Topic of the Month - September

Welcome Back to the Lake

I hope that everyone enjoyed their summer and is excited for the 2016-2017 school year at Silver Lake.  I thought I would welcome you back with some upcoming events from the Guidance Department.

Sophomore Parents Breakfast - 9/9/16 @ 7:45am in the LGR

Senior Parents Breakfast - 9/16/16 @ 7:45am in the LGR

Junior Parents Breakfast - 9/23/16 @ 7:45am in the LGR

College Fair - 10/4/16 @ 6:30pm at Whitman-Hanson H.S. 

Financial Aid Night - 10/12/16 @ 6:30pm in the LGR

Stay tuned for further details on each event as we get a bit closer.  Also don't forget to check our Guidance website and follow us on Twitter @SL_Guidance.

Wishing you a successful start to the school year!

  

Topic of the Month - June

Making the Most of Summer Vacation

For many students there is a sense of excitement when it gets close to summer vacation.  There is less structure, more time to enjoy with their family and friends, and they don't have to focus on their academics.  Though all important, it is important to also encourage students to take advantage of their time off and actively pick things to do that ultimately benefit their future planning.  

1.  Create a resume - as students go through their high school career it often goes by so fast and becomes such a blur that when they are expected to recall what they have done and any accomplishments they have achieved they aren't able too.  Encourage your student to use Naviance's resume builder, or create a working document that can be edited as they expand their experiences.

2.  Get a job - though many students do eventually get a part-time job, in an area that will probably remain simply that, it is important for them to learn life skills and also use their experience to better understand their strengths and interests.  For a student who has obtained a job, complete the working permit paperwork and bring the completed documentation to the Guidance office, where it will be typed up for your employer.  

3.  Explore career paths - there is a lot of time during the summer that may not be planned and may include time to just relax.  Thanks to the internet, there are also a lot of great career search engines that simply require a student to put in their interests through basic questionnaires. Once completed your student will be linked to different careers, majors, and colleges.

Naviance - Family Connection

Contact me if you do not know your username or password

MassCIS

Career Cruising

Username: silver

Password: lake

4.  Complete an internship or job shadow - even if a student has no idea what they may be interested in, often times that is because they don't have any exposure with different areas of work and study.  Typically it is easier for people to figure out what they don't like, and eventually after that list is created, the list of traits/jobs they do like emerge.  Take your student to work for a day, or contact a local business to arrange a day for your student to observe a different line of work and gain valuable exposure.

5.  Visit colleges - it is never too early to take a college tour, drive through a campus, or view different colleges online.  If you happen to be driving by a college, get out, walk around, and take a tour.  The more exposure to different locations, campus styles, and environmental differences, will make the process of post-secondary planning easier when the time comes and much less overwhelming.  

Topic of the Month - May

High School and Peer Pressure

There are a lot of pressures in school-aged students, some academic, some family related, and others within their own peer groups and in social situations.  Being a part of a peer group has a lot of benefits both socially and emotionally, but there are also a great deal of negative impacts of peer pressure both within friend groups as well as within the school community.  All age brackets experience peer pressure on various levels, but often times the most difficult time to navigate these pressures is during middle and high school.  No longer are pressures just in a classroom, but they now take place before, during and after school as well through the use of social media.  

There are several indicators that could put your student more at risk for being susceptible to negative peer pressure

• Low self-importance
• Lack of confidence
• No particular interests or hobbies
• Feeling isolated from family
• Curiousity
• The need to "fit in"
• Being made fun of

(http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1041905/peer-pressure-for-teenagers-during-high-school)

Good news is that there is also positive peer pressure that can be encouraged and supported.  "Peer pressure is one of the most effective ways for a teen to practice good behavior and make smart choices in his or her life.  Parents and teachers should encourage teens to explore their independence with friends who make good decisions, promoting these kinds of positive peer influences." (http://www.allpsychologycareers.com/topics/peer-pressure.html).    

Dealing with Peer Pressure

Survey on Digital Peer Pressure

Helping your child combat Peer Pressure

Topic of the Month - April

When is the right time to talk about
Post-Secondary planning?

We get a lot of parents that ask us what they should be doing with regards to the college process and/or their students post-secondary planning.  The answer is it is never too early to start thinking about what your student plans to do and how they plan to get there after they complete high school.  Though the application process for a student who plans on attending a 4-year college, 2-year college, or a trade school doesn't typically begin until the Fall/Winter of their senior year, there are important steps that needs to be completed to get to that point.  

For many students, the college major is not the most important piece when researching colleges, but if a specific major is known it can absolutely and should be used as part of the search process.  Environmental factors (such as location, size, style of campus, academic rigor, distance from home) tend to play a larger role in not only whether or not a student will be successful but also whether or not they will be happy and stay for the length of their program.  

We encourage families to visit college campuses either through formal tours (you can sign up on most individual school's website) or just simply by driving or walking through a campus if you happen to be in the area.  As a student is exposed to different campuses and gets a feel for what styles of schools exist, it will make researching and decision making much easier, because they will begin to have opinions about what they like and dislike.  

As your student begins collecting data, we encourage the use of programs such as Naviance-Family Connection to save lists of schools they like, begin building their resume, complete college/career surveys, complete college searches, and keep a list of things that are "must haves" based on their information gathered.  As students continue through high school, discussion about potential careers is important, and if your student has a very specific idea about a major/career, then finding a school that offers that particular programming is also relevant.  The majority of students still enter college as "Undecided" and tend to attend a more liberal arts based school (a school that offers a variety of majors in many different areas of study).  

We recommend a student keep a rigorous schedule that is appropriate for their individual level and ability and also encourage families to set up meetings or phone calls to discuss any specific questions or concerns about the process with their counselor.  We offer a lot of resources on the Guidance website, under the "College Planning" tab as well for you to reference.  Though considered to be an extremely overwhelming and stressful process, when it is broken down into smaller steps it is very manageable and exciting.  If your student needs his/her password for their Naviance account or if you have any specific questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.  

College Planning Calendar

Choosing a College

Campus Visit Checklist 

Career Cruising
Username - silver
Password - lake

Topic of the Month - March

Understanding Silver Lake's Weighted 5.3 GPA Scale

A very common question heard throughout the school year involves our 5.3 weighted grading scale.  There has been a lot of confusion as well as misunderstanding surrounding how it is calculated as well as how it is interpreted at the college level during the application process.  High schools nationwide have various scales that they use to compute the grade point averages of their students.  Silver Lake's weighted 5.3 scale takes into account the grade a student earns in each class as well as the level of each class (Advanced Placement, Honors, College Preparatory 1 & 2).  The scale itself and a brief explanation is in our Student Handbook (page 14) for your reference.  I put together a brief Q & A section to address a few specific questions.  

Q.  What is a Term GPA versus a Cumulative GPA?

A. The Term GPA, which is reported on your Progress/Report Cards as well as through your Portal is the GPA you are earning in that specific period of time (for example Term 1).  Cumulative GPA refers to each term since the start of 9th grade calculated together (for example as a Term 1 Senior, the Cumulative GPA would include each term for 9th, 10th, 11th and Term 1 of Senior year).

Q.  What do colleges see on a transcript?

A.  When students apply to college, they send in their application anywhere from early fall to early spring (depends upon the individual school as well as what application type you are choosing).  As part of the application process, colleges receive a transcript which includes final grades for each class taken from 9th - 11th grade.  Senior year is broken down into individual term grades and transcripts are sent initially, at the Mid-Year point, and at the end of the school year, so that colleges are able to see how the student is progressing throughout the entire senior year.  The transcript also includes each academic years GPA as well as a Cumulative GPA.  Each academic year is just as important as the others and colleges hope to see a student improve and maintain their academic rigor each year.

Q.  How do I compare the Cumulative GPA to information reported by a college when doing college searches?

A.  You really can't compare our GPA scale to the information that is reported on an individual college's website, because that information is a "re-calculated" average typically of the previous years incoming class.  That is why the Naviance - Family Connection program is the easiest way to college search and compare yourself to the other Silver Lake students who have been accepted, denied, or waitlisted.  Though we don't have data on every college, we have compiled this information over the last 10 years.  As a result, statistics are provided and give you an accurate understanding about how your GPA compares to past Silver Lake applicants.  Your test scores (PSAT or SAT/ACT - depending upon which test you have taken) are also included in features such as the Scattergram, to give you an accurate understanding of how you compare with regards to admissions history at a particular school. 

** Please note that 9th and 10th grade students do not currently have their GPA listed in Naviance, but if you are currently a junior your Cumulative GPA can be found in the "About Me" section under "Profile" (the GPA reported includes 9th and 10th grade and will be updated at the end of the 11th grade to include your junior year GPA as well).   

If you do not have your login information for Naviance, or need assistance accessing information, please feel free to contact me directly.    

Additional Resources

Peterson's Guide to Understanding College Admission Requirements and your GPA

Admissions Standards for theMassachusetts State UniversitySystem and the University ofMassachusetts

Core Course GPA

School ID: 221105 - School Code: 733340022

Topic of the Month - February

What is Naviance - Family Connection?

Naviance - Family Connection is a one-stop shop to post-secondary planning, career exploration, and personal investigation.  It has a ton of features that can be accessed throughout your students high school career to provide you and your student with a wealth of information.  There are aspects appropriate to each grade, and we encourage students to explore and utilize Naviance - Family Connection as a tool to make planning for their future fun and exciting.    

Here is a brief summary of the different sections

About Me Tab - 

• Complete inventories that link to careers, majors, and colleges
• Build a resume
• Access your GPA, test scores (PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP), and decile (available to some grade levels)

My Planner Tab -

• Create future goals and to-do lists with regards to academic success and post-secondary planning.

Career Tab - 

• Explore career options 
• Complete Personality Type and Career Inventories that link to various majors, careers, and colleges.
• Explore Road Trip Nation 
• Based on general searches or your specific interests, link to different leaders who provide short interviews about their career choice.

College Tab - 

• Search Colleges
• Store searches, lists of schools of interest, and those that you may eventually apply to in the future.
• Look at statistics relevant to Silver Lake, including 
• Acceptance History - shows what schools Silver Lake students have been accepted to over the last 8-10 years.
• Scattergrams - compares your statistics (GPA and SAT Scores if appropriate based on grade) to other Silver Lake students who have applied to a particular school
• Search Enrichment Programs and access College Resources 

Please contact me if you need your Registration Code or your password reset.  

Topic of the Month - January

Stress and High School

There is a growing trend with students experiencing a great deal of stress as a result of workload, extracurricular involvement, social media, and other factors associated with life during high school.  Though a part of life, often times students struggle with being able to manage their levels of stress in a healthy way.  This skill building is something that needs to be practiced and incorporated into their daily living so that they can successfully manage their responsibility and expectation.

Teens Stress Levels 

Article by NBC on current levels of teen stress

How to Help Students Relax When They Are Feeling Stressed 

Useful tips on how to encourage relaxation

Kids Health

Teen Stress (Causes, Effects & Tips) Video

Stress Check Worksheet

Welcome

Welcome

I hope that you find the information provided useful.  Please feel free to put in your e-mail address to receive updates throughout the year, and check your class page regularly for new information.  Each month I will also post a general topic that may provide useful information for all grades. 

I look forward to keeping you informed and wish you a great year at Silver Lake!
~ Mrs. Ryan