To Teach and Inspire, to Reach and Transform. Every Student. Every Year

Counselors' Connection WAKEFIELD HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS' NEWSLETTER Issue 22 Number 1 First Quarter '11 Amy Muchnick Shilo, Director

To teach and inspire, to reach and transform. Every student. Every year.

FROM THE DIRECTOR... dependent on several factors: diploma type, their interests etc. It doesn’t seem possible that I’m writing the and the 4 year plan guides their choices. Each student’s 4 year Director’s Column with the heat on and wearing a plan is mailed home. There will be a parent signature form fleece. We have gone from summer to winter in a attached to the 4 year plan. Please sign the form and have blink just as it seems that the first month of school has your student return the signed parent signature form to the sped by in that same blink. But here we are! Our 2011-2012 counseling suite. Students Course Request Forms (CRFs) school year has started off with earthquakes, hurricanes and require a parent’s signature as well. Your student brings home the Summer Home Visit Project for our freshmen. Many of the CRF for your signature and they are returned to the the faculty and staff participated and by all reports the visits counselors. Look for the yellow CRFs in January and February. have been a great success. It has been a pleasure seeing the If you would like to meet with your student’s counselor while students I visited this summer and finding out how they’re they create/up-date the 4 year plan, please call or send an e- doing and continuing the connection. Last week the mail to your student’s counselor to request an appointment. counseling department held an all day workshop and trained over 60 student leaders for our new anti-bullying, anti- SAT/ACT/TOEFL INFORMATION harassment initiative, Project Upstanders. Our amazing The SATs are recommended for students who wish to attend a student leaders will lend their abilities, skills, talents, and four-year university directly after high school. It is advised that influence to help make Wakefield an even safer environment seniors take the SAT in the fall (November 5th or December for all of our students. We plan on continuing our very 3rd). The registration deadline for the December 3rd test is successful Career Development Initiative for our 10th grade November 8th. The ACT dates for the remainder of the fall are students. The capstone of last year’s Career Development October 22nd and December 19th. Registration deadline for the Initiative was our Career Day which included over 20 different December 19th administration is November 4th. These test presenters telling about themselves and their career paths. dates will ensure that the test results are sent to colleges Finally, check our web-site, school calendars, and before college applications are due. Many colleges have announcements for our evening workshops. The workshops application deadlines of November 30, December 15, and cover a variety of topics. Please come, get to know your January 1. Make sure to check your specific colleges. student’s counselor and the work we do with your student. Students whose first language is not English are counseled to UPCOMING COUNSELING WORKSHOPS take the TOEFL in the fall of their senior year. This test score  Wednesday, October 12th - Ballston Mall is used with the SAT/ACT score when applying to universities. Arlington College Fair Talk to your counselor for application instructions for the  Thursday, October 13th – Room 110 internet-based exam. Hispanic Parent Group – American Ed System Students on free or reduced lunch can receive fee vouchers  Wednesday, November 9th – Room 110 when applying for these tests. See your school counselor for NAVIANCE details.  Thursday, November 10th – Room 110 Hispanic Parent Group - Adolescents  Monday, December 5th - Room. 110 Financial Aid (12th grade parents) Naviance is a web-based management portal for life after high  Thursday, December 8th – Room 110 school, particularly focusing on college and career exploration. Hispanic Parent Group – College Application The Wakefield Counseling Department uses Naviance to process inform students about college visits and scholarships, building resumes and SAT and ACT preparation. Students are trained during their freshmen year and then utilize Naviance SCHEDULING AND 4 YEAR PLANS throughout their time at Wakefield. Students can access Every year the counselors and your student develop their Wakefield’s Naviance page through this link: individual 4 year plan. The 4 year plan is dynamic document www.connection.naviance.com/wakefieldhigh which serves as a road map for the courses your student will Parents can now access Naviance through their own portal for take during their years at Wakefield. The document may th change from year to year depending on new interests and the first time! On November 9 , the Counseling Department will ideas your student may have about their future plans. The 4 host a workshop designed for all parents to introduce the year plans are written throughout the year but tend to get functions and uses for Naviance. At the end of this workshop, written around scheduling time. Scheduling occurs during parents in attendance will be able to test out this new feature January and February. Students meet with their counselors, that we are very proud to offer. select their courses and fill out the Course Request Form (CRF) for the next year. The courses a student selects are Location: Room 110, Wakefield High School Time: Wednesday, November 9 @ 7pm states that “Bullying which occurs off of school premises, COLLEGE AND CAREER OFFICE including misuse or inappropriate use of technology, is also Welcome back and welcome to the cafeteria! The College prohibited and subject to school discipline when the order, and Career Office is now located in what we like to call the, safety, or welfare of the school or its students is affected as a “Senior Suite” aka the old teacher’s café. result of such out-of- school actions”. We are now in the college planning and application process. College representatives from all over the country are visiting If your child is being bullied or is bullying others, you can help. Wakefield to meet with your children. This is a great Talk to your child about bullying and harassment. If you think opportunity for your student to meet the reps one on one and your child is being bullied, ask your son or daughter what has get their questions answered quickly. happened. Encourage your child to report bullying at school to Scholarship time is all the time. I encourage students and teachers, school counselors, or their administrator. School parents to check out the following scholarship web-sites to administrators are responsible for investigating each report and see what’s out there: taking appropriate corrective action. www.scholarships.com and www.ed.gov/scholarships . Princeton Review and College Board have well vetted For additional resources on bullying, feel free to visit the scholarship lists as well. Please, remember do not pay following links: anyone for scholarship information. This information is free and easily accessible. If you have any questions or concerns www.stopbullying.gov , www.kidshealth.org , www.pta.org about something you may have received on-line or in the mail, please call your counselor or reach me for help: 703- 228-6711. GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR ACADEMICS Does your child like academic challenges? The Class of 2011 earned over $5 million dollars in merit Does he/she excel in school? Would he/she based scholarships. Apply, apply, apply is my advice to you! enjoy working with other gifted students on I will be contacting your child via Naviance and I will be challenging projects on a college campus? If sending information out via the Wakefield PTA-Booster list so, encourage your child to see Ms. Bushong for an application serve. to one of the Governor's School programs that takes place I look forward to another great year working with all of our every summer during the month of July at some of Virginia's students, not just the seniors…stop by or make an finest universities. There is a competitive admissions process, appointment. Let’s get off to a great start! See you soon and but the payoff is great. The experience is free for students who good luck! are selected. Programs are offered in Math, Science, and Technology; Agriculture; Humanities; and Life Science and Medicine. There are also mentorships in marine science and OCTOBER IS ANTI-BULLYING MONTH engineering. Applications are due to Delores Bushong, Resource Teacher for the Gifted, on Wednesday, November Bullying is a common and serious problem and for some 2nd by 3:30 pm in room 126. Call 703-228-6743 or e-mail students it may cause serious and lasting harm. According to [email protected] StopBullying.gov, an anti-bullying site managed by the Department of Education, bullying usually involves three things: imbalance of power, intent to harm and repetition. COUNSELORS CONTACT INFORMATION Listed below are phone numbers and email What does bullying look like? There are many forms of information for your child’s counselor. bullying. Examples include: Another great source of information is the Arlington Public Schools website at Verbal: name-calling, teasing www.APSVA.us and don’t forget to check out Wakefield’s home page at www.APSVA.us/Wakefield and click Social: spreading rumors, excluding specific on counseling link. persons, ridiculing Director of Counseling Services Physical: hitting, pushing, tripping AMY SHILO (703) 228-6714 [email protected] Cyber bullying: using the internet, text messages or Counselors other electronic devices to harm others. KELLY CARRUTHERS (703) 228-6723 [email protected] Arlington Public Schools strives to develop and maintain a VERONICA COVARRUBIAS (703) 228-6713 climate of respect within each school. Wakefield High School [email protected] has zero tolerance for bullying and is committed to creating a ALFRED REID (703) 228 -6707 safe, caring, and respectful learning environment for all [email protected] students. Every Wakefield student should feel valued and a ANDREW SATANAPONG (703) 228-6706 part of our thriving learning community. We expect every [email protected] member of Wakefield community to exhibit respectful JOSEPH SPENCER (703) 228 -6717 behavior towards each other at all times. It is our collective [email protected] responsibility to ensure the well-being of all our members. ALVIN TRUESDALE (703) 228-6669 [email protected] Harassing/Bullying behavior will not be tolerated and, this JOHN CLISHAM (703) 228-6711 includes cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is the use of [email protected] technology to humiliate and embarrass others. Arlington ANALIA ALMADA (703) 228-8819 Public Schools and the Virginia Board of Education have [email protected] established very strict guidelines concerning bullying and harassment behavior. The cyber-bullying guideline clearly Rigor  Relationships Resilience Responsibility Results