VHS Counseling October Newsletter

• Course Selection Timeline - BIG CHANGE COMING

• Leander ISD College Fair // October 21

• PSAT for 10th & 11th Grades // October 29

• Test Preparation Opportunities

• Freshman & Senior October 29 Plans

• ASVAB Career Exploration Program // Registration Open!

• AP course and exam registration through College Board & Total Registration is happening now!

• Austin Community College Dual Credit

• Student Leadership Opportunities

• Senior Workdays during PIT

• FAFSA is a Graduation Requirement! // OPENS TODAY!!

• TSI Assessment // October 2

• Seniors - Stay Connected!

• Save the Date - School Day SAT // March 3

10th Grade

• Sophomore Counselor Connection Meetings - Healthy Relationships/Dating Violence Prevention // October 14 & 15

9th Grade:

• Freshman Counselor Connection Meetings - Mental Health Awareness // October 23 & 24

Mental Health Minutes

• October Topics

Need to Get in Touch?

• Contact Info for Campus Counselors/Administration

IMPORTANT DATES IN ORDER:

Oct 1 // FAFSA Opens

Oct 2 // TSI Assessment

Oct 14 & 15 // Sophomore Counselor Connection Visits - Healthy Relationships/Dating Violence Prevention

Oct 21 // LISD College Fair

Oct 23 & 24 // Freshman Counselor Connection Visits - Mental Health Awareness

Oct 29 // PSAT & Senior Summit

March 12, 4p // Final Deadline for ALL Change Requests for the 2026-27 School Year

Leander ISD has accelerated the district-wide timeline for next year’s course selections. Planning for next year begins soon. Grade-specific information will be shared later, but all course selection decisions will be FINAL by March 12 at 4:00 PM. This is significantly earlier than in previous years, so we want families to have this information now to begin planning.

Leander ISD students and parents are encouraged to attend the district’s College Fair from 6–8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21 at Glenn High School (1320 Collaborative Way, Leander, TX 78641) to learn more about admissions, financial aid and scholarships to prepare for students’ collegiate endeavors.

Students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from over 100 four-year and two-year colleges and universities, trade schools and technical programs. Additionally, the armed services will be represented.

Parking is available in the front, back and the side of Glenn High School. College representatives will be in the commons area and 1200s academic wing.

All 10th & 11th grade students will take the PSAT during the school day. The school-day PSAT test is free and requires no registration! There is no make-up opportunity for this test date.

Students will be allowed to use their own device as long as the bluebook app is downloaded.

More Than a Teacher offers practice tests and test prep classes, while Khan Academy offers free online SAT prep.

Freshmen will be attending their regularly scheduled A day classes the morning of October 29. Teachers will notify students of any adjustments to their meeting location for 1st, PIT, and 2nd periods.

Seniors will participate in Senior Summit in building 2 the morning of October 29. During 1st period + PIT, they will attend a study hall in the cafeteria to work on schoolwork or other to-dos. During 2nd period, seniors will participate in a post–VHS pathway event, which includes Health Care pathways, Trade/Workforce pathways, or time & support for individual progress on their post-VHS pathway (college apps, scholarship search, ACC options, etc). Students should remember to bring their laptops fully charged.

Placements and locations will be posted in the Class of 2026 Google Classroom on October 8, and requests to change 2nd period placement must be submitted through the Google form in GC by October 15. After 2nd period, seniors will resume their regular A-day schedule.

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 Wednesday, November 12 - REGISTER HERE.

Avoid a $40 late fee per course by completing AP Enrollment and Exam Registration before October 31, 2025. Students should log into their College Board account to make sure each AP Class on their schedule is listed in MyAP and also ensure they are in Total Registration.

Spring 2026 Registration opens October 16/17

Registration for Austin Community College (ACC) spring semester courses is completed by students through myACC. Students planning to take spring classes should have confirmed their plans through the Dual Credit Google Classroom or by meeting with Ms. Kendall. Additional registration information will be posted in the Dual Credit Google Classroom by October 6 and students can stop by the CCC-Room 1306 if they have questions.

Summer 2026 / School Year 2026–27 planning for current 9th, 10th, 11th graders

Information about the ACC Dual Credit program will be posted in the Class of 202X Google Classrooms and presentations will be made in 10th grade classrooms in early November. Students who have already decided they would like to take ACC Dual Credit courses in Summer 2026 and/or the 2026–27 school year may start the enrollment process now. Steps are posted on the VHS CCC Website. The priority deadline for completing steps 1-5 for Summer 2026 and/or School Year 2026-27 is February 16, with the final deadline on March 12.

• New to ACC Dual Credit: Students who are new to ACC Dual Credit must complete steps 1–4 before attending an advising meeting (Step 5).

• Returning to ACC Dual Credit : Students returning to ACC Dual Credit do not need to repeat steps 1-4 and can schedule their summer/school year 2026-27 advising meeting through this link.

For seniors, information about ACC enrollment and registration will be posted in the Class of 2026 Google Classroom with in person support workshops offered monthly beginning in January.

Student leadership opportunities are posted in grade level Google Classrooms throughout the school year. These opportunities, sponsored by local organizations, are typically grade level specific and include an application process. The following leadership opportunities will be posted this month:

RYLA Leadership Camp - open to 10th & 11th grade students. Information and application details will be posted in the Class of 2027 & Class of 2028 Google Classrooms.

Camp Enterprise - open to 11th grade students. Information and application details will be posted in the Class of 2027 Google Classroom.

Senior Workdays are an opportunity to be productive and get assistance on anything needed for post-VHS plans (college applications, essays, resumes, financial aid, workforce planning, interview prep, etc.) in the College & Career Center (room 1306) during PIT (9:45a - 10:20a) on most Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays. Students must sign up in the PIT Portal.

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0256, each student must do one of the following in order to graduate:

• Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Complete and submit a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) (for Texas residents who are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid - usually includes students who are non-citizens or non-permanent residents of the United States)
• Submit a signed opt-out form ENGLISH, SPANISH

*Reminder: this is only one graduation requirement component. Counselors and Administrators will continue working with Seniors on ensuring graduation requirements are met.

ACTION REQUIRED

Seniors: To complete this graduation requirement, submit your documentation to this linked form.

Senior parents, or any parents planning ahead when it comes to financing college, are invited to join A+ College Planning for their Taking the Stress Out of College Planning workshop. Upcoming sessions will be hosted at various LISD high schools.

Oct 8 - Glenn High School Library, 6p

Oct 15 - Cedar Park High School Lecture Hall, 6p

Nov 12 - Rouse High School Cafeteria, 6p

Nov 13 - Leander High School Library, 5:30p

Counselors reviewed college readiness status (known as TSI, Texas Success Initiative) individually with seniors during their conferences in September. Students who are not yet TSI complete in Reading & Writing and/or Math are encouraged to take proactive steps to prepare and take the TSI Assessment in an effort to ensure a seamless transition to college level coursework.

The TSI Assessment is offered at Vandegrift regularly for seniors for free. The next testing opportunity is Thursday, October 2nd. Students can register HERE.

Make sure to keep up to date on all things Class of 2026 with the Senior Information Page!

All 11th grade students will take the SAT during the school day on March 3rd. The school-day SAT test is free and requires no registration! Juniors should plan to take the SAT and/or ACT in the spring semester in preparation for the college application process. Other than this school-day SAT, students may register for Saturday test opportunities based on national testing dates through the SAT or ACT websites.

We will be holding Counselor Connection sessions for sophomores October 14 & 15 during English 2 classes. These sessions will focus on healthy relationships and dating violence prevention. As you will soon be moving on to your next steps in life, we feel it is crucial to have conversations on this topic. Student feedback from previous years has indicated students find these conversations to have value and importance.

Parents/guardians interested in previewing the Counselor Connection lesson beforehand may reach out to the Lead Counselor for more information: kandice.detlefsen@leanderisd.org.

We will be holding Counselor Connection sessions for freshmen October 23 & 24 during English 1 classes. These sessions will focus on general mental health awareness, warning signs of depression, suicide prevention, and managing anxiety.

Parents/guardians interested in previewing the Counselor Connection lesson beforehand may reach out to the Lead Counselor for more information: kandice.detlefsen@leanderisd.org.

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.

October Mental Health Minutes:

Size of the Problem

Supporting Your Friends

Ways to Chill

What is a Coping Skill? English // Spanish

Counselors and Asst. Principals are assigned alphabetically by STUDENT last name:

VHS Counselors

Kandice Detlefsen, Lead Counselor - A - B

Kylie Russell - C - Ga

Charity Escott - Ge - Kn

Tracy Noble - Ko - Ne

Shawna Powell - Ng - Si

Melissa Wells - Sk - Z

VHS Assistant Principals

Amanda Toon, Associate Principal - A - B

Becky Azard-Jackson - C - G

Parrish McEwen - H - Mao

Collin Fletcher - Map - Sam

David Barnes - San - Z

Additional Staff Contact Information

Katie Kendall - College and Career Transition Coordinator

Heidi Kalla - Dean of Instruction

Emily Rullan - Special Education Team Lead

Jennifer Taylor - 504 Coordinator

Alexandra Magness- IB Coordinator