OPHS School Counseling Newsletter
Underclassmen Edition - May 2023
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental health is vital to overall personal wellness. MentalHealth.gov describes mental health as our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
Here are some activities that can help to improve your overall psychological well-being:
- Get plenty of sleep. Adults should get as close to 8 hours of sleep per night as they can. Although every individual’s body differs, sleep is essential for learning and improving daily productivity.
- Stop to enjoy small aspects of the day. Enjoying the small things may seem cliché, but it is vital to personal contentment. Try taking a walk on your break at work to appreciate the beauty in nature.
- Use a stress ball or some other stress reliever. The way we handle stress directly affects our health. A common method to deal with stress is a stress ball. Just squeeze the frustrations away!
- Perform a random act of kindness. Helping others by volunteering or simply doing one random act of kindness can improve self-esteem. Self-esteem improves mental wellness in a variety of ways, including a self-empowering sense of social connectivity. Volunteerism contributes to lessening loneliness and depression.
- Exercise. Exercise contributes to cardiovascular health. Improved cardiovascular health leads to better emotional stability and reduced anxiety.
- Deep breathing exercises. HealthDirect explains that relaxation involving deep breathing exercises can lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. These exercises subsequently allow your body and mind to recharge.
- Yoga. Yoga is a fantastic tool for reducing anxiety and depression. However, some forms of yoga may be too strenuous for some yoga in general offers great mental and physical wellness benefits.
- Pet a dog. Therapy dogs have become a common method for improving the state of your emotions. Dogs provide emotional support by providing companionship to individuals. Simply petting a dog every day can improve one’s mental health.
- Eat breakfast. A lack of nutrition can lead to fogginess in brain function.
SOL’s and end-of-course exams are here!
Here are some tips to help your child succeed during this testing season.
- Set aside time every day for your child to do homework. Review your child's homework when you can.
- Set up a designated area for your child to study. Have supplies ready that your child may need.
- Know when the SOL tests are given. Mark these dates on your family calendar.
- Display a positive attitude about the SOL tests. Help your child understand that tests are a part of school and life.
- Review your child's curriculum and/or the SOL Blueprints- talk to your child about what he or she is learning. Help your child learn.
- Encourage your child to stay relaxed and calm during the SOL tests. If your child gets nervous about tests, give him or her ideas of ways to stay calm.
- Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a good breakfast before the SOL tests.
- Make sure your child is at school on time so that he or she won't feel rushed on the testing days.
- Remind your child to bring his or her Chromebook fully charged on testing days.
Here are some resources to help prep for SOLs:
VDOE has a list of SOL Practice Items:
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/student-assessment/sol- practice-items-all-subjects
Online interactive website(s):
End of Course SOL Schedule
Senior Students' SOLs
Regular Bell Schedule
Monday 5/1Reading/History
Tuesday 5/2 Math/Science
Underclassmen SOLs
5/9 - 5/17
Testing Block 7:30 - 10:20, Lunch Block 10:26 - 12:36, Class Block 12:42 - 2:10
Tuesday 5/9 Blocks 2, 4, 1
Wednesday 5/10 Blocks 3, 5, 7
Thursday 5/11 Blocks 4, 6, 2
Friday 5/12 Blocks 5, 7, 3
Monday 5/15 Blocks 6, 1, 4
Tuesday 5/16 Blocks 7, 3, 5
Wednesday 5/17 Blocks 1, 2, 6
SOL Retakes and Makeups
Regular Bell Schedule
Friday 5/19 Reading
Monday 5/22 Maths
Tuesday 5/23 Science
Wednesday 5/24 Social Studies
Thursday 5/25 Senior Retakes
Friday 5/26 Senior Retakes
6/1-6/8: Expedited Retakes for All Subjects
AP Testing
5/2 Chinese Lang Culture, Environmental Science, Psychology
5/3 English Lit Comp, Comparative Gov't and Politics, Computer Science A
5/4 Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Seminar, Statistics
5/5 European History, US History, Art History, Microeconomics
5/8 Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Computer Science Prin, Italian Lang Culture
5/9 English Lang Comp, Japanese Lang and Culture, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C:Elect and Magnetism
5/10 Spanish Lang and Culture, Biology
5/11 French Lang and Culture, World History: Modern, Physics 1: Algebra Based
5/12 German Lang and Culture, Music Theory, Latin, Physics 2: Algebra Based
Parent and Staff Resources
Parents can play a vital role in helping teens succeed in school by being informed and lending a little support and guidance. Even though teens are seeking independence, parental involvement is an important ingredient for academic success.
PWCS Family Engagement Series
Focus: Learning & Achievement For All: Increased Opportunities For Students - Summer Academic Enrichment And Recovery
Target Audience: All PWCS Families
7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – Live Virtual Session
Join us on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, for a session that will focus on all 2023 summer school and enrichment programs that will be available in PWCS. Registration dates and instructions will be shared along with program locations and any associated fees.
Presented by Brett Helman, Supervisor of Virtual High School, and Laura Gast and Mandy Livings, Coordinators of Summer School & Credit Recovery Programs
Focus: Learning & Achievement For All: Mathematics Curriculum Highlights For Middle & High School Students
Target Audience: Families of Middle and High School Students
7 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2023 – Live Virtual Session
Join us on Thursday, April 27, 2023, for a session that will focus on what number sense looks like in a math class, how students are expected to think and respond, and provide websites and specific examples for families to conduct number sense routines at home.
Presented by Justin Maffei, Math Curriculum Supervisor, Shelly Pine, and Shannon Miller, Secondary Math Coordinators with Prince William County Public Schools.
To register for these events please visit:
Academic Advising
All students have until May 31st, 2023 to request changes to their course selections. Please contact your child's school counselor directly if you have questions!
High School Summer School
Prince William County Public Schools offers both an academic recovery/support (Launch) program and an enrichment (Discovery) program for students in grades kindergarten through 12.
Launch offerings are for students needing additional academic support and remediation to prepare for the upcoming school year. Students will be recommended for the Launch Program by their current teachers or counselors. You will be notified by your student's school by April 28 if they have been identified to participate in this program. Launch offerings are tuition-free for identified students. Registration for all Launch programs is done in ParentVUE.
Discovery enrichment offerings allow students to explore interests and strengthen skills. Dates and times vary. Discovery programs have associated tuition costs. Registration for all Discovery programs is done in Student Quick Pay.
Transportation service is provided for all summer offerings. *Bus stops may be different from regular school-year bus stops.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.pwcs.edu/academics___programs/summer_school/index
Virtual Prince William summer session
Virtual Prince William summer 2023 registration is open from March 1st until May 26th. Please use the link below for what courses are being offered, how to register, and to make payment.
Virtual Virginia
Virtual Virginia summer registration is open from March 1st with two deadline dates depending upon which cohort is chosen. Please use the link below for more details.
Virtual Virginia courses for the next school year will open up registration on March 15th. Please use the link below for more information.
*Students will need to contact their alpha school counselor to obtain the Virtual Virginia Contract prior to registration.
THRIVE IN FOURTH QUARTER
1) Ask teachers for help - Whether before, during, or after school, communicating with teachers is imperative to academic success. Ask questions during class to better understand what you're learning or attend your teachers' office hours to receive extra support.
2) Get tutoring - OPHS offers multiple tutoring options for students who want to improve a grade or get stronger in a specific subject:
- National Honor Society along with Math, Science, English and History Honor Societies are now providing peer tutoring every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:25-3:25!
- If you want to see the schedule for this week visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/OPHSPEERTUTORING.
OPHS+ Virtual Tutoring is available between 5 - 9pm through Zoom on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Use the Virtual tutoring calendar and link to access this resource.
Paper Tutoring Services. Please see link below to access this service.
3) Find time for yourself - School is very important, but it is just one facet of a happy, well-balanced life. In addition to your studies, dedicate ample time to your family, friendships, activities, and personal wellness. You can only succeed in school if you are taking care of yourself outside of it. By regularly checking deadlines and completing schoolwork consistently, you can reduce stress and create more time to focus on all the things you enjoy!
(courtesy: Catawba College)
Updates from the College & Career Center
If you ever have questions, or need extra resources, please contact your
College & Career Counselor, Mrs. Jaeger, at JaegerCA@pwcs.edu
Scholarships & Summer Opportunities
Deadlines are posted in the OPHS Counseling Canvas calendar (it's that purple calendar!).