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March 2020
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Welcome to March!
This feels different than we thought it would, considering you are reading this from home
while our school is closed due to the spread of the COVID-19.
At this point your freshman year is flying by and we are right around the corner from Spring Break!
In this issue of the counseling newsletter, you will find information about Grade 10 course selection, summer opportunities,
and helpful tips about Making Healthy Decisions.
This feels different than we thought it would, considering you are reading this from home
while our school is closed due to the spread of the COVID-19.
At this point your freshman year is flying by and we are right around the corner from Spring Break!
In this issue of the counseling newsletter, you will find information about Grade 10 course selection, summer opportunities,
and helpful tips about Making Healthy Decisions.
* New addition to the website:This page is a space where you can come and find encouragement, tools and support for coping with this new learning situation.
Virtual Learning
Keeping your spirits up during this virtual learning experience:
- Keep up a normal daily routine as much as possible.
- Think about how you’ve coped with difficult situations in the past and reassure yourself that you will cope with this situation too. Remember that virtual learning won’t last forever!
- Keep connected with family members and friends via telephone, email or social media.
- Exercise regularly. Options could include exercise DVDs, dancing, floor exercises, yoga, walking around the backyard or using home exercise equipment, such as a stationary bicycle, if you have it. Exercise is a proven treatment for stress and depressive feelings.
- Take everyone’s needs into account as much as possible when you plan activities. Remember, you don’t have to spend every moment together.
- Make sure everyone gets the opportunity to spend some time alone.
- If you are mostly alone, make sure you are purposeful about spending some time with others when they are home.
- Don’t rely too heavily on television and technology. Treat this situation as an opportunity to do some of those things you never usually have time for, such as board games, craft, drawing and reading.
- Accept that conflict and arguments may occur. This is not the regular routine that everyone is comfortable with. Try to resolve issues quickly.
REACH out if you are having trouble with your work or your situation.
You can contact your teachers, your head of grade, or your counselor
during school hours (8:00 am - 3:30 pm) throughout this virtual learning time.
You can contact your teachers, your head of grade, or your counselor
during school hours (8:00 am - 3:30 pm) throughout this virtual learning time.
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*Please click the button below if you would like to set up a time to meet online with your counselor.
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Rising Grade 10 Course Selection:What do you need to know? What do you need to do?
Logistics:
Course Choice Notes:
In Summary:
Please remember, the entire HS schedule is built new each year based on student course choices. After March 8, no new requests from students will be considered in the schedule build. Any change requests will be considered after the schedule build, but may not be possible in the new schedule. Please consider the course choices carefully, and take this selection seriously as attempt to change the courses later may not be possible.
Making Healthy Decisions During seminar in February, we spent time considering how you make healthy decisions. The truth is that you make hundreds of decisions everyday. Some decisions are simple and others are difficult, complex, and weighty. Sometimes we thoroughly think through our options and other times we might be impulsive in our decision making.
Knowing what is really important to you (your values) can help guide you in your decision making. Your values have been and can be shaped by : your family, friends, peers, teachers, social media, media, books you read, and your faith. Working through the "D.E.C.I.D.E." model can help you to make values-based decisions that you feel confident about and help you get where you want to go as a person. Here is a link to the D.E.C.I.D.E. worksheet for you to use in order to work out a decision that might be a difficult one to make.
Logistics:
- An email from Mr.Holcomb will be sent to every student with a link to the course selection form on Friday, February 28th. This form will be open until Sunday, March 8th. Course choices must be submitted before this time.
- You can submit the course selection form multiple times - after the March 8th deadline we will use only the last submission to build your schedule (the earlier submissions will be ignored). Each time students submit the form, an email copy of the form will automatically be sent to both the student and their parent emails on record in PowerSchool.
- Grade 10 students have three areas of confirmation. Please note the areas below a brief description of the choices in the bullet points.
Course Choice Notes:
- Group 2: Language Acquisition - the teacher recommendation will be pre-filled in your selection form. Please indicate that you either confirm this placement, or wish to appeal (if this is the case, you will be contacted by our World Language Coordinator or current teacher). One other option is to begin a 3-year Mandarin journey by taking Introduction to Mandarin (Gr 10) and IB DP Mandarin ab initio SL (Gr 11 & 12).
- Group 3: Individuals & Societies - in order to better prepare students for the IB Diploma, Grade 10 Humanities was designed by IB DP teachers in Economics, Psychology and Business and will expose students to all of these subjects before making their IB Diploma choices at the end of Grade 10.
- Group 4: Sciences - students will be taking a Physics / Chemistry course, designed and taught by the IB DP Physics and Chemistry teachers.
- Group 5: Mathematics - the teacher recommendation will be pre-filled in your selection form. Please indicate that you either confirm this placement, or wish to appeal (if this is the case, you will be contacted by our Math Head of Department or current teacher).
- Group 6: Arts - the second year of your current course will be pre-filled in your selection form. Please indicate that you either confirm this placement, or wish to appeal (if this is the case, you will be contacted by the Director of Performing Arts or your current teacher).
In Summary:
Please remember, the entire HS schedule is built new each year based on student course choices. After March 8, no new requests from students will be considered in the schedule build. Any change requests will be considered after the schedule build, but may not be possible in the new schedule. Please consider the course choices carefully, and take this selection seriously as attempt to change the courses later may not be possible.
Making Healthy Decisions During seminar in February, we spent time considering how you make healthy decisions. The truth is that you make hundreds of decisions everyday. Some decisions are simple and others are difficult, complex, and weighty. Sometimes we thoroughly think through our options and other times we might be impulsive in our decision making.
Knowing what is really important to you (your values) can help guide you in your decision making. Your values have been and can be shaped by : your family, friends, peers, teachers, social media, media, books you read, and your faith. Working through the "D.E.C.I.D.E." model can help you to make values-based decisions that you feel confident about and help you get where you want to go as a person. Here is a link to the D.E.C.I.D.E. worksheet for you to use in order to work out a decision that might be a difficult one to make.
10 Summer Activities That Will Turn Admissions’ Heads
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Colleges look for students who are dedicated to academics but they want to build a well-rounded incoming freshman class. Admission officers look for those who demonstrate interesting and diverse qualities, rather than those who spend 100 percent of their time studying. Colleges need and want students who are committed to activities that they are passionate about.
https://www.teenlife.com/blogs/10-summer-activities-will-turn-admissions-heads |
Applying to Summer Programs?
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If you choose to do a formal summer program, please know that there are many different kinds of summer programs out there. Many summer programs are offered by for-profit companies and can be quite expensive; even some programs that are held at universities, as an example, are run by companies that merely lease the space. While countless summer programs are well run and can be valuable on a personal level, please carefully research the program and company before you sign up. College representatives consistently advise us that, as far as college admissions go, summer programs are only “worth” what they are worth to the individual participant. In other words, only YOU determine the value of these programs.
If you intend to apply to a summer program please complete the following steps:
*SFS Counselors do not endorse specific programs but you can find a growing list of available programs here.
If you intend to apply to a summer program please complete the following steps:
- Complete the Summer Program/School Request Form.
- Complete the Counselor Recommendation Questionnaire.
- Students can request recommendations for two summer school/programs per year.
- SFS does not accept credits or grades earned at any summer school program.
- Requests for teacher recommendations should not be given directly to the teachers
- If it is a paper/pdf recommendation, it should be turned into the counselor.
- If it is electronic recommendation, please do not send the request to the teacher until you are directed by your counselor.
- Be advised, recommendations are not given to students/parents.
- A minimum of two weeks should be allowed for the counselor to process application.
*SFS Counselors do not endorse specific programs but you can find a growing list of available programs here.
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Is it too soon to take SAT Subject Tests?
SFS counselors recommend no standardized tests for freshman. While some US colleges and universities require SAT Subject Tests, which show proficiency in a specific subject matter, you should wait until you have taken more advanced courses to register for the SAT Subject Exams. Please know that colleges and universities usually only require 1-2 subject tests, if any are required at all. Because you will take IBDP courses your junior year you will have more exposure to certain subjects. Remember, College Board recommends students to wait to take the SATs second semester junior year. |
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Which subject test should you take in a year and a half? You should consider and think about which SAT Subject Tests interest you and then choose from the 20 subject tests listed on the college board website. (http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-subject-test-preparation)