Battlefield High School Parent Newsletter March 2016 “Success is a Choice” MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Table of Contents Principal’s Message 1-2 Parents of Seniors: As you may know by now, the graduation ceremony has been confirmed for Tuesday, June 7, at 6:00 p.m. at Jiffy Lube Live. Art 3 Students will need a cap and gown for the ceremony. If you have not yet Counseling 4-8 ordered one, you can contact a representative at Herff Jones at 866-238- 5335 or [email protected] Graduation practice will be held on Cafeteria 9 the morning of Monday, June 6, at 8:30 a.m. at Jiffy Lube Live. Any student Achievements 10 who wishes to participate in the graduation ceremony must attend practice. Information about the exam schedule for Seniors will be released in April. Government 11–12 During April, review for SOLs, Advanced Placement (AP) exams, and the Athletics 13-16 Workplace Readiness exam will be offered each week. Schedules that Careers 17 include date, time, and topics to be covered will be posted on the school’s Library 18-19 website during the week of March 28. Please encourage your student to attend the review sessions so he/she will be fully prepared for end of the Music 20 year testing. Becca’s Closet 21 PTO 21 Robotics 22-23 FBLA 24 School Board 24 Honor Roll 25-35 Booster 36 Principal’s Message (cont’d next pg.) PTO 37-38 1 Principal’s Message (cont’d) For those parents who drive your children to school, we need your help! Each morning over 1,000 cars enter the parking lot at Battlefield in a 30 minute SCHOOL window (6:50 a.m. to 7:20 a.m.). With this number of cars and the number of ADMINISTRATION buses that enter and leave each morning, the traffic often backs up. Lately, a Amy S. Ethridge-Conti, number of parents have been allowing their children to get out of cars on Principal Graduation Drive or at the entrance to the parking lot. This is highly dangerous Christopher Hintosh, as students are darting between moving cars during a time of day where the light Assistant Principal is limited. Judith Lester, Please help us to ensure the safety of all students, including those who are in Assistant Principal their first months/years of driving. If you are going to drive your child to Christopher McMillan, school, it is imperative you drop your student off at the front of the school. If Assistant Principal students are ready to exit the cars quickly, the traffic in front of the building will Julia Renberg, move faster. If your child needs time to remove items like large projects, please Assistant Principal pull into the front parking lot to allow traffic to continue to move efficiently. Julie Byrne, Director of School Counseling I would like to thank our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for their generous donation of 8 document cameras. These have already been issued to members Jason Koch, Director of Student Activities of our staff and are being used by students in the classrooms. The PTO is also helping the school to share information and resources related to mental health, Joseph Huddle, suicide prevention, bullying prevention, and substances abuse prevention. If Specialty Programs Coordinator you have not visited the PTO webpage recently, please take a moment to check it out at www.bhs-pto.com As always, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Amy S. Ethridge-Conti Principal 2 ART An art reception was held Sunday, February 28, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in honor of students whose artwork were selected for this showcase exhibition. Works of art were submitted in December from Prince William County schools. A group of retired art educators selected which pieces would be accepted into this year’s county wide exhibition featuring art from elementary, middle and high schools across the county. The exhibition will be on display through March 20 in the Hylton Performing Arts Gallery located on the second floor of the center. Battlefield High School had 3 works of art to be a part of this year’s exhibition; these pieces were by Hannah Boutwell, An Thai, and Sydney Williams. Both Hannah and Sydney along with their families attended the reception. Sydney was a guest speaker discussing the symbolism behind the watercolor still life painting created in memory of her grandmother. Charcoal drawing by Hannah Boutwell, 11th grade Watercolor painting by Syndey Williams,12th grade Tempera painting by An Thai, 12th grade Tempera painting by An Thai, 12th grade 3 COUNSELING Did you know? The BHS Counseling Office processed and submitted 1878 senior midyear transcripts to colleges and universities in February! Course Selection for 2016-2017 In mid-February BHS school counselors began meeting individually with students to discuss academic planning, graduation requirements, career interests, and post-secondary plans. These individual student meetings will continue through early April. The counselors will meet with rising seniors through US/VA History classes, rising juniors through English 10 classes, and rising sophomores through English 9 classes. Students can find out from their teacher the date their class is scheduled to meet with the school counselors. If students are absent on the day their class meets with the counselors, their counselor will follow up with them to arrange a time to meet. During these meetings, each student will be provided with an unofficial copy of his/her transcript and a yellow copy of his/her course selection form to take home for parent/guardian review, approval, and signature. Students are expected to return their course selection forms to the Counseling Office with parent/guardian signature within one week of meeting with their counselor. Additionally, teachers will re-evaluate course recommendations in early May. A letter will be mailed to each student and parent/guardian in mid-May so that you may finalize course requests or make adjustments as needed. The deadline to submit course request changes for the 2016-2017 school year is Monday, June 6, 2016. Senior Survey Each year we are required to gather survey data from every member of the senior class regarding post- secondary plans, college acceptance, and scholarship awards. The information that is gathered is then reported to the school division and the state. All seniors must complete the senior survey on Family Connection in April-May. More details and directions will be provided to seniors in early April. Junior Year Planning Guide The college application process begins during junior year. It is the last complete school year on high school transcripts when students apply to colleges in the fall of their senior year. This may be the last opportunity for students to fill in any gaps in their academic or activity records. An important year, there are a number of suggestions that can help students and parents prepare for senior year, graduation, and the future. Junior year grades are critical; students need to learn how to study Continue to explore interests and plans for the future Consider volunteer work or a shadowing experience to learn more about career interests Gain a full understanding of the graduation requirements, including the required courses, SOLs, and CTE certification exams Any student in need of additional credits should speak with his/her counselor regarding summer school, Virtual High School, night school, and dual enrollment options Select appropriate classes for senior year; consider challenging courses (such as taking the extra year of math, science or foreign language) Counseling (cont’d next pg) 4 Counseling (cont’d) If your student is planning to attend college, the following may be helpful: Review PSAT scores, register and prepare for the SAT and/or ACT Attend college fairs and financial aid workshops Begin researching colleges and make a list of about 15-20 possibilities Visit college campuses Encourage students to prepare for the AP Exams in May Have discussions with your student about colleges, your expectations, and financial situation Research scholarship opportunities Remain active in extracurricular activities Right now, juniors should be… Registering for the May or June SAT and/or ACT Beginning to compile their academic resume Registering with the NCAA if they would like to participate in Division I and Division II athletics Maintaining or improving their grades Preparing for the AP Exams and/or SOLs Speaking with their counselor as soon as possible if interested in seeking an appointment to a military academy Finalizing their senior year course selections with their counselor Continuing to build relationships with their teachers, which is important for letters of recommendation in the future Beginning to research colleges and other post-high school opportunities Using Family Connection (students who do not know their log in information should contact the Counseling office secretary) This summer… Visit college campuses Work Volunteer SAT/ACT prep Research Begin looking at college applications and essays Look for summer enrichment programs, athletic camps, summer programs at colleges, etc. Counseling (cont’d next pg) 5 Counseling (cont’d) Additional Resources Battlefield Junior Handbook (located on the Counseling Department’s website under Documents & Downloads) Family Connection located on Battlefield’s homepage under the student tab Talk with your student’s counselor Check out each college’s website directly College Board www.collegeboard.org (SAT registration, college and scholarship searches) ACT www.act.org (to register for the ACT) To learn more colleges in an informal way with current students and applicants, visit www.collegeconfidential.com National Association for College Admissions Counseling: www.nacacnet.org AP Exam Information AP Exams will be administered Monday, May 2nd through Friday, May 13th. Dates and times are preset by The College Board and must be adhered to.