COUNSELING UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 14-18TH

ADVISORY: 

Grade 9: Please direct grade 9 students to their advisory rooms for WWW preparation

Grade 10: Please direct grade 10 students to their advisory rooms for WWW preparation

Grade 11: Please direct grade 11 students to the MPR.  Charmaine Basel will be prepping students for the CAS retreat

Grade 12: Grade 12 will meet in advisory groups. Students will participate in a Mock College Admissions activity. Students will need to read the applicant profiles, which have been shared with them. In addition, the group will need to take notes on a pro/con handout, which will be in your mailbox by Friday afternoon.

Please have students work in groups of 3-4.

1. They should review each applicant profile and take notes on the Mock College Admissions handout about the pro/cons of each applicant
   1. Applicant 1
   2. Applicant 2
   3. Applicant 3
   4. Applicant 4
2. Make a decision about who they will admit (choose 1) and be able to defend why
3. Share with the entire class who each group chose and why
4. As an entire group please debrief the activity. Discuss why it was hard or easy, what information would have been useful to know, how understanding the admission process can help them in the college process, etc.

TEACHER  COLLEGE RECOMMENDATIONS HELPFUL TIPS AND GUIDELINES:

The teacher letter of recommendation should focus on the student’s personality, academic performance, contributions etc. within your classroom.  it is okay to mention some extracurricular activities, but the focus should be on your direct observation of the student in your classroom.  The reader is trying to get a sense of the type of learner the student is and his/her contributions to the academic and social milieu.  Here are some writing tips and guidelines for the format of the letter.

Please use electronic letterhead and format to write your letter (see attached).

To submit the letter of recommendation: 

1. Sign into Naviance (SSIS link-Faculty-Naviance)
   1. ACCOUNT: saigon
   2. USERNAME:
   3. PASSWORD: (ask one of us to reset password if you forget this information)
2. Click on “manage and complete the college recommendation”
3. Select the student you are submitting documents for
4. Click on “prepare forms”
5. Scroll down to teacher documents and select the drop down menu titled “add new document”
6. Upload your letter of recommendation to Naviance
7. Complete the Common Application teacher evaluation

Once the letter of recommendation and Common Application are submitted the counselor will mark the recommendation as completed.

Please let us know if you have any questions or expierence technical difficulty while trying to submit.

UNIVERSITY VISITS

College Visits: A key part of the college decision-making process is finding a good fit. A key part in the admission process is demonstrating fit and interest. The university representatives that visit SSIS are often reading our students’ applications and making admission recommendations. Therefore, it is important for students to participate in university visits. Please encourage students to attend information sessions, which occur in the HS library unless otherwise indicated.

Wednesday September 16, 12:40-1:30  Macquarie University Sydney

Friday September 18, 12:40-1:30   Lewis & Clark College, University of Vermont, Yonsei University (EIC) campus,  Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS)