VHS Counseling February Newsletter

February 2025

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

National School Counseling Week

Recognizing the VHS Counseling Team

Course Selection Information

Freshman & Sophomore Timelines
Junior Conferences & Course Selection Info
ACC Dual Credit - Summer & Fall 2025

College & Career Exploration

College Visits for VHS Students
School Day SAT for Juniors // March 6
ASVAB Career Exploration // March 26
Applied Research Laboratories Summer Apprenticeship Program // due March 10
Austin National College Fair // April 8

Leadership Opportunities

RYLA - Sophomores & Juniors

GPA & Rank Information

Junior & Senior Info
Freshman & Sophomore Info

Senior Zone

Mid-Year Reports for College Applications
Want to Win a Car? (Yes, for real!)

Mental Health Highlight

Why Sleep is Critical to Students' Mental Health (from UT Austin's Dell Medical School)

Mental Health Minutes

National School Counseling Week // February 3 - 7

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Counselors collaborate with all stakeholders (i.e. parents, teachers, administrators) and seek to build an equitable and inclusive learning environment. Let's celebrate our amazing Vandegrift Counseling team!

Course Selection Information

Course Selection Timeline

Please view the VHS Course Selection Timeline document for all information regarding upcoming academic planning activities.

We invite all students to attend Viper Night on March 3 to learn more about program offerings. There will be breakout sessions on specific topics, as well as a fair style format that allows students to explore options.

Freshmen & Sophomores

Tentative requests are being pulled from Four Year Plans in Naviance. Requests will be visible in HAC in early March prior to Course Selection Rush. During Rush, VHS Counselors will meet individually with students to review courses in HAC for accuracy and make any necessary updates.

Course Selection Rush Dates (during English classes):

Sophomores - March 12 & 13
Freshmen - March 26 & 27

THE FINAL COURSE REQUEST CHANGE DEADLINE FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IS MAY 1, 2025

Juniors

Juniors began making course selections this month and will finalize initial requests by February 21. Please see the Viper Vitals for Juniors newsletter for more information.

Students - don't forget to schedule your JUNIOR CONFERENCE with your alpha counselor!

Parents/guardians - please view the webinar recording if you were unable to attend earlier this week. You can also view the slideshow presentation here.

THE FINAL COURSE REQUEST CHANGE DEADLINE FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IS MAY 1, 2025.

Dual Credit through Austin Community College

9th, 10th, and 11th grade students interested in taking ACC dual credit classes summer 2025 and/or during the 25-26 school year should begin the ACC dual credit enrollment process and prepare for registration. For students needing to take the TSI for their college readiness metric (step 4 of the enrollment process), testing is available at ACC campuses (Monday-Friday and some locations on Saturdays) and at VHS (offered periodically). Information about TSI testing can be found here. Priority deadlines to complete the dual credit enrollment process and advising meeting are March 13 for summer registration and April 25 for fall registration.

To note: 12th grade students interested in taking ACC courses after graduation can find more information here

College & Career Exploration

College Visits for VHS Students

Don't forget that college admissions representatives are still scheduling visits to connect with prospective applicants! This is a great way to find out more about colleges, develop an understanding about the admissions process, and connect with the representatives who will be reviewing your application. Click here to access the College Visit Calendar and instructions for registration.

School Day SAT for Juniors // March 6

On March 6, VHS will administer the SAT test to all 11th grade students. Students should be sure to be at school on this day as there is no make-up opportunity for this FREE administration - no registration required. Information about School Day SAT, including the structure of the test and what to bring on test day can be found here. More information will be shared in the coming weeks. Direct questions about School Day SAT to Lori Tanner (lori.tanner@leanderisd.org).

ASVAB Career Exploration Program // March 26

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, March 26. Testing will take place in the College & Career Center (Room 1306) from 9:15 AM - 11:45 AM. REGISTER HERE.

Applied Research Laboratories Summer Apprenticeship Program // Due March 10

Each summer Applied Research Laboratories, a department at The University of Texas at Austin, sponsors a Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program for high school graduates who will be attending a 4-year college or university in the fall semester, and who have been accepted, but not necessarily attending UT Austin in the fall. Preference for this opportunity is given to students attending UT Austin and those whose intended majors are aerospace, electrical, and mechanical engineering, computer science, geophysics, mathematics, and physics, but all STEM students are eligible to apply.

This program, which began in 1982, involves summer employment at Applied Research Laboratories in northwest Austin and provides a "hands-on" introduction to research and development. This is a competitive, 10-week summer program for graduating seniors, offering a salary of $21.00 an hour. This prestigious group of students also write reports that will be published and widely distributed at the end of their summer term.

Application deadline is March 10, 2025 // details & application

Austin National College Fair // April 8

The fair will be held on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 from 6:00 - 8:30 PM at the Palmer Events Center. Over 300 exhibitors are expected to participate. A list of participating institutions is constantly updated as Colleges/Universities sign up for this opportunity, but you can see that list here. Click here to register for the fair.

Leadership Opportunities

RYLA Leadership Camp

Rotary District 5870 would like to sponsor students from Vandegrift High School to attend the RYLA Leadership Camp (Sunday, June 29, through Friday, July 4, 2025). There is no cost to the student to attend.

This opportunity is open to current 10th and 11th grade students. Information and application are available in Class of 2026 and Class of 2027 Google Classrooms. The application deadline is February 14, 2025.

GPA & Rank Information

Juniors & Seniors

In accordance with the LISD Rank & GPA policy, the lowest weighted GPA of students in the top ten percent, the first quartile, the second quartile, and the third quartile shall be communicated to all students in the class after each calculation period. Please view QUARTILE STATEMENT FOR VHS, JANUARY 2025 for the GPA breakdown.

**Students in the top 10% will have their rank listed in accordance with district policies. Students outside the top 10% do not have a rank and this box will be empty in HAC/Naviance.**

Your most current GPA & class rank (updated January 2025) can be viewed in two places.

HOME ACCESS CENTER - Navigate to "Grades" then "Transcript" - GPA information will be visible in the lower left hand corner

NAVIANCE - Navigate to the "My Account" section

See the GPA & Class Rank Update from January 27 for detailed screenshots.

NEW TO VHS STUDENTS - If you did not complete semester 1 at VHS, you will not have a GPA in Naviance. You will receive your GPA calculation once you complete a full semester at VHS.

Freshmen & Sophomores

GPA calculation for freshman and sophomores in accordance with the LISD Rank & GPA policy.

Cumulative GPA will be calculated at the end of the 9th grade year (June) and again at the end of the 10th grade year (June).

Class rank will only be reported for the top ten percent of each class. After each calculation period, students in the top ten percent will be told their exact class rank in accordance with administrative procedures.

The lowest weighted GPA of students in the top ten percent, the first quartile, the second quartile, and the third quartile shall be communicated to all students in the class after each calculation period in order for students to determine their GPA quartile.

Freshmen:

Your GPA will be calculated at the conclusion of the school year and posted over the summer.

Sophomores:

The weighted GPA you see listed in Naviance was calculated at the end of the 2023-24 school year. This will not change until GPA is recalculated at the conclusion of this school year.

Senior Zone

Seniors - Mid-Year Reports for College Applications

Some colleges/universities require a Mid-Year Report as part of the college application process. Mid-year reports can be sent now that semester grades are finalized and GPA's have been recalculated and reviewed.

The method for submitting a mid-year report will differ based on your method of application for each school.

Common App - if any of your Common Application schools require a mid-year report, no further action is needed on your part for these schools. Your counselor will submit the report on your behalf once mid-year transcripts become available.
School Specific Application - if you applied through a school specific portal and need a mid-year report, you will order a transcript via Parchment.

Want to Win a Car??

How does a free car sound? For the fourth year, Honda Leander is giving away a brand new car to one lucky Leander ISD graduating senior. Make sure to turn in the entry form in to the front office by April 1, 2025. If you are randomly chosen as one of Vandegrift's nominees, you will be notified in April so that you can attend the drawing. Click here for more information and to see videos of past LISD winners. A Vandegrift student hasn't won yet, so we are hoping this is the year!!

Please only submit the form if you are able to attend the drawing on April 13, 2025, as you must be present to win.

Cool Car Giveaway Entry Form

Mental Health Highlight - Why Sleep is Critical to Students' Mental Health

Sleep is an essential component of a student’s health and well-being. Without enough of it, students can experience a variety of negative effects, including increased anxiety, depression and stress. All of those things make it harder for them to manage emotions, concentrate and perform well in school.

You can encourage students to prioritize their sleep and improve sleep habits with six practical strategies:

Other sleep resources for children:

“How to Help Teenagers Get More Sleep” | Child Mind Institute
“Encouraging Good Sleep Habits” | Child Mind Institute
“Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?” | American Academy of Pediatrics
Sleep Health Topics | National Sleep Foundation

Mental Health Minutes

In an effort 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.

February Mental Health Minutes: