Welcome Back!
The student support staff wants to welcome all students back to the school year, and we wish everyone a successful and healthy 2018-19 school year! We are a little tardy on updating the blog, and we can hardly believe that October is already here and the leaves are changing. We know that this is a stressful time of year, particularly for our senior students as they work diligently to complete college essays and apply to various universities throughout the country. Know that we are here to support you, and remember to take time for yourself. Below are some small suggestions for ALL students, though specifically targeted to seniors:
1. Keep a calendar and slowly chip away at the application process (plan small weekly college-related tasks):
- Focus on the application process, including essays, first, as these are the most time consuming.
- Prioritize! Be sure to start and finish those early application deadlines before looking at other colleges. Consider applying early as this can reduce stress and (potentially) increase your odds of admission.
- Ask questions of your counselor; we are here to help guide you through this process.
- Get a second (or third) pair of eyes on that college essay. Remember to show (don't tell!) your personality in your writing. Universities also look at your writing abilities, so double and triple check your grammar and organizational structure. Ask a teacher, ask a counselor, or come in on Fridays (usually 11-1:30) to meet with Ms. Schill, who can help evaluate essays.
- Finally, fill out our blue transcript request form, so that we can send out your letters of recommendation (remind teachers!) and your transcripts.
- Don't forget to send in official ACT scores should they be needed (act.org).
- Try to complete everything, including sending in test scores and transcripts one week before the college's official deadline.
- Complete the FAFSA with your family to determine how much aid you will receive (https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa). Do this soon after October 1, when the site opens (there is now a phone app as well).
2. Relieve stress!
- Be sure to take time for yourself. Walk outside, do deep breathing exercises, talk with family and friends, make a to-do list, follow a sleep routine, and eat healthy foods.
- Talk to your school counselor if you are feeling overwhelmed.
- Focus on times you have been successful in the past, despite strong pressures.
- Reframe the situation. Remember that this stress will pass and is but a stepping stone towards your goals. As Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
3. Keep everything in perspective.
- Where you go to college will not define you for the rest of your life. If you are hard working and ambitious, you can be successful regardless of what college you attend. Last year, the student support staff read the book, Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, by Frank Bruni. Bruni details many fantastically successful individuals who did not attend prestigious schools, and nonetheless, achieved great success. Check out a review of the book here.
- According to an article in the New York Times, "Colleges themselves have widely diverging views on what makes an ideal applicant...Instead, what counts in admissions depends on the mission of the institution — and that can vary a great deal from school to school." See the link to the article here. In other words, even if you are a fantastic student with great grades and test scores, you may not get into your dream school. This reality has NOTHING to do with your personal worth. Recognize that getting into prestigious schools often has little to do with how great you are as an individual; DON'T beat yourself up as admissions' decisions begin arriving.
New research out of Stanford suggests that college rankings, as well as where students ultimately attend, doesn't really matter in terms of life outcomes. This is really important to keep in mind!
Check out this article to read more: The first step to choosing the 'right' college? Ignore the rankings, says Stanford researcher
In addition, here are some articles concerning the advantages and disadvantages of early action and early decision:
4 Things To Know About College Early Action Programs
How Applying Early for College Affects Financial Aid
How To Know If Early Decision Works For You
We hope this time is one of excitement and anticipation. Don't hesitate to reach out for help!
Who We Are and What We Do
School counselors are educational professionals with training in education, as well as mental health. School counselors provide support in three areas, following a model of counseling promoted by the American School Counselor Association; this model is research based:
- Academic support
- Career and college support and development
- Personal, social, and mental health support
In other words, we try to help individuals and parents solve problems, not by providing the answers, but rather by helping individuals recognize their own strengths, passions, and problem solving abilities. A key hallmark of the counseling profession is to actively listen, and while we certainly do provide guidance and advice at times, the term "guidance" counselor is outdated and describes only a very small snapshot of what we do. Counseling is about helping others arrive at their own decisions, so that individuals can become independent, confident, and able to effectively manage their lives.
There is no average day for counselors. We can be working with students individually on emotional problems, discussing grades, examining data, writing recommendations, coordinating testing, screening students for mental health, working in classrooms on career development, and coordinating with teachers, parents, and administrators, to name only a few of the activities we do. Ultimately, our job is to be an advocate for the student first. While we are all responsible for a specific part of the alphabet, and as such, have discrete caseloads, we all work as a team, and students can meet with any of us if their specific counselor is busy.
Molly Norris works with students with last names A-G. This is Molly's fifth year at SHS after spending time in the West Allis School District. She enjoys time with her family, listening to live music (especially music created by her husband, James Norris), and the Green Bay Packers.
Scott Brown works with students with last names H-O. This is Scott's third year at SHS after spending time working at Nicolet High School. He enjoys soccer, running, and time with his little ones.
Jennifer Hoffman works with students with last names P-Z. This is Jennifer's first year at SHS after spending time at Oconomowoc High School. She enjoys interior design, tennis, and Wisconsin sports.
Upcoming and Past Activities:
Freshmen:
Counselors are implementing a program titled 9 for 9 with all freshmen; our hope is to have nine points of contact throughout the year, including orientations, class meetings, small group meetings, and individual meetings.
We will meet with freshmen next week to discuss methods of stress relief, as well as navigating the high school experience. Students will also take a career cluster survey on Naviance Student (https://student.naviance.com/shorewood). This survey helps students determine what career area students might be interested in. Feel free to login with your child to view the results. They can login using their email (without the @shorewood.k12.wi.us part) and their Infinite Campus login to get into the program.
To read more about the career clusters, check out this link.
Later on in the year, we will also be presenting to all freshmen concerning the signs of suicide, a research based intervention that helps students recognize warning signs of suicidal thinking, as well as ways to act if they are concerned about someone.
Later on in the year, we will also be presenting to all freshmen concerning the signs of suicide, a research based intervention that helps students recognize warning signs of suicidal thinking, as well as ways to act if they are concerned about someone.
Sophomores:
We will be meeting with sophomores in Team Concepts to take a career interest inventory, an inventory that provides students with more specific jobs that match their likes and dislikes. The students will be using Naviance Student to complete this inventory. They will have time to examine potential career matches, learning about required skills, education, and wages for various job matches. The survey is based on John Holland's research, who created "codes" that represented the personalities of people and the types of work that people do. You can see a visual about the codes below:
We will be meeting with sophomores in Team Concepts to take a career interest inventory, an inventory that provides students with more specific jobs that match their likes and dislikes. The students will be using Naviance Student to complete this inventory. They will have time to examine potential career matches, learning about required skills, education, and wages for various job matches. The survey is based on John Holland's research, who created "codes" that represented the personalities of people and the types of work that people do. You can see a visual about the codes below:
Juniors:
We will meet with juniors in their Lifetime class (or over lunch for students who opted out of Lifetime). We will be discussing the college search process and looking at various tools within Naviance Student that students can use as they begin the process of finding a good fit. Students will also craft a resume that can be used for both jobs and college applications, as well as requesting letters of recommendation.
Through the fall, we will also be conducting junior conferences. This is an opportunity for junior parents/guardians and students to sit down with their counselor and hold a lengthy discussion about post-secondary plans, as well as an opportunity to discuss the nuts and bolts of the college search and application process. Parents/guardians should keep an eye on their email, as information concerning how to sign up will be conveyed electronically.
This fall and spring, we will also be presenting about the signs of suicide, a research based, preventative intervention meant to help students recognize and act on warning signs related to suicidal thinking.
Seniors:
We met with seniors at the beginning of the year in a whole class assembly to remind them about the application process and letters of recommendation. We continue to work with them one-on-one to support their process and ensure that they are on track and meeting deadlines.
Upcoming Important Deadlines and Dates:
- October 1st: FAFSA is available; parents/guardians and students should complete this as soon as possible.
- October 24th: FAFSA presentation at SHS at 7:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to learn the ins-and-outs of financial aid.
- November 1st: many colleges have an early action or early decision (binding) deadline at this time.
- November 6th: UW-Milwaukee will be conducting on-site admissions interviews. Students should see Mr. Brown ASAP if they are interested in signing up.
Remember, a typical application to college includes the following:
- the actual online application (listing activities, address, etc.). This includes an essay (or more than one essay). The Common Application is the most widely used online application system in the United States.
- a transcript (some colleges are accepting self-reported grades now, but students should understand that they will eventually need to send in an official transcript should they choose to attend a specific college).
- letters of recommendation (we will send these in for you once you indicate you are ready via the blue forms in our office and $5).
- official ACT scores (sent directly from act.org; more schools are also allowing self-reported ACT scores. Again, students will eventually need to send in official score reports once they are admitted).
Some highly selective schools may require, recommend, or provide the option to send in additional materials, including:
- an interview with an alumni from the school (or a video interview)
- a portfolio of work (particularly for art schools)
- a video presentation
- SAT II subject tests
- the CSS profile (a more in-depth financial reporting tool, similar to FAFSA)
In Other News:
REDgen has a number of events coming up, all of which speak to the ongoing focus on student wellness. Be sure to check out their website:
http://www.redgen.org/new-events/
October 10th was World Mental Health Day. Take a look at the link below from the World Health Organization:
http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/2018/en/
An article from Education Week regarding how we value achievement over mental health (interesting read):
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/08/16/why-do-we-value-achievement-over-mental.html
A local resource guide:
https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/6a065917-e128-401c-badd-02aba919813e
Interested in Research Supported Therapeutic Approaches:
The approaches below are common approaches that school counselors utilize when meeting with students, albeit in a brief format.
Read about Solution Focused Therapy at this link:
What Is Solution Focused Therapy
Interested in Research Supported Therapeutic Approaches:
The approaches below are common approaches that school counselors utilize when meeting with students, albeit in a brief format.
Read about Solution Focused Therapy at this link:
What Is Solution Focused Therapy
