Mike's Place

School Without Walls Counseling Office Update

March 2003

• Seniors will be starting on their Certificate of Employability paperwork. SWW has consistently had the highest percentage of RCSD graduating Seniors earn this Certificate. For our Seniors who are choosing to enter the workforce immediately after graduation or who will be looking for part-time work after graduation, this certificate is a must. Future employers will be expecting Seniors to have one. This certificate can be easily achieved here at SWW because of our high standards and there is no reason every Senior shouldn't earn one. I will be meeting with Seniors in April to introduce them to the application process.

• College applications should be completed by now. If your student hasn't completed this process, please have him/her see me as soon as possible.

• Financial Aid Forms for college should have been filed already. Copies of the FAFSA are still available in the Counseling Office.

• Graduation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Memorial Art Gallery.

• Juniors should be thinking about taking the SAT this Spring. Most of our students take the Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT I as it is called now, while others take the American College Test or ACT. Most colleges will accept either exam. Juniors should use on-line prep programs and/or attend the SAT prep program offered by SWW to get ready for the SAT tests. The SAT Prep Program will run from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Mondays starting April 28 and will continue until June 2. The SAT will be offered on June 7. The deadline to sign up for this exam is May 2. The ACT will be offered on June 14 with a May 9 sign up deadline.

• If you have Internet access, some of the more popular sites available to you are; www.collegeboard.com, www.petersons.com, www.nymentor.edu, www.act.com, www.wiredscholar.com and www.embark.com. Students need to look carefully at what each college requires in terms of high school courses and entrance tests.

• Our students have the opportunity to participate in a national college recruiting program called “On-line College Scouting.” I am enrolling students as quickly as our computer system and my schedule will allow.

• As you know both colleges and employers look strongly at a students Junior and Senior years as the benchmarks for measuring student achievement and potential. Three months remain for them to make this their strongest year. Please encourage your student to put forth their best effort every day in school and in every assignment.

• Scholarships - Probably the best on-line site is www.fastweb.com.

• Your student may have taken the PSAT in October. This practice SAT is used to help Sophomores identify their area of strength and also identify those areas they need to work in. There are still a number of students who have not seen me to review their results. It is not too early to begin looking at colleges and what their specific entrance requirements are. It is disappointing to have a student not be able to go to their first choice college because he or she did not have enough courses in an academic area.
  
  Freshmen Congratulations to those you earned all of their credit second quarter. Keep up the good work! This year can set the tone for the remaining years at SWW. If extra help is needed, our Homework Academy, an after school tutoring program, is available 5 days a week.

General information

• Summer Programs - There are a number of summer programs available for students such as MESH and PREP. Information for these and other opportunities have been distributed to students through their Extended Class Advisors and are also posted on the “Summer Opportunities” bulletin board..
  

• Summer school is not only a chance to catch up, it can be an opportunity to move ahead. Summer School for high school students will be at East High & SOTA this summer. Registration for an newly expanded list of offerings will begin at the end of May.

• If your son or daughter is planning to take a summer class at MCC this summer please remind him or her to complete a contract for independent credit before the class begins.

• Good Grades Pay applications will be available in the Counseling Office later this Spring. Please encourage your son/daughter to file their application as soon as possible. The initial requirements are: 90% attendance, no long term suspensions, the equivalent of a 2.0 or better GPA. There are some jobs that will be filled by May, so applying early is important.

Please do not hesitate to call, if we can be of any assistance.