Class of 2026 Chief Points

To the Class of 2026,

Welcome to your senior year! Can you believe that you are less than a week away from your first last day of high school ever?! It's been a long and crazy journey, but I'm excited to see how this new chapter treats all of you. I'll be right with you for the ride. Please don't be afraid to come see me and ask lots of questions!

This first newsletter is going to dump a lot of information on your laps.The majority of the information shared is specific to students who plan to go to college. If you aren't one of those students, I would still strongly encourage you to keep reading for a bit. I know there will be a few things that help you too! Don't forget to complete the diploma form in the first section. All seniors need to do this!!!

I shared a lot of this information right at the end of the school year, but there is so much information that it never hurts to share it again. Don't forget the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website is a resource too! Much of the information that share out in newsletters is available on that website as well. This newsletter is going to highlight areas of that website, and give you some really important information that you'll need entering senior year.

With all that being said, I know that this year is going to bring a lot of its own challenges with it. I ask that you work with me to push through the ups and downs. I also ask that you keep me on my toes. Please don't be afraid to ask questions or bring up topics. If I don't know an answer, I'll find someone who does.

This newsletter will be primarily focused on walking you through the Postsecondary Counseling Website. Specifically, it will look at:

• Graduation Requirements
• Career Exploration Information
• The College Application Guide (using SCOIR, requesting letters of recommendation, sending transcripts, college essays, and more!) ***VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW SCOIR + COMMONAPP Integration!!!
• Testing Information
• Financial Aid Information
• Scholarships

I want to wish you all nothing but the best senior year. Make the most out of it, and leave Lakeland with no regrets. Please know that I am here for anything you need - and that goes well beyond applying to college! Don't ever be afraid to reach out for any reason.

Mrs. deQuevedo

Schedules have been out for a few weeks. Please take a good look at them to make sure that you have all you need to graduate. Keep in mind, you need the following to graduate:

4 English Credits

3 Math Credits

3 Science Credits

3 Social Studies Credits

2 Art/Humanities Credits

1 full Physical Education Credit

0.5 Health Credits

7.5 Elective Credits

EQUALS 24 TOTAL CREDITS

Additionally, you will need to complete a minimum of 10 service hours by May 1st to graduate. You can find the tracking sheet for service hours below. *** Please note that this is a change...a reduction in required hours from 20 to 10!

***If you notice that there is something missing from your schedule that should be there, especially if it is a graduation requirement, please let me know as soon as possible. You have access to your transcript on Infinite Campus to check for yourself. There is definitely a chance that I missed something - don't let that go unnoticed. It could be the difference between you graduating or not!***

The goal of high school is to get a diploma at the end of it. We want that diploma to display your name as you wish it to. The Diploma Form will be texted, emailed and mailed home to you, but if you've misplaced it and need a direct link, you can find it below.

You must fill in your name as you wish it to appear on your diploma no later than September 30th. Diplomas for any student who has not returned a form by that date will have names as they appear on Infinite Campus.

The rest of this newsletter will give an overview of the different pages that can be found on the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. In the future, these newsletters will likely just have one overall link to the site with small highlights that are important at the time. Take your time to explore it all, and let me know what questions might come up!

If you don't really know what you want to do after graduation, that's okay! You've still got some time to figure it out. Part of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will help you explore some of your options. Click on the link below to learn more about:

Activities you can do to help you explore

College/workplace visits

Job Shadowing

Choosing a major or career path

I would also strongly encourage you to come talk through this all with me! I'm here to help you figure this stuff out. I want to help you find what's next, and get there in the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way possible!

The next section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website I will go over is the Testing Information section. This is all about the SAT, ACT, and what you might need to consider if you think you are going to take them. Click the link below to go to the website and learn all about the test. Topics include:

Key terms and considerations

If you should take the test

When to take the test

How to prepare for the test

The difference between the SAT & ACT

How to sign up for the tests

College applications officially opened on August 1st. Some of you have already reached out and have gotten started on all this entails. We're still early in the process, but I can't say this enough - college applications take a lot of time. There is so much that goes into it, so please don't wait too long to get started.

It can all be so intimidating. Please reach out to me if you're feeling stressed, don't know how to do something, or just need to vent!

If you click the link below, you'll go to the College Application Guide section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. This has:

Tips to get you started with your applications

Things to consider when applying

Information about what you need to complete for applications

FERPA & College Applications

And more (keep reading to find out)

There are multiple ways that you can apply to college. The most popular is through the Common Application. This opened on August 1st, and is a gateway to many different schools. The button below will take you to the Types of Applications section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. Here you'll find information you'll need to apply with:

• The Common Application
• The Coalition Application
• Group Applications
• Individual Applications

There are several different ways that you can apply to college that all may have various benefits to your application. The button below will take you to the Decision Types section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. This will walk you through all the different terms and types of applications that you may be prompted to complete.

SCOIR has many different features, but at Lakeland it is primarily used to connect students and colleges directly. You will use it to explore different schools and career paths, request letters of recommendation, and get your transcripts sent to schools. You will not be able to apply to college at Lakeland if you don't use Scoir.

You can click on the button below to go to the SCOIR section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. You'll find all sorts of information about SCOIR there.

While Scoir and the Common App are two separate companies, they have joined together for a new integration starting in August and rolling out fulling in the first week of September. There is a pause in sending out transcripts and letters of recommendation until the integration is complete (keep in mind that this is expected to be 2 weeks from now). Please click the link below to read the official student information from SCOIR on this integration!

Students will also utilize SCOIR to request letters of recommendation from teachers. There is an etiquette to requesting letters that this section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will walk you through. It will also go over the steps you need to take to request your letters. You should look at this early on so that your teachers don't get overwhelmed by all of the requests they receive!

You'll also want to review the information here about the Senior Brag Sheet. This is something you'll have to fill out so that your teachers can write their letters. It's housed on SCOIR, and is a place where you can talk about the important things you've done and want highlighted! Find it under "Assignments" in SCOIR.

All transcripts will be sent to colleges through SCOIR. Students cannot get this information sent to a school without utilizing SCOIR. The Sending Transcripts/Self-Reported Grades sections of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will walk you through everything you need to know about transcripts, as well as what you need to do to get them sent to a school.

The College Essays page of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will give you some tips and tricks to writing your essays. Click the link below to check it out, and learn more about the different types of essays you may need to write.

The FAFSA is scheduled to open on October 1, 2026.The Financial Aid Information section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will help you do to educate yourself about what that entails. I'd recommend that you check it out now, and ask any questions that might come up. Here you'll find information such as:

Why financial aid is important

What financial aid is

Tips to get you started

The different financial aid applications

When you apply for financial aid

Who fills out the applications

What the different types of applications look like

This is the part of the newsletter that will probably be continually updating. At this point, there really aren't many specific scholarships that you can apply for. Most are national applications that are highly competitive. The local scholarships will become available sometime in the winter. For now, you can check out the Scholarships page of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. It has some scholarship sites that may provide you with some opportunities!

I know there was A LOT of information here. I promise it is all important in its own way. Let's keep one thing in mind - your senior year is a marathon, not a sprint - but that marathon starts as soon as the summer does. Right now, you all have the luxury of time. That doesn't mean you can procrastinate though! It means that you can take your time and really produce quality results.

I believe in each and every one of you! I know that you will all absolutely crush your senior year, and I can't wait to see what you all make of it. If you made it this far, you'll be in great shape. There's lots more information to come, so keep breathing and we will get through this together!

Enjoy what's left of your summer, but do what you can to get ahead before all of your classes start up. If you have any questions whatsoever, please let me know.

Warm Regards,

Mrs. deQuevedo

Mrs. deQuevedo - ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org

Classes of 2026, 2028 & 2030

Make an appointment: https://calendar.app.google/tkP3yPghq4ovjFs9A

Mrs. Wengert - ewengert@lakelandsd.org

Classes of 2027, 2029 and 20309

Make an appointment: TBA

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