Class of 2025 Senior Newsletter #1

Seniors,

With the Olympics going on, consider this your Opening Ceremony for senior year! In just a few weeks, you will have your last first day of school. I can't wait to see what it brings all of you!

This newsletter is primarily for students who are thinking they want to go to college, but may still carry some good information for those who do not. Many college applications, including the CommonApp, opened today, and I wanted to be sure you all had any information you needed to get started on them. Just about all of this information was shared with you at the end of the school year, but there may be some small updates throughout.

We're just a few weeks away from classes starting, and I imagine I'll see some of you in a week and a half for schedule changes. Please try not to sweat over all of the college stuff just yet. I will be in classrooms within the first two weeks of school to go over it with you more in depth. But if you really want to get ahead though, it's all there for you!

In this newsletter, you will find:

• Information about graduation requirements
• Diploma Form
• A complete overview of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website that includes:
• Career Exploration Resources
• Testing Information
• College Application Guide
• Information about transcripts and letters of recommendation
• Financial Aid Overview
• Scholarships
• And more!

If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to reach out. Remember, I'm here for every one of you no matter what. Enjoy what's left of summer and make sure you relax a bit. Please know that I am here for anything you need - and that goes well beyond applying to college! I can't wait to see you all later this month.

-Mr. Watters

Schedules are still being generated, but should be out shortly into the summer. Please take a good look at them to make sure that you have all you need to graduate. Keep in mind, you need the following to graduate:

4 English Credits

3 Math Credits

3 Science Credits

3 Social Studies Credits

2 Art/Humanities Credits

1 full Physical Education Credit

0.5 Health Credits

7.5 Elective Credits

EQUALS 24 TOTAL CREDITS

Additionally, you will need to complete a minimum of 20 service hours by May 1st to graduate. You can find the tracking sheet for service hours below.

***If you notice that there is something missing from your schedule that should be there, especially if it is a graduation requirement, please let me know as soon as possible. You have access to your transcript on Infinite Campus to check for yourself. There is definitely a chance that I missed something - don't let that go unnoticed. It could be the difference between you graduating or not!***

The goal of high school is to get a diploma at the end of it. We want that diploma to display your name as you wish it to. You should have received, or will be receiving a letter in the mail with a QR code to the Diploma Form that will be used to indicate how you would like your name to appear on your Diploma. That link is also included below.

You must complete the Google Form and fill in your name as you wish it to appear on your diploma no later than September 30th. Diplomas for any student who has not completed the form by that date will have names as they appear on Infinite Campus.

The rest of this newsletter will give an overview of the different pages that can be found on the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. This site was created to be a one stop shop for anything related to life after high school. There may be some things that come up that aren't answered in there, but most topics should be covered. The sections below will explain each of the pages on the site. If any questions come up, please ask!

If you don't really know what you want to do after graduation, that's okay! You've still got some time to figure it out. Part of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will help you explore some of your options. Click on the link below to learn more about:

Activities you can do to help you explore

College/workplace visits

Job Shadowing

Choosing a major or career path

I would also strongly encourage you to come talk through this all with me! I'm here to help you figure this stuff out. I want to help you find what's next, and get there in the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way possible!

The next section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website I will go over is the Testing Information section. This is all about the SAT, ACT, and what you might need to consider if you think you are going to take them. Click the link below to go to the website and learn all about the test. Topics include:

Key terms and considerations

If you should take the test

When to take the test

How to prepare for the test

The difference between the SAT & ACT

How to sign up for the tests

How to send test scores to schools

Please note that the next SAT will take place on August 28th, and then October 5th after that. If you have not yet taken the SAT and are planning to go to college, you should be planning to take the test on one of those dates.

Many college applications, including the CommonApp officially open on August 1st. Every year, there are a handful of students who want to get those applications in within the first week. Pay close attention to this section so you know how to do that! I won't be in the office every day, so questions may take some time to get answered. Rest assured, most of the answers can be found right on this site.

For those of you who do not start on applications right away, I will be in your classrooms within the first two weeks of school to explain everything to you. Much of it will refer to this site, but it will still show you all you need to know.

Please know - college applications take a lot of time. There is so much that goes into it, so please don't wait too long to get started.

It can all be so intimidating. Please reach out to me if you're feeling stressed, don't know how to do something, or just need to vent!

If you click the link below, you'll go to the College Application Guide section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. This has:

Tips to get you started with your applications

Things to consider when applying

Information about what you need to complete for applications

FERPA & College Applications

And more (keep reading to find out)

There are multiple ways that you can apply to college. The most popular is through the Common Application. This opens on August 1st for the Class of 2025, and is a gateway to many different schools. You can create an account and play around before that date, but please note that anything you enter will reset when the new application period begins on August 1st. The button below will take you to the Types of Applications section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. Here you'll find information you'll need to apply with:

• The Common Application
• The Coalition Application
• Group Applications
• Individual Applications

There are several different ways that you can apply to college that all may have various benefits to your application. The button below will take you to the Decision Types section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. This will walk you through all the different terms and types of applications that you may be prompted to complete.

SCOIR has many different features, but at Lakeland it is primarily used to connect students and colleges directly. You will use it to explore different schools and career paths, request letters of recommendation, and get your transcripts sent to schools. You will not be able to apply to college at Lakeland if you don't use Scoir.

You can click on the button below to go to the SCOIR section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. You'll find all sorts of information about SCOIR there.

It is important to remember that Scoir is NOT the same as the Common App or the Coalition App. If you fill out college applications with the Common App or the Coalition App, you will be prompted to request both letters of recommendation and transcripts within those applications, but you can ignore those requests. All letters of recommendation and transcripts MUST be sent through Scoir. No letters or transcripts will be sent through the Common App or Coalition App.

When you first log in to Scoir, you will be asked to "waive" and "release" your FERPA rights in order for Lakeland to communicate with colleges. Please do this at the start to save a few headaches down the road! You can learn more about the purpose of this on the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website section linked below.

I cannot send any documents to schools until you complete the FERPA Releases and Waivers! Please make sure this is done before you do anything listed below.

Students will also utilize SCOIR to request letters of recommendation from teachers. There is an etiquette to requesting letters that this section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will walk you through. It will also go over the steps you need to take to request your letters. You should look at this early on so that your teachers don't get overwhelmed by all of the requests they receive!

You'll also want to review the information here about the Senior Brag Sheet. This is something you'll have to fill out so that your teachers can write their letters. It is mandatory, and must be completed before your letters of recommendation can be sent. It's housed on SCOIR, and is a place where you can talk about the important things you've done and want highlighted!

All transcripts will be sent to colleges through SCOIR. Students cannot get this information sent to a school without utilizing SCOIR. The Sending Transcripts/Self-Reported Grades sections of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will walk you through everything you need to know about transcripts, as well as what you need to do to get them sent to a school.

The College Essays page of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will give you some tips and tricks to writing your essays. Click the link below to check it out, and learn more about the different types of essays you may need to write.

The FAFSA Application will (hopefully) open on October 1st. More information will be shared once this happens, but you can be educating yourself about all it entails until then. The Financial Aid Information section of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website will help you do just that. I'd recommend that you check it out now, and ask any questions that might come up. Here you'll find information such as:

Why financial aid is important

What financial aid is

Tips to get you started

The different financial aid applications

When you apply for financial aid

Who fills out the applications

What the different types of applications look like

There is generally no more asked question than "how can I get a scholarship." If I had the answer to that, I promise I would share it, but unfortunately it isn't that simple. At this point, there are no specific scholarships that you can apply for. Most are national applications that are highly competitive. The local scholarships will become available sometime in the winter of your senior year, and will all be announced via newsletter. For now, you can check out the Scholarships page of the LHS Postsecondary Counseling Website. It has some scholarship sites that may provide you with some opportunities!

You've reached the finish line (of this newsletter)! I know there is A LOT of information here. I promise it is all important in its own way. Let's keep one thing in mind - your senior year is a marathon, not a sprint - but that marathon has already started. You still have the luxury of time, but that doesn't mean you can procrastinate! It means that you can take your time and really produce quality results.

I believe in each and every one of you! I know that you will all absolutely crush your senior year, and I can't wait to see what you all make of it. If you made it this far, you'll be in great shape. There's lots more information to come, so keep breathing and we will get through this together!

Remember, if you don't know, ask! Reach out. I can only help you if I know what you're struggling with. I'm here for all of you no matter what.

Best,

Mr. Watters

Mrs. deQuevedo - ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org

Classes of 2026, 2028, & 2030

Click Here to Make an Appointment

Mr. Watters - zwatters@lakelandsd.org

Classes of 2025, 2027 & 2029

Click Here to Make an Appointment

Location: 1355 Lakeland Drive, Jermyn, PA, United States

Email: lhscounseling@lakelandsd.org | Phone: 570-254-9485

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