Chief Points
Class of 2018
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SENIORS
This is the first issue of Chief Points for the senior class of 2018. There is important information for ALL members of the class of 2018 especially since we are returning to school later this year than most years.
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
VERY IMPORTANT!!!
I'm so excited that many of you are starting to work on college applications and acknowledge that our late start has especially affected the more ambitious members of the class of 2018.
Some hiccups that we have experienced:
- Students completing applications are frequently asked for a list of their senior classes and with our transition from Sapphire to Sunguard, we haven't been able to get schedules done as early or quickly as we hoped. Therefore, students do not have the list of the courses yet.
- Not being back to school means that I haven't been able to meet with students even in a small group format to make sure everyone understands the college application process especially in regards to using Naviance and the Common Application.
- While students are requesting recommendations, because teachers are not yet back to work, many are not yet completed.
Where that leaves us:
- Fortunately, in spite of not having access to ANY previous year information in Sunguard yet, I did upload all of the class of 2018 transcripts into Naviance and that has allowed us to proceed with sending transcripts so students who have requested transcripts to be sent should be able to see that I have sent their transcripts (except in cases where students emailed me to wait).
- School starts this week so students will be able to complete applications.
- I've see that several teachers have begun working on their recommendations so I'm sure this will catch up quickly.
Naviance & Common Application
Naviance and The Common Application are two separate products that are integrated for use but students must complete a few steps to connect accounts. Students who request letters of recommendation directly through The Common Application will be out of luck. Students MUST request letters of recommendations through Naviance. Lakeland uses Naviance for all transcript and letter of recommendation requests. We DO NOT use multiple systems. For more information on how to match your Common Application to your Naviance account, please reference the below instructional video. Students who have already requested recommendations through The Common Application should immediately remove the recommendation request. Failure to do so may cause submission issues for the user and all of their Lakeland classmates.
Naviance
Naviance is a platform that we use to electronically submit transcripts and letters of recommendations to colleges. Students will apply to colleges through the college websites and then request transcripts and letters of recommendation through Naviance. The ONLY way to request transcripts is through Naviance. We do not accept email or phone requests. We do NOT submit transcript through other submission platforms. Even for colleges who only accept traditional, mailed transcripts, students must submit requests through Naviance. To access NAVIANCE go to: https://connection.naviance.com/family-connection/auth/login/?hsid=lljshs
To see more about how to access Naviance and request transcripts and letters of recommendation go to: http://counselingatlakeland.weebly.com/media.html
Schedules
Schedules for the Class of 2018 are complete. All schedules were completed using course requests, the available master schedule and courses required to graduate. Due to the late start of the school year and the migration to Sunguard from Sapphire the counseling office only received access to the senior high schedule a week ago. We have worked hard and have done our best to meet requests and requirements. Seniors were the priority. In spite of our efforts, the short timeframe meant that we worked hard and very quickly so we know that mistakes may have been made and changes may be needed. Please accept our apologies for any errors and know that we will work with you to create the best possible schedule for your senior year. I expect schedules will be distributed by administration this week. They are also exploring an option to email schedules directly to all students.
Graduation Requirements
4 credits of English
4 credits of Mathematics
3 credits of Science
3 credits of Social Studies
2 credits of Arts/Humanities
1 credit of PE
1/2 credit of Health
7 1/2 credits of Electives
Sunguard
The more I explore Sunguard the more than I think we are really going to enjoy having it. Still, as with every new platform. there is a learning curve Student accounts will roll out through the technology department and the school counseling department has not received word of when that will be. The school counselors don't have the ability to set up accounts etc. so while I understand you are anxious to get rolling with it, please do not think that we will be able to help you access the system. When we get more information, we will blast something out to all of you. I'm hopeful that you will receive access pretty quickly and I'm sure you will be using email/password combinations that you are already familiar with.
Enjoy
Enjoy your last few days of break. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Lakeland School Counseling
Mrs. deQuevedo - classes of 2018, 2020, 2022
Mrs. Valonis - classes of 2019, 2021, 2023
Email: lhsguidance@lakelandsd.org
Website: counselingatlakeland.weebly.com
Location: Lakeland Junior-Senior High School, Lakeland Drive, Jermyn, PA, United States
Phone: 570-254-9485
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lhscounselors/