Day
On Wednesday, October 11 students in Grades 9-11 took the PSAT. This test is a practice test for the SAT used in college admissions. The PSAT provides helpful information to students, parents, counselors and teachers on a student’s academic strengths, areas for growth and college readiness. The PSAT also allows qualifying juniors to compete for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Score results will be shared with students in late January. At this time, students will also receive access to a free SAT prep program through Khan Academy.
Kennedy Catholic College Visit Schedule
- THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA: Tuesday, OCT 31ST 9:15 AM Counseling Center
- EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE: Thursday, NOV 2ND 1:35 PM Counseling Center
- OSU: Tuesday, NOV 7TH 1:35 PM Counseling Center
Seattle National College Fair
https://www.nacacfairs.org/attend/national-college-fairs/seattle-national-college-fair/
Senior News
Seniors are welcome to attend any of the college visits. They need to stop by the counseling center to pick up a permission slip. Students are responsible to make-up work missed in class.
Junior News
Juniors are encouraged to attend the Seattle National College Fair at the Washington State Convention Center on October 27-28.
Juniors are encouraged to begin investigating college options to prepare for their spring meeting with their counselor. They also are encouraged to plan ahead to take either an ACT or SAT exam during the spring of their Junior year.
Parent Information Nights
The counseling department hosted the Senior information Night for both parents and students on Wednesday, Sept. 27. We covered the basics of the college application process, writing the personal statement, information regarding applications to 4-year public and private universities and information regarding attending the 2-year college and the transfer process. We had three speakers, one from Highline College, one from Washington State University and one from Gonzaga University. Powerpoints can be found on the Kennedy Catholic Counseling webpage.
Financial Aid Night
The counseling department hosted the Financial Aid Night on Wednesday, October 11 in the Kennedy Catholic library. We had a speaker from the Seattle University Financial Aid Department who went over the ins and outs of the FAFSA. Powerpoints can be found on the Kennedy Catholic Webpage.
Freshman Information Night
The counseling department hosted an information night for Grade 9 parents, Wednesday, October 25. Topics included college admission requirements, post-high school options, career explorations tools for students, and steps for students and parents on successfully navigating freshman year. The evening ended with a presentation on financial planning for college. Parents unable to attend the evening can access the powerpoint presentation on the school website.
Suicide Prevention Program
Suicide Prevention Training
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among youth aged 14-19. Two youth die by suicide per week in Washington State and national hospital admissions for suicidal children ages 5-17 doubled between 2008-15. Due to these high statistics Kennedy Catholic High School has entered a 3-year partnership with an organization called Forefront which is run through the University of Washington School of Social Work. Over the next few years a team comprised of teachers, counselors, administrators, parents and eventually students will receive training to implement a School-Wide Suicide Prevention Program.Counselors in the Classroom
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Last week Nancy Montstream and Tammy Shearer taught a lesson on anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts/behaviors in the 10th grade Health classes. The goal was to give students accurate information about these areas of mental health, provide resources for students to access, and teach students how to respond to friends or family members struggling in these areas. If you have any concerns regarding your student please contact his or her counselor.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our awareness to the present moment. Research supports the positive impact of mindfulness practice on improving focus and decreasing stress. Students in the Grade 10 Health classes will learn about mindfulness once a week for four weeks starting in November. This mindfulness class will be taught by Ms. Kathryn Hutter, Kennedy Catholic school counselor.
Grade 9 Naviance Presentations
The counselors will be going into the 9th grade World History Classes November 29-December 1 to introduce the students to our Naviance Program on Career and College Readiness. All students will receive a log-in and will complete the learning styles inventory and the career interest profiler.
How to Search for Scholarships
Scholarships generally fall into two categories: need-based and merit. Most merit scholarships include a talent component for demonstrated talent in academics, athletics, leadership or fine, visual or performing arts. The four major sources of scholarship information are:
- Individual college websites
- Website scholarship databases
- Community Resources
- Naviance
Helpful Web-based Scholarship Databases:
- www.washboard.org
- www.fastweb.com
- http://wiche.edu/wue
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
- http://www.finaid.org/
- http://scholarshipfly.com/
Current Scholarships are listed on the Kennedy Catholic counseling webpage in the college section. Talk to your counselor for more information.