The Deering Weekly Update

2nd Annual Diversity Among Us: All Males of Color Conference. DHS welcomed 13 strong & empowering males of color and over 80+ male students of color for an "uplifting and rewarding" 2 hour conference. Topics ranged from stories of immigration to the US and struggles being a male minority, followed by an open Q&A for students and panelists.

(Photo by DHS Alum John Ochira: (left) Berthlley Despacho ~PPS Multilingual & Cultural Broker; Abdillahi A~ Gateway Community; Claude Rwaganje~ProsperityME (Maine); Roy Chatterjee~ DHS Mentoring Program; Patrick Abedi~PPS Language Acquisition Specialist; Xaiver Botana~ PPS Superintendent; Tae Chong~Catholic Charities; Ahmed Jasim~PPS Multilingual; Roberto Rodrigez~ School Board Rep; Carlos Gomez~PPS Multilingual; & Lance Gibbs~USM Professor of Ethnic Studies.)

⇨ CORRECTION: Last week's newsletter featured a photo of Rosy Mejia Aquino and Rivaldo Sanchez. They are Presidents of the Spanish Conversation Club by whom the pupusa party pictured was hosted. The club is open to anyone interested in practicing speaking Spanish and includes students who represent the whole student body, not only ELL students.

Vol. 4, November 4, 2019. If you have news you'd like to share or questions about something you read here, please contact Sarah Shmitt at [email protected] HERE is our new DEERING COMPREHENSIVE CALENDAR. This online calendar will be updated frequently and will be linked to the DHS website and the DHS facebook page.

Date Event and Info Time Location Notes

Monday, Nov 4 Meeting for 6 pm Room 217 Students and parents those traveling are asked to attend to Greece in April

Saturday, Deering Silent 4 - 7 pm Woodford Raffles, games, light November 16 Auction to 's Club food support ALL Deering students

For Deering's Sport Schedules, visit www.deeringathletics.com

Don't Go Hungry! COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING MEALS

Deering Center Community Church will be hosting a traditional Thanksgiving meal with Wayside on Thanksgiving Day. Free to all community members at 4 Brentwood Street from 12pm – 1pm. No registration required. Call 773-2423 for more information.

Portland Club and Wayside will be providing a free meal on the day of Thanksgiving. All are welcome. Food will be served at 156 State Street from 11am – 1pm. No registration required. Call 775-4939 for more information.

Preble Street Resource Center will be providing their scheduled free meals on Thanksgiving Day – lunch and dinner will be Thanksgiving Themed. Open to everyone. Call 775-0026 for more information. Visit 252 Oxford Street: Breakfast: 8 – 9:30am Lunch: 11:30 – 1pm Dinner: 4:30 – 6pm

Teen Center, 343 Cumberland Ave.: Breakfast: 8 – 9:00am Lunch: Noon – 1pm Dinner: 6 – 7:00pm

DEERING PARENT GROUPS NEWS

NEXT PTO MEETING: TUESDAY, November 12, 6:00-7:30 pm. Deering Library. Science teacher Karen Shibles will share information on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and the STEM endorsement certificate at DHS. Also discussion and planning for the year. If you have agenda items you would like add, email [email protected],

MINUTES from the September 16 PTO / PAG meeting are HERE

Currently scheduled PTO meetings for the year are Tuesday, Nov. 12, Monday, Jan. 27, Monday, March 16, Monday, May 11, all 6-7:30 in the DHS library. Hope to see you there! Questions, contact [email protected] PLEASE GET INVOLVED and SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL! Contact us at [email protected]

**CLYNK bags are helping us raise money for our projects like books for teachers and the DHS community. If you want any CLYNK bags, let us know and we’ll drop some off at your house.

Deering Consolidated Boosters Purple & White Club

Are you a parent or guardian of a Deering Student Athlete?

Come see what Deering Consolidated Boosters is all about! Please join us on Wednesday, November 6 at 6 pm in Room 219.

Can’t make the meeting? Email us at [email protected] to find out how you can help.

April Trip to Greece At 6:00 P.M. on November 4th, there will be a meeting in Room 217 to discuss the trip to Greece over April vacation. This is for students and parents already signed up. If

you are interested in joining the trip, please see Ms Toppan soon because final payments are due by December.

From Friday, November 11th's Adulting-101 workshop: Tired of taking the Metro? Come find out how to SAVE, SEARCH & PURCHASE your first Car with the experts from CarMax.

Drama Department Needs Props for Miracle Worker

WE STILL NEED:

Two twin bed mattresses

A life size baby doll

A smallish dome top old-fashioned trunk

We could also use a fake roasted turkey for the dinner scene.

CONTACT Ms Harris if you can help: [email protected]

From Our Music Department

On Thursday November 7, the Chamber Singers and Chorus will participate in the Maine Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association Fall Festival. Other schools participated are Thornton Academy, Yarmouth, Winslow, Gorham, Greely, Massabesic, South Portland and Bonny Eagle. This will involve an entire day to art of Choral music. As usual the attire will be concert black; this is the policy of our

All-State Music Festival, and Portland Public Schools high school ensembles has embraced it. Students who need assistance with the wardrobe simply need to see Dr. Stickney who has established a concert attire closet to ensure all students have black “from stem to stern”.

Accolades to Joey Lancia who will be representing Deering High School at the All-State Jazz festival 2020. Mr. Lancia is a Senior and has worked hard to attain his achievement.

Please Donate Warm Clothes! The RAMily Market is asking for clothing donations to get students prepared for the winter season. Like new or gently-used contemporary high-school age clothing is needed.

All donations are welcome, but winter gear (hats, scarves, gloves, jackets, etc...) are especially needed! We have plenty of men's dress shirts, so no need for those right now.

PROJECT GRAD Attention Class of 2020 Parents/Guardians! Please join the Project Grad Committee. Our next meeting is October 29th at Deering. The meeting will begin at 5:30pm. Come learn what Project Grad is all about, and what you can do to help your Senior have an amazing year. “It takes many hands” to make project graduation successful, and we look forward to growing our committee. The meeting will be held in room 317.

For additional information, e-mail: Mr. Cherry at [email protected] or follow our Facebook page “DHS Project Graduation 2020”.

An Important Message from Nurse Nalli Fall is definitely here and with the cooler weather and changing leaves comes the start of flu season. Deering High School has flu shots available at Student Based Health Center (SBHC). Students (under 18 years) must have a signed parent/guardian consent form to receive the flu shot. Copies of this consent form are available in the nurse's office and at the School Health Center. Once the consent form is completed, an appointment can be made for the flu shot. These are available regardless of ability to pay. Please let me know if you have any questions. ~Nurse Nalli~

Deering Yearbook Raffle: Patrick Dempsey!

Enter Deering Yearbook's raffle to win a 2019 yearbook signed by Patrick Dempsey. Tickets will be for sale starting October 15, 2019. Seniors Samatra Sam and Miranda Beard (pictured below) participated in a 5k walk as part of their senior capstone. While taking part in the Dempsey Center event, the two students were able to meet Patrick Dempsey and leave with a signed yearbook!

If interested in purchasing tickets--

1 ticket for $5

3 tickets for $12

10 tickets for $25

Tickets will be on sale during lunch, at various school events or just contact Mr. Lawless in Room 113 ([email protected]) Drawing will be at the end of the semester in January

2020 YEARBOOK: Purchase Today!

The 2020 yearbook can be ordered online at YBPAY.com and the id number is 11227420. The yearbooks are on sale for $60 and the sale will end by November 1st. The original price is $70.

The 2019 yearbook can be purchased for $40. See Mr. Lawless in Room 113 if interested.

WEX Job Shadows: February and April Break WEX will continue to offer job shadow opportunities to high school juniors and seniors who are able to commute to the Portland area over school break. In 2020, there will be two cohorts: one in February and one in April. Detailed information about the program - including a list of FAQs

Applications for both cohorts will be open until December 23, 2019. Detailed information about the program - including a list of FAQs--as well as registration information is available from Ms Willams in room 214.

Week of 10/28/2019

STEM Newsletter Items

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year. Look for STEM ELOs & STEM Scholarship opportunities to be posted here each week.

If your student is new to Deering or new to the STEM Endorsement work, encourage them to join the Google Classroom for program requirements, ELO trackers and general announcements. Google Code: xa03aiv

STEM ELOs:

● Students interested in the ME App Challenge should join Mrs. Shibles on Tuesday during WINN for the ME App Challenge Meetup. We will meet in room 303 and learn about the competition, brainstorm app ideas, and discuss available tools. No experience needed.

● Seats are going fast on the bus trip to UMaine to learn about their engineering program. See details from last week’s post.

● Students interested in learning about the Maine State Science Fair should join Mrs. Shibles on Thursday during WINN to learn about the competition and to brainstorm project ideas.

● Does your senior need help planning their STEM-based Capstone project? I will be available both lunches on Wednesday in room 116 - the STEM lab.

STEM Scholarships:

● Jackson Lab is once again awarding a $10,000 scholarship to three graduating high school seniors from Maine, Connecticut, and Sacramento County, California who are pursuing a degree in biomedicine ○ Candidates must: demonstrate either significant financial need or status as a first-generation college student, including individuals whose parents have not completed a Bachelor’s degree; be on track to complete their high school diploma with a cumulative GPA greater or equivalent to 3.5 on a standard 4.0 scale; be nominated by a teacher, administrator, or guidance counselor ○ Teacher/counselor nomination deadline: February 1, 2020 ○ Student application deadline: February 15, 2020 ○ Students who are interested and believe they meet the above criteria can meet with Mrs. Shibles to discuss how to proceed. Learn more at the JAX College Scholarship site.

● Science Ambassador Scholarship for female students who are passionate about STEM. DEADLINE December 9, 2019 @ midnight CST.

⇨ Please check descriptions/deadlines from prior posts.

November 4, 2019 DHS Guidance News

For Families of Juniors Over the week of November 4 - 8, School Counselors will be going into English 11 classes to talk to Juniors about the different criteria that Colleges and Universities look at when deciding whether to admit, waitlist, or deny student applicants. We’ll go over the importance of taking appropriately challenging classes, earning solid grades, preparing for SATs and what a “good” score is (this is a tricky one!), extra-curriculars and/or after school jobs and why it is essential to have interests outside of academics, and many more related topics around the variety of criteria colleges look at when assessing applicants for admission.

In the month of December, we’ll go back into these same classes to do a Part II presentation which will entail talking with Juniors about what criteria they should be looking at in order to begin the process of finding colleges or universities that match their unique, individual academic and social goals.

For Families of Sophomores

If your child is enrolled in English 10 and/or Early US History this semester, ask them to show you the results of one or both of the surveys they took on Naviance.

Last week, October 28-30th, School Counselors went into English 10 classes to do a “Do What You Are” survey with Sophomores.

What is the Do What You Are Survey?

Do What You Are is a Personality assessment based on Jungian typology. It identifies these dimensions of personality: Introvert, Extravert, Sensing, Intuitive, Thinking, Feeling, Judging and Perceptive. It helps students to identify their natural preferences, gifts and talents. This information helps students increase self-understanding and enhances personal development. After completing the survey, students are often better able to do the following:

● Identify potential college majors and/or career fields ● Understand learning style ● Improve communication and relationships ● Increase appreciation for diversity ● Enhance study skills

● Increase motivation

Counselors went into Early US History/AP US History classes the week of Oct 21-25th to do a Strengths Explorer with 10th graders.

What is a Strengths Explorer?

Strengths Explorer assesses 10 talent themes and identifies each student’s three strongest emerging talents such as Confidence, Dependability, or Future Thinker. It provides explanations of these themes, strategies for capitalizing on each, and action items to help students gain insight into their greatest talents – natural patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior – to leverage in the classroom and in life.

StrengthsExplorer Themes:

Achieving Caring Competing Confidence Dependability Discoverer Future Thinker Organizer

Your child’s School Counselor at Deering will often utilize the information gleaned from the Do What You Are and the StrengthsExplorer surveys later in the junior and senior years when we are working with your teen to map out their unique plan for career, college, and/or military after high school.

College Representatives in Guidance.

If your child is interested in attending any of these information sessions, they can sign up on the home page of Naviance

All upcoming college visits to Deering High are listed in Naviance on the bottom right of the Home page. For more info or for assistance on getting into Naviance, students should see Ms. Adams, Guidance Secretary (874-8264).

NOVEMBER COLLEGE VISITS

Clark University (MA) Tuesday, November 5th at 8:00 am

Chewonki (ME) Tuesday, November 5th at 9:00 am

Husson University (ME) Tuesday, November 5th at 9:30 am

Saint Anselm College (NH) Tuesday, November 5th at 11:15am

University of Hartford (CT) Wednesday, November 6th at 9:00 am

Empire Beauty Schools (ME) Wednesday, November 6th at 10:00 am

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences(MCPHS) Wednesday, November 6th, at 12 noon Wentworth Institute of Technology (MA) Thursday, November 7th at 8:00 am

Bryant University (RI) Thursday, November 7th at 9:45 am

UPCOMING INSTANT ADMIT DAYS

IF YOUR 12TH GRADE CHILD IS INTERESTED IN APPLYING TO

University of Maine at Orono (UMO)

University of New England (UNE)

AND/OR

University of Southern Maine (USM)

Wouldn’t it be great if your child knew in November that they had been accepted at one or more of these schools? You bet!!

College Admissions Reps from UMO, UNE, and USM will be at Deering High to meet individually with 12th graders who have completed the Common Application and are interested in possibly attending their institution in the fall of 2020. The College Reps will go over your child’s completed application, high school transcripts, and SATs, if required, and determine on the spot whether your child can be admitted. It really is an instant admission! Here are the dates of each Admit Day:

University of Maine/Orono (UMO) Thur., Nov. 14th

University of New England (UNE), Tue., Nov. 19th

University of Southern Maine (USM), Thur., Nov. 21st

Interested Students Must Register to Participate in an Admit Day!

Please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/findasignup to register for one or more schools.

You will see “Search for a sign up by creator’s email” type in: [email protected]

Any questions about an Admit Day can be directed to your child’s School Counselor.

JUST FOR FUN

Take a gander at this Globe Magazine article "12 Signs You’re Losing It Over the College Admissions Process"

https://collegeadmissionsstrategies.com/fafsa-opened-october-1st-file-as-soon-as-you- can/

Calling all Guardians of College Bound Teens

Applying Early Decision: What You Need to Know

Should your child apply early decision to college?

This is the time of year when high school seniors aiming for some of the most selective colleges and universities must decide if they will apply early decision.

When students submit an early decision application, they promise that they will attend if the institution accepts them. A student accepted via early decision must withdraw all other college applications. There are advantages to applying early decision but there are also some major pitfalls. Click here for an article by Lynn O’Shaughnessy of College Solutions to clarify whether Early Decision is right for your child.

Important Upcoming PSAT and SAT Testing Dates

Click here for all 2019-20 SAT/SUBJECT TEST dates, deadlines and registration info

12th graders interested in taking an SAT should use the above link to register for the December 7 test date. Taking the SAT/Subject Tests after the December test date may jeopardize making college application deadlines.

11th Graders will be taking the SAT at Deering in April, however any Junior can register for an SAT or Subject Test prior to that April date. A number of Juniors choose to take the SAT one, two, sometimes even three times in order to get comfortable with the test. As they become more familiar with the actual test, they learn where their strengths and weaknesses are and can utilize Khan Academy for FREE practice in order to improve their test scores for college admission and heightened opportunities to get more merit scholarships.

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration (additional fee) DEC 7, 2019 NOV 8, 2019 NOV 19, 2019 MAR 14, 2020 FEB 14, 2020 FEB 25, 2020 MAY 2, 2020 APR 3, 2020 APR 21, 2020 **JUNE 6, 2020 MAY 8, 2020 MAY 27, 2020

** The June 6 Test Date is the last one for the 2019-20 school year

Where Can Your Child Get In With Their

SAT Scores?

Students and Parents Can Search Colleges by Admission Test Score

College Simply

College Simply parsed admissions data from over 4,000 U.S. colleges and analyzed what SAT and ACT test scores get in where. Select your test score to find out where you may fit in best and estimate how likely you are to get accepted. The guide is organized by SAT and ACT score and presents the best colleges which have historically accepted students for each score.

Attention Families of College Bound Seniors

The 2020-2021 FAFSA is now available- FAME has tools to help you file!

The FAFSA became available on October 1. Now is the time to get the FAFSA completed for the 2020-2021 academic year! There is no downside to filing early, and it is one of the best ways to maximize financial aid eligibility.

The 2020-2021 FAFSA requires 2018 income information. We strongly recommend using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within the FAFSA to transfer 2018 income information directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. To make the process easier, be sure you have 2018 federal tax returns, including Schedules and W2s, in front of you when completing the FAFSA.

At least one school needs to be listed on the FAFSA, but additional schools can be added after the FAFSA has been submitted -- just return to FAFSA.gov.

Need help filing the FAFSA? Free help is available from FAME anytime:

1. Attend an In-Person FAFSA Help Session: FAME will be offering 14 In-Person FAFSA Help Sessions statewide starting on Thursday, October 10. Find and register for an event near you: https://www.famemaine.com/education/topics/filing-the-fafsa/in-person-he lp-sessions/

2. Use FAME's Online Help: Prepare to file by reviewing FAME's Get Ready to File the 2020-2021 FAFSA checklist. View our Filing the FAFSA video. Follow our 3-step guide: What You Need to File, Filling Out the Form and After You File. Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

3. Contact a FAME expert: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM Phone: 1-800-228-3734; TTY 207-626-2717 Email: [email protected]

$$$$$ Scholarships and Resources for Finding Them $$$.

Here are some reputable resources for scholarship searches: FAME (the Financial Authority of Maine) lists many scholarship and financial aid resources on their website (famemaine.com). Look through the Maine Scholarships list and have your student apply to several. This is the best site we have found for advice on paying for college. MES is another scholarship resource, as in the Maine Community Foundation.

We found a good resource for scholarship information from Reviews.com. This is a website “dedicated to conducting data driven and unbiased research about topics that can help make an impact in people's lives.” Below is a link that covers the best scholarship search sites, what you should know about scholarships, and how best to apply, etc: Reviews.com scholarship search

LendEdU for scholarships and search tips: http://lendedu.com/blog/scholarships

Calling all Juniors with Leadership Experience! Become a Bezos Scholar.

Bezos Scholars hail from rural Texas, Morocco, the Bronx, Zimbabwe, and even Portland, Maine—and everywhere in between. What they share is a rich diversity of experience, thought, and passion for making a difference.

● Applicant must:

○ Be a junior during the current academic year and a senior the following academic year. ○ Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or have received DACA status. ○ Have a proven track record of demonstrated leadership in their school and/or community. ○ Have taken and received scores for at least one of these tests: PSAT, SAT, ACT, or ACT Aspire. ○ Be enrolled in, or have taken, one or more Advanced Placement (AP) classes, International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, or college-level courses. ○ Be available to fully participate in the year-long program and attend all dates for the Aspen Ideas Festival trip in Aspen, Colorado: June 27 - July 3, 2020. We apologize in advance, but no exceptions for late arrival or early departure (barring an emergency) can be made. ○

For More Information and to Apply online, click here:

https://bezosscholars.org/apply/#becomeabezosscholar

Local Portland and Maine State Scholarships

More and more Local and State Scholarships are being added all the time on your senior child’s Home Page of their Naviance Account this time of year! If you want to see that comprehensive list, ask your child to show you their Naviance Account. The Scholarship List is on the Naviance Home Page in the left, bottom corner of the page.

(Students who may have forgotten their Username & Password for Naviance can always see Ms. Adams in Guidance to get refreshed on that information.)

Summer 2020 Study Opportunities

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES IN EVERY STATE THAT HAVE PRE-COLLEGE COURSE OFFERINGS IN THE SUMMER FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: https://blog.prepscholar.com/pre-college-summer-programs-for-high-school-students

DON'T FORGET--Your student can also study abroad! Check out CIEE's Global Navigators Programs for high school students here.

Career Opportunities in Maine

DESTINATION OCCUPATIONS HAS UPDATED THEIR SITE WITH MANY EXCITING, WELL-PAYING JOB OPPORTUNITIES RIGHT HERE IN MAINE FOR BOTH TEENS AND ADULTS .

So. . . What do you want to do? Destination Occupation is the place to go for an insider’s look at Maine’s best careers with some of the state’s most dynamic employers, from entrepreneurial ventures to Maine’s largest organizations! This is a great site for teenagers wanting to know more about specific career fields as well as what job opportunities are available in Maine today. The site is also superb for adults as well. Click here for more information.