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HPHS COUNSELING
School Year 2021-22: Semester 2 | Quarter 3
HAPPY SPRING GIANTS!
Let's finish off this quarter strong and enter into Spring Break feeling accomplished. We wish each of you a happy and safe Spring Break! Quarter 4 begins on Monday, March 28th. That leaves only 10 weeks left of school (and 8 weeks for seniors)!
This is the third of your counseling newsletters for the 2021-22 school year which will contain pertinent counseling related information. The newsletters can also be found on the Counseling website under the Newsletter tab. Please take a moment to read through the information below. Best wishes as we finish out the school year!
SAT & PSAT Information
All freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be taking the PSAT 8/9 (FR), PSAT 10 (SO), and SAT (JR) on April 13th. Some students will be required to continue testing on April 14 due to extended time. For Juniors, the School SAT is a graduation requirement in the state of Illinois. Seniors will not test and will not be required to attend school either day.
Looking for free SAT practice? Visit Khan Academy here for official SAT study resources. See below for helpful test taking tips.
Interest Profiler and Career Research for Sophomores
On Monday, March 14, sophomores completed the Interest Profiler in Maia during an extended homeroom. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has identified college and career readiness indicators, which if students complete by graduation, allows them to graduate with a college and career ready designation. This lesson and the identification of a career of interest by the end of sophomore year is a required indicator.
Students who pursue areas, pathways, and/or majors that align with their interests experience greater satisfaction. This lesson can help students identify classes for junior and senior year and assist with the postsecondary planning process. Students who have completed the Career Interest Profiler may review their results and career interests in Maia at any time!
JUNIORS: Letter of Recommendation Questionnaires
Senior year is right around the corner!! As part of many college applications, a letter of recommendation from a counselor can be required. Counselors will be meeting with students in the late spring and fall to discuss their letters.
All students must meet with their counselor before a recommendation can be written. Prior to this meeting students must complete the Student Questionnaire so that its contents can be discussed during the meeting. There is also an optional Parent Questionnaire. Both forms are accessible as a Google Form. A Spanish version of the Parent Questionnaire is also available. All recommendation forms can be accessed on the Postsecondary Counseling website under Information for Seniors.
Recognizing the importance of the counselor recommendation, it is crucial that the counselor appointment be scheduled a minimum of 15 school days prior to the student’s first application deadline. A recommendation will not be written without the completed student questionnaire and counselor meeting.
Some things to consider for Teacher Recommendations:
- Many colleges do not require any teacher recommendations
- Most colleges that require a teacher recommendation just need 1
- More selective colleges will require 2
- More is not necessarily better
- Typically required from teachers of academic classes
- Preferably from junior year
- Teachers who know you as a learner
- Usually talk with teachers about recommendations after Spring Break
- Most teachers have a process; Know it!
- Save your work, so you can refer back to it when completing the student questionnaire required by teachers
Course Change Moratorium for SY2022-23
In Quarter 4, counselors will contact students whose courses were canceled due to low enrollment and help them select alternative courses. If a student notices an issue with their course requests, they can contact their counselor to problem solve; however, changes to course requests will not be honored at this time.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, March 18th: End of Quarter 3
Monday-Friday, March 21st-25th: Spring break (No COVID testing)
Wednesday-Thursday, April 13th-14th: SAT/PSAT Testing
Friday, April 15th: No School (Good Friday)
Monday-Friday, May 2nd-May 13th: AP Exams
Monday, May 16th: Last Day of School for Seniors!
Thursday, May 26th: HPHS Graduation at Ravinia
Monday, May 30th: No School (Memorial Day)
Tuesday-Friday, May 31st-June 3rd: No School (Memorial Day)
Friday, June 3rd: End of Quarter 4 and Semester 2 - Last Day of School!
Monday, June 13th: Summer School First Term (ends June 30th)
Tuesday, July 5th: Summer School Second Term (ends July 21st)
Mental Health and Wellness
April is Stress Awareness Month!
Stress Awareness Month is an annual designation observed in April. Have you ever been in a situation that was a little (or a lot) overwhelming, you had deadlines approaching and a mile-long to do list, and you were just in way over your head?! Well, you’re definitely not alone. Everyone feels stressed from time to time.The thing about stress is, a little bit of it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but too much of it can be detrimental to our emotional and physical health. Learning to find that healthy balance is the best way to live a productive, happy life.
Use #NationalStressAwarenessMonth or #StressAwarenessMonth to post on social media. This month, we are all challenged to keep our stress levels low, and our peace levels high. Here are some great ways to keep your mind clear and de-stress if you find yourself getting too overwhelmed.
Exercise. You’ve probably heard this one before, and even though it’s probably not exactly what you want to do when you’re feeling stressed, exercising gets endorphins pumping through your brain, which triggers a happy feeling. Exercise lowers your body’s stress hormones like cortisol, and releases chemicals that make you feel more at peace.
Light a candle or turn on the oil diffusers, put on some soft, soothing music and dim the lights. Take a deep breath and count your blessings.
Caffeine intake reduction can help because caffeine tends to make us jittery, which can cause stress and anxiety.
Spend time laughing with friends and family. Let yourself have a good time and get your mind off the busyness of the real world
GET YOUR GROUP ON!
Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Angry? Depressed? Struggling with grief or loss? Self medicating? Having trouble with friends? Burned out from school?
WE WANT TO HELP! The drop-in center offers a variety of support groups (26 to be exact) for ALL students. Support groups meet weekly and are confidential. See the flyer below or visit the drop-in center website for more information on groups and meeting times.
Drop-in center is located in room B303. Please email Ms. Manso at cmanso@dist113.org with any questions.