VHS Counseling February Newsletter

National School Counseling Week

• Recognizing the VHS Counseling Team

Course Selection Information

• Freshman & Sophomore Timelines
• Junior Conferences & Course Selection Info
• Subcampus Program Opportunities
• ACC Dual Credit - Summer & Fall 2024
• OCPE Program Updates

College & Career Exploration

• College Visits for VHS Students
• School Day SAT for Juniors // March 6
• ASVAB Career Exploration // March 20
• Applied Research Laboratories Summer Apprenticeship Program

GPA & Rank Information

• Senior Info
• Junior Info
• Freshman & Sophomore Info

Senior Zone

• Mid-Year Reports for College Applications
• Want to Win a Care? (Yes, for real!)

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Counselors collaborate with all stakeholders (i.e. parents, teachers, administrators) and seek to build an equitable and inclusive learning environment. Let's celebrate our amazing Vandegrift Counseling team!

The initial course selection window is closed for freshmen and sophomores to allow counselors time to input course requests into the system. Requests will be visible in HAC sometime in March, and the final change request window will open in April.

THE FINAL COURSE REQUEST CHANGE DEADLINE FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IS MAY 1, 2024.

Please see the Course Selection Timeline for detailed information specific to each grade level.

Juniors began making course selections this month and will finalize initial requests by February 16. Please see the Viper Vitals for Juniors newsletter for more information.

Students - don't forget to schedule your JUNIOR CONFERENCE with your alpha counselor!

Parents/guardians - please view the webinar recording if you were unable to attend earlier this week. You can also view the slideshow presentation here.

THE FINAL COURSE REQUEST CHANGE DEADLINE FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IS MAY 1, 2024.

Please see the Course Selection Timeline for detailed information specific to each grade level.

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. Transportation is not provided for subcampus programs. Students will need to subcampus to their alternate campus for an entire A or B day.

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 March 1, 2024.

Note:

• Space in this class is very limited. Filling out this form does NOT guarantee entrance into the class. The form must be filled out by the student by March 1, 2024.
• This class is double-blocked. The periods are 2/3 or 6/7. Please apply only if you have room for this in your schedule.
• This is a rigorous fast-paced industry-based class.

Click here to submit an enrollment request for the Cosmetology Program. The enrollment request and due date for the information packet for Cosmetology is February 1, 2024. Do not delay, as several of the packet items require 1-2 weeks processing time.

Students planning to continue taking dual credit coursework (returning students) should start scheduling individual meetings with Ms. Kendall (new College & Career Transition Coordinator) to plan for 2024-25 courses (summer/fall/spring semesters).

Students new to ACC should be working through Enrollment Steps 1-4 and registering to take the TSI Assessment if needed. Information was presented to all sophomores and was included with the sophomore parent webinar last semester. If you missed it and want to learn more, check out the College & Career Website for program details.

New students should aim to complete Enrollment Steps 1-4 and the required individual meeting with Ms. Kendall by the priority deadline of March 22 for summer registration.

Activities available through the Off-Campus PE program are limited to activities that are not offered comprehensively through the physical education or athletic department of Leander ISD. The following are qualified activities for Off-Campus PE.

Archery, Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Cheer (6th only),Cycling, Equestrian, Golf (Grade 6-8 only),Gymnastics/Tumbling, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse (Category 2 only),Martial Arts, Mountain Biking, Soccer (Grade 6-8 only), Swim (Grade 6-8 only),Table Tennis, Tennis (Grade 6-8 only),Water Polo, Wrestling (Grade 6-8 only).

Program Guidelines for the 24-25 School year

Leander ISD OCPE Information

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.

On March 6, VHS will administer the SAT test to all 11th grade students. Students should be sure to be at school on this day as there is no make-up opportunity for this FREE administration - no registration required. Information about School Day SAT, including the structure of the test and what to bring on test day can be found here. More information will be shared in the coming weeks. Direct questions about School Day SAT to the VHS Testing Coordinator, Delis Golden (delis.golden@leanderisd.org).

The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is a FREE test available to interested 10th-12th grade students. The ASVAB program facilitates career planning and exploration, combining a multiple-aptitude test with an interest self-assessment and a wide range of career exploration tools. The test is open to any student who simply is wanting more career guidance, but is a requirement for students interested in pursuing military options. NOTE: LISD does not release scores to the military; students pursuing the military are responsible for sharing their scores.

The test will take place on Tuesday, March 20. Testing will take place in the VHS Lecture Hall from 8:15 AM - 11:45 AM. REGISTER HERE.

Each summer Applied Research Laboratories, a department at 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 fall semester, and who have applied to UT Austin. Preference is given to students attending UT Austin, and those whose intended majors are aerospace, electrical, and mechanical engineering, computer science, geophysics, mathematics, and physics but all students will be considered.

This program, which began in 1982, involves summer employment at Applied Research Laboratories in northwest Austin and provides a "hands-on" introduction to research and development. This is a competitive, 10-week summer program for graduating seniors, offering a salary of $20.00 an hour. This prestigious group of students also write reports that are published and widely distributed at the end of their summer term.

Application deadline is March 10, 2024 // details & application

GPA & rank information has been uploaded into Naviance. As a reminder, parents do not have separate Naviance accounts. Students should access Naviance through Launchpad and are asked to share their log-in information with parents in order to access Naviance.

About Me > My Account > Listed under Academic section.

The number of students in your class can be used to determine your quartile.

Class of 2024: 676 students

Quartiles are 25% segments (think quarters). To calculate your quartile, find your rank and divide by the number of students in your class.

25% = 1st quartile, 50% = 2nd quartile, 75% = 3rd quartile, 100% = 4th quartile

Example: If a student is ranked 332 out of 657 students, they divide 332/667=.49 or 49%, thus falls in the 2nd quartile.

NEW TO VHS STUDENTS - If you did not complete semester 1 at VHS, you will not have a GPA/rank in Naviance. You will receive your GPA/rank once you complete a full semester at VHS.

Your most current GPA & class rank (updated January 2024) can be found in Naviance. The lowest weighted GPA of students in the top ten percent, the first quartile, the second quartile, and the third quartile shall be communicated to all students in the class after each calculation period. Please view QUARTILE STATEMENT FOR VHS, JANUARY 2024 for the GPA breakdown.

**Students in the top 10% will have their rank listed in Naviance in accordance with district policies. Students outside the top 10% do not have a rank and this box will be empty in Naviance.**

NEW TO VHS STUDENTS - If you did not complete semester 1 at VHS, you will not have a GPA in Naviance. You will receive your GPA calculation once you complete a full semester at VHS.

As a reminder, the Classes of 2026/2027 fall under the new LISD Rank & GPA policy.

Cumulative GPA will be calculated at the end of the 9th grade year (June) and again at the end of the 10th grade year (June).

Class rank will only be reported for the top ten percent of each class. After each calculation period, students in the top ten percent will be told their exact class rank in accordance with administrative procedures.

The lowest weighted GPA of students in the top ten percent, the first quartile, the second quartile, and the third quartile shall be communicated to all students in the class after each calculation period in order for students to determine their GPA quartile.

Freshmen:

Your GPA will be calculated at the conclusion of the school year and posted over the summer.

Sophomores:

The weighted GPA you see listed in Naviance was calculated at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. This will not change until GPA is recalculated at the conclusion of this school year.

• 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.
  • 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.

How does a free car sound? For the third year, Honda Leander is giving away a brand new car to one lucky Leander ISD graduating senior. Make sure to turn in the entry form in to the front office by April 1, 2024. If you are randomly chosen as one of Vandegrift's nominees, you will be notified in April so that you can attend the drawing. Click here for more information and to see videos of past LISD winners. A Vandegrift student hasn't won yet, so we are hoping this is the year!!

Please only submit the form if you are able to attend the drawing on April 14, 2024, as you must be present to win.

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.

February Mental Health Minutes:

• Mental Health Matters
• Managing Emotions
• Self-Compassion
• Peer Pressure