Guidance Newsletter October 2021

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A Note From the Guidance Department

October is Bullying Prevention Month and to show our unity as a school district, join us on October 20th and wear your orange! Unity Day is all about sharing kindness, promoting acceptance, and encouraging inclusion so we can prevent bullying. The end of the first quarter is quickly approaching! We are encouraging all students and parents to be monitoring grades and communicating with the staff if there are any questions or concerns. Read below about Parent-Teacher Conferences and other important information. Go Indians!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Starting on Thursday, October 14th, parents will be able to schedule appointments online. Conferences with your student's teachers can be conducted in person, virtually through Google Meet or Zoom, or by phone.

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Thursday, November 4th: 4:00pm-7:15pm

Tuesday, November 9th: 4:00pm-7:15pm

Click here to schedule an appointment. Then, click on the teacher or teachers you wish to meet with and follow the directions to set up conferences. Appointments cannot be scheduled online the day of the conference. If you are unable to access the internet to set up conferences, or need to schedule a last-minute appointment, please call Mrs. Downard in the Guidance Office at 419-998-8004.

Shawnee High School Alumni Scholarship

A new scholarship has been created to benefit our seniors, starting with the Class of 2022: The Lima Shawnee Alumni-Legacy Scholarship Fund.

Trying to find a way to give back during the holiday season? Consider participating in Giving Tuesday on November 30th and donate to the Lima Shawnee Alumni-Legacy Scholarship Fund. If you are interested in donating to the fund, please click here and follow them on Facebook at Lima Shawnee Scholarship Fund for updates and more information.

We appreciate all efforts to pay it forward to our seniors. Thank you for leaving your legacy on our community.

Graduation Announcements, Caps, and Gowns

On Wednesday, October 13, the representative from Herff Jones will meet with seniors to distribute information about ordering caps, gowns, and graduation announcements. Orders for caps, gowns and announcements will be taken on Friday, October 22 during our lunch periods.

Our seniors at Apollo Career Center will meet with the Herff Jones representative on Tuesday, October 12 at Apollo at 8:00 AM. Orders will be taken for Apollo seniors on October 22 at 8:00 AM at Apollo.

In order to participate in the Commencement Ceremony, seniors must meet all graduation requirements and wear the cap and gown representative of Shawnee High School. Please check with your senior to make sure the appropriate items have been ordered.

FAFSA INFORMATIONAL MEETING

Senior students and their parents are invited to attend this financial aid session scheduled for Thursday, November 4th at 6:00 pm in Room 160 of the High School. A local financial aid expert will present information to help parents and students understand the financial aid process, including the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) guidelines. The FAFSA opens October 1 for students planning to begin college in the fall of 2022. “Prior-prior year” tax information is used, which will be your 2020 tax return.

College/Career/Military Visit Request Form

Shawnee High School permits students two days each year for college visitations, career experiences or military recruitment procedures. For an approved school absence in relation to college/military/career visits, students should complete this form at least two days prior to the date of the requested visitation. Students are expected to confer with teachers prior to the visitation in order to arrange for make up work. Students are not permitted to take college visitations after the first week in May.

Students must take the following steps in order to make a college/career/military visitation on school days:

1. Arrange the visit with the college
2. Complete this form.
3. Wait for confirmation/approval from guidance (through school email).
4. Confer with each teacher prior to the visit in order to arrange for make up work.
5. Bring a paper or email confirmation of the visit from the college to school counselor.

Advice for Seniors

Keep your grades up. Strong grades/GPA during the first semester is critical.
Be mindful of deadlines.
Plan ahead to get the best recommendation letter.
If you need a recommendation from a teacher for college, scholarship, or a job, your first step is to ask the teacher if he/she is able to write you a recommendation letter.
Make sure to tell the teacher the deadline and give the teacher AT LEAST two weeks to write the letter.
You also need to let the teacher know how to submit the letter (common app, sent to guidance to be mailed with transcript, etc.).
Make as many memories as you can! This year will fly by.

A Note From Our Mental Health Coordinator

October is Bullying Prevention Month. According to the National Center on Education Statistics, about 22 percent of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school during the school year in 2019. Although the statistics only cover middle and high school aged students, we are all aware that it starts at a much younger age.

Some common harmful views on bullying according to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center:

Bullying is a natural part of childhood.
Bullying will make kids tougher.
It’s only teasing/they’re just joking around.

The truth is that bullying, especially when experienced consistently, can do serious damage to a child’s self-esteem and their overall mental health. In fact, according to the CDC, students who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school. They also report that students who report frequently bullying others and students who report being frequently bullied are at increased risk for suicide-related behavior.

October 20th is Unity Day-all staff and students are strongly encouraged to wear orange.

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