Junior Counseling Chronicles

Junior year is an important year for future planning! This spring, all juniors will be invited to an individual Junior-Led Conference with his/her School Counselor. Parent(s) are also invited and encouraged to attend!

The primary goal of this meeting is to discuss:

• Current academic status
• Future educational and career goals
• Personal student "plan of action" to meet these future goals

This meeting, and the completion of of the Junior's Student Profile through Xello, fulfills a Graduation Requirement for the class of 2026!

Junior students began working on an individual presentation in December. The format for the presentation was provided to all juniors. Juniors should edit the presentation to reflect their unique future plans for life after graduation. Additional homeroom work time will take place in February.

Please encourage your Junior to work on this important graduation requirement.Students will present it to their counselor and parent (s) at the Individual Junior Meeting, which will take place either in person or virtually.

Personal parent invitation letters ill be mailed in early February. We look forward to meeting with you! If you or your child has any questions, please reach out to the Counseling Department.

The Port Washington-Saukville School District is excited to announce a new state program called Direct Admit Wisconsin. Direct Admit Wisconsin is designed to provide a place for all Wisconsin high school juniors to access a world-class public education by proactively offering them admission to the Universities of Wisconsin at the end of Junior year.

10 UW schools will participate in the Direct Admit program: UW Green Bay, UW Milwaukee, UW Oshkosh, UW Parkside, UW Platteville, UW River Falls, UW Stevens Point, UW Stout, UW Superior and UW Whitewater.

Students who choose to opt in to this voluntary admission program will have their transcript reviewed by Direct Admit Wisconsin. By opting in, students & families agree to allow the UW system to review their transcripts through Junior Year. The transcript review will examine grade point average, math coursework, progression towards graduation,.

By August of 2025, students will receive an acceptance letter indicating which UWs are providing them direct admission. No UW application is needed.

Participating in this program does not commit your student to attend the Universities of Wisconsin. Students can still apply for schools through the traditional admissions process if they choose not to enroll in Direct Admit Wisconsin. Applying for college has never been easier!

How do parents OPT in to this amazing program? It's easy! Just click the link below!

The Wisconsin Guarantee offers guaranteed admission to all Universities of Wisconsin (UW) universities for all who qualify. First-year applicants from Wisconsin high schools who are in the top 10% of their class at the end of 11th grade, or Wisconsin residents who are homeschooled and receive an ACT score in the national 90th percentile ranking or higher, or are a National Merit Scholarship finalist will be guaranteed to all UW universities except UW-Madison. Students must complete the UW application (opens August 1, 2025).

Additionally, first-year applicants from Wisconsin high schools who are in the top 5% of their class at the end of 11th grade, or Wisconsin residents who are homeschooled and receive an ACT score in the national 98th percentile ranking or higher or are a National Merit Scholarship finalist will be guaranteed admission to UW-Madison provided that they apply to UW Madison on or before the Early Action deadline.

ALL JUNIORS in the state of Wisconsin will take:

• The ACT test (with writing) - Tuesday March 11, 2025
• Registration for this test will take place at school in late February.
• The statewide sponsored ACT tests are FREE for juniors

Test Fees

ACT $69.00

ACT with writing $94.00

(late fee assessed for both late test registration AND test option change after registration)

How can I practice for the ACT? How can I improve my original score?

Try Methodize! Methodize is an online ACT skills improvement resource. ALL PWHS students have access to Methodize Test Prep for FREE! Students who complete 20 weeks of organized practice in Methodize are able to raise individual scores by an average of 4 points!

ALL Juniors will be creating an individual username and password for Methodize in Communications class. Encourage your junior to log in and show you what they are working on! What a great time to start reviewing for the ACT!

NACAC offers virtual fair opportunities! This is an easy way to discover colleges across the nation from the comfort of your own home!

Tips for making your college fair experience productive and fun:

1) Representatives from each college will be waiting to meet you! Make sure you are ready to put your best foot forward and interact with reps when visiting college booths! Not sure what to say? Here are some suggestions:

• What do students like/dislike most about your school?
• What kinds of students are happiest at your school?
• What is the average amount of student loan debt for graduates?
• If I am awarded a grant or scholarship, can I expect it to remain constant all four years (assuming my financial circumstances don’t change)?

2) Make sure to reference your College Matchmaking™ email to connect with the schools that best align with your interests!

At the time of registration, you selected the attributes that were most important to you in a college. You then should have received an email that best matched specific colleges and universities to your criteria. Reference this email on the day of the fair to connect with your best fits!

Learn more about College Matchmaking™

3) Don't sweat the small stuff!

Everyone is at a different stage in their college search process. Keep an open mind and enjoy yourself. These events are all about helping you connect and learn about lots of colleges to make sure you land at your dream school by having a quick video chat with a rep, dropping in on some virtual presentations and/or sending a question through chat.

Wisconsin Education Fairs provide easy access to information about post-secondary options on a timely basis for all Wisconsin citizens, regardless of geographic location.

WEF includes all UW state universities and centers, Wisconsin's independent colleges and universities, Wisconsin technical colleges, and many out-of-state institutions. In addition, many community colleges, trade schools, and the national service organizations, such as the armed forces are represented.

Offered throughout the fall on an in-person/virtual basis. What a great opportunity for our students!

Fair Schedule: https://www.wefs.org/fair-schedule/

Registration Link: https://wefs.swoogo.com/registration

The College Tour app provides free on-the-go access to amazing college campuses across America.

With The College Tour app, high school students and their families can learn about the unique college culture and its distinctive academic programs while watching informative episodes at their own time and pace.

The College Tour app makes visiting college campuses across the US possible for everyone!

Click here for more information about the College Tour App and TV series!

https://www.thecollegetour.com/about/

InspireWI is our local partner that helps connect our students with meaningful career experiences right here in our area. Opportunities available to our students include; job shadows, work co-ops, and a variety of field tips and career exploration events. This year, there will be many virtual and in-person opportunities for students. For more information visit: InspireWI.org

Xello is an online program that is designed to help every student understand and navigate their future academic and career possibilities. Xello helps students discover relevant college, university, trade, and career options based on their personality, skills, and knowledge. All students have access to Xello at anytime. Ask your child to show you their Xello Dashboard!

InspireWI continues to offer many valuable virtual and in-person career experience opportunities. Upcoming experiences are available in the areas of healthcare, culinary, engineering, manufacturing, finance, science, and much more. If your child finds an experience of interest, make sure to register for the event on the InspireWI webpage link below. All virtual events will be recorded, so if your child is unable to attend at the time it is offered, don't worry, you will have access to the recording. Don't see something of interest? Check back as InspireWI will be adding additional experiences regularly.

Don't forget that InspireWI will be at PWHS once a month during resource. Students can sign up to work with Inspire to find experiences that match their interests and skills.

Click HERE for the InspireWI Career Experience Calendar.