Student Services DepartmentRiverside Brookfield High School

September 15, 2015

Freshman Focus:How to Help Your Child

Have a Successful High School Experience

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1. Share who we are and how we can provide guidance and support to you and your student

2. Provide you with specific tips on course selection, 4-year academic plans, and post-secondary planning

3. Introduce you to Naviance, our primary resource and planning tool used with students

4. Provide you with suggestions on how to help your student transition to high school and have academic and personal success

Program Goals

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Director: Beth AugustineCounselors: Melissa Carey, Jim Franko, Maggie

Leiteritz, Mike Reingruber, & Gina Tauer Social Workers: Mari Mortensen & Chrissy

TappertDepartment Assistant – April EnglehartCounselor Intern: Sarah PajkosSocial Worker Interns – Mary Tobolski & Emily

LaabsRosecrance CADC: Megan WilliamsPillars Counselor: Mark Maciuszek

The Student Services Department Team

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Freshman Year August – Small Group Meetings1st Semester– Individual Appointments as

Needed, Naviance Training (Career Profiler) Goal Setting & Develop 4-Year Plans

November– Small Group Pre-Course Selections Meetings

December – Individual Appointments for Course Selection for 2016-17

Spring – Small Group Meetings (Career Cluster Finder & Resume Builder)

Counselor Contact

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Total credits needed for graduation = 22

English – 4.0Math – 3.0Science – 3.0Social Science – 3.0

Western Civilization or AP European History - 1.0US History – 1.0US Government - .50Global Area Studies A or B - .50 (or 4 years of World Lang)Consumer Economic or Economics .50 or AP

Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics – 1.0

Graduation Requirements

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Cultural & Applied Studies – 2.0 Applied Arts, Fine Arts or World Language .50 Fine Arts Survey (or 4 years of one area of

concentration within Fine Arts OR .50 of a performing arts and .50 of a visual arts)

Health Education – .50Physical Education – 3.50Additional Electives – 2.50

Graduation Requirements Continued

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16 Career Clusters – Links what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college & careers

Consider Fine Arts & Applied Arts courses.Focus on 21st century workplace skills:

InventiveResourcefulImaginativeCreative

Making the Most of Elective Courses

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Fine Arts ElectivesArt

Drawing & Painting

PhotographyDigital ImagingCeramics

MusicBandOrchestraChoir

TheaterActing & DirectingImprovisation &

Sketch Comedy

Fine Arts SurveyArtDanceMusicTheater

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Applied Arts Electives

Business & TechnologyBusiness Marketing

&Web DesignBusiness Principles &

AccountingComputers AppsComputer AnimationGraphic Arts

Family &Consumer ScienceFoods & NutritionChild Development

Industrial TechnologyAutomotive Advanced AutoConstruction Tech

Technology EducationDrafting/CADPre-Engineering/CADPre-Architectural/

CADTelevision/Media Arts

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4-Year Academic PlanFreshman Year

1. English2. Math3. Science4. Western

Civ./Reading5. PE6. Elective *7. Elective

*World Language

Sophomore Year1. English2. Math3. Science4. PE/Health5. Economics/Elective6. Elective *7. Elective

*World LanguageWestern Civ./AP Euro.Driver’s Education

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4-Year Academic Plan Continued

Junior Year1. English2. Math3. Science4. US History5. PE/PE6. CAP/Elective7. Elective **

**World Language

Senior Year1. English2.

Government/Elective

3. Math (Elective)4. Science (Elective)5. World Language or

Area Studies6. PE/PE7. Elective

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November 4th - Curriculum Guide AvailableNovember 23rd– 24th - Pre-Course Selection Meetings

A PowerPoint will be available on the website.November - Teacher Recommendations

Students/parents will have an opportunity to change a level recommendation.

December 1st – 23rd - Course Selection AppointmentsStudents should have a completed registration form with

alternative classes and a parent’s signature.March - Course verifications letters are mailed home

Only changes due to errors will be made.

Course Selection for 2016-17 School Year

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Health is usually offered in summer school for rising sophomores.

Government is usually offered in summer school for rising seniors.

Fine Art Survey Proficiency Exam is offered twice a year.

Encourage a rigorous academic schedule but one that allows for extracurricular involvement.

Taking a study hall can be a good option.Suggest an elective course outside of

your student’s interest. Check college World Language requirements.

Helpful 4-Year Planning Tips

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Web-based college research and planning tool for students, parents, and school counselors.

The site manages individual students through the entire college planning, application and decision process.

Students can search and explore careers, take interest inventories, manage course planning and search for college and scholarships.

Account Information:Students – October Parents – November

Naviance – A Valuable Resource

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Course Selection Planning

Students can search descriptions of classes offered at RB and add them to their interesting courses to take in the future.

Students will enter their 4-year course plan while meeting with their counselors during registration appointments in January.

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Career Interest Profiler

Students can view matching occupations based on their results. They can then research majors related to that career and receive a list of colleges that offer that major.

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Building a Resume

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Scattergram – Northern Illinois University

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Scattergram – University of Illinois

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Take a rigorous high school curriculum.Get the best grades possible. (Colleges look

at freshman year more than senior year.)Take advantage of test prep for the ACT/SAT.Get involved – extra curricular activitiesVolunteer – Keep track of service hours.Balance – Use free time to read and explore.Colleges want interesting people who are

prepared for college and will work hard.

How to be College Ready

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Tuesday, November 10th – 7pm to 8pm

College Planning Tips for Freshman Parents

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Schoology

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Skyward

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Explore January - 8th Grade Placement Exam

PLAN April – Freshman Year

PSAT October - Sophomore and/or Junior Year

(not mandatory)

ACT Spring – Sophomore Year (Practice) December – Junior Year (Practice) April – Junior Year (Provided by the state)***

Juniors have access to take CAP – (College Admissions Prep) 4 rotations (English, Reading, Math & Science) Semester-long, before school, or after school Scores usually improve between 2-3 points

Standardized Testing at RB

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Parents tend to visit school less as their children get older, but parents are needed even more.

Attend…MeetingsSporting EventsFine Arts EventsOpen HousesGuest Speaker EventsParent/Teacher ConferencesStudent Services College Programming Events

Transition Time for Parents

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Know who they are; they reflect your child’s view of him/herself.

Ask for a friend’s cell number that you can call in case of an emergency.

Show a genuine interest in their friends.

Be careful not to prematurely criticize peers

Their Friends, Their World

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Think about what time is okay for a high school senior to come in a night.

Realize that every year you will want to move their curfew back a little bit is acknowledgment of their growing maturity and freedom.

Then work backwards four years. If you start ninth grade at midnight, you will soon find yourself in trouble.

Count Back For Curfews

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If you have not been talking about the hard stuff…drugs, birth control, sex, consent…this is the time to start.

Your teen will have an increasing desire for and participation in their own private lives, much of which you will not know.

Talk About the Hard Stuff

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Don’t let them be too busy f0r family time together.

Family as a Buffer

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Questions?