Counselors are finishing up their individual student meetings with sophomores and juniors this month. These meetings are personalized for each student depending on the needs of that student. Typical topics discussed are improving grades, transitioning from a previous high school, improving study skills, time management skills, college and career plans, getting involved and academic planning. Counselors will meet individually with students again 2nd semester to discuss pre-enrollment for the 2017-2018 school year.

The high school guidance counselors will present pre-enrollment material to current 8th grade students at PCMS on December 7th. Students will learn of graduation requirements, diploma requirements and courses offered at the high school. Students will be given freshman course selection forms that are due back to the middle school guidance office by December 22nd.

High school counselors will be available during lunches at PCMS on December 20th and 21st to answer any questions or assist student with the completion of their freshman course selection forms.

On January 18th, high school guidance counselors will hold pre-enrollment scheduling lab sessions at the middle school for students to enter their course requests into PowerSchool.

PHS will host an 8th Grade Parent Night on December 7th at 6:00PM in the high school auditorium to present pre-enrollment material and high school requirements to current 8th grade parents. A curriculum fair where families can learn more about the various courses offered at PHS will be held immediately following the presentation.

Pre-enrollment activities for current 9th, 10th and 11th grade PHS students will begin on January 11th. Students will be shown a pre-enrollment video detailing graduation and diploma requirements, updates on courses, policies and procedures, and the pre-enrollment timeline. Students will be given a course selection form that must be completed and returned to their 2nd semester English teacher by December 20th.

Students will then enter their course requests into PowerSchool during a pre-enrollment scheduling lab session, led by a school counselor, during their English class. Juniors are scheduled for January 23rd, Sophomores are scheduled for January 24th, and Freshmen are scheduled for January 25th. Course selection forms will be returned to students during the lab session and students will be instructed on how to input courses into PowerSchool.

After students have entered their course requests into PowerSchool, counselors will begin to meet with students individually to review their course requests, graduation/diploma requirements and post-secondary plans. These one-on-one pre-enrollment meetings will take place throughout February, March.

We will host a PHS Curriculum Night on January 12th at 6:00PM in the high school auditorium. Topics covered during this night include how to interpret PSAT results, the differences between honors, dual credit and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and opportunities for departments to share about new and exciting programs/courses within their department. Immediately following the presentation will be a curriculum fair that will take place in the PHS Ellipse. This is a great opportunity for families to speak with teachers about courses and programs of interest to them.

On Tuesday, January 17th representatives from the Area 31 Career Center, at Ben Davis, will visit PHS to share information about the many career programs that they offer. The meeting will be held 3rd period in the LGI room. If your student is interested in learning more about Area 31 and its programs, please encourage them to sign-up to attend the meeting via Naviance or to inform their school counselor.

WE STILL NEED MORE LETTERS!!

PHS Seniors! We will continue the "College Acceptance Letter Project" tradition this year! What does that mean for you? Read on to learn more.

Have you started to receive acceptance letters yet? Bring them into Guidance & we will make a copy and remove your personal information so it is not shared. These acceptance letters will make up the outline of "2017" in the lunch room on the Senior side!

Please note: these acceptance letters do NOT need to be ONLY from the school you think you will attend, but instead ALL acceptance letters. We will also be taking letters or documentation if your plan is to go into the military or start a full-time job. Anything that shows confirmed opportunities after high school.

Let's fill the Senior side of the lunch room with the opportunities for 2017 PHS Graduates!

ISFAA’s College Goal Sunday 2017 will take place again on February 12, 2017 at locations all across Indiana. Financial aid experts will once again give free FAFSA filing help to students and families!

The best way to stay connected with College Goal Sunday Indiana is to check its website (www.collegegoalsunday.org), follow on Twitter (Twitter.com/CGS_Indiana), and like on Facebook (Facebook.com/IndianaCollegeGoalSunday)

The next SAT testing dates are January 21st, March 11th, May 6th & June 3rd. PHS is a test site for March 11th & May 6th.

The next ACT testing dates are February 11th, April 8th & June 10th. PHS is a test site for April 8th.

Students can register for the ACT at www.actstudent.org.

Students can register for the SAT at www.collegeboard.com.

Students and parents are encouraged to log-in to Naviance regularly to stay up-to-date on important updates and reminders from the guidance office. In addition to various college and career resources, current scholarship opportunities, college rep presentations, as well as college preview days are provided are Naviance.

For students, your Naviance username is your student ID number, and your password is your 8-digit birthday. Parents logging into Naviance for the first time must enter a registration code to create an account and gain access to the site. For parents with only one student at PHS, your registration code is your student’s PHS student ID number. For parents with two or more students at PHS, your registration code is your 10-digit home telephone number (including area code). Please contact the guidance office with additional questions/concerns regarding Naviance.

As some of you may know, Mrs. Spillane will be on maternity leave very soon until the beginning of February. While she is out of the office, please contact your school counselor with any questions you may have about college applications, scholarships, financial aid, military resources, career exploration, etc. She will notify students and families upon her return, and she looks forward to helping support PHS students and families as they prepare for life after high school!