February is officially here, and the cold, dreary winter blues are finally beginning to fade. The first half of the third quarter has come and gone (which puts us at ⅝ of the way through the school year!) and the school year has settled into a bit of a lull. There’s very little grade-specific information to disseminate, but school counseling still has some info for the student body.

Scheduling

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who haven’t met with their counselors for scheduling yet should set up those meetings ASAP! Teachers have put recommendations into PowerSchool, students should use those recommendations and their own judgment to pick out classes for next year!

Wellness Support

January and February have left many of us students tired and mentally drained, what with schoolwork ramping up and weary winter weather day after day. The school counselors would like to remind students that Mr. Jeros and Ms. Cartier are available to meet for support, whether it be regarding academics or general mental health expertise. 

Peer Tutoring

As always, peer tutoring is available to help students in all classes if they need any assistance with their academics.

The College Process

Juniors: Although junior conferences are over, there are still some things that counselors want to remind their juniors of regarding the post-secondary process. In the spring of junior year, there are a few things juniors can do to be the most prepared that they can for next year.

1. Keep your grades up! Cumulative GPA is important and will be updated to include junior year before it’s sent to colleges.
2. Register to take standardized tests. Although some colleges have gone SAT/ACT-optional, it’s still recommended to take at least one standardized test for college.
3. Visit colleges! Spring, especially spring break, is a great time to go on some college visits. Students are allotted three excused absences per year to look at colleges, so counselors recommend juniors make the most of them.
4. Take a look at financial resources. It is important to look at financial situations when creating a college list, and resources such as the Net Price Calculator can help students see what kind of financial aid they can garner.

Seniors: Seniors are already receiving college letters so there’s not much more to do, but counselors want seniors to know that scholarship opportunities are available and many need to be applied to as soon as possible! Additionally, any seniors who haven’t filed for financial aid should do so if necessary.