VHS Counseling May Newsletter

Wishing a Fond Farewell...

Snapshot of Important Dates

All Grade Level Info

• Course Requests for the 2023-24 School Year

• Off Period Applications for 2023-24

• Off Campus PE

• ACC Summer Registration

• ACC Dual Credit - Fall Enrollment

• VOE Requests

• Student Job Board

Junior Specific Info

• College Jump Start registration

Senior Specific Info

• Senior Celebration Slides Due May 7
• Senior Wrap-Up Meetings
• Senior Awards Ceremony
• Final Class Rank for the Class of 2023

• Senior Specific Dates & Deadlines

• Scholarships

Before we launch into the newsletter, the counseling team wants to take a moment to recognize one of our own, Jennifer Fisher. After many years of service in Leander ISD, Mrs. Fisher will be retiring at the end of this year. Mrs. Fisher is one of the founding staff members of Vandegrift High School. She served as the math department head for several years before becoming a counselor. Mrs. Fisher 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. She has truly never met a stranger, and it never mattered if you were a student in her alpha or not, she was there to care for everyone.

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

May 2 // Biology EOC

May 3 // Algebra 1 EOC

May 7 // Senior Slides Due

May 9 & 10 // MANDATORY Senior End of Year Meetings

May 15 // Senior Awards, 6pm (more info to come)

May 15 // Fall semester ACC registration opens for Returning students

May 22 // Fall semester ACC registration opens for New students

May 24 & 25 // Elementary Senior Walks (schedules & details)

May 25 // Senior Breakfast/Graduation Rehearsal/Cap & Gown Distribution

May 26 // Last Day of School
May 27 // VHS Graduation, 8a

June 2 // OCPE Applications due by 4p

July 17 - July 23 // Final Course Change Request Window, Closes July 23 at 11:59p

The initial change window is now closed. 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.

There will be one final change window schedule for July 17 - July 23. The window will close at 11:59p on July 23 and no changes will be accepted past this final deadline for the school year.

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.

Students who will be SENIORS next year have the privilege of applying for "off periods," up to one period each day (TWO total).

JUNIORS have the privilege of applying for up to ONE total off period.

This privilege is granted to those students who are on track to meet the following expectations:

• Completing coursework for either the Distinguished Level of Achievement or LISD Distinguished with Honors Graduation Plan
• Completing the required 26 credits for graduation
• Have met the passing standards on all sections of the required EOC exams
• Do not owe attendance hours
• Understand that off periods will be rescinded should attendance hours accumulate during the first semester
• Click here to complete the Off Period Application for next school year.

NOTE: Students taking ACC courses as part of their VHS schedule or have Off Campus PE class periods are not eligible for additional off periods due to state attendance policies.

Current Vandegrift students wishing to pursue OCPE for the 2023-2024 school year should turn in their OCPE applications directly to the district office using the Off Campus PE Application Submission form by June 2, 2023 at 4 p.m.

This is a firm district set deadline - no late applications will be accepted.

Please see the LISD OCPE website for information, application, and more.

Although classes are filling quickly, summer semester registration for Austin Community College coursework is still open. New Dual Credit students must have completed Enrollment Steps 1-5 to be eligible, while Returning students must have met with Mrs. Spradling 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).

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, while graduating seniors are encouraged to set up a brief meeting with Mrs. Spradling to understand next steps.

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 Mrs. Spradling. Although it's past the priority deadline to have completed these steps (that was April 28), students can still pursue coursework, just know they may not be cleared to before registration opening dates.

Speaking of, ACC has updated registration eligibility dates based on credit hours completed/in progress (not including summer):

• May 17 // Students with 30+ credit hours (typically students who have completed 10+ courses)
• May 18 // Students with 15-29 credit hours (typically students who have completed 5-9 courses)
• May 19 // Students with 0-14 credit hours (new students and those with 4 or less completed courses)

Please visit the Dual Credit website for full details about taking college level courses. Meanwhile, graduating seniors are invited to meet with our ACC recruiter on May 11 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.

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

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 (mostly full) and July (wider availability).

We are excited to celebrate all 670+ seniors by creating a Class of 2023 Celebration 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 7th 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.

WHERE CAN I VIEW THE ALBUM?

• link will be emailed to all seniors & parents/guardians
• album 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

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 9 & 10 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. IB English students will have these meetings May 17 & 18.

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 2023 Google Classroom as the dates approach.

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 15 at 6:00 pm in the Vandegrift High School Performing Arts Center. Seniors receiving awards and recognition will receive invitations 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).

The final calculation of class rank has been completed. This information should be uploaded into Naviance by Tuesday morning. We are at the mercy at the district technology office on when this upload will happen.

Once uploaded, 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 678 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.

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

• May 7 // Deadline to Submit Slide for Senior Celebration Slideshow; See here for instructions and example slides
  
• May 9 & 10 // MANDATORY Senior End of Year Meetings // Schedule
• May 15 // Senior Awards Ceremony // 6p-7:30p
• May 18/19/22 // mLISD Collection Dates for Seniors
• May 24 & 25 // Senior Grad Walks at Elementary Schools
• May 25 // Senior Sunrise // 6a-7a // Monroe Stadium
• May 25 // Senior Breakfast Tailgate // 7a-8:15a, Panoramic Pic Following Breakfast
• May 25 // MANDATORY Graduation Rehearsal and Cap & Gown Distribution // 9a-11a
• May 27 // Graduation Check-In 5a @ VHS // Graduation Ceremony 8a-10a @ HEB Center

Senior-specific dates and details can be found HERE.

The VHS Counseling website is regularly updated with scholarship opportunities. Make sure to check back often for new postings, or visit the Class of 2023 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 $$!

The Vandegrift PTSA is hosting Project Graduation Sunday, May 21st from 8:30pm - 12:30am at Golfinity. There will be all the great stuff -- DJ, Games, Prizes and FOOD all in a safe and sober environment!

Please visit the ProjectGrad webpage for more info.