VHS Counseling May Newsletter

Wishing a Fond Farewell...

Snapshot of Important Dates

All Grade Level Info

• Course Requests for the 2024-25 School Year

• Off Campus PE

• ACC Summer Registration

• ACC Dual Credit - Fall Enrollment

• VOE Requests

College & Career Exploration Opportunities

• College Visits at Vandegrift
• Student Job Board & Other Enrichment Opportunities

Junior Specific Info

• College Jump Start Registration

Senior Specific Info

• Senior Slides Due May 5
• Senior Awards Ceremony
• Senior Wrap-Up Meetings
• Final Class Rank for the Class of 2024

• Senior Specific Dates & Deadlines

• Scholarships

Mental Health Minutes

Need to Get in Touch?

Before we launch into the newsletter, the counseling team wants to take a moment to recognize one of our own, Peggy Morisset. After many years of service in Leander ISD, Ms. Morisset will be retiring at the end of this year. Ms. Morisset has impacted the lives of so many students, families, and staff members that it is impossible to put into words how much she means to us all. Her kind spirit, love of music, and sense of humor will be missed by all of us at VHS. Having been a counselor at both CRMS and FPMS, she has supported countless Viper families, connecting with parents, students, and their siblings alike.

If you have a memory with Ms. Morisset, we encourage you to stop into the counseling office this month to wish her well and congratulate her on her hard earned retirement. Congratulations Ms. Morisset! You are loved and will be missed.

May 1 // Deadline for ALL THINGS Related to Course Selection (final course change window, off periods, aide applications (Course Verification Guide - contains link to update requests)

May 2 // Algebra EOC

May 13 // Senior Awards, 6pm (more info to come)

May 14 & 15// MANDATORY Senior Wrap-Up End of Year Meetings (schedule)

May 17 // Fall ACC registration opens, 12a (MIDNIGHT!)

May 17 - 24 // Final Exams (final exam schedule for all grade levels)

May 22 & 23 // Elementary Senior Walks (schedules & details)

May 23 // Senior Breakfast/Graduation Rehearsal/Cap & Gown Distribution

May 24 // Last Day of School
May 24 // VHS Graduation, 8p

May 31 // OCPE Applications due by 4p

The final change window closes tonight at 11:59p. Counselors will be working through the month of May to process the submissions. Students will see updated courses in Home Access Center by the end of the month.

Counselors will be reaching out to students (via LISD email) if there are any issues with processing their change requests. Students - be sure to check your school email daily!

Please see the detailed course selection timeline for information on all the activities completed this year to support the students in the course selection process.

Off-Campus PE Applications are due by May 31, 2024 at 4pm. Please visit the district website for information and application information. Leander ISD OCPE Information

Although classes are filling quickly, summer semester registration for Austin Community College coursework is open until classes are full or the day before the class begins.

New Dual Credit students must have completed Enrollment Steps 1-5 to be eligible, while returning students must have met with Ms. Kendall in order for their hold to be lifted.

Graduating seniors have a few more hoops to jump through, but summer classes are a great way to check off required core curriculum (and at a more affordable tuition rate). ACC representatives will be here on May 9 for graduating seniors. Click here to make an appointment.

More information about opportunities to earn college credit through the ACC Dual Credit program can be found on the College & Career Center ACC Dual Credit website.

Both Returning and New Dual Credit students planning to take ACC coursework this fall should have already completed initial enrollment steps and had their required meeting with Ms Kendall. Although it's past the priority deadline to have completed these steps (that was April 24), students can still pursue coursework, though they may not be cleared by ACC before registration opens.

Speaking of, ACC registration is based on credit hours completed (not including summer):

• May 16 // Students with 15-29 credit hours (typically students who have completed 5-9 courses)
  
• May 17 // Students with 0-14 credit hours (new students and those with 4 or less completed courses)

Exciting news for seniors! ACC is offering Class of 2024 graduating seniors free tuition starting in the fall! More details about the program can be found here. Seniors are invited to meet with our ACC recruiter on May 9 at Vandegrift to ensure they're also ready for Fall registration! Seniors can schedule a meeting time here.

VOE requests are handled by our front office staff. Students can access the VOE request form by visiting the Parent/Student Resources page on the VHS website (found under "forms").

A few things to note:

• students must not owe any technology and/or library fines (see campus technologist or librarian for issues with fines)
• students must not owe attendance hours (see your AP with attendance questions)
• VOEs expire after 30 days
• VOEs will be ready for pick-up the next school day following your request (24 hours processing time) - you will not receive a call regarding your VOE unless there is an issue with processing
• VOEs must be picked up from the VHS front office (they will not be mailed)

Questions about VOE requests can be sent to cheryl.gonzales@leanderisd.org.

Don't forget that college admissions representatives are still scheduling visits to connect with prospective applicants! This is a great way to find out more about colleges, develop an understanding about the admissions process, and connect with the representatives who will be reviewing your application.

Click here to access the College Visit Calendar and instructions for registration.

Students, are you looking for a part-time job? Check out the LISD Student Job Board for opportunities.

Other enrichment opportunities can be found on Naviance. Go to Naviance > Colleges > Enrichment Programs. The opportunities listed have been submitted to the district and what is posted is the general information. For specific information (application process, deadlines, etc), search for the opportunity using the name & organization and/or website linked in the posting.

Eager to start tackling your college applications this summer? Sign up to attend College Jump Start, a free college application workshop hosted at Vandegrift High School.

Access the link below for full details and registration links for sessions in June and July.

When COVID forced the cancellation of in-person celebrations in 2020, the VHS Counselors decided to put together a senior slideshow to celebrate ALL seniors. It was such a wonderful tribute that we decided to keep doing it. We are now on our 5th year of this new tradition.

We are excited to celebrate all 680+ seniors by creating a Class of 2024 Senior Slideshow Album. In addition to sharing their future plans, students will be able to share any outstanding academic, service, and military honors. Here's what we need from our seniors:

Create a single GOOGLE Slide. We have pulled a few EXAMPLES from previous albums to provide you with some inspiration, or feel free to start from scratch and put your own creative stamp on it. Include absolutely anything you feel great about!

Information to be included on the slide:

• First and Last Name

• Celebrations & Accomplishments - Examples include acts of service, contributions to your community, leadership positions, holding a part-time job, etc.

• Awards/scholarships received - Examples include National Merit Scholar, National Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Scholarship

• What’s Next For Me? - A short statement about what’s on the horizon for you. Examples include joining the workforce in the field of…; attending X university to major in…; enlisting in X branch of the military

• Photo (optional)

• Make sure your slide is formatted in 16:9 widescreen ratio (this should be the default setting for Google Slides)

Save your GOOGLE Slide using the following format: Last Name_First Name_Senior Slide

Submit your saved GOOGLE Slide to the form below by Sunday, May 5th at 11:59 PM.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS - HOW CAN YOU HELP?

History has told us that parents love to be a part of the slide creation. If you are helping with your senior's slide, please make sure that you are working in Google Slides and not another format - your senior can help you with this, as they are very accustomed to using Google Slides. Also, please make sure you are collaborating with your senior and submitting a single slide - duplicate submissions result in unhappy seniors when their preferred slide is inadvertantly left out : (

WHERE CAN I VIEW THE SLIDESHOW?

• link will be emailed to all seniors & parents/guardians the last week of school
• slideshow will be featured on both the VHS Counseling Website & the VHS Main Page for a time
• slideshow will run on the big screen at the HEB Center prior to graduation beginning

The Senior Awards Ceremony will recognize seniors who have received outstanding academic, service, and military honors and/or awards. The ceremony will take place Monday, May 13 at 5:30 pm in the Vandegrift High School Performing Arts Center. Seniors receiving awards and recognition will receive invitations the week of April 22nd to attend the Senior Awards ceremony, however, all are welcome to join the celebration.

This is a formal celebration - we encourage students to dress up (i.e. slacks, button-ups, dresses).

We know you're looking ahead to a bright future, but we have some things that require wrapping up here at the high school before graduation! So save the date: on May 14 & 15 we'll be meeting with seniors during their English 4 class periods, or PIT/ACC Off Campus periods for those of you who took ACC English. Again, this is a REQUIRED meeting and should only take 30-45 minutes of your (class)time. Full details will be posted on the Senior Information page and in the Class of 2024 Google Classroom as the dates approach.

The final calculation of class rank has been completed. Students can locate their updated rank and GPA information in Naviance (accessed through LeanderISD Launchpad) within the About Me > My Account > Listed under Academic section. The final rank is based on the class size of 665 students. A reminder that only students have Naviance accounts - parents/guardians, please ask your student to share this log in information with you to review together.

Remember, sixth cycle grades DO STILL COUNT in the calculation of final semester 2 averages and factor into your final transcript.

Top 10 students and top 10% students will receive information soon regarding ordering cords to be worn at graduation. Be on the lookout for a message from Mrs. Maureen Sanders.

• Senior Slideshow // Deadline to Submit May 5
• Senior Awards Ceremony // May 13 // 5:30p
• Senior Wrap-Up Meetings // May 14 & 15 // Schedule
• Graduation Requirement - FAFSA
• Final Exam Schedule for Seniors
• Senior Walks // May 22
• May 23 is a Busy Day! // Senior Sunrise // Breakfast // Panoramic Pic // Rehearsal
• May 24 // Graduation Check-In 5p @ VHS // Graduation Ceremony 8p-10p @ HEB Center

The VHS Counseling website is regularly updated with scholarship opportunities. Make sure to check back often for new postings, or visit the Class of 2024 Google classroom, click on the "Classwork" feed, and locate the "Scholarships" topic. Though these applications can be time consuming, the payoff can be huge - FREE $$!

In an effort to promote mental health awareness and reduce the stigma of seeking help for mental health concerns, the Leander ISD Counseling Services team is excited to continue the Mental Health Minute video series.

May Mental Health Minutes:

• Letting Go
• Supporting Your Friends
• Anxiety and Nerves

VHS Counselors

Kandice Detlefsen, Lead Counselor - A - Bo

DeAngelo Freeman - Br - Ep

Becca Ramirez - Er - H

Charity Escott - I - Ma

Peggy Morisset - Mc - Po

Shawna Powell - Pr - Sti

Melissa Wells - Sto - Z

VHS Assistant Principals

Delis Golden - A - Bo

Becky Azard-Jackson - Br - Fo

Jeremy Fry - Fr - Ke

Parrish McEwen - Kh - Ne

Collin Fletcher - Ng - Si

Amanda Toon, Associate Principal - Sk - Z