WHS Counselor's Corner

September

Welcome to September's "Roos-letter" for students and parents. This issue will include information on events coming up, graduation requirements, college and career information, and much more!

Counseling Website

Our Counseling website has a lot of information on academics, college & career, student wellness, scholarships, and so much more! Check it out for all info related to WHS Counseling!

Resources

Important Dates

September 19th- End of 6 weeks
Tarleton Today Course Payment is due by September 19th
AP Drop Deadline ends at the first 6 weeks

Roo Counselor Meetings- Senior

Looking ahead to the week of September 16th we will be conducting senior guidance on post-secondary planning. After that initial lesson, we will begin our individual meetings with each 12th grader to support them in their next step.

The WHS College and Career Planning website is a valuable resource for all Roos! There you will find information on college, career, and military options. The post-secondary planning process is important to start early! Check it out and let us know how we can help you with your future goals! https://sites.google.com/weatherfordisd.com/whsccr/home

September SOS Guidance Lesson

The adolescent years are marked by a roller-coaster ride of emotions—challenging for students and their parents. It can be hard to tell the difference between normal adolescent turmoil and what might be a mental health concern. Depression is becoming more common among young people and appears to be affecting students at an earlier age. Depression is treatable, but untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide. To proactively address these issues, our school is offering suicide prevention education using SOS Signs of Suicide.

SOS encourages students to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. SOS is an evidence-based program that has demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression, as well as a reduction in actual suicide attempts. Our goals in participating in this program include teaching students:

• that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help

• how to identify serious depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend

• to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend

• who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it

Students will watch an age-appropriate video and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a short screening for depression (students will be identified by their Student ID number, not their name) and a response slip indicating whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns.

We encourage you to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, to access useful resources, and to learn more about the key message all students will learn in class.

Only students who were opted in to this lesson, will be participating in the lesson during Advisory. Students who were not opted in will go to the Cafeteria during the lesson.

Campuses across WISD concentrate on a focus word each month and tie it to activities and lessons presented to our students. These words are focused on what it truly means to "be a Roo."

Our character trait for this month is trustworthiness. This means that you are an honest, reliable, and loyal person. To demonstrate that we are trustworthy, Roos choose to be someone that others can depend on.

My Texas Future

Check out My Texas Future for more college and career planning information! It's a great site that also has direct admissions information for 25+ schools in Texas!

https://www.mytexasfuture.org/

Peer Group Sign-up

WHS is partnering with Pecan Valley to bring Peer Groups during all lunches. Starting this fall, Pecan Valley will be offering a small group to those who would like to participate. Topics may include coping skills, healthy relationships, self-care, setting boundaries, and self-esteem.

Permission forms must be completed to participate. Please turn in permission slips to the couseling office to participate in fall groups.Due September 18th to join Fall group.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_uj725W0NmiRKd7x9T_G1MjwztVWiI5KAidXau3KMAc/edit?usp=sharing

Class of 2025--The time is NOW!

College Applications

If you are applying to a Texas public school, you may use the Apply Texas application that can be found HERE.
Most private schools will use the Common Application which can be found HERE.
If the school you are applying to does not use the Apply Texas or the Common Application for their application process, please visit the college’s admissions page and you will most likely find a link on their website to apply.

To Request Your Transcript

SCOIR is what you will use when you need a transcript sent to the college/s of your choice. You can also find great resources in SCOIR to use as a tool for college search exploration.
How to Send a transcript request in SCOIR?
When you move a school to “Applied” within Scoir, your counselor receives an e-mail to let us know to send your transcript. Most schools are a part of the Scoir network, and all your counselor has to do is click the “send” button. While our part is quick, it can take up to 6 weeks for your College or University to accept and process your transcript. Their part takes a bit longer since they are processing so many during this application time.

College and Career Resources

Please visit the WHS College and Career Readiness site here or helpful post-secondary information.

Recommendation Letter

▪ If your college requires a counselor recommendation, getting a student recommendation form to your counselor would also be helpful.

▪ Provide your counselor with a minimum 10 school day notice.