Freshman Year Counts

1. Freshman Year Counts Presented by: Jaime Iglehart & Carol O’Donnell

2. Workshop Agenda • Welcome • Counseling Center/Attendance overview • Diploma types and graduation requirements • GPA and brief look ahead at college • Parent Tips • Question & Answer

3. Counselors’ Responsibilities • Help students succeed academically, personally, and socially • Schedule classes • Collaborate with teachers, principals, students, and parents • College and career planning

4. Who do I contact for help? • If your child is struggling in one class or you would like to meet with one teacher, please contact that teacher and set up a conference. • If your child is struggling across many classes and you would like to meet with all of his/her teachers, please contact the counselor to set up a Parent/Teacher Conference. • For discipline questions or concerns, please contact your child’s Asst. Principal

5. Other Resources • Psychologist – Mrs. Ann Leazer • Social Worker – Mrs. Maureen Romano • New Horizons (CSB) counselor – Eleanor Gubitosa • Resource Counselor – Mrs. Aitel-Thompson • School Nurse – Mrs. Tina Fairbanks • School Principal – Mrs. Amy Ethridge-Conti • Teachers • Assistant Principals • Security Office

6. Career/College Counseling Center • Career Coach…………………..Ms. Emily McPhie • Here every Tues. and Thurs. for appointments • Career Assessment - BRIDGES (Finds Career Matches through your interests and abilities.) • College Research Tools – Family Connection, Collegeboard (MyRoad). • Test Prep for the ACT, PSAT, SAT Tests. • Financial Aid/Scholarship Info – Brochures, Search Engines, Scholarship File. • Alternative Career Paths – Military, Apprenticeships, Trade Schools.

9. Attendance Office • For absences that are not pre-approved, parents/guardians will write, sign, and submit an excuse note to the Attendance Office within two (2) days of the absence. • Excuses are not accepted by telephone or email. • Faxes are accepted: 571-261-4604 • Students who are late to school must present a note at the time they arrive. The note must contain the student's full name, the date of the tardy, the reason for the tardy, and the authorized signature. Excuses are not accepted by telephone or email. • Students requesting an Early Dismissal must present a note to the Attendance Office before 7:20 AM on the day of the dismiss

10. Standard Diploma 4 English 3 Math 3 Science 3 Social Studies 2 HPE 1 Fine/Practical Art 2 Sequential Electives 4 Additional Electives 6 Verified Credits/Passing the class and the SOL Advanced Studies Diploma 4 English 4 Math 4 Science 4 Social Studies 2 HPE 1 Fine/Practical Art 3 Foreign Language or 2/2 2 Additional Electives 9 Verified Credits/Passing the class and the SOL Diploma Types

12. Grading Scale A = 90 – 100----------- 4.0 B+= 87 – 89------------ 3.4 B = 80 – 86------------- 3.0 C+= 77 - 79------------- 2.4 C = 70 – 76------------- 2.0 D+= 67 – 69------------ 1.4 D = 60 - 66------------ 1.0 F = 59 and below------ 0.0 *Passing grades earn 1 credit for each class each year Grades

13. Student A 9th grade 2.1 10th grade 3.3 11th grade 3.3 Cum GPA 2.9 Student B 9th grade 3.5 10th grade 3.3 11th grade 3.3 Cum GPA 3.4 How GPA’s work…

14. What colleges are looking for… • Challenging courses – even 9th grade! • GPA • Test scores – SAT or ACT • Activities • Essays and letters of recommendation

15. Colleges are getting harder to get into! • Average GPAs for college admission are going up. • George Mason - 3.63 • James Madison – 3.74 • Virginia Tech – 3.85 • Most Virginia public colleges/universities are looking for a 3.0 GPA or higher

16. Tips for Parents • Encourage your child to be involved in extracurricular activities. • Make sure that your child understands that he/she is expected to be in school, on time, every day. • Write down the dates that progress reports and report cards come out, and expect your child to bring them home. If you don’t see one, call the school and request a copy. • Work together with your child’s teachers. If you have a question or concern about a class, call/email the teacher.

17. Helping your Child Academically • At the beginning of each grading term, sit down with your son or daughter and assess their progress. Set goals with them and make plans for improvement, if need be. • Encourage your teen to talk with teachers and to ask for help when needed. • Help them organize their folders and notebooks. Make sure they are using their agenda. • For long-term projects, emphasize the importance of starting early, dividing a big project into smaller parts, setting short-term goals, and keeping track of progress. • For tests, suggest that your child schedule several study sessions over the course of time rather than “cramming” the night before. Offer to quiz your child to help him/her prepare.

18. Raising Low Grades • NHS Peer tutoring – Every Tues. and Thurs. in the library from 2-3 p.m. • Stay after for extra help with the teacher. Make sure they arrange with the teacher beforehand • I-CAN homework completion program • Extra-credit work • Encourage them to start a study group • Help them re-evaluate priorities • Private tutor list available in Counseling Center

19. Family Connection Family Connection – A website we use as a family-student-school communication device and a college application tool College acceptance data from Battlefield’s 2008 and 2009 senior classes: http://connection.naviance.com/battlefield Students will receive a log-in code in the next week. If you would like your parent code, please contact your child’s counselor. Be sure to register and use this site throughout high school!

20. Questions?