J A N - M A R 2 0 1 8 / / Q U A R T E R 3 Updates and Tips to STAYING ON TRACK Support Your Teen

IN THIS ISSUE Triton College FOUR MYTHS ABOUT COMMUNITY COLLEGE PAGE 1 & 4

TALKING TO YOUR TEEN ABOUT HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS PAGE 2

OPRF SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION PAGE 3

OPRFHS GAP YEAR FAIR 2019 PAGE 3 FOUR MYTHS ABOUT bachelors or graduate degree from three public and three COMMUNITY COLLEGE private institutions directly from BOOK REVIEW OF THE Triton’s campus. Students can QUARTER - UNTANGLED 1. "COMMUNITY COLLEGE apply to and graduate from the PAGE 4 CREDITS WILL NOT TRANSFER" individual institution offering the Transferring credits can selected programs from a variety UPCOMING require a bit more effort, but it is of academic disciplines. All HIGHLIGHTS not impossible. Some schools universities are fully accredited have programs that are and have the same academic FRESHMEN specifically intended to help you standards as other courses and -Naviance assessments: personality, transfer. Most four-year colleges programs offered at their home strengths, goal-setting have explicit transfer equivalency site. A representative from each -Create five-year plans with their guidelines, and it is institution is available on Triton’s counselor SOPHOMORES recommended to research this campus to assist students with -Individual course selection meetings information early. As a general their academic planning. The with counselor rule, in-state public schools take partner institutions include -Review five-year plans with their more credits than do private Benedictine University, counselor institutions. The link below can Dominican University, Eastern JUNIORS assist students with planning Illinois University, Governors -SAT and/or ACT test prep; register ahead for a successful transfer of State University, National Louis for a national exam -Plan college visits and vocational higher education coursework University, and Southern Illinois program tours for long weekends within Illinois. University Carbondale. For more and spring break -CLICK HERE for more info information, visit the University SENIORS Triton College University Center Center on Triton’s campus in Rm. - Apply for OPRFHS Scholarship This partnership program B-250 in the “B” building or click Foundation scholarships (online app open January 11-Feb 1) provides students with an path- the link below. -Narrow down post-secondary plans way and opportunity to earn a -CLICK HERE for more info (continued on page 4) with counselor

Oak Park & River Forest High School, Student Services Division, 2018-2019 Wishing everyone a happy and healthy quarter! - PSS Team members and staff 2

successes alike, and determine a TALKING TO YOUR plan of action together should TEEN ABOUT they experience a difficult or HEALTHY unhealthy relationship. Let them know that abuse is always a RELATIONSHIPS choice, and they deserve to be respected. This way, your teen Communication is the key to knows they can trust you to help healthy relationships, whether they them in times of crisis. be with friends or partners. Model -Guide your teen toward a sense healthy communication for your of confidence. Help them teen by using the following determine a process for making strategies. good decisions, so they know what -Encourage your teen to build a to do when a problem arises. Let healthy lifestyle. Building strong them know that it is okay to speak relationships with family and up when something is bothering friends can act as a social buffer to them in a relationship. any relationship that may be Teach your teen about consent. unhealthy or harmful. Encourage People typically talk about your child to pursue relationships consent in the context of some with people who share similar kind of physical activity with a blame them or assume that they interests. Educate your teen about partner. However, in a healthy want to be in that relationship. the importance of self care, taking relationship, partners or friends time to recharge, and getting are able to openly talk and agree Don’t know where to start? enough sleep. If they are not taking upon any kind of activity in which Encourage your teen to check out care of themselves first, it can be they want to engage. Let your www.loveisrespect.org or try very difficult to maintain healthy teen know consent means using one or more of these relationships with others. communicating regularly and conversation starters from Sarah’s -Help your teen set healthy respecting someone’s boundaries Inn (https://sarahsinn.org/) boundaries. Ask them to think if they say no or are unsure. -Choose one couple you know of about what they are and are not -Be supportive. Offer reassurance who you think has a good comfortable with, and encourage and encouragement when they are relationship and one couple who them to communicate those struggling with maintaining you think has an unhealthy boundaries to friends and partners. healthy relationships with peers. relationship. Why did you pick Assure them that it is okay for Present counseling services with these couples? What are the their boundaries to change and the their school social worker as an characteristics you like and don’t importance of sharing that with option available that they can like? anyone as they see fit. choose rather than mandating -What does it mean to stand up -Prioritize your teen’s safety. they attending counseling. If you for yourself? When you stand up Take the time to listen to your see your teen struggling with an for yourself, how does it make you child about their struggles and unhealthy relationship, do not feel? Do you think you are being strong, bossy, or pushy? Why? -What are some things that you like/don’t like about your friends and how they treat you? -How would you want someone to make you feel in a relationship?

Adapted from: https://www.loveisrespect.org/ healthy-relationships/

https://sarahsinn.org/talkingto teens/

Oak Park & River Forest High School, Student Services Division, 2018-2019 Wishing everyone a happy and healthy quarter! - PSS Team members and staff 3

OPRFHS SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

OPRF Scholarship Application Opened on January 11th!!! Since 1924, the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation has awarded college scholarships to hundreds of OPRFHS graduates who have demonstrated academic excellence, initiative, leadership, and financial need. In recent years, the foundation has increased the number of scholarships that are given each spring, enabled in large part by the generosity of parents, retirees, alumni, and friends of the high school. In the last 15 years, the Foundation has THINKING ABOUT awarded OPRFHS seniors more TAKING A GAP than 800 scholarships for post- secondary study. This support YEAR? makes a meaningful difference to Oak Park River Forest High help our students meet the high School will be hosting a Gap Year There are many reasons to cost of college tuition. Fair on January 25th starting at consider a gap year: 6:00 pm with a presentation Dates for Scholarship followed by our annual Gap Year • Another year of growth and Foundation activities: Fair from 6:45- 8:30 pm. maturity can be great preparation -Friday January 11th Local Representatives from many gap for all post-secondary plans, Scholarships Application Website year programs will be available to whether it be college or career. OPENS share information and answer • A gap year allows students to -Friday February 2nd Local questions. push themselves outside of their Scholarships Application Website -CLICK HERE to see a list of the comfort zones and develop the CLOSES Gap Year Programs that will be resiliency and confidence to The application link will be at the fair fully take advantage of all available on the Home Page of -CLICK HERE to pre-register future opportunities. www.oprfhs.org. A final listing of Not sure what your child might • Travel can provide a great all 2019 community scholarships interested in? Have them opportunity for personal growth will be posted on the OPRFHS complete the quiz via the link and to learn about the world homepage early in second below. This can be helpful in beyond our community. semester. To complete the finding the program that most • Service – isn’t this reason Common Application for suits your child’s interests and enough? scholarships, student must access needs. • Learning a new language can be the link through their OPRFHS -CLICK HERE for more info a life skill. account. Student award recipients Of course, these are not the • Who knows what adventures will be notified by early April. only options for gap year await? programs. There are many more. Contact However, this is a good start Come check out the Gap Year [email protected] when exploring the possibility of Fair! for additional information. taking a gap year.

Oak Park & River Forest High School, Student Services Division, 2018-2019 Wishing everyone a happy and healthy quarter! - PSS Team members and staff 4

3. “The Professors Are Subpar” FOUR MYTHS ABOUT BOOK REVIEW OF Full-time faculty community COMMUNITY COLLEGE college professors are required to THE QUARTER: (continued from page 1) have a Master’s degree, generally UNTANGLED Triton College Satellite program: in a field close to the subject they Triton College Relations teach. The curriculum is on par Associates assist any student in with the universities and the the application and enrollment classes can be just as challenging. process, and each serve as the Community colleges now require main contact for various in- most professors to have a district high schools. Michael Master’s or Doctoral degree in Olson is the Triton representative their discipline. Thus, community for OPRFHS and is available to college professors are definitely meet with students on the high qualified and students will need school campus on the following to work hard to impress them. dates/times: 1/17, 1/31, 2/14, Also, it is important to be aware 2/18, 3/14, 3/28, 4/11, 4/25, and that at large, often expensive 5/2 during 4th and 5th period of four-year colleges, it is not the day. For Triton related guaranteed that a student will be questions or information, you may taught by a doctorate level contact Michael Olson directly at: professor. [email protected]/708- 4. "Students only attend As a counselor and mother of two 456-0300, Ext. 4111. community college because they daughters, I found this book so cannot get in to a four-year insightful and full of concrete Additional Partnership Programs: university" examples and guidance! In -DePaul Partnership Program Many students are making the Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls (DAPP) financial-savvy decision to attend through the Seven Transitions into CLICK HERE for more info or community college. Although Adulthood, Dr. Lisa Damour contact the admissions office at students can gain admission into provides candid, practical 312-362-8300 or email at a four-year university prior to information and strategies for [email protected]. their enrollment in a community understanding and raising teenage college, they can also take time -Elmhurst College daughters, based on decades of during the first two years to CLICK HERE for more info experience and research working explore majors they enjoy before -Concordia University Chicago with girls and their parents. She applying to top programs in their CLICK HERE for more info discusses the seven transitions field. 2. "THE CLASSES ARE EASY" that all girls go through as they If students are not planning to The perception that move from children to adults. Dr. transfer to a four-year university, community college (CC) courses Damour touches upon topics that they can take advantage of are less rigorous may stem from OPRF parents and educators deal Certificate programs. Triton their open enrollment policy. No with with regularly, such as College offers over 100 certificate one is turned away for academic managing anxiety, handling phone programs for students preparing failure, however, this does not and social media usage, picking to start a career. mean community colleges are your battles regarding teenage -CLICK HERE for more info handing out As for little work. attitudes, and helping your child Dual-Credit is a way to earn Community colleges have fully work with different types of both college and high school credit accredited and challenging teachers. Dr. Damour uses for specific courses taken at courses. A student’s experience example situations from her own a community college or at their depends on the level of classes practice as demonstrations, and high school. This option provides they take compared to their then provides insight on alternate students with an opportunity to ability to do the coursework. perspectives and when it might be jump start their college education, Also, at the honors programs can time to worry and seek outside while saving money. be very advanced. support. -CLICK HERE: Huffington Post -CLICK HERE for more info article on Community College

Oak Park & River Forest High School, Student Services Division, 2018-2019 Wishing everyone a happy and healthy quarter! - PSS Team members and staff