We are excited to be heading into the final months of the school year! School counselors have met with all students grades 9-11 to discuss their course selections for next year. We are looking forward to getting back into classrooms in the next two months to work with our students on some post high school planning and Naviance/SEL work!

Spring Edition Newsletter will include:

• School Counselor Assignment Chart
• Fee Waiver Reminder
• Course Selection Updates
• EMCC & New Visions
• Junior Section & Naviance Resource
• SAT/ACT Information (Including Digital SAT Test Day Resources)
• PSAT information for rising juniors to take fall of 2024
• College Visits & Fairs
• Senior Section & College Application Resources
• Financial Aid/Scholarship Resources
• Substance Abuse Prevention Counselor Updates
• College and Career Center
• Upcoming Events
• Additional Resources

As always please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's counselor with any questions!

The Counseling Team

With school meals being free to all students, we wanted to remind parents about the importance of continuing to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application annually. Students who remain eligible qualify for other reduced or waived fees for things such as SAT/ACT exam fee waivers, AP exam fee waivers, college application waivers, and more. Please use the link directly below to apply!

Counselors met 1:1 with students in January and February to have post high school planning conversations and to request courses for the 24-25 school year. These thoughtful conversations and student course requests lead to the Master Schedule being created. Students and families should have received an electronic copy via email. We encourage students to review the selections with their families and reach out to their school counselor if they wish to make a change. Changes made after these meetings (specifically after the end of the 23-24 school year) may not be able to be honored due to class sizes and staffing availability.

Below is the course catalog to view the extensive list of comprehensive offerings available to students!

Students were provided two opportunities to visit in December and February to learn more about the EMCC programs. Applications were due February 16th and will be reviewed at the building level. IHS coordinates with the EMCC staff to determine spots allotted for each program and final decisions will be sent home later in the spring (typically toward the end of April). There are limited spots and some students may be placed on a waitlist.

Juniors interested in the New Visions programs were provided an opportunity to visit in February. Applications for the medical program were due on March 1st and will be reviewed by the New Visions BOCES committee. Decisions will be sent to students directly from the committee later this spring.

Counselors did a 2-day presentation in Junior classes in December to discuss the college application and post high school planning process. We are pushing into classrooms again in March to continue our work supporting students to plan and prepare. Naviance is an excellent tool to use in this research and exploration phase! More information about Naviance below. Please refer to the presentations and resources in the Class of 2025 Schoology page for more information!

3 Areas of Focus:

• Researching colleges, military options, or school to work opportunities (trades, trainings, etc.)
• Registering for SAT's and/or ACT's (see below for more information)
• Stay on top of academics - this is the final year of grades going in to the overall GPA for college applications

Naviance is our college and career exploration program. Students are exposed to Naviance each year to work on different components of the post high school planning process. Some features to note:

• Resume Builder
• Career Exploration
• College Search Options
• "Favoriting" a school (clicking the ❤️) adds it to the "Colleges I'm Thinking About List" which identifies students to notify for college rep visits
• Tracking Colleges/Universities of Interest

*Students also utilize Naviance in senior year for the application process including requesting letters of recommendations from teachers and keeping their list of schools applying to.

TO ACCESS NAVIANCE:

On student laptop - Launch Google Chrome Browser

Click "Clever" App

Click "Log in with Microsoft"

Click "Naviance" App

Explore!

Below are the upcoming spring test dates. Please keep in mind that the SAT is moving to the digital format and there will no longer be physical hard copies of the exams. Students will be expected to bring their device (school or personal) with them on test day. Some juniors already have experience with this if they took the PSAT in October.

*Please note that late registration deadlines require an additional fee.

We've added some links with helpful test day information and how to prepare for you to review as you register for the exams. This will be important given the shifts to digital - it is mandatory to have the Blue Book app downloaded on your device prior to test day.

Spring dates and registration links/deadlines can be found below!

The PSAT/NMSQT is a practice SAT exam that will give students the opportunity to experience what sitting for the SAT will be like and what types of questions you will be asked. This exam is also used as a qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship competition, which provides college scholarships to students who earn high scores on the exam.

For students who will be in 11th grade during the 2024-2025 school year, the test will be offered on Saturday October 26th from 8am-11:30am (for standard time test takers). In order to sign up for the test, please fill out this electronic form: https://forms.office.com/r/K3aQssGBL1.

Please note, that by filling out the form, you are committing to paying the $30 fee for the exam (unless your family qualfiies for free/reduced lunch) regardless if your student shows up to the exam or not. More information about the test will be sent home in September 2024.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Shelly Laraby at michelle_laraby@westiron.monroe.edu.

The National College Fair will be returning to Rochester March 17th and 18th at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Juniors will have the opportunity to attend and meet with college representatives from all over the country. The fair is open to the public on Sunday, March 17th where any grade level student is welcome to attend with their family.

IHS counselors will take interested JUNIORS on March 18th to visit with the representatives. Be on the lookout for announcements to sign up in the College and Career Center.

SUNY Brockport will be hosting their annual SUNY College Fair on Wednesday, April 17th with over 40 SUNY campus representatives available to meet with students. Counselors will be taking JUNIORS interested in attending. Please be on the lookout for signups through the College and Career Center!

Please review the attached letter below from Governor Hochul regarding the importance of completing the FAFSA:

Seniors should have college applications submitted. Please monitor individual college deadlines and make sure to allow 12 school days to process transcript and letter of recommendation requests. Some schools may request additional information from a student so make sure to stay in touch with schools applied to! Materials and resources can be found below.

Seniors should continue to check their Class of 2024 Schoology folder for important updates and announcements about end of year senior activities and event information!

FSA ID & FAFSA

Many colleges/universities have extended their FAFSA deadlines. Please continue to monitor deadlines for the individual schools your student has applied to. These extentions may also impact deadlines for final decisions and deposits. Please reach out to your students school of choice directly with questions!

The link below will take you to the Federal Student Aid website. This website is used to complete the FAFSA as well as create an FSA ID which both student and parent need to electronically sign the FAFSA before submitting. The FAFSA opens in December for the 2024-2025 school year.

CSS Profile

Some colleges/universities require the CSS profile to be completed in addition to the FAFSA. This form is available now through the following link. Please check the individual college requirements to determine if this is something your student needs to complete.

Scholarships can be found through our College and Career scholarship newsletter The Chronicle or through the search engine websites below. The Chronicle also houses a list of upcoming college visits!

Hi there, I’m Nicole Corcimiglia, the Substance Abuse Prevention Counselor. I’ve been in the mental health and substance abuse counseling field for the last 10 years and I’m happy to join with West Irondequoit to assist in prevention strategies within the district, as well as provide support and assistance to students who may be struggling with any type of substance use. Below is a referral form that I’d love to share with anyone who may be interested in connecting with me themselves or referring someone to get some support in working with me.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=2jBOXgFFtk-7qhRfh908zVtnmXf0CoJOpMmJZVQtCb1UQk83REJERVlEUk01T1BPOTY0N1Q3WlkzUi4u

Feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or just looking for a mental break? Visit our Virtual Calming Room to find tools for managing emotions!

Make sure to visit our College and Career Center to work with Ms. Bucciarelli in all things career planning! She supports students with their career exploration through job shadowing/volunteer experiences and connecting students with local business and organizations. Students can earn credit for working through our popular Work Study Programming. Keep your eye out for Future Friday events where business's from the area come to meet with our students during lunch periods. Learn more through the Career Connections Newsletter below!

See something? Say something! Safe School Hotline is an annonymous tip line to report any concerns regarding student well-being and safety in WISCD.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis these resources are available 24/7 to provide immediate help!

Call 211

If you need assistance locating long-term mental health resources, talking through a problem, or exploring mental health treatment options, call 211 to speak with a live person who can help.

• 211 conversations are confidential, can be made anonymously, and are available in 180 languages upon request.
• If you prefer to text, use web chat, or search for resources online, click here to find more ways to contact your local 211.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Dial 988 or 1-800-273-8255 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

If you're looking to connect with an outside therapist or counseling provider Psychology Today is an excellent resource to search for local providers that accept your insurance. Click the link below to visit their website and start your search!