Midterm Exams start on Thursday, January 19th. Figuring out what to study first can be stressful. Reach out to your teachers so you know exactly what to study. Once you have an understanding of what to study, try the Stop-Light Study technique.

• Red Light: Identify the subject(s) you need the most time to study. Study what you least know first.
• Yellow Light: Study what you sort-of know second.
• Green Light: Study or quickly review what you already know last.

The earlier you start studying, the better! Make sure you reach out to teachers and peers for help with studying. Before studying becomes too overwhelming, make sure you break up the material into smaller chunks and remember to take breaks!

For more midterm study tips, check out the article by A Grade Ahead here

Seniors! For those applying for Regular Decision deadlines, here are a few reminders to help you finish up the college application process:

• Make sure your blue Transcript Request form is turned in to your counselor
• Finish completing your Common App applications and any non-Common App applications by the set deadlines. Ensure that your college and supplemental essays are edited, completed, and uploaded for submission. If you still need college essay tips, browse The Essay Guy's website.
• Fill out the FAFSA and/or the CSS Profile to get financial aid for college.

We see New Year's as a time to start fresh and create resolutions. However, when we fail to complete our resolutions, it can be upsetting and defeating. In a previous newsletter, we discussed coming up with one want, one need, one thing to share, and one thing you plan to succeed on in this new year instead of creating a New Year's Resolution.

• Want: Finish the sentence "This year, I want to try _____". It doesn’t just have to be trying something new but doing something out of your comfort zone, or committing to doing something you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t made the time to.
• Need: Finish the sentence "This year I need to ___________." It could be something you need to learn or feel you need to gain in order to grow as a person (more patience, better habits, etc.) rather than a material item or thing.
• Share: Finish the sentence "This year I want to share ___________." It could be a talent or skill you want to share with the world, your neighborhood, or your school and community… It can be as simple as kindness to something tangible like a new recipe you came up with!
• Succeed: Finish the sentence "This year I want to succeed at___________." Coming up with a specific goal/s you have for yourself that are realistic and attainable over the next year, such as studying harder in school or finding more healthy coping strategies!

Here are a few other alternatives to try rather than sticking with a traditional resolution:

• Create a 2023 bucket list
• Create a monthly challenge
• Try gratitude exercises
• Write down goals to put in a jar. Or, you can write down your strengths and words of affirmation instead.
• Practice mindfulness
• Create a 2023 vision board
• Have a word or mantra of the week/month/year