Class of 2029: Newsletter #1

Class of 2029,

With only 2 weeks left of Quarter 1, I hope you feel like this school year is off to a strong start! This newsletter will focus on graduation requirements and CTC information. Please read carefully!

If we haven't met yet, my name is Mrs. Wengert and I am your new school counselor. I'm excited to work with you for all four years of your senior high school journey! The stakes are a little higher, now that every class counts towards your credits and overall GPA.

Over the next four years, you can expect to hear from me in a few different ways:

Smore newsletters (like this one) which offer detailed to-do lists, important announcements, resources for college and career exploration, and more. *Senior year, these newsletters will contain important info and quick links to guide you through the college and financial aid application process. In other words, get used to reading these!*
Google Classroom - I'll share quick announcements and opportunities as they come across my desk, like college rep visits, upcoming trips, scholarship opportunities, and more.
Classroom lessons - A few times throughout the year, I will go into a class that all of you have to talk through important info (e.g., scheduling, SAT/ACT testing, CTC, college search & SCOIR).
"Minute Meetings" - These will be quick (generally no more than 5 minutes) conversations that allow me to get some information about each of you individually and your class as a whole.
You are also always welcome to make an appointment with me to discuss your future goals or whatever is happening in your life. My door is (almost) always open.

I'm excited to get to know you! Let's have a great year,

Mrs. Wengert

Make An Appointment With Me!

Join the Google Classroom

If you have not already, please be sure that you are in my Class of 2029 School Counseling Google Classroom. I will be posting important announcements in there throughout the school year. The class code: nvzb2me

Join Google Classroom

(UPDATED) Credits & Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements at Lakeland have changed a little bit. It's still 24 Credits, but you now only need 10 Service Hours, in addition to a Job Shadow. Read on for details!

Credits: It is incredibly important that you are mindful of the credits you are earning each year to ensure that you are on track to graduate. Here are the credits you must earn to graduate:

4 English Credits

3 Math Credits

3 Science Credits

3 Social Studies Credits

2 Art/Humanities Credits

1 Physical Education Credit

0.5 Health Credits

0.5 Personal Finance (NEW requirement)

7 Elective Credits (down from 7.5)

= 24 TOTAL CREDITS

After your 9th grade year, you'll be able to access your transcript through Infinite Campus ("Documents" tab). Also, check out the LHS Curriculum Guide (linked below) if you are looking for courses that meet specific requirements, need to know prerequisites for a class, etc.

LHS Curriculum Guide

Service Hours - NEW 10 instead of 20!

All students must complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service to graduate from Lakeland. (This is down from the previous requirement of 20.)

You are STRONGLY encouraged to get these hours in early. We will accept anything from 9th-12th grade. These must be done out in the community. *If you aren't sure whether or not something will count, just ask me or an administrator!

You can find the service hours tracking sheet HERE, also linked below. If you have accumulated ANY hours towards the total 10, you can bring your tracking sheet to the counseling office and we can hang on to it so you don't lose it. Now that you're in 9th grade, it's not too early to submit them!

Service Hours Tracking Sheet

NEW - Job Shadow Requirement

In addition to the 10 hour community service requirement, all students are now responsible for completing a job shadow experience. Now that you're in 9th grade, you can start the process of identifying who you want to shadow! It's not too early to get this requirement out of the way.

What this looks like is really up to you, but the idea is to spend a full day (or at least half a day) shadowing someone in a job you are interested in. Whether you arrange to be in a dental office, a community center, or a construction site, your time should help you learn about your interests and shape your career goals.

Important Notes:

Talk to me BEFORE your job shadow to make sure it is approved. *If you are unsure what to do or need help identifying a job site, please email me or schedule a meeting!
You must complete a job shadow packet, which are available for pick-up (and return) in the counseling office. It's also linked HERE.
Excused absence: You can complete this on any day of the week, including school days. When you submit the job packet (including the date of the job shadow), it will be marked as an excused absence.

Job Shadow Packet

Keystones & Act 158

In addition to what is required at Lakeland, Pennsylvania has their own state requirements for students to graduate. This is where Keystone Tests come into play.

PA Act 158 lays out minimum requirements that must be met prior to graduation. Essentially, passing the Algebra, Literature, and Biology Keystone exams would satisfy these requirements. Any student who does not pass a Keystone test will be scheduled for required remediation and will retest in the winter or spring. If proficient scores are still not attained, there are alternative pathways to graduation. Click on the "Act 158 Pathways" link below to learn more.

The Act 158 requirements are being tracked by the counseling department. Any student who has not met their requirement may be required to do additional activities to begin senior year. If there are any questions about these graduation requirements or where you stand, please ask!

Act 158 Pathways

Oct 22nd: CTC Info Session at Lakeland for all 9th!

About 30% of Lakeland students go to the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County. Starting in 10th grade, you can be at CTC for half of the day earning industry credentials in areas like Carpentry, Automotive, Culinary Arts, Medical Assistant, and many more. (Full list of programs below.) You also get 3 elective credits for Lakeland while you're at CTC.

Next Wednesday (10/22) at 1:00 PM, we will host a rep from CTC to give an info session for all 9th graders. This will give you an overview of their programs and opportunities to help you decide if it's for you. In addition to the info session, interested students will have the opportunity to take a tour at CTC on November 20th (sign-up info to come). See below for a timeline of the CTC exposure and application process.

CTC Application Timeline & Programs

CTC Application Timeline:

Oct 22nd - CTC Info Session for ALL 9th graders (at Lakeland)
Nov 20th - CTC Tour for interested 9th graders (at CTC)
Jan - March (dates TBD) - Interested students can shadow up to 2 CTC programs
Spring (dates TBD) - CTC application opens

Programs:

Automotive

Building Mechanics

Carpentry

Child Development

Collision Repair

Cosmetology

Creative Communications, Digital Communications

Creative Communications, Illustration & Design

Creative Communications, Print Production Technology

Culinary Arts

Cybersecurity

Electrical Construction and Maintenance

Medical Assistant

HVAC

Masonry

Mathematics at CTCLC

Patient Care Technician

Plumbing and Heating

Protective Services

Robotics and Automation

Service Occupations

Smart Systems and Engineering Technology (SET)

Welding

For more info about CTC and their programs, follow the link below. If you have any questions for me at this time, you can email me (ewengert@lakelandsd.org) or schedule an appointment!

CTC Programs