VHS Counseling Newsletter

July 21, 2021

Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year

The VHS Counseling Team is excited to welcome our Vipers back to campus. We will continue to utilize Google Classrooms and Remind, as well as the VHS Counseling Newsletter to share information with students and families. The VHS Counseling Website is also an excellent resource for you. Welcome back Vipers!

Today is the first day back for VHS Counselors. Thank you for your patience as we work through the backlog of emails received over the break.

Click here for Remind & Google Classroom Join Codes

IN THIS NEWSLETTER YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ABOUT.....

Info for All Students

Counselor Connection Initiative
Reminder - check your email regularly!
Who is my counselor?
Schedule Change Information and Timeline
New to Leander ISD Orientation // Aug 9, 5:30p
First Tour // Aug 10, 4p - 7p
GPA/Class Rank Update
TSI Assessment // Jul 30

Senior Section - Class of 2022

College Application Assistance for Class of 2022
Transcript Requests for the Class of 2022
Letters of Recommendation

Staff Contact Information

Counselor Connection Initiative

The VHS Counseling Team strives to provide a proactive and comprehensive counseling program which fosters academic, personal/social, and career development for ALL students. School counselors serve as advocates to help students to maximize their potential.

To meet the needs of students, we are launching a new Counselor Connection Initiative (CC-PIT) for the 2021-22 school year. Grade level groups of students will meet in groups 2-3 times per semester with their OWN ASSIGNED COUNSELOR during PIT. This, in addition to annual individual 1:1 conferences, will ensure at least five designated student/counselor connection points each year.

We look forward to building and strengthening the bonds with our students. More information and the fall semester Counselor Connection – PIT schedule will be sent out soon!

Students - please check your email regularly - it's important!

Over the next two weeks, counselors will be finalizing student schedules. If there is a conflict in your schedule that must be resolved (two classes offered only during the same period, too few course requests, etc.), your counselor will reach out to you via your school email to address these conflicts. Please be sure to check your email frequently for correspondence from counselors.

Who is my counselor?

For the first in maybe EVER, there are no changes to your alpha counselor assignments for next year! See below to confirm who your counselor will be for the 2021-2022 school year.

Kandice Detlefsen, Lead Counselor - A - Bo

Brittany Hernandez - Br - Di

Maureen Wheeler - Do - Harp

Shawna Powell - Harr - K

Charity Escott - L - M

Peggy Morisset - N - Rh

Jennifer Fisher - Ri - St

Melissa Wells - Su - Z

Want to know a little more about your counselor? Click on the Meet Our Team link below and watch our brief "get to know us" video!

Meet the VHS Counseling Team

Schedule Change Information

The final window to submit change requests for next year's courses is now open. The change window will close on Sunday August 1st at 11:59 pm.

Please note - course requests/schedules are viewable in Home Access Center until July 21 at 12pm.

It is strongly suggested you request your changes before then, or take a screenshot of your requests before visibility is turned off.

Due to the volume of change requests we are processing and other beginning of the year responsibilities, counselors are not able to email course request lists to students/families.

Please access and read the VHS Course Request Verification Guide for information on making changes to your course requests.

Make sure to pay close attention to the closed courses list. There are many courses that are already at capacity. Requests to change into those courses will not be honored, and there will not be any additional notification from your counselor.

Student schedules will be viewable in Home Access Center the week of August 9th. Please take a moment to ensure your HAC login is working. We will send notice when final schedules are viewable - stay tuned!

Timeline for 2021-22 Student Schedules

Jul 19 // window opens to request changes
Jul 21 // course requests NO LONGER VISIBLE in HAC (make sure to screenshot your requests before then!)
Aug 1, 11:59p // final schedule change request deadline
Aug 3 & 4 // schedule conflict resolution meetings between student/counselor (by invitation via Zoom, more info to come)
Aug 10, 2p // tentative student schedules viewable in Home Access Center
Aug 11 // schedule resolution session via Zoom (more info to come)
Aug 12, 8a // OFFICIAL student schedules viewable in Home Access Center

New to District Orientation // Aug 9, 5:30p

There will be an orientation session for students/families who are new to Leander ISD. This session will be held in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Building 2. Parents/guardians are encouraged to attend with their new to LISD student. (Aug 9, 5:30p)

First Tour // Aug 10, 4p - 7p

The VHS Administration Team is holding First Tour on Aug 10 from 4p - 7p.

Who should attend?

incoming Freshmen
incoming Sophomores
new to VHS students (all grades)
parents welcome!

This is an opportunity to get acquainted with classroom locations, building layout, etc. There will also be a Club Fair happening in Mainstreet during First Tour.

VHS First Tour

GPA/Class Rank Calculations

GPA/class rank calculations will be run at the conclusion of the summer school session after all grades are finalized (August). We will notify students and families once GPA/rank have been updated.

Current rank/GPA information can be found in Naviance (updated June 2021).

TSI Assessment // July 30

Students still seeking to pursue Dual Credit coursework or Class of 2022 students who were notified via mail/email of not meeting the state College Readiness Standards may wish to take advantage of the TSI Assessment being offered at VHS on Friday, July 30.

For more details about the TSI College Readiness standards click here. Test dates, registration instructions and registration link can be found here. Note, the TSI Assessment is always FREE through VHS.

College Application Assistance for Class of 2022

Class of 2022 are invited to take advantage of these opportunities for expert assistance in completing your college applications:

Texas Tech Application Workshops // multiple virtual sessions offered through August 6th // more information
College Application Workshop hosted by Austin Regional Counselors // August 4, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM or 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM // Join using this Zoom link, password: arc21
College Jump Start Office Hours // RSVP here for come & go office hours in the VHS College & Career Center to get your questions answered, feedback on resumes and essays, or just time work on your applications
Explore our The College Application Process website outlining the steps and instructions you should be following as your prepare your applications and supplemental materials including Letters of Recommendation and Transcripts (more info below)

Transcript Requests for the Class of 2022

Transcript requests for college admissions will begin to be processed on August 1, 2021. Students’ transcript requests are processed and tracked through Parchment. Please use your existing student account to place orders instead of creating new accounts. If the student does not have an account, students can create one by choosing “new learner account.”

Prior to August 1, use your final report card from the 2020-21 school year if you need information about classes completed during your junior year.
If you are choosing to WITHHOLD your class rank, you must send a completed Class Rank Choice Form (pg.4) to Mrs. Stich (Stephanie.Stich@leanderisd.org) BEFORE you submit your transcript request on Parchment.

Letters of Recommendation

Depending on the school to which you are applying, letters of recommendation from your counselor or teacher(s) may be required. Click here and expand the drop-down for detailed instructions to request a letter.