VHS Counseling February Newsletter

• National School Counseling Week // Feb 7-11
  

• "Mental Health Minute" Video Series - Leander ISD Counseling Services

• ACC Dual Credit - Planning for Summer & Fall 2021

• Junior Counselor Connection PIT Sessions / Junior 1:1 Conferences
• School Day SAT for Juniors // Mar 2
  
• Freshmen - Upcoming Student/Counselor 1:1 Meetings
• Viper Night // Mar 7
  
• College & Career Center Workshop Series
  
• ASVAB Career Exploration Program registration // Mar 9
  
• Subcampus Deadlines: Cosmetology & Culinary Arts
  
• All Grade Levels - GPA and Rank Information
  
• Seniors - Mid-Year Reports for College Applications
• Applied Research Laboratories Summer Apprenticeship Program
  
• HBCU Virtual College Fair // February 5
• Black College Awareness Fair // March 5
• At VHS - Visits with College Admissions Reps

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!

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. The videos will be shared weekly through students' Class of 20XX Google classroom. We will also be including the Mental Health Minutes for each month within the VHS Counseling Newsletter.

The videos were written and recorded by Leander ISD Counseling Services team members. Some of the topics covered will include managing stress, healthy coping skills, staying grounded, talking about your feelings, making and building positive friendships, and how and when to ask for help. Each video ends with the reminder that “if you or someone you know is struggling, tell a trusted adult."

January Mental Health Minute Series

What to Do if a Friend Needs Help // English / Spanish (Jan 3)

What kind of help can the school provide? // English / Spanish (Jan10)

Self Compassion // English / Spanish (Jan 17)

What is stress? // English / Spanish (Jan 24)

When to Ask for Help // English / Spanish (Jan 31)

Current ACC students planning to continue taking dual credit coursework (returning students) should be scheduling individual meetings with Mrs. Spradling now through March 11 (summer) or by April 22 (fall) to plan for 2022-23 courses.

Students new to ACC hopefully attended our "Dul Credit Kick-Off" session in January. We strongly encourage parents to view the recording to ensure all parties are fully informed. New students should aim to have completed the enrollment steps, including an individual meeting with Mrs. Spradling, by the priority deadline of March 25 (summer) or April 22 (fall).

New students are also 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).

Counselors will be presenting to 11th Grade Students during mandatory Counselor Connection PIT sessions in February:

Last Names Starting With:

A - Di - February 8 // Ms. Detlefsen and Mrs. Hernandez's students

Do - K - February 10 // Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Powell's students

L - Rh - February 14 // Mrs. Escott and Ms. Morisset's students

Ri - Z - February 15 // Mrs. Fisher and Ms. Well's students

During this presentation, counselors will review graduation requirements and four-year plans, and students will begin the electronic course selection process. We will also begin preparing for upcoming Junior 1:1 Conferences which will take place between Feb 28 - April 11.

JUNIOR STUDENTS & PARENTS - Be on the lookout for a junior specific newsletter later this month with more information!

On March 2nd, 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. 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, Katie Stewart at katie.stewart@leanderisd.org

Counselor/Student 1:1 Meetings for 9th Grade students will take place February 22 - 25.

For all information on course selection, the parent/guardian webinar, and student/counselor meetings CLICK HERE.

Viper Night will take place 6:00-8:00 PM on Monday, March 7 and is open to all students and parents in a come & go format. Viper Night will include:

• Elective fair
• Club & Organization fair
• Breakout Sessions
• Student Panels

Students are encouraged to take advantage of this evening to explore and learn more about ALL that Vandegrift has to offer!

Check out the past VHS College & Career Center Workshop Series recordings, slides, and resources available. You'll also find the workshops slated for this semester, including this month:

• February 7: Crafting the College List // register here
• February 14: Academic Fit & Assured Admissions // registration coming soon!
• February 28 // Conquering the Activities List // registration coming soon!

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

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.

GPA & rank calculation was completed last week. Please CLICK HERE for more information.

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.

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

This virtual fair will be a phenomenal opportunity for students to receive information, scholarships, and possibly on the spot acceptance from some of the top HBCUs in the country.

February 5 // 12p - 2p

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The 31st Black College Awareness Fair provides students with the opportunity to learn more about Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). This is a free virtual event and will take place on Saturday, March 5th from 12-3pm. Save the date and be prepared for an engaging event! Click here to register.

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: UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State, Incarnate Word, Baylor, Sam Houston, University of North Texas