MHHS Student Services
December 2020 Newsletter
Second Semester Schedules
Students - please login to Infinite Campus and check your second semester schedule before the semester begins on January 26th. Many schedules were changed recently for a variety of reasons, so it is very possible that your S2 schedule is not the same as it was at the start of the school year.
Second semester begins January 26, 2021. The master schedule was created and student schedules were generated based on student course requests from last spring. Because of that, there is little room for changes to student schedules. However, we understand that there may be circumstances in which a schedule change would be beneficial for some students. In these situations, students have the option of scheduling an appointment with their Counselor to discuss their S2 schedule and request a change. Counselors are available for virtual meetings to discuss schedule change requests beginning Monday, January 18. Students do not have live classes to attend on Monday, January 18 or Monday, January 25th, so we STRONGLY encourage students to make their appointments on one of those days. Because the semester begins on the 26th, students are encouraged to be proactive and make an appointment to see their Counselor BEFORE the 26th so their schedule is correct at the start of the semester. The LAST DAY for students to request S2 schedule changes is Friday, January 29th. Please click on the link for your counselor below to access their appointment calendar. When you are on the calendar, click on a time that works for you to reserve an appointment and you will be sent a confirmation email with the virtual meeting link.
Course Registration 2021-2022
Beginning after Winter Break, students will start the process of choosing classes for the 2021-22 school year. During their regularly scheduled STAT January 4th, students will have an overview of the course registration process and view department offerings through a slide presentation. On January 11th during STAT, the course selection process will begin. Students will receive access to the course description handbook, registration forms and refresher information about how to enter course requests in the Infinite Campus Portal. The deadline for course registration for the 2021-22 school year is February 5th, 2021.
A Letter to Freshmen from your School Counselors
Hello Freshmen,
This letter is to inform you about TWO important opportunities for freshmen in the Student Services Department at Mount Horeb High School.
Number 1 - Each student at MHHS is assigned to one of the High School Counselors for the duration of your time here to monitor credits/grades, help with career/college research, and provide personal/social support. You are assigned alphabetically by last name:
Ms. Kittleson - School Counselor for students last name A-K
Ms. Wineke - School Counselor for students last name L-Z
Since we will be working with you for the next four years we would like to meet with you virtually to check in, see how school is going so far, and just generally get to know you. We will be scheduling individual student meetings with each of you over the next several weeks. Please click on the calendar for your Counselor (linked on our name above) to schedule a time that works for you. When you make the appointment, please put "Freshman Meeting" in the Description section of the appointment reservation.
Number 2 - We are sure this is not the way you expected your freshman year to start. Even for students who are doing well academically, we know that the personal connection that school usually provides is a bit skewed this year. Because of this, we are starting a Freshman Connection Group for students in the class of 2024 (that's you, Freshmen!) who would like a little more time getting to know other students and connecting with people at MHHS. The group will meet every three weeks for half an hour on Wednesdays from 12:30-1pm. Here are some topics we may discuss:
general high school opportunities
making connections during a pandemic
social media, screentime, and mental health
general get to know you topics
The group is being facilitated by our awesome student services staff:
Ms. Kittleson - School Counselor
Ms. Wineke - School Counselor
Ms. Kohlbeck - School Psychologist
If you are interested in participating in this group please fill out THIS FORM. Part of the form is asking about topics YOU would like to discuss. The group is all about YOU, so we can be flexible with the topics discussed each week to fit your needs.
Any questions...don't hesitate to reach out to one of us. We are all looking forward to seeing you virtually real soon!
MENTAL HEALTH
You can find great mental health and counseling resources and supports on our District Student Services webpages: Mental Health Crisis Response and Mental Health and Wellness for Families or on our High School Student Services webpages.
JUNIORS
On January 26th, MHHS will administer the optional PSAT Test for Juniors. Mount Horeb High School will follow all health protocols and guidelines to ensure a safe environment for students. Students will be required to wear a mask and will be spread out more than six feet in testing space. Students will receive an email the week of January 18th with detailed instructions about arrival time, room assignment and necessary materials. The cost is $17.00 and is due when you sign up online.
The PSAT/NMSQT is a 2 hour 45 minute test that measures critical reading, math problem solving, and writing skills developed over many years, both in and out of school. You won't have to recall facts from literature, history, or science, as this test measures your reasoning and critical thinking skills. There are 47 critical reading questions, 48 math questions, and 44 writing and language questions.
Register HERE by January 15th!
Reasons for Taking the Test:
The PSAT/NMSQT lets you compare your ability to do college work with the ability of other college-bound students. After the test you will receive a Report of Student Answers and a test book so you can review your performance.
The PSAT/NMSQT gives you practice for taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) because the questions and scores are similar. Taking the PSAT/NMSQT helps you plan for college. You can get an idea of how you will do on a college admissions test and can find colleges that seek students like you.
Taking the PSAT/NMSQT is the first step in entering the scholarship programs conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that began in 1955. It is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government funding.
This year's PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry into the 2022 Merit Program. Of the approximately 3.5 million students who will take the PSAT/NMSQT this year, more than 1.6 million are expected to meet entry requirements for participation in the 2022 Merit Program. This competition will span about 18 months—from the time of entry until the spring of 2022 when scholarships for college undergraduate study are awarded.
Some 50,000 participants with very high Selection Index scores will qualify for Merit Program recognition. NMSC will invite approximately 16,000 of the top performers in this group to continue in the competition for about 7,500 Merit Scholarship awards by submitting academic and other information.
Merit scholarships awards offered in 2022 will be supported by some 420 independent sponsors and by NMSC’s own funds. Sponsor organizations include corporations and businesses, company foundations, professional associations, and college and universities. In addition to Merit Scholarship awards, approximately 1,200 other awards called Special Scholarships, financed by corporate and business sponsors will be offered through the Merit program.
Through the PSAT/NMSQT you can get mail from colleges and universities that are interested in students like you. The Student Search Service enables colleges to send you information if you want to receive it.
As a junior, you will be taking the ACT with Writing here at MHHS in March 2021. The ACT measures skills in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. These areas are tested because they include the major areas of instruction in most high school and college programs. The results from the test will be used for admissions purposes next fall when you apply to prospective schools, including many programs at Madison College. If you are planning on taking additional ACT tests, please see the list below of dates and registration deadlines. Our students typically take one or two ACT exams in addition to the March ACT taken here at the high school. Please visit www.actstudent.org to register for an additional ACT opportunity, if desired. Contact your School Counselor if you need assistance with the registration process.
Students may register for one of two Test Options: the ACT Assessment, or the ACT Assessment Plus Writing, which includes a 30-minute Writing Test for an additional fee. The ACT Writing Test complements the ACT English Test. The combined results from both tests provide information about your understanding of the conventions of standard written English and your ability to produce a direct sample of your writing. Taking the ACT Assessment Plus Writing will provide you with two additional scores: a Writing Test subscore and a Combined English/Writing score. Taking the Writing Test does not affect your subject area scores on the ACT Assessment or your Composite score.
Not all institutions require or recommend taking the ACT Writing Test. Please check directly with the institutions you are considering to find out their requirements, or ask your high school counselor which Test Option you should take.
Register for the ACT Prep Course HERE!
Scholarships
The Mount Horeb community continues to generously support MHHS by offering several local scholarships to graduating seniors. Last year, over $55,000 was awarded to MHHS students from local scholarships alone! It is important that ALL students of the senior class take the time to read through the criteria for each local scholarship to see if they might qualify to be awarded some money. Scholarships may be awarded for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to:
Future Career Goals
Involvement in School and Community
Economic Hardship
Family Connection to Organization
Academic Achievement
Athletic or Club Participation
For the MHHS Local Scholarship Program, it is important to realise that there are two different types of local scholarships.
1. Standard Applications - Many of our local scholarships accept a standard application which helps to streamline the application process for seniors by allowing them to fill out one application to apply to several scholarships. This year, students will be able to see the criteria for each scholarship to determine which ones they qualify for and would like to apply. Students will submit applications to these scholarships in a MHHS Local Scholarship Google Classroom. Details about the application process and the join code for the classroom will be shared with seniors on January 4, 2021. Standard Applications will be due February 1st.
2. Individual Applications - Some local scholarships require students to complete an individual application to be considered. Many of these scholarships are already listed on the MHHS Student Services Scholarship website and have deadlines that are approaching. Please visit this website frequently to see new scholarships and apply to the ones that you qualify for.
Scholarship Timeline
December 21 - Ms. Wineke will email all students of the Senior class the essay prompts for the standard scholarship application
January 4 - Senior STAT lesson will inform students about the local scholarship application process
January 4 - Ms. Wineke will share the join code for the MHHS Local Scholarship google classroom that students must join in order to submit scholarship applications
February 1 - Standard Scholarship Applications are due
May 7 - Invitations to the MHHS Scholarship Ceremony will be mailed out to all seniors who will be awarded a scholarship this year
May 19 - Senior Scholarship Ceremony
Going to college can improve your earning potential - but the price of college can be intimidating. All seniors interested in continuing their education after high school graduation need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to qualify for grants, scholarships, work study jobs, and loans. Visit this website to learn more about financial aid and to complete the FAFSA. Apply early to maximize your student aid.
College and Career Planning
Xello
Lea esta carta de presentación para obtener más información sobre todo lo que Xello tiene para ofrecer.
CONNECT WITH YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR!
School Counselors