VHS Counseling January Newsletter

• Seniors - Mid-Year Reports for College Applications
• College & Career Center Workshop Series
• POSTPONED - Viper Night
• Subcampus Program Opportunities - Cosmetology, Culinary Arts
• ACC Dual Credit - Planning for Summer & Fall 2021
  
• ASVAB Career Exploration Program // March 9
  
• Applied Research Laboratories Summer Apprenticeship Program
  
• College Visits for VHS Students

Some colleges/universities require a Mid-Year Report as part of the college application process. Mid-year reports can be sent once semester grades are finalized and GPA's have been recalculated and reviewed. This will be complete by mid-February.

The method for submitting a mid-year report will differ based on your method of application for each school.

• Common App - if any of your Common Application schools require a mid-year report, no further action is needed on your part for these schools. Your counselor will submit the report on your behalf once mid-year transcripts become available.
• Coalition - if any of your Coalition schools require a mid-year report, your counselor will upload a mid-year transcript to your Coalition Locker once it is available. You (student) will need to then attach it to your applications.
• School Specific Application - if you applied through a school specific portal and need a mid-year report, you will order a transcript via Parchment. Please be sure to select the "Hold for Grades" option. This will ensure the registrar sends the mid-year transcript to include 1st semester grades.

This spring we'll be hosting weekly webinars as part of our College & Career Center Workshop Series. All webinars will be held on Mondays during PIT (11:44-12:26) and are open to both students and parents. Because they are virtual, students can engage from wherever they are in the building (remember to bring earbuds!). All workshops will be recorded and posted on the Workshop Series page for later reference. Here's what is coming up in January:

• January 10: Understanding College Admissions Testing // Register Here
• January 24: GPA, Rank, and Transcripts, Oh My! // Register Here
• January 31: Dual Credit Enrollment Kick-Off // Register Here

Due to the current surge in cases of COVID-19 and our desire to offer our students/families the most hands-on and personal Viper experience possible, Viper Night will not be held on January 13, 2022.

At the time an in-person Viper Night event is feasible, we intend to open our campus so the Viper Experience can be showcased in an in-person format.

Leander ISD students have the opportunity to enroll in various specialized programs at other district high schools if the program is not available on the home campus. These programs have limited availability, and some are subject to prerequisite course requirements. The Culinary Arts program at Cedar Park HS and the Cosmetology program at Leander HS are currently accepting enrollment requests.

Click here to submit an enrollment request for the Culinary Arts Program. Students must have previously earned credit for Intro to Culinary Arts to be considered for the program. The deadline to submit the enrollment request is February 14.

Click here to submit an enrollment request for the Cosmetology Program. The enrollment request and due date for the information packet for Cosmetology is March 21, 2022. Do not delay, as several of the packet items require 1-2 weeks processing time.

While the ACC Spring semester kicks off Tuesday, January 18th, students planning to continue taking dual credit coursework (returning students) should be scheduling individual meetings with Mrs. Spradling by March 11 to plan for 2022-23 courses (summer/fall/spring semesters).

Students new to ACC should plan to join the virtual Dual Credit Enrollment Kick-Off on Monday, January 31 during PIT (REGISTER HERE). Parents are strongly encouraged to join as well, or view the recording to ensure all parties are fully informed. New students should aim to complete Enrollment Steps 1-4 and the required individual meeting with Mrs. Spradling, by the priority deadline of March 25.

New students are invited to sign up for a Dual Credit Enrollment Workshop for support in completing the Enrollment Steps, offered February 1 and February 8 during PIT (sign up in the PIT Portal).

On Wednesday, March 9, VHS will host the ASVAB Career Exploration Program for interested 10th-12th graders starting at 8:40 AM. The ASVAB was originally designed to help incoming service men and women determine where they could best serve in the military. It did such a good job that they made this exam available to schools to help students get some ideas about which careers might be suitable for them. While still used as the entrance exam for the military, Vandegrift offers this FREE test for students because it is very effective at identifying careers that match the students’ knowledge, talents and interests. Often the results lead students to consider areas they’d never thought of before. The number of careers in this world can be overwhelming – this test simply narrows the field and gives them something to consider. REGISTER HERE

Each summer Applied Research Laboratories, a component of The University of Texas at Austin, sponsors a Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program for high school graduates who will be attending a 4-year college or university in the next fall semester, and who have applied to UT Austin. Preference is given to students attending UT Austin, and whose intended majors are electrical, mechanical and aerospace engineering, physics, mathematics, and computer science.

This program provides a "hands-on" introduction to research and development. This is a competitive, 9-week summer program for graduating seniors, offering a salary of $18.03 an hour. Students also write reports that are published and widely distributed at the end of their summer term.

Application deadline is March 11, 2022 // details & application

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. Coming up this month: Baylor, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Paul Mitchell the School-Austin, Missouri Southern State University