Welcome back to school, from the
School Counseling Department!
ALL STUDENTS
While we do not have any staffing
changes, Mrs. Murphy is planning to supervise a school counseling intern this
fall, whose name is Mr. Doyle.
Included with the schedules was a
sheet of directions and registration codes for the parent accounts at http://connection.naviance.com/PikesvilleHi
so that you can monitor your child’s college and career searches and begin the
process of searching for scholarships. Speaking of financial aid, information
is always updated at http://tinyurl.com/PHSCollegeCash,
and it is never too late to start saving for college at http://www.collegesavingsmd.org/. Students
should continue to see, and parents should continue to call, Ms. Billingslea,
the School Counseling secretary, to schedule appointments, as she has access to
all of our calendars.
If you have not yet seen it, please
check out (and subscribe to) our blog at http://PikesvilleHSCounseling.blogspot.com.
Also, if you are on twitter, follow us at http://www.twitter.com/PHSCouns.
These are two resources where you will hear about opportunities and insight as
you navigate the high school experience.
All stakeholders – teachers, parents
and students of all grade levels – are asked to complete our annual needs
assessment survey at http://tinyurl.com/PHSCounsNeeds14
so that we can get a sense of how we are doing and how we can improve our program.
This year, we will work even harder to bring our comprehensive school
counseling program to the breadth and quality that is recommended by the American
School Counselor Association, and we can’t do that without your input as a
community.
Last year, we started the #PHSfit Career
of the Day project, when a different career was featured on Twitter and the
morning announcements. This year, we will switch back to a different college each
day, and also plan to post the career’s description on the blog.
If you haven't already heard,
families who qualify for free and reduced lunch are eligible for a reduced rate
on high-speed internet access from Comcast. Call 855-846-8376 or visit http://InternetEssentials.com for
more information.
GRADE 9
This is a critical time in a
student’s life. Without a comfortable and successful start to high school,
students find it challenging to get re-centered at a later point. Remember that
the college admissions process starts on the first day of ninth grade, as each
quarterly grade affects your final grades, and colleges will see those final
grades from freshman year. Each final grade you earn freshman year has the same
impact on your GPA as each final grade you earn junior or senior year. Success
tends to have a snowball effect. In addition, it is really important to get
involved in a few activities that interest you. You don’t need to spread
yourself too thin, but the goal is to find people who share your values and
priorities, and joining a club with like-minded people will help you make and
strengthen connections with your peers in high school. It is recommended that
you stay after school, either for coach class or with a club, at least twice
each week. We also recommend that you spend at least 20 minutes on each academic
subject each evening. This time can be spent doing the
assigned daily or long-term homework, rewriting class notes, studying those
notes, and pre-reading course material so you’re ready to participate in class
the next day.
All students in grade 9 will be
given the PSAT in October. Please know that only those students who have
accommodations approved by the College Board are permitted to use those
accommodations on the PSAT. More information will come in September. The test
will be given on October 15, and students who are late to school will not be
permitted into the test.
In the winter, students will begin
to craft their four-year plans with their school counselor, as part of the
course advising process.
GRADE 10
Sophomore year is a time to hit your
stride. If your freshman year grades are below a 2.0 average, you’d need
sophomore year grades above a 3.0 to just break even at a 2.5 GPA. The higher
GPA you have, the more options you’ll have for after high school. Sophomore
year is the time to start visiting a few colleges so that you can develop a
sense of priorities when you begin the planning process with your school
counselor. Pick one or two of the activities you joined freshman year and start
to pursue leadership opportunities within those organizations. Or start a new
organization! October 15 of sophomore year is when you’ll take the PSAT at no
cost to you, and your score will give you some early indication of your
readiness for college and AP courses. We will discuss your scores in
December.
Later in the winter, when sophomores
meet with their school counselors for course advising, we will update your
four-year plans.
GRADE 11
In the past, we have conducted
college planning sessions upon request. This year, we will do more than that.
Each junior is going to be assigned a pre-scheduled time, either 1:15 or 1:45,
to meet with his or her school counselor, during the 2nd quarter.
Parents are invited, but not required, to attend this session. Your school
counselor will give you a copy of your high school transcript, listen to your
priorities (so be sure you’ve started thinking about it) for post-high school
planning, and give you some feedback and tips so that you can be proactive
about finding the right academic fit after you graduate.
On October 15, you’ll take the PSAT,
which is your last unofficial exposure to college admissions testing, so be
sure that you take advantage of this opportunity for meaningful feedback, and
use that feedback as you prepare for the SAT and ACT, which really starts for
you in January.
Baltimore County Public Schools anticipates
another school-day SAT like we had last year, but we do not yet have details
about how it will be implemented this year. You will be notified when more
information comes to light.
GRADE 12
Welcome to the busiest year of your
life so far. In addition to your regular course load, you will spend this year
applying to post-secondary programs and scholarships, and you should take
advantage of as much down time as you have to both proactively complete these
tasks and rest to recharge your batteries. Before school starts is an ideal
opportunity to work on your college essays. If you have not already done so,
finalize your list of colleges, which should be between five and ten. Activate
your account at www.commonapp.org and/or www.eduinconline.com and
be sure that you are registered for your second SAT or your first ACT. The
school counseling department will meet with you in your English 12 classes to
orient you to requesting high school transcripts in Naviance. Be sure to give
your teachers and school counselor at least two weeks’ notice, with proper
documentation for requesting letters of recommendation and for processing
transcripts. Scholarship opportunities are regularly updated at http://tinyurl.com/PHSCollegeCash and
you should also use twitter to participate in the weekly #CollegeCash tweet
chat about financial aid.
The coolest part of Mr. Goldman's summer was when First Lady Michelle Obama mentioned some of the great things happening at Pikesville High School:
