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PROGRESS REPORTS WILL GO HOME THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28TH - PLEASE CONTACT THE GUIDANCE OFFICE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR TO SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH YOUR CHILDS' TEACHERS.
THE QUARTER ENDS ON OCTOBER 30TH - REPORT CARDS WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY THEREAFTER (CONFERENCES MAY BE SCHEDULED NOVEMBER 4TH OR 5TH).
STUDENTS RECEIVING ANY GRADES OF D OR LOWER WILL BE RESTRICTED FROM LEAVING THEIR STUDY HALL AND ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND HOMEWORK CLUB AS WELL (HELD ON TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS UNTIL 4 P.M. IN THE MEDIA CENTER).
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SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS WILL ALL BE TAKING THE PSAT'S ON OCTOBER 14TH - NO PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BUT STUDENTS MUST BE ON TIME ON THIS DAY TO TAKE THE TEST.
ALL JUNIORS WILL BE TAKING THE ASVAB ON OCTOBER 7TH. WE WILL BE DOING A FOLLOW-UP WORKSHOP WITH ALL JUNIORS AT A LATER DATE TO USE THE DATA COLLECTED FROM THIS FOR CAREER EXPLORATION.
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ATTENTION SENIORS: REGISTRATION DATES FOR THE ACT AND SAT ARE AS FOLLOWS:
TEST DATE REGULAR REGISTRATION DEADLINE
ACT: OCTOBER 24TH SEPTEMBER 18TH LATE REG: OCTOBER 2ND
SAT: OCTOBER 10TH PASSED
NOVEMBER 7 OCTOBER 1ST LATE REG: OCTOBER 15TH
DECEMBER 5 OCTOBER 30TH LATE REG: NOVEMBER 12TH
PLEASE ALSO SEE THE SCHOOL WEBSITE NORTHSTONINGTON.K12.CT.US FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!
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IF YOU NEED HELP WITH STUDY SKILLS:
Please note the links at the bottom of the page for more study skills information.
All students in study hall are expected to use their time on schoolwork. Please remember to review your class notes nightly and complete all of your homework!!!
Students should continue exploring interests, taking challenging courses, using their study skills (USE YOUR ASSIGNMENT BOOK!) and doing their best academically - remember that every high school course is listed on the transcript that colleges and post-secondary programs will be looking at! Don't forget the importance of extra-curricular activities, community service and leadership roles to round out future college applications! ******************************************************
PLEASE READ THE CREDIT WITHHELD POLICY IN YOUR STUDENT HANDBOOK!!!! MORE THAN 20 ABSENCES IN A FULL YEAR COURSE WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF CREDIT IN THAT COURSE!!
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******PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A MINIMUM OF 5 1/2 CREDITS YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR IN ORDER TO MOVE ON TO SOPHOMORE STATUS (and this includes being able to take the CAPT - a requirement for graduation!!).************************************
*******ANY STUDENT FAILING A COURSE FOR THE YEAR WITH AN F WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUMMER SCHOOL IN ANOTHER DISTRICT AT PARENT/STUDENT EXPENSE (IF EVEN AVAILABLE IN SUMMER SCHOOL!). IF PARENTS SHOULD CHOOSE TUTORING OVER THE SUMMER FOR A COURSE, THE TUTOR MUST BE A CERTIFIED TEACHER AND APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATION BEFORE TUTORING COMMENCES. TUTORING IS AT PARENT/STUDENT EXPENSE AND A STUDENT MUST COMPLETE 15 HOURS OF TUTORING FOR A 1/2 YEAR COURSE AND 30 HOURS OF TUTORING FOR A FULL YEAR COURSE.
A FINAL GRADE OF R will require that the course be REPEATED during the next school year if needed for graduation (such as English).
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PARENTS, WE NEED YOUR HELP - please make sure your child is spending at least ten minutes per grade level per night on school work (if the grades are low and they say "it's already done" ask to see it each night and have them review notes, organize notebooks etc. - even in high school some students may need this!!). Also remember to monitor their extracurricular activities and friendships (know the parents of your childs' friends and make sure that activities outside and inside your home are properly supervised - your children still need you even though they may say otherwise!!).
As another parenting suggestion, car keys, i-pods, cell phones, televisions and other electronic devices make excellent things to "take away" if there is an issue with homework and/or grades until positive improvement is noted!!
Please note that the SAT (another factor in the college admission process) includes a writing portion and the math portion will contain information through the end of Algebra II. Please click on the collegeboard website below for more information!!
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****************POST-HIGH SCHOOL PLANNING*************
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GRADE 9:
* Pick courses that will challenge you and remember that your grades will be reflected on your high school transcript. Do your best so that you have a transcript to be proud of! If you plan to attend college, make sure that you take at least two years of a world language!
* If you need help with study skills, please seek help from your teachers, school counselor, parents and use the resources available on schoolnotes.com. This is especially important for mid-term and final exams - pay close attention to any outlines or study guides that are given in preparation for these exams (hint, hint!!).
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GRADE 10:
* All 10th grade students will be taking PSAT's in October for practice.
* Start looking at leadership roles that you can undertake in community and school activities. Colleges prefer a well-rounded individual but are also looking for something that will set you apart from the other applicants! Think about doing volunteer work in an area related to a career interest.
* Continue exploring careers through course work and job shadowing. All students have a user id and password for the bridges website (site id: #1211157; password: wheeler) and will be doing an interest inventory through this site during the 10th grade year.
* Plan to take challenging courses for next year (at the academic level or higher if you plan to attend a 4 year college - and don't forget world language!). If you think you may want to apply to some competitive colleges, you should consider taking SAT Subject tests in Biology and/or World History in June of this year (register through Collegeboard.com).
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GRADE 11:
* Pay attention to those grades! Continue studying and doing your best. Your class rank will be determined at the end of this year (which is one factor in college admissions). This year will be especially challenging academically!
* Sign up for and take the PSAT in October. Juniors should take the SAT in May or June (and SAT Subject Test's if needed) if they plan to attend a four year college (our school code is 070575). The ACT is also accepted by many schools as a more subject focused alternative to the SAT.
* Start looking at focusing in on a career area by doing more career searches and using the results of interest inventories. All students will be introduced to the bridges.com and the collegeboard.com (if they tooke PSAT's) web sites and will have a user ID & password. Students will receive further information through taking the ASVAB (armed services vocational aptitude battery - given to all Juniors) which is used by the military but is also an excellent source of aptitude information for all students (the military should not receive student scores from this test unless they request this - we have opted out of that option as a school).
* Start doing college searches and visiting colleges in the spring to narrow down your choices (you should have a list of 10 or less by next summer). Information on spring open houses can be found on the college websites and will be posted in the upstairs hallway near the social studies classrooms when available.
* You should also have a resume completed by the spring of your Junior year and remember to turn in a copy to your school counselor. This information will also be used in the end of the year special awards determination.
* Plan to take a 4th year of mathematics & science and make sure you have at least 2-3 years of the same world language if you would like to go to a four year college (3 years of the same language is preferable and is required for most competitive colleges).
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BY THE BEGINNING OF SENIOR YEAR: You should have narrowed down your schools to around 5 or 6:
** a "reach" school that may be a bit of a challenge to get acceptance to
** 2 or 3 schools that you are pretty certain to be accepted to
** at least 1 "safety" school that you would be just as happy to attend if everything else falls through! HAVING A "SAFETY" SCHOOL IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!
GRADE 12:
* Take the SAT's a second time in the fall (October if possible) to improve your scores. * Plan to finish your college applications before winter break (December) if possible. * Remember to complete your release of information form, an updated resume and your post-graduate planning sheet as soon as possible in the school year and turn it in to your school counselor.
* If you need recommendations, please ask the individuals that you would like to have write the recommendations at least 3 weeks in advance of the due date (earlier if possible) and give them a copy of your resume. Some teachers may also require an addressed, stamped envelope to send their recommendation directly to the school.
* Remember to also write thank you notes to the people who write you a recommendation.
* If you are applying over the internet to non-common application schools - DON'T FORGET THAT YOU STILL NEED TO SUBMIT A REQUEST TO GUIDANCE FOR A TRANSCRIPT with the address of the school that you are applying to! Also, make sure you submit any supplemental information that they may require (Make sure you check on this for common application schools especially!).
* If you are sending out recommendations plus a transcript from guidance please submit a large manila envelope with 3-4 stamps to guidance (NO RETURN ADDRESS PLEASE!).
* The FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible in January whether or not you think you will qualify for financial aid YOU CAN'T QUALIFY IF YOU DON'T APPLY!! Please note that some colleges have financial aid deadlines as early as February 1st but the priority deadline for state aid for Connecticut is FEBRUARY 15TH!!
* We have scheduled a financial aid workshop for January of each year - all seniors should plan to attend with their parents.
* Also, remember that colleges STILL NEED A FINAL TRANSCRIPT FROM WHEELER and that the information you are learning now is a building block for more to come in the future so STUDY, HAVE FUN, STUDY, STUDY for your senior year!!!!
