Below is our first newsletter of the 2024-2025 school year. Our guidance edition newsletters will be sent out three times a year to keep parents apprised of guidance information and events that are occurring within the department.

As we enter another school year, please know that your child's school counselor is here to support you and your child. School counselors provide a variety of services to all students such as personal counseling, academic advising, high school program planning, schedule changes, and college and career planning. If you ever need anything, please feel free to reach out; we are here to support you and your children, especially during these difficult times.

Please visit the Guidance Department website linked below for our school counselors contact information.

https://hs.whiteplainspublicschools.org/guidance1

SCHEDULES WILL BE LIVE IN THE PARENT PORTAL ON AUGUST 28th at 5pm.

• Lateral changes (changing periods or teachers but remaining in the same course) are not permitted.
  

• Students who are in Honors or AP courses, especially if this is their first experience with courses at this level, are encouraged to remain for a minimum of five weeks so that they can get used to the difference in depth and pacing before deciding to leave the course.
  

• Schedule changes that involve adding a new course, or changing from a Regents level to an Honors or AP level course must be done prior to the fifth week of a full year course, or the third week of a one-semester course.
  

• Schedule changes that involve moving from an AP or Honors to a Regents level course need to be completed within 5 days of the progress reports during 2nd quarter. When entering a new course, the student may be responsible for completing assignments in the new course.
  

• A student who drops a course outright (does so without changing levels) may do so up until the halfway point in the course without any notation being made on the student’s transcript. Any course dropped after that will appear on the student’s transcript with a “W."
  

• Schedule changes of any kind should be made only after a thorough discussion with the student’s current teacher and his/her school counselor.
  

• Please note that there are times when schedule changes are prohibited. No classes may be changed during the first or final week of any quarter.

All Freshman will participate in the the Seminar Program.

At WPHS we value the social, emotional, and academic needs of our students. Through the WPHS seminar program, students meet regularly with their school counselor, house administrator or house social worker to address their academic and social emotional needs while also exploring their goals, interests and needs. In addition, the seminar will support students in strengthening their leadership skills and establishing positive relationships with adults and peers.

The goals of the WPHS Seminar are the following:

• Each student establishes a strong, positive connection and is well known by their school counselor, house administrator and social worker (tied to their specific house).
  
• Each student becomes an active member of an on-going and supportive, peer community and the larger school community.
  
• The seminar will support students in the exploration of careers and post-secondary options and ensure students have appropriate post-secondary plans upon graduation.

Students will meet regularly with their school counselor, house administrator and the house social worker, focusing on community building and establishing relationships.

Scheduling of Seminar:

Each 9th grade student will be assigned to a seminar group. There will be two groups group 1 will be known as the Tigers and group 2 will be known as Dubset. Each group will meet for seminar for 30 minutes every other week rotating the period. The students who are not meeting for seminar will remain in their class and use the additional 30 minutes for extra help with the teacher. Please see the picture below for a visual representation of how the seminar period will work. The orange represents the period that seminar will occur in. Students who have to go to seminar will leave their class and have 4 minutes to report to seminar.

Our first Guidance Night, which is a joint PTA meeting, will be held on Thursday, September 12th, at 6:30 p.m. in the WPHS Media Center! There will be a brief PTA meeting and then we will introduce our WPHS administrative team. Following that we will begin our guidance presentation. This presentation is designed for parents/guardians of freshmen and other students new to White Plains High School. We will discuss the policies and procedures of the high school, give you an overview of the opportunities that exist with regard to clubs, sports, and activities, and tell you who to go to when you have questions or concerns. Our goal is to make this a successful transition for your child and to answer all the questions that you have about the high school. We look forward to “seeing” you! Please note this presentation will be presented in English and Spanish.

Westchester-Putnam College Conferences, Inc

Southern Westchester

Tuesday, October, 22, 2024 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM Westchester County Center

Northern Westchester-Putnam

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM Jefferson Valley Mall Yorktown Heights, NY

To register go to:

https://www.westchestercollegefair.com

SUNY Virtual College Fair:

To register go to:

https://www.suny.edu/attend/events/virtual-college-fair/

NACAC Virtual College Fairs:

https://www.nacacattend.org/fairs/attend

Harvard, Princeton, the University of Virginia, Wellesley, and Yale would like to spend some time with you.

You know our names, but find out more at our evening programs. Don't miss your opportunity to hear admissions officers from all five schools discuss the variety of opportunities one can find at our institutions. Learn about scholarships and our generous need-based financial aid offerings.

We are committed to making education at our schools affordable, accessible, and unforgettable. Please join us.

To Register click here: The Office of Undergraduate Admission (virginia.edu)

WPHS hosts over 180 college and universities each year! We are excited to announce that we will be hosting college reps in person and virtual. The list of colleges that are scheduled to visit WPHS (in person or virtually) is located in SCOIR. The list is updated as colleges and universities sign up. In order to ensure that students do not miss any visits from a college or universities that they may be interested in, they are encouraged to sign up for the visit in advance using their SCOIR account. Students can do that by going to the "College" tab then clicking on "College Visits". Students can also find the list of upcoming college visits on the bulletin board across from the College and Career Center. If students add the college or universities they are interested into their "Colleges I am thinking about" they will receive an autogenerated email of that college or universities scheduled visit.

Our rep visits will begin on September 16th! For virtual visits the students should report to the College and Career Center with their iPad. Headphones will be available.

***Students who have a scheduled class during a college rep visit must receive permission from their teacher prior to the visit. Rep visits in the fall are for seniors only.

https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration.html

The SAT and ACT Tests

Most colleges will require scores from either the SAT or the ACT in their application. No school requires both. We are unaware of any school that will not accept either one, with no preference. Please be aware that many colleges are going test optional.

You must register for these tests directly with the companies that offer them. You can do this online. Registration deadlines are generally one month prior to the test in the case of SAT, and five weeks before the test date for the ACT. White Plains High School is a very popular regional test center. Students throughout the area test at our school. As a result, if you wish to test here you must register well before the deadline for your test date. If you don’t, WPHS is likely to be at capacity and you will be directed to your second or third choice testing location. Please remember to register early!

The SAT is a 2 hour and 15minute test that includes a Reading Test, a Writing and Language Test, and a Math Test. Usually taken in the spring of the junior year, the test can be repeated several times in the junior and senior years. Two relevant publications are available in the guidance offices and the College and Career Center: SAT Preparation Booklet and the SAT Registration Booklet. The College Board offers test prep on their website: http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice You can register for the SAT online at http://sat.collegeboard.org/register

It is important to note that the SAT is a fully digital exam.

The ACT has four parts: English, Math, Reading and Science and an optional writing section. It is an alternative to the SAT. It is scored differently from the SAT, is shorter in length, and there is no penalty for guessing. Since there are several subsections, some of the sub-scores may be used by some colleges and universities. The ACT offers test prep on their website:http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/ You can register for the ACT online athttp://www.actstudent.org/regist/

Most students who take both the SAT and the ACT tests find that their scores are quite comparable. However, in some cases the student scores significantly better on one test or the other. Students are encouraged to take practice tests in both, see how they feel in each environment and also how they score on each. If a student scores markedly better on one than the other, the student should register for and prepare for that test.

Services for Students with Disabilities

Having an IEP or 504 Plan does not entitle you to those same accommodations with the College Board or ACT.

STUDENTS must apply directly to the College Board and/or the ACT and be approved for accommodations by them in order to have any modifications on their examinations.

The College Board application for accommodations needs to be completed just once for all PSAT, SAT Reasoning, and AP tests. More information regarding College Board Services for Students with Disabilities can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/index.html

The ACT has a slightly different process to apply for accommodations, completely separate from the College Board process. More information about ACT Services for Students with Disabilities can be found at http://www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/policy.html.

More information about services for students with disabilities from both testing companies is available in the Guidance Offices and linked to the Guidance website.

Fee Waivers

Both ACT and the College Board have fee waivers available to students who receive free or reduced price lunch. If you qualify for this accommodation, please speak to your child’s school counselor for further information.

Free standardized testing and college planning publications are available to students and parents in the Guidance Offices and in the College and Career Center. If you are interested in learning more, please visit the following web sites: http://www.collegeboard.com/testing/ orhttp://www.actstudent.org/ .

ATTENTION SENIORS!! Please check the scholarships list in the SCOIR Drive regularly! In addition, we will email you information regarding scholarships.

FAFSA (this form is required by all colleges)

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

CSS PROFILE (this form is required by many but not all colleges)

https://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile

Colleges Requiring the CSS Profile

https://profileonline.collegeboard.org/prf/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet.srv

Sign up here for Financial Aid Workshops sponsored by NY State

https://startheregetthere.ny.gov/events

Throughout the school year, the school counselors will meet with each of the students on their caseloads by grade. Students will be informed of when this is occurring through their school email. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory as the school counselors review important information that pertains to each grade level.

SENIOR POST-SECONDARY PLANING TOOLKIT:

During this presentation the school counselors will review the college application process and review students post-secondary plans (including but not limited to: using Naviance, Common Application basics, resume, essay, campus visits and demonstrating interest). In addition to the group presentation, the school counselors will meet with each of their seniors to review each students' post-secondary plans. The group presentation will take place the week of October 18th. The students have received this information via their school email.

JUNIOR POST-SECONDARY PLANING TOOLKIT:

During junior Group Guidance we will cover the entire process of applying to college and creating an individual post-secondary plan (including but not limited to: using Naviance, Common Application basics, resume, essay, campus visits, demonstrating interest, mock interviews, mock admissions committee, understanding what colleges look for in students, how to create a comprehensive college list, etc.). This presentation will occur in January. After the school counselors meet with their group of juniors they will meet individually with each student to support them in planning their next steps in the post-secondary planning process.

SOPHOMORE GROUP GUIDANCE:

Career development is our overarching theme for sophomore year and students will complete a series of comprehensive interest inventories to explore possible future occupations. Naviance, our college and career platform, will house the outcomes of the career assessments and parents will have an opportunity to view them. This presentation will take place during the month of December.

The Guidance Department at White Plains High School provides guidance and counseling services to all students from the time that they enter the high school until graduation. Guidance is a service function, which includes a series of planned and informal activities designed to assist students to understand themselves better, to cope with the normal problems associated with growing up, and to become contributing citizens. The goal of our program to help achieve a successful high school experience.

Guidance and counseling is, however, more than a program of activities. It is also a relationship that exists between a student and a guidance counselor. From grades nine through twelve, the guidance counselor advises and counsels students about the selection of courses, relationships with teachers and other significant adults, relationships with peers, extra-curricular involvement, career and post-high school planning, coping with pressures, tensions and the day-to-day problems of growing up in a complex, multi-faceted society.

Email: sarahall@wpcsd.k12.ny.us
Website: https://hs.whiteplainspublicschools.org/guidance1
Location: 550 North St, White Plains, NY, USA
Phone: 914-422-2182