Guidance Department Newsletter

This has been a successful first quarter! Grades have posted and report cards for first semester will be released this week. Now is a great time to assess how you're doing so far this school year. If your grades and attendance are good, keep it up!

If your first quarter grades are not quite where they should be, or if you found that you missed a bit more school than you should have, make a plan for second quarter to do better. Take it one day at a time and just vow to improve each day. Your counselor is here to support you so schedule your IGP meeting for this quarter and meet with your counselor to discuss your goals. Having future goals is the best way to achieve success!

Director of Guidance responsible for 504 Plans and PACE Program

Mr. Robb Urbaniak - (843) 293-9043

rurbaniak@horrycountyschools.net

Grades 9th through 12th your guidance counselor assignments are:

Last Name A-Co

Mrs. Margaret Adams - (843) 293-9034

madams001@horrycountyschools.net

Last Name Cr-G

Ms. Brittanny Belcher - (843) 293-9053

bbelcher@horrycountyschools.net

Last Name H-Mc

Mrs. Kimberly Moore - (843) 293-9046

kmoore@horrycountyschools.net

Last Name Me-R

Ms. Corinne Partelow - (843) 293-9045

cpartelow@horrycountyschools.net

Last Name S-Z

Mr. Greg Scott - (843) 293-9036

gscott@horrycountyschools.net

Guidance Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Mary Kirkham - (843) 293-9031

mkirkham@horrycountyschools.net

Data Quality Clerk

Ms. Kathy Ivey - (843) 293-9035

kivey@horrycountyschools.net

Registrar

Ms. Dawn Meehan - (843) 293-9028

dmeehan@horrycountyschools.net

ELECTION DAY (NO SCHOOL) - Tuesday, November 5

ASVAB - Friday, November 8

POWDER PUFF GAMES - Tuesday, November 19

THANKSGIVING BREAK - November 25 through November 29

END OF 2ND INTERIM - Tuesday, December 3

CAPPUCCINO DAY - Friday, December 13

WINTER BREAK - December 23 through January 3

ENGLISH 2 EOC - Tuesday, January 7

ALGEBRA 1/INTERMEDIATE EOC - Wednesday, January 8

BIOLOGY EOC - Thursday, January 9

US HISTORY EOC - Friday, January 10

FINAL EXAMS-BLOCKS 1 & 2 - Thursday, January 16

FINAL EXAMS-BLOCKS 3 & 4 - Friday, January 17

EARLY DISMISSAL - Friday, January 17

SCHOOL CLOSED (MLK DAY) - Monday, January 20

NO SCHOOL (TEACHER WORK DAY) - Tuesday, January 21

START OF SECOND SEMESTER - Wednesday, January 22

SCHOOL CLOSED - Monday, February 17

NO SCHOOL (TEACHER WORK DAY) - Tuesday, February 18

Come out to MOD Pizza on Wednesday, October 30 and share this flyer to support our Bravettes. A portion of all proceeds that night will go directly back to our team! What a great way to support the Braves and get a terrific dinner as well!

This week is Red Ribbon Week! Set the example for your fellow students and say no to drugs!

Monday: Red Out

Tuesday: Flannel Shirt AND Chilli Cook Off Day!

Wednesday: Jersey Day - Team Up Against Drugs

Thursday: Wacky Tacky Day - Show That Drugs Are Out Of Style

Friday: Future Me Friday - Show The Possibilities Of A Drug Free Life

Socastee High School teachers provide tutoring on a weekly basis is all subject areas. If you need additional help in a class please consult our tutoring schedule.

VIEW THE TUTORING SCHEDULE HERE

You can tutor with any teacher in the department, it does not have to be with your specific teacher. However, you are always welcome to reach out to your teacher to inquire about their tutoring hours.

Seniors interested in applying for the Teaching Fellows Scholarship should come to this informational meeting on Friday, November 1 at 10 AM to learn more about the application process and hear from students who are in the program. Teaching Fellows can be a valuable opportunity to pay for school for students interested in pursuing a career in Education.

Interested students can sign up online.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqq7bSEDbovxH3tGJ3INlTv0SZILPze5xaH6FjhKvCZ4nV2A/viewform

Students in ALL grades, please take a few moments to check your second semester schedule in PowerSchool. Please make sure that you have a complete schedule, blocks 1 through 4. Seniors must have a minimum of two classes, but you must have something scheduled for all blocks, so that would include Late Arrival or Early Dismissal. Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors must have all four blocks scheduled with a course.

Remember, students cannot select which block they want to take a class and they cannot select their teacher. If you have any questions about your schedule, or if you are missing a block on your schedule, please make an appointment to meet with your counselor to correct it.

The Class of 2026 Junior Ring Ceremony will be held January 13 at 6pm in the Auditorium. All juniors who purchased a ring and plan to participate in the ceremony will have to sign up in advance to participate in this ceremony. The sign up form will be shared in November and deadline to sign up will be in December.

Be sure to mark this date on your calendar, and share it with your friends and family!

State issued End of Course Exams are different than a typical final exam from a class and they account for 20% of a students final grade. EOC's are given in Algebra 1, Intermediate Algebra, English 2, Biology, and US History. They are offered at all levels, from CP to Honors to AP courses and they are required by the state. If you are enrolled in an EOC course this Fall, your EOC exam schedule is tentatively scheduled for the following dates:

December 17 - English 2 Writing

January 7 - English 2 Reading

January 8 - Algebra 1

January 9 - Biology 1

January 10 - USHC

These dates are subject to change as we get closer to test time. Students in yearlong courses or Spring subjects will test in May. Students will receive more information on testing location as we get closer to the test dates.

Registration is open for Spring PACE courses. Students interested in pursuing the PACE Program at HGTC for the Spring 2025 can sign up until the deadline of December 1. PACE requests will not be accepted after that date. PACE is available during your Junior and Senior year and open to any student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

PACE courses at Horry Georgetown Technical College offer Junior and Senior students the opportunity to take college level classes while still enrolled in high school. PACE classes are rigorous, but they do offer students the chance to earn college credits while giving an added boost to the GPA. Many of the PACE are offered at no cost to the student.

Applications are completed online and must be completed in their entirety before the deadline.

The PACE application has a deadline of December 1, 2024 for Spring consideration. This is a strict deadline and late applications will not be accepted for Spring.

The application should take about 45 minutes to complete, and it should be completed by the student, but you will need some information from a parent. Upon completion of your application you'll need to complete three supplemental documents that can also be done online at the end of the application. For more information please see Mr. Urbaniak in Guidance.

Steps for a completed PACE Application:

1. The application must be completed online at www.hgtc.edu/pace/apply. Please do not navigate away from this page. This application is free; if you find yourself on a payment screen you have completed an incorrect application and must start again. You do not need to send me confirmation of your application. If you have already completed this step please move on to the next step. Do not attempt to re-apply.
2. You must complete three supplemental documents (you will also find these linked to the application once you apply).
   FAFSA Waiver - Must be completed by everyone submitting the application. You'll complete the FAFSA waiver in your myHGTC Portal once you create your account.
   Verification of Citizenship + upload your ID (if your DMV issued ID says “Not for Federal Identification”, you will need to use your SS card or passport instead)
   Parent Agreement - signed by your parent or legal guardian
3. You must select your courses that you want to take for Spring. Please keep in mind that you are selecting courses for SPRING ONLY, so when it asks for Fall Courses just indicate that you will not be taking courses until Spring. Please read this carefully and make your selections by the deadline. Only select from courses on this list. If there is another course you are interested in taking that is not on this list please speak with me. SCIENCE courses are not available due to available lab space and time.
   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZxLQSBwog3AF3ynFg9kav5mcehMcl76EVbza45biGQ90Vsg/viewform

SENIORS - It's time to place your order for your Cap and Gown. Orders can be placed in person or online at scherffjones.com/ Please take the time to review the Herff Jones website for your cap and gown orders and senior supplies.

Remember that ALL seniors must order at least a cap, gown, tassel, and diploma cover, but there are other senior items available.

Orders placed by November 30 will receive the best pricing. Many seniors wait until the last minute and the price will continue to go up the closer we get to second semester. Please order NOW!

For more information please watch this video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxYEhlXRssA

SENIORS - We partner with a company called Need My Transcript to process and send your transcripts to colleges. All transcript requests must go through the Need My Transcript website. A link to the website is provided here.

https://needmytranscript.com/SC/Myrtle-Beach/transcriptrequest/Socastee-High

If your college is requesting a copy of your transcript please use this website so that we may process it for you in a timely manner. Please note that your counselor will not be able to send your transcript directly to the college any longer. It must be processed on this website.

If you are applying through Common App, SendEDU, or another college application service you do not need to submit a request with NMT.

We want you to be familiar with this website because all final transcript requests must be completed on this website.

Looking for a way to recognize your favorite student, teacher, or administrator? My Horry News runs a monthly contest recognizing the Student of the Month, Teacher of the Month, and Administrator of the Month.

Administrator of the Month, sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe, is a 9-month campaign where people can go in and nominate their schools principals and assistant principals. The administrator with the most votes by the end of the month wins a plaque, prize from Hard Rock Cafe, and a follow up story in our local papers. Below is the link for the September Administrator of the Month: https://bit.ly/4e6pAwK

Student of the Month, sponsored by Beazer Homes, is a 9-month campaign where people can go in and nominate students in Horry County for Student of the Month. The student with the most votes by the end of the month wins a plaque, prize from Beazer Homes, and a follow up story in our local papers. Below is the link for the September Student of the Month: https://bit.ly/3APGVMa

Teacher of the Month, sponsored by Window World, is a 9-month campaign where people can go in and nominate teachers in Horry County for Teacher of the Month. The teacher with the most votes by the end of the month wins a plaque, prize from Window World, and a follow up story in our local papers. Below is the link for September Teacher of the Month: https://bit.ly/4g3Ruvj

Info about all of the campaigns listed above:

- the campaigns will reset on the 1st of each month so be sure to nominate your favorites every month!

- participants can vote everyday for their favorite!

- vote count is not public knowledge!

- the campaigns run every month, with a new ballot each month, September ’24 through May’25.

- please include what school the person you are nominating is from.

- the links for the campaigns will change each month, but you can find all of our campaigns at www.myhorrynews.com/contests whenever you need them!

Safety at our school is a priority. All students and staff have a right to come to school everyday and learn in a safe, protected environment. Every year we review Standard Response Protocol with staff and students so that if an emergency should ever arise everyone in the building will be prepared.

We have already conducted one lockdown drill for this year, and throughout the year we will practice fire, tornado, and earthquake drills as well.

To best prepare your students in case of emergency, we are sharing the Standard Response Protocol. Students must be aware of the five responses, and how to react if any of the responses are called at any given time. Please review the Standard Response Protocol and be ready in case of emergency.

STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOL

Often times, students who are seeking outside therapy may be asked by their licensed professional to complete an assessment to determine best course of action for their therapeutic goals. Many times the professional will want input from the teachers who know your student best to address their day to day activities and behaviors in class. They may give you any number of various assessments to give to your teacher to complete.

Your guidance counselor is here to help you streamline that process. If you counselor or therapist asks for any sort of teacher assessment to be delivered, please bring that documentation directly to your counselor. Your school counselor can distribute to your teacher, collect those materials, and send it directly to your counseling office. Please allow at least 2 weeks from the time you bring us those materials for your teacher to make a thorough observation of your student and submit that paperwork on your behalf. Allow us to assist you in this process so that materials can be distributed and collected confidentially and without you continuing to track down the necessary documentation.

Horry County Schools and Socastee High School have partnered with an organization called Care Solace to put families in contact with licensed therapists to help support students and staff with mental health. Students who may be in need of mental health counseling can be referred to Care Solace to be put in contact with a licensed therapist who is willing to work with you on your terms. Take the guess work out of trying to find a counselor who meets your needs, and let Care Solace do the heavy lifting for you. Care Solace is a free, confidential service for all students in Horry County Schools to be matched with the best possible therapist in our area to start addressing any sort of mental health needs. Please contact your guidance counselor today to make the referral.

Parents, it’s time to schedule your student’s Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) Meeting. IGP Meetings are completed for every grade level, 9th through 12th. The IGP Meeting is an opportunity for us to look at graduation requirements and make sure your student is on track to graduate. We also discuss college plans and make sure you are completing the requirements necessary for your post-high school plans.

If you’re still undecided on what you want to do after high school it’s okay. The IGP meeting gives us a chance to discuss some options and explore your college and career possibilities.

IGP meetings can now be held in-person if you are comfortable coming into the building, or can be conducted virtually if you would prefer. We are meeting with parents anytime from now until we leave on Spring Break. Meetings are arranged anytime from 8 AM until 3 PM, Monday through Friday. Please contact the appropriate counselor via e-mail and arrange your appointment. We can be flexible with schedules so let us know what works best with you. This is an important meeting and we want everyone to have their chance to complete the IGP meeting this year. We look forward to meeting with you and your student.

We understand that the past few years have been more difficult than many families had anticipated. The Socastee Guidance Department is here to assist our families in need. If you need assistance this holiday season (either Thanksgiving meals or Christmas presents) Socastee High School may be able to help you. Everyone’s situation is different. You may be in a position where someone has lost an income or a family member is sick and you could just use some help. We have resources that could help you through this difficult time. We typically provide meals at Thanksgiving to families in need and we can also provide presents during the Holiday season. Please don’t be afraid to talk with your guidance counselor about your situation to see if we can help. Everything will be very confidential. Please contact us by Friday, November 1 if you would like assistance for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Likewise, if you are in a position where you would like to provide financial assistance to a Socastee family this year, we are always grateful for any donations we receive in guidance. Although we do accept donations of any kind throughout the year, we are particularly thankful for any amount during the holiday season. 100% of all donations that we take go directly to the families in need at our school and all donations stay in the school community.

Students - Be sure to use the links below to join the Google Classroom for your graduating class! We post a lot of informative information on Google Classroom so make sure you are not missing out!

Class of 2025 - fc7agbx

Class of 2026 - n7oiukj

Class of 2027 - tvoxlsy

Class of 2028 - n76ixlr

Instagram - socastee_high_counselors

Email: rurbaniak@horrycountyschools.net
Website: https://www.horrycountyschools.net/Socastee_High_School
Location: 4900 Socastee Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Phone: (843) 293-9031
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocasteeGuidance/