September 2026

Class of 2028,

I can hardly believe we are already a month into the 2026–27 school year! I hope your year is off to a strong start and that you're settling into the rhythm of junior year.

And yes—JUNIOR YEAR! Somehow, you're already here.

This newsletter will be the first of several you'll receive from me throughout the year. I'll be sharing information for you and your families to help you navigate junior year and begin preparing for whatever comes next after high school. Next year, when you're seniors, you'll hear from me much more frequently, so consider this a little practice for what's ahead!

Please make a point to read each issue. Not everything I share will apply to every student, but each newsletter will include information that is important for all of you, along with opportunities and reminders that may be especially important to you individually.

Early this year, I'll visit your English classes to go over some of the information included here, along with a few other things you should know as juniors.

I'll also begin inviting each of you to my office for a Junior Jumpstart Meeting. These will be brief, 10–15 minute conversations that give me a chance to check in with you individually, hear how junior year is going, learn a little more about what you're thinking for your future, and make sure you know about the resources and opportunities that may be helpful to you. Look for your invite in your email from Google Calendar!!!

Of course, our Junior Jumpstart isn't the only time we can talk! You are always welcome to make an appointment with me if you'd like to spend more time discussing college, careers, future plans, something happening at school, or whatever else may be going on in your life. My door is always open.

Junior year is a marathon, not a sprint. Take time to enjoy it, but don't lose sight of the responsibilities and opportunities that come with it. This is an important year, and many of the choices you make now will help shape the options available to you next year and beyond.

Let's make it a great junior year!

Mrs. deQuevedo

If you have not already, please be sure that you are in my Class of 2028 School Counseling Google Classroom. I will be posting important announcements in there throughout the school year. The class code: wpm6pkev

There are three primary graduation requirements at Lakeland: Credits, Job Shadow & Service Hours. It is incredibly important that you are mindful of the credits you are earning so that you can keep an eye on what your senior year schedules need to be. Check your schedules and make sure you're in a good place. As a reminder, here are the credits you must earn to graduate:

4 English Credits

3 Math Credits

3 Science Credits

3 Social Studies Credits

2 Art/Humanities Credits

1 Physical Education Credit

0.5 Health Credits

0.5 Personal Finance

7 Elective Credits (down from 7.5)

= 24 TOTAL CREDITS

You are able to access your transcript through Infinite Campus ("Documents" tab).

You are STRONGLY encouraged to get these hours in early. We will accept anything from 9th-12th grade. These must be done out in the community. *If you aren't sure whether or not something will count, just ask me or an administrator!

You can find the service hours tracking sheet HERE, also linked below. If you have accumulated ANY hours towards the total 10, you can bring your tracking sheet to the counseling office and we can hang on to it so you don't lose it. Now that you're in 9th grade, it's not too early to submit them!

What this looks like is really up to you, but the idea is to spend a full day (or at least half a day) shadowing someone in a job you are interested in. Whether you arrange to be in a dental office, a community center, or a construction site, your time should help you learn about your interests and shape your career goals.

Important Notes:

• Talk to me BEFORE your job shadow to make sure it is approved. *If you are unsure what to do or need help identifying a job site, please email me or schedule a meeting!
• You must complete a job shadow packet, which are available for pick-up (and return) in the counseling office. It's also linked HERE.
• Excused absence: You can complete this on any day of the week, including school days. When you submit the job packet (including the date of the job shadow), it will be marked as an excused absence.

PA Act 158 lays out minimum requirements that must be met prior to graduation. Essentially, passing the Algebra, Literature, and Biology Keystone exams would satisfy these requirements. Any student who does not pass a Keystone test will be scheduled for required remediation and will retest in the winter or spring. If proficient scores are still not attained, there are alternative pathways to graduation. Click on the "Act 158 Pathways" link below to learn more.

The Act 158 requirements are being tracked by the counseling department. Any student who has not met their requirement may be required to do additional activities to begin senior year. If there are any questions about these graduation requirements or where you stand, please ask!

If you have any desire to go to college, the beginning of junior year is the time to start thinking about the college admission tests you may want to take.

College testing requirements have changed quite a bit over the past several years. Many colleges and universities are test-optional, meaning that students can choose whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application. At the same time, some colleges require test scores, and testing policies can change from year to year.

Because of this, we recommend that students who are considering college plan to take the SAT or ACT unless they are certain that none of the colleges they are considering will require a score. Taking a test keeps your options open. If a college requires a score, you'll have one. If a college is test-optional, you can decide later whether your score strengthens your application.

Typically, we suggest that students take the SAT or ACT for the first time in the spring of junior year. This leaves time to take the test again later in the spring or during the fall of senior year if you would like to improve your score. To help prepare, students are strongly encouraged to take the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall of junior year. It is offered at Lakeland, and you can learn more about registering in the section below.

IMPORTANT SAT NOTE: The SAT is now fully digital and is taken using the College Board's Bluebook testing app. The test itself is approximately 2 hours and 14 minutes, not including breaks. Students taking a weekend SAT who do not have access to an approved device may request to borrow one from College Board, but the request must be made at least 30 days before the test date.

For more information about the SAT and ACT, click on the link below. This will take you to the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website, where you'll find information about college admission testing as well as many other resources that will be helpful over the next two years. The testing section includes information about how to register, when to test, the differences between the SAT and ACT, test preparation, and more.

The PSAT/NMSQT is essentially a "practice" version of the SAT and is part of the College Board's SAT Suite of Assessments. It measures the same types of knowledge and skills as the SAT and is a great opportunity to see where you are doing well and where you may want to focus your preparation before taking the SAT later this year or next year.

There is another important reason for juniors to consider taking the PSAT/NMSQT: scholarship and recognition opportunities! The PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Strong performance can also help students qualify for College Board's National Recognition Program, including the Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award. As a student attending Lakeland, this is an opportunity worth knowing about!

Students who receive College Board recognition can include the award on college applications, and some colleges and organizations offer scholarships or other opportunities to students who earn these distinctions. We have had several Lakeland students in recent graduating classes earn national recognition.

Taking the PSAT/NMSQT also gives you useful information about your readiness for the SAT. College Board and Khan Academy offer free official SAT preparation, including practice questions, lessons and targeted practice to help you strengthen areas where you need additional work. SAT Suite

I strongly encourage juniors to register for the PSAT/NMSQT! We will be offering it at Lakeland on October 20. We sent out registration information as well as resources that can help you prepare.

If you have any desire to play sports in college, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. If you haven't done this yet, that's okay—but junior year is definitely the time to get started!

You can register HERE or at the link below.

If you plan to compete at a Division I or Division II school, you will need an Academic and Athletics Certification Account. This takes approximately 30–45 minutes to complete and currently costs $120 for domestic students. Fee waivers are available for students who qualify.

If you plan to compete at a Division III school, domestic students should create a free Profile Page, which takes approximately 15 minutes. Not sure which division you might compete in? You can start with the free Profile Page and transition to a certification account later if necessary. NCAA

IMPORTANT: Be sure to register using a personal email address that you check regularly and will continue to have access to after graduation. Do not use your Lakeland email address.

Once you register, please let me know! I will need to submit your high school transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center, and I won't automatically know that you've created an account.

Please reach out if you have any questions about NCAA registration or eligibility requirements. I'm happy to help you through the process!

Scoir is the college and career planning platform you'll use throughout junior and senior year. You can access your account through Clever.

As a junior, now is a great time to start exploring! Use Scoir to research colleges, learn about majors and careers, compare schools, and begin building a list of colleges that interest you. You don't need to know exactly what you want to do or where you want to go yet—the goal is simply to start exploring your options.

You'll use Scoir much more during senior year for the college application process, so becoming familiar with it now will make things much easier later.

Not sure where to start? Log in, explore a few colleges or careers, and see where it takes you!

Take 10 minutes to explore your future!

Before your Junior Jumpstart Meeting, log into Scoir through Clever and:

✓ Explore colleges, careers, or majors that interest you
✓ Add at least 3 colleges to your list — if college is part of your plan
✓ Come to your Junior Jumpstart ready to tell me one thing you're considering for life after high school

Not sure what you want to do yet? That's completely okay!
That's exactly what junior year—and your Junior Jumpstart—is for.

Mrs. Wengert - ewengert@lakelandsd.org

Classes of 2027, 2029 & 2031

Make an appointment with Mrs. Wengert

Mrs. deQuevedo - ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org

Classes of 2028 , 2030 & 2032

Make an appointment with Mrs. deQuevedo

Email: lhsguidance@lakelandsd.org

Website: http://counselingatlakeland.weebly.com/
Location: 1355 Lakeland Drive, Jermyn, PA, United States
Phone: 570-254-9485
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lhscounselors/