PHS Counselor Connection

• Important Dates
• General Information
• Opportunities for Students- Future Ready Prep
• Helpful Resources for Families and Students

Wisconsin Education Fair Info Link

National College Fair Link

Christian College Fair Link

PSAT Information

How the PSAT Works

*PSAT - $18.00 To register, bring a check (payable to PHS) or cash to the Student Services office by September 27th (for guaranteed test registration). This exam is geared towards strong test takers pursuing the National Merit Scholarship. Only Juniors can be entered in the National Merit Scholarship program and students must score in the top 1% of test takers to qualify as semi-finalists. Sophomores can take the test but cannot qualify for the program. Junior families- for more information on the PSAT, please see the informational email sent from Amanda Sorkness on 9/17.

Start College Now and Early College Credit Program applications for second semester are due to the counselors by October 1st. If you are looking to register for a semester 2 college class through these programs, please connect with your counselor right away and turn your application in by the deadline! Start College Now forms can be found here. EECP colleges each have their own process which can be found on their websites. This form is used for UW System campuses. And this form is used for private campuses like Carroll University. All students must complete the general dual credit request form in addition to the college forms.

October 16th from 4-6 pm

October 17th is a virtual day for students with conferences during the school day

More information to come.

The Free Application for Federal Aid is scheduled to open for most colleges on December 1. Join us on September 25th to hear from a local college financial aid office professional who will discuss the new form, new terminology (SAI), and important information to consider. Other grade level families are welcome to attend to get a heads up for the future but the session is focused on seniors and their timeline.

Seniors- If you haven't yet, please be sure to take a look in Skyward (same area as report cards) at your UW Direct Admit letter. You do not need to complete a UW System application to schools that you were already accepted to- all you need to do is complete the UW System form linked in the letter. Please see your schol counselor if you need assistance with any of this.

October 22nd and 23rd are the Fall Future Ready Days at PHS. On these days students will run a shortened schedule of classes in the afternoon and each morning offers a different experience.

This year we are changing it up a bit. Day 1 will be career speaker day and day 2 is testing/senior prep day.

Morning of the 22nd:

All students will participate in our 14th annual Career Speaker Day .

(Adults- if you or someone you know would be inerested in being one of our career speakers we would love to give you more information and get you registered)

Morning of the 23rd:

• Freshmen will take the Pre-ACT (no action needed, this is for all)
• Sophomores will take the Pre-ACT (no action needed, this is for all)
• Juniors have the option to take a full-length practice ACT, the PSAT or the ASVAB
• Seniors will choose from a menu of options from college application work time to paying for college along with many others.

More details to come!

A reminder for seniors that now is a great time to be looking at the Scholarship spreadsheet. Scholarship application season is just heating up and will get really hot December-April.

The PHS counselors will be meeting individually with all freshmen students over the course of the next several weeks. Students should have selected a meeting time during homeroom. If not, please take care of this ASAP.

Counselors will be offering planning meetings with sophomore's later this semester around course request time. Watch for a link to our calendar's to sign up for a meeting time.

Juniors will have their 1:1 Junior conference with their counselor in the early/mid second semester. Counselors will be reaching out regarding those appointment times in early February.

Seniors are having 1:1 meetings with their homeroom teacher this quarter and should reach out to their counselor if they have any questions with their post-secondary planning. Counselors are currently working on graduation check letters so watch for these in the mail in the next few weeks. These letters are just to inform students and parents about where the student is in regards to credit completion and courses remaining to meet graduation credit requirements.

There is an upcoming opportunity to learn more about the U.S. Military Academies at the

Joint Service Academy Day at EAA Museum this Saturday, September 21 in Oshkosh, WI.

Students and their families will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from all of the academies.

More information can be found here- there is no preregistration required

WCTC is offering a hybrid ACT prep class this fall starting on October 16th. These classes fill fast so if interested, you should register asap. Click the picture below to see the full informational flyer

Methodize: Don’t forget- all juniors have access to the online ACT prep course through Methodize. This is true wether they are enrolled in the ACT prep class through PHS or not. Students can find the program in their Xello accounts on the menu on the right. This can be used at any time.

Most students take their first ACT with the high school in February/March and then take the April, June or July tests if they wish to retest. Some juniors will take the December test. Some seniors will take the September or October tests if they are still trying for a certain score. Scores are reported in time for admissions deadlines at most schools.

The Student Services Office keeps this list of ACT prep (and other) tutors as they reach out to us. We offer this as an informational list and do not endorse or vet any specific service.

College Ready, a comprehensive online program for high school students, is now enrolling for its fall 2024 session. Join Badger Precollege to get a taste of what it means to think, prepare and act like a college student.

Through weekly online classes, College Ready students:

• Learn about higher education options and how to navigate the process of finding the best fit
• Meet with UW–Madison staff for personalized information about admissions, financial aid, advising, career exploration and more
• Get answers to questions about college academics and life from current UW–Madison undergraduates

Live online classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, October 15 – November 7, 6–8 p.m. central time.

You can also supplement your online experience with an in-person add-on, November 7–9, on the UW–Madison campus. Stay on campus for two nights for an immersive campus experience with your classmates to explore campus, engage in the college experience and visit undergraduate classes.

Registration is now open to any student in grades 9–12 and will be filled on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Scholarships are available to qualifying students.

More Information and Registration Info Here

Maybe you've heard but maybe you haven't...The Universities of Wisconsin system has several new programs that are important for college-bound students to know about. Starting with the class of 2025, these programs guarantee admissions for many students throughout the UW System. The programs are described below. Feel free to connect with your school counselor if you have additional questions about these programs. Students who do not qualify for one of these special programs or do not get their campus of choice through direct admit, are still encouraged to apply through the traditional application process.

The three paths offered at the Universities of Wisconsin for first-year student/freshman undergraduate admission are:

1. Traditional first-year student/freshman admission application process
2. Direct Admit Wisconsin
3. The Wisconsin Guarantee

All three paths to admission require students to meet the minimum admission criteria. Neither Direct Admit Wisconsin nor The Wisconsin Guarantee provide guaranteed admission into a specific major, program, school, or college. Rather, they provide admission to Universities of Wisconsin universities.

More Information HERE

On April 5, 2024, the Universities of Wisconsin extended the suspension of the requirement for new first-year/freshman applicants to provide an ACT or SAT score as part of their application for admission.

The Universities of Wisconsin will remain test-optional for students applying for undergraduate admission now through Summer 2027 term. The last term that students will be able to opt out of submitting an ACT/SAT score will be for admission to Summer 2027 term unless the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents takes additional action regarding test score requirements before that time.

If there is a possibility that you will be enrolling at a D1 or D2 college (NCAA) or a NAIA program, you need to be sure to be knowledgeable about and follow the steps required for eligibility confirmation. If you haven't created your clearinghouse account yet you need to do this now (including the transcript upload). Accounts must be created before you can attend an official visit or sign a letter of intent. Potential division 3 students should complete the profile page. See your counselor for assistance and to be sure that you have met the academic requirements. More information (regarding all divisions) can be found in this slideshow from the NCAA.

Main NCAA Info Page

NCAA Eligibility Center

NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete

NCAA D3 Profile Page

Main NAIA Page

NAIA Eligibility Center

Check out the community organizations looking for volunteers on this Volunteer Opportunities spreadsheet.

We get (almost) daily calls or emails from local employers looking to hire current high school students and sometimes calls for recent graduates or getting ready to gradauate seniors. Check out this virtual job board for all of the great opportunities out there to earn some money and gain experience for your future!

District Community Resources List

(use the links on the left to navigate resources for various topics)

Children's Hospital Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic- Open 3:00-9:30pm 7 days a week

In School Community Therapy Options

Pewaukee School District works with three local agencies to provide in bulding Mental Health services. Various insurance companies are accepted. Families should reach out to the contacts indicated on the form to connect your student with a therpist.

ARC (Formerly Your Choice)- Sessions on various topics that parents may find useful. Topics include resiliency, drugs, alcohol, vaping and screen addiction

College Goal WI- Assistance with completing the FAFSA (seniors) All virtual event this year

Healing Hearts- For over a decade Healing Hearts has delivered compassion, care, and connection for children and families grieving a loss from death, divorce, abandonment, overdose, incarceration, military deployment, and deportation.

Healing Hearts expanded its Children’s Grief Group programs to provide greater access for families in Southeast Wisconsin. https://www.healingheartswisconsin.org/

Resources from the Pewaukee Library- Help Now (Live online tutoring)

District/School Calendars

Student Job "Board"- Often times, local employers will let us know of positions that they are hiring for. This document will be updated each time we learn of a new opportunity so check back often!

Resource for teens facing mental health issues. This website is filled with resources and information to get help. (click the picture to go to the site)