freshman parent night 09 presentation

Freshman Parent NightWhat’s on the horizon for your student?

This presentation will be available tomorrow on our VCHS website: Academics High School College Counseling

Tonight’s Topics

• What really matters• How to utilize your four-year plan• Introduction of the 10th-12th college

counseling staff and their role• PSAT results and analysis• Timeline for college preparation

benchmarks• How to read a transcript and grad

status report• Course selection for next year

What Really Matters

• Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

• Proverbs 16:9 – “A man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

What To Do with Your 4-year Plan

• Evaluate the difficulty of your Freshman year – was it a good fit?

• Are your post-high school goals still the same?

Ask these questions after every year – the 4-year plan is a guideline; it is not set in

stone.

Freshmen Parents – Watch Out!

• Freshman “Let Up” can occur in the first 6-8 weeks of the second semester.

Meet Your 10-12th Grade College CounselorWe’ll be taking you and your student the rest of the way!

Dr. Jonathan Burton (A-G)

• VCHS since 1995– Previously taught Chemistry and Math (all

levels)

• Attended Southern Methodist University, Stanford, National, Liberty

• Church: Hillside Church• Other roles: Principal of Academics• My favorite thing about counseling…

jburton@vcs.net

(408) 513-2412

Ms. Jennifer Griffin (H-N)

• VCHS since 2003– Previously taught English and History

• Attended Westmont College & National University

• Church: Saratoga Federated Church• Other roles: AP Coordinator, CSF

Coordinator, Summer School Principal • My favorite thing about counseling…

jgriffin@vcs.net

(408) 513-2492

Mrs. Diana Fairchild (O-Z)

• VCHS since 1996– Previously taught English

• Attended Washington State

• Church: Hillside Church

• Other roles: New teacher mentor

• My favorite thing about counseling…

dfairchild@vcs.net

(408) 513-2411

High School Planning & Guidance

• Meetings with students and parents upon request

• Annual meetings with each sophomore, junior & senior for course selection and graduation status

• Prayer and personal counseling with students and/or parents as needed

High School Planning & Guidance• Academic probation to hold struggling

students accountable (below a 2.0)• Assist parents after an extended

absence• Monitor attendance and grades of our

general student population • Review graduation status reports and

transcripts to ensure all students are taking necessary courses for graduation and college admission

College Planning and Guidance

• Meetings with students and parents upon request

• Annual meetings with each sophomore, junior & senior for post-graduate plans

• “College Corner” in Parent Newsletter

• Parent Night each year that focuses on upcoming benchmarks

College Planning and Guidance

• Coordination and promotion of college representative visits – approx. 35 each year

• College Application and essay aid

• Recommendation letters

• NCAA Eligibility Center guidance

• New counseling plans are added every year!

Your online support: Naviancehttps://connection.naviance.com/valleychistian

What is Naviance?• Online tool that offers students and

parents interactive:– surveys– college search and comparison tools– multimedia college profiles with VCHS’

data– scattergrams of past applications from

VCHS– local scholarships and aid opportunities– and much more

• Log-ons available for both parents and students

How can freshmen best utilize Naviance?

• Begin with the surveys– The first step in finding the right college

is knowing yourself!– These will also be helpful resources for

the English 9 career term paper

• Student training will occur in February

My Personality Type

My Learning Style

Explore Interests

PSAT RESULTSYour guide to interpreting your student’s PSAT results

WARNING TO PARENTS:

PSAT IS FOR SOPHOMORE/JUNIOR PREPFRESHMEN NORMALLY DO NOT HAVE THE

OPPORUNITY TO TAKE THE PSAT

Please do NOT stress out if your student doesn’t have a very high score – he was

only in high school for EIGHT WEEKS before he took a college test! The

scores will naturally go up with more

education.

Your Scores

• PSAT/NMSQT scores are printed right at the top of the report. Each is based on a scale of 20-80.

• Percentiles compare your student's performance to that of other students, nationally.

• How to translate into an SAT score? Add up the three scores an add a zero.

Review Answers

• Here you'll find the correct answer, your student's response, and the difficulty level of each question.

• The test booklet has been provided to view the questions.

Improving Skills

• This section lists some specific skills that your student needs to improve.

• These suggestions are based upon his pattern of responses across test questions.

More PSAT Analysis

• Take advantage of the online services from the PSAT – they’re fantastic!

• www.collegeboard.com/quickstart • Use your code found on the inside of

your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report

Step 1:

Create a College Board

account if you don’t have one already. You will

need this site for

much more than just

PSAT with a college bound

student!

Step 2:

Type in the year of the test (2008) and your student’s

access code

Step 3:

Utilize these

powerful tools!

College Preparation TimelineWe’re here to help every step of the way!

Every Year

• Sign up for courses that are a good fit and work hard to get good grades

• Get help from teachers and counselors when needed – be proactive in your education!

• Document various involvement so you don’t forget by your senior year

• Continue to grow and stretch yourself academically, socially, and spiritually

Freshman Year

• Fall Semester– Participate in extracurricular activities– Try your best on the PSAT (does not count for

colleges)

• Spring Semester– Attend a four-year planning session– Attend the Naviance introduction training– Begin your college resume on Naviance– CSF– Turn in your course request for next year

• Consider adding an AP course

Each Summer

• Consider a summertime job or extracurricular activity

• Consider looking at college campuses when on family vacations – it’s never too early!

• Consider taking enrichment classes or seminars to strengthen yourself as a student

Sophomore Year

• Fall Semester– Continue participation in extracurricular

activities and community service. • Begin to look for leadership

opportunities in areas that you truly care about.

– Try your best on the PSAT (does not count for colleges)

• Compare to your Freshman year to monitor progress

• Begin to use online collegeboard tools to prepare for the SAT

Sophomore Year

• Spring Semester– Attend Sophomore Parent Night– Attend college fairs and start to

browse Naviance• Begin to seriously consider what type of

college would be a good fit for your interests and personality

– Meet with your college counselor to discuss your transcript thus far and plan courses for next year

Junior & Senior Years

• Look at the College Preparation Timeline handout for upper classmen benchmarks

Student DocumentsHow to read a transcript and grad status report

Lisa Samuelson, Registrar

lsamuelson@vcs.net

(408) 513-2511

Transcripts & Graduation Status Report

• Subject

• Credits Required

• Credits Earned

Planning for Next YearHANDOUT:

Making Good Choices in Your Schedule

Class Choice

• Our new online tool for families to select and design their own schedule.– Be prepared for potential conflicts– Help your student prioritize interests

and scheduling preferences

Basic Homework Times• AP Classes:

– 5-6 hours per week

• Honors/Upper-level math:– 3-4 hours per week

• Regular Classes:– 2-3 hours per week

*Note if the time you spend right now on homework is more or less than what is listed above, you can adjust your own

calculations.

Course Options• Social Science

– AP European History, AP Human Geography

• Science• Math• Foreign Languages

– ASL, French, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Spanish – which should my student take?

• Consider when selecting classes:– P.E. requirement– Technology requirement– Typing/Computer software requirement

Your Sophomore Year

• Use the scheduling worksheet handout to make smart choices

• Classes should challenge and stretch your student without overloading them

• Don’t forget to consider extracurricular commitments and family time

• Consult your student’s counselor for additional input

Don’t Forget…

• This is FUN!

Thank You!• Thank you for coming tonight!

– Counseling staff will remain in the front to answer any questions that you may have

– Presentation will be posted on Naviance

• Contact Information:– Scott Wessling (Freshman Counselor, A-N) swessling@vcs.net

• (408) 513-2409– Steven Torode (Freshman Counselor, M-Z) storode@vcs.net

• (408) 513-2406– Jonathan Burton (A-G) jburton@vcs.net

• (408) 513-2412– Jennifer Griffin (H-N) jgriffin@vcs.net

• (408) 513-2492– Diana Fairchild (O-Z) dfairchild@vcs.net

• (408) 513-2411– Lisa Samuelson (Registrar) lsamuelson@vcs.net

• (408) 513-2511