September Counseling News

All Grade Levels

• Level drop window for advanced courses
• Austin Community College Dual Credit registration for Spring 2025
  
• AP course and exam registration
• PSAT and SAT dates and test prep resources
• College fair opportunties
• College visits at Vandegrift

Senior Specific Info

• Senior Conference meeting information and prep
• Senior Workdays during PIT
  

• FAFSA is a graduation requirement!

• Understanding Financial Aid & FAFSA Overview (open to all parents!)
• TSI Assessment offerings at VHS

Students struggling in an Advanced or AP course may request to move into the equivalent on-level course beginning Sept. 5. The deadline to make this request is 4:00 PM on Sept. 27. It is important you speak to your teacher about your wish to drop prior to submitting the form.

NO CHANGES WILL BE PROCESSED UNTIL THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 6. We are unable to make level changes until the first progress report date has passed and grades have been posted.

Note the following:

• Dropping an AP/Advanced course may result in an unavoidable readjustment of the student's current course schedule including the possibility of teacher, period, and/or lunch changes. Due to the volume of requests counselors are processing, we are unable to meet with students regarding such changes, and we are unable to predict what changes will occur as a result of processing the level drop. By submitting the level drop request, students are acknowledging and agreeing to any such changes. Please know we do our absolute best to disrupt the schedule as little as possible, but sometimes this is unavoidable.

• Once processed, level changes and their associate schedule changes are FINAL.

• The exact grade in the advanced class student is dropping will transfer to the new on-level course.

• AP/Advanced weight is only awarded and calculated into GPA after completion of an entire semester of an AP/Advanced course; therefore, the student will lose this when dropping into the new on-level course.

• Until the schedule change is complete, all coursework for the AP/Advanced class must be completed.

• A student who participates in a UIL activity and is currently failing an advanced class, should consider remaining in the advanced course until the end of the six weeks to be eligible for a AP/Advanced participation waiver.

• Students pursuing the IB Diploma Programme must reach out to Ms. Alexandra Magness, IB Coordinator, or alpha counselor before submitting a level-change request.

It's already time to start planning for Spring semester college courses through ACC, as registration opens October 18.

• Returning Dual Credit students: Keep an eye on your Dual Credit Google Classroom for instructions on verifying your course plans with Ms. Kendall.
• New Dual Credit students: Students must complete the Dual Credit Enrollment Steps, including meeting with Ms. Kendall to discuss course plans by September 27.

Full details about the Dual Credit opportunities through Austin Community College can be found on our VHS College & Career Center website.

AP Course Enrollment & Registration. Avoid a $40 late fee per course by completing AP Enrollment and Exam Registration before October 31, 2024. Students can log into their College Board account to make sure each AP Class on their schedule is listed in MyAP.

Sophomores & Juniors - SAVE THE DATE! October 17, 2024

All 10th & 11th grade students will take the PSAT during the school day. The school-day PSAT test is free and requires no registration! There is no make-up opportunity for this test date.

Juniors - SAVE THE DATE! March 6, 2025

All 11th grade students will take the SAT during the school day on March 6th. The school-day SAT test is free and requires no registration! Juniors should planning to take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring semester in preparation for the college application process. Other than this school-day SAT, students may register for Saturday test opportunities based on national testing dates through the SAT or ACT websites.

More Than a Teacher offers practice tests and test prep classes, while Khan Academy offers free online SAT prep. Click below for more information.

Leander ISD students and parents are encouraged to attend the district’s College Fair from 6–8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at Glenn High School to learn more about admissions, financial aid and scholarships to prepare for students’ collegiate endeavors.

Students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from four-year and two-year colleges and universities, trade schools and technical programs. Additionally, the armed services will be represented. Click here for more information and to view the list of institutions that will be represented.

Students and families are invited to atthend the 2024 HBCU (Historically Black College/University) College Fair, a collaborative effort between Leander ISD ACCESS, Round Rock ISD's Counseling Services, and the Black Parents & Families Collective.

This year, the event will take place on Saturday, October 5th, at Cedar Ridge High School from 10 AM to 2 PM, with a special pre-session workshop for students at 9 AM. This fair is an excellent opportunity for students to explore FAFSA information, scholarships, and HBCU options available to them. Below is a flier with the QR code for registration.

College admission representatives want to connect with our amazing Vandegrift students! There are so many benefits to connecting and tuning into these college visits:

1. Develop an understanding of college offerings and college lingo
2. Gain unique perspectives on individual colleges
3. Fully understand the admissions process, scholarship opportunities, etc.
4. Connect personally with admission representatives (the folks who review college applications!)

You can see upcoming visits through the College Visits @ VHS calendar view and/or this document that provides additional detail, including the method to RSVP for the visit. Juniors and seniors are also allotted 2 excused days annually to visit colleges in person - more info here.

STUDENTS

• Senior Student/Counselor Conferences will take place between September 6 - October 3.
• The link to schedule your conference is included in the Senior Student/Parent Presentation linked below.
• Make sure to complete the Senior Pathways Information Form prior to your Senior Conference with your counselor.

SENIOR PARENTS - How can you support?

• View the parent night webinar slides & recording linked below

• Talk with your senior about the post-secondary planning process and discuss questions you still have - send them to their Senior/Counselor Conference with those questions!

• Seniors are soon launching into the post-high school world and the Senior/Counselor Conference is designed to help them practice those independent, adult skills just as colleges and employers expect - seniors are driving this process! Encourage your senior to share the outcome of their conference with you after their meeting.

Senior Workdays are an opportunity to be productive and get assistance on anything needed for post-VHS plans (college applications, essays, resumes, financial aid, workforce planning, interview prep, etc.) in the College & Career Center (room 1306) during PIT (9:45a - 10:20a) on most Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays. Students must sign up in the PIT Portal.

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0256, each student must do one of the following in order to graduate:

• Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  
• Complete and submit a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) (for Texas residents who are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid - usually includes students who are non-citizens or non-permanent residents of the United States)
  
• Submit a signed opt-out form ENGLISH, SPANISH

*Reminder: this is only one graduation requirement component. Counselors and Administrators will continue working with Seniors on ensuring graduation requirements are met.

ACTION REQUIRED
Seniors: To complete this graduation requirement, submit your documentation to this linked form.

The FAFSA is expected to open by December 1st for this year's graduating seniors.

Senior parents, or any parents planning ahead when it comes to financing college, are invited to join us in-person at Vandegrift on Monday, September 30, 5:30-6:30 PM for a deeper dive in to financial aid and an overview of the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, presented by A+ College Planning. The FAFSA application is set to be opened in phases this year starting in October and open to all by December 1. REGISTER to join us in-person on Monday, September 30 at 5:30 PM! Slides will be posted on the College & Career website after the presentation. The presentation will take place in the College & Career Center (Room 1306).

Counselors will be reviewing college readiness status (known as TSI, Texas Success Initiative) individually with seniors during their upcoming conferences. Students who are not yet TSI complete in Reading & Writing and/or Math are encouraged to take proactive steps to prepare and take the TSI Assessment in an effort to ensure a seamless transition to college level coursework.

The TSI Assessment is offered at Vandegrift regularly for free. The next testing opportunity is Thursday, October 3rd. Students can register HERE.

Make sure to keep up to date on all things Class of 2025 with the Senior Information Page!

Counselors and Asst. Principals are assigned alphabetically by STUDENT last name:

VHS Counselors

Kandice Detlefsen, Lead Counselor - A - Bo

DeAngelo Freeman - Br - Ep

Becca Ramirez - Er - H

Charity Escott - I - Mar

Tracy Noble - Mas - Pi

Shawna Powell - Pl - St

Melissa Wells - Su - Z

VHS Assistant Principals

Amanda Toon, Associate Principal - A - B

Becky Azard-Jackson - C - G

Parrish McEwen - H - Ma

Collin Fletcher - Mc - Sa

Delis Golden - Sc - Z

Additional Staff Contact Information

Katie Kendall - College and Career Transition Coordinator

Heidi Kalla - Dean of Instruction

Emily Rullan - Special Education Team Lead

Lori Tanner - 504 Coordinator

Alexandra Magness- IB Coordinator