Counselor Connection

We made it to June!! This is a time for celebration as we get ready to send off our graduating Seniors and reflect on the accomplishments of all our students this year. We are so proud of the growth and hard work our students have demonstrated!

As we embark into summer we do want to notify families on Mr. McDonald and Ms. Raymo's caseloads that they both are leaving our district at the end of June. Mr. McDonald is off to enjoy his retirement and Ms. Raymo is leaving to another district. We are sad to see them go but are wishing them the best with their next adventures! We will update our information when new staff is hired. In the meantime, if you have a question over the summer please contact the Counseling Center office at 336-2921 or reach out to your students assigned Assistant Principal:

All incoming 9th grade students: Casey Nelan

10-12 Grade Students Last Names A-L: Mark Foster

10-12 Grade Students Last Names M-Z: Sonja Griffin

We are wishing all of our students and families a summer of sunshine and relaxation!

Summer Edition newsletter will include:

• PROJECTED School Counselor Assignment Chart for 25-26
• Summer Counseling Center Hours and Staffing
• Work Permits
• Summer School Information
• 2025 Graduate Transcript Requests
• Schedules for 2025-2026
• Fee Waiver Reminder
• Seniors 2026 - What to Be Doing
• Guide to Senior Year Newsletter
• Welcome Class of 2029!
• PSAT Information (Current 10th Grade Students)
• Upcoming Events
  
• Additional Resources

As always please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's counselor with any questions!

The IHS Counseling Team

(Subject to Change)

The Counseling Center will be open from 7:45am - 2:45pm Monday - Fridays June 30th through August 29th. Clerical staff will be available during that time and School Counselors will be in periodically through the summer. We appreciate your patience in returning phone calls and emails during this time period.

If you have an urgent need to speak to a staff member please contact the Main Office.

The Counseling Center will be closed on July 4th.

Students can obtain their work permit through the College and Career Center through the remainder of the school year. After June 26th, students will need to request permits through the Counseling Center. Use the link below to view the work permit application.

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1698142087/westirondequoitorg/ti0akgm8949nolcy27tg/WorkPermit.pdf

For student's who do not succesfully earn credit or pass a Regents exam in a course, you will be notified by your students teacher at the end of the school year. If your student is able to complete credit recovery over the summer for the course or exam, your student's School Counselor will reach out to register your student and provide more information.

Dates: July 14– August 18 (Aug 19, 20 are Regents Days)

*School is in session Friday 7/18, otherwise no school on Friday's

Times: 7:40am-12:10pm for 2 courses (If your student only needs 1 course their time slot will be TBD)

Location: East Irondequoit Middle School

*Transportation will be provided from IHS

A few reminders:

• Summer School is for credit recovery for a failed course
• Attendance is mandatory; students missing multiple days are at risk of being dropped from the course they are enrolled in
• Regents Exams will be administered on August 19th and 20th (no classes those days)
• If your student passes a course but fails the Regents exam, they will only be required to re-take the exam, not the course. Prep courses will be available.
• Not all courses are available during Summer School programming. Your students School Counselor will work with you on options for courses not available.

Class of 2025 Seniors completed an Exit Survey with school counselors in English courses. This survey gathers information on where students Final Transcripts will be sent. Please know we will send these automatically to the school your student indicated in the survey. Official Final Transcripts are sent out after July 1st.

If your student changes the school they plan to attend in the Fall of 2025 and needs an Official Transcript sent to a new school, please click the link below to complete the Transcript Request Form. This is ONLY necessary if your students plans change from the school they indicated in their Exit Survey.

Graduates wishing to send their AP Exam scores to the school they plan to attend need to log into their College Board account. There is an option to Send Scores and the student will select the school of their choice.

Students who earned Dual-Enrollment credit through MCC or RIT need to request an Official Transcript directly from the college to transfer credits. This does NOT happen automatically from the IHS transcript. Please visit the websites at the links below to start the process.

https://www.rit.edu/registrar/official-documents#academic-transcripts

Schedules for the 2025-2026 school year will be available in the Student Portal mid-late August. School Counselors will be available to answer schedule questions August 25-28th.

School Counselors have individual course registration meetings with student's every year. These thoughtful planning conversations lead to schedules being created. As a result, schedule changes after the school year begins may be limited due to class sizes and other scheduling constraints.

REMINDERS:

• Schedules are subject to change leading up to the school year, so please continue to review your schedule in Infinite Campus prior to the start of the year.
• Counselors cannot accommodate requests for schedule changes based on individual teacher preference, lunch, or peer groups.
• If you have a change request or question about your schedule you may reach out to your students counselor via email or phone prior to the first day of school.
• Students will be required to stay in their schedules once the first day of school starts for 4 school days before making a change (exceptions: your schedule does not reflect your course requests or there is an error).
• If a student would like to add a course and there is room in the schedule, you may reach out to your counselor to request the additional course anytime within the first two weeks of school.
• If dropping a course, students must maintain the required minimum courseload of 5.5 credits, and are encouraged to take a full schedule and advantage of our comprehsensive course offerings.
• Students will not be able to drop a course after the first quarter.

Below is the course catalog to view the extensive list of comprehensive offerings available to students!

With school meals being free to all students, we wanted to remind parents about the importance of continuing to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application annually. Students who remain eligible qualify for other reduced or waived fees for things such as SAT/ACT exam fee waivers, AP exam fee waivers, college application waivers, and more. Please use the link directly below to apply!

Check out our Guide to Senior Year newsletter by clicking the link below. This newsletter is specific to the Class of 2026 and provides information on what to be doing over the summer and what to expect come fall!

Welcome to our rising 9th grade class! We look forward to meeting you and working with our new students and families. You will be invited to attend Freshmen Orientation the week prior to school starting where you'll be paired with a Link Crew mentor. You'll be provided with an opportunity to tour the school and find out what to expect in Freshmen year!

Freshmen Orientation Date: Wednesday, August 27th

Location: IHS

Time: 8:00am-12:00pm (tentative)

If you missed the 9th Grade Parent night on in March, please check out the presentation below!

Please check out our High School Planning Guide for students and families. This resource provides information on the Counseling Department, graduation requirements, what to expect through your four years, and more! This electronic document is also available on our Counseling Department website and includes links to additional resources. Click below!

The PSAT/NMSQT is a practice SAT exam that will give students the opportunity to experience what sitting for the SAT will be like and what types of questions you will be asked. This exam is also used as a qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship competition, which provides college scholarships to students who earn high scores on the exam.

For students who will be in 11th grade during the 2025-2026 school year, the test will be offered on Saturday October 11th from 8am-11:30am (for standard time test takers). In order to sign up for the test, please fill out this electronic form: https://forms.office.com/r/StuzKurDW0.

The deadline to register is October 1, 2025.

Please note, that by filling out the form, you are committing to paying the $30 fee for the exam (unless your family qualfiies for free/reduced lunch) regardless if your student shows up to the exam or not. More information about the test will be sent home in September 2025.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Shelly Laraby at michelle_laraby@westiron.monroe.edu.

See something? Say something! Safe School Hotline is an annonymous tip line to report any concerns regarding student well-being and safety in WISCD.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis these resources are available 24/7 to provide immediate help!

Call 211

If you need assistance locating long-term mental health resources, talking through a problem, or exploring mental health treatment options, call 211 to speak with a live person who can help.

• 211 conversations are confidential, can be made anonymously, and are available in 180 languages upon request.
• If you prefer to text, use web chat, or search for resources online, click here to find more ways to contact your local 211.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Dial 988 or 1-800-273-8255 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

If you're looking to connect with an outside therapist or counseling provider Psychology Today is an excellent resource to search for local providers that accept your insurance. Click the link below to visit their website and start your search!