Below is the winter 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 the end of the first semester, 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://whiteplainspublicschoolsorg-33-us-east1-01.preview.finalsitecdn.com/guidance1

The scholarship applications in the files below are due February 3rd at 3pm to your students guidance office.

During the first week of February, counselors will be pushing into classes to review the Program Planning process.

February 24th to March 28th: Students meet one on one with their counselor to select courses for 2025-2026 school year. A few important program planning notes:

• Students will choose core courses they would like to take for next year.
• Students choose electives, which can be supplemental courses in the above departments and/or courses in business, the arts, music, technology or physical education.
• Students must provide at least three elective choices in case we cannot schedule their first or second choice.
• In addition to other elective choices, all juniors and seniors must provide three choices for P.E.
• Students should make their selections carefully. Once they have put in a request for a course, if we are able to schedule it, they are obligated to take it.
• Parents/Guardians should receive a copy of their child’s program planning sheet including all core and elective course requests. Please sign and return that form to your child’s counselor by March 28th.
• If you disagree with a course that has been selected or have any questions, please call your child’s counselor.
• If you wish to meet with your child’s counselor during program planning, please schedule an appointment.

*If your child has not brought home his or her program planning sheet for your signature by

March 28th, please call your child’s counselor.

Honors/Advanced Placement

WPHS provides access to honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses to all students. Students currently in an AP or honors course may plan their academic program for the appropriate subsequent AP or honors course. Since honors and AP courses are rigorous, with increased expectations regarding the level of student work, conversations should take place between the student, parent, and school counselor to determine if placement in one or more of these courses is in the best interest of the student. Students will, however, still be required to have taken prerequisite courses where applicable. Please note that our dual enrollment courses taken for college credit from Westchester Community College, SUNY Albany, Syracuse University, Marist College and Rochester Institute of Technology have specific prerequisites which can be found in the course description.

Dual Enrollment Offerings at WPHS

Dual enrollment courses allow a student to simultaneously earn high school and college credit while exposing students to the rigor of a college level course. Students may take these courses just for high school credit and pay nothing. To earn the college credit, you must pay tuition to the college that we are partnering with, and the student must earn a C or better in the course for that credit to be transferrable to other colleges. The tuition that colleges charge for dual enrollment credit is far below what they would charge on campus. These courses offer students one of the most cost-effective ways to earn college credit while in high school. We strongly encourage your child to take advantage of the dual enrollment opportunity. Enrollment for college credit will occur in September during class. Some of our partner schools may provide tuition assistance for qualified students.

Below, is a short list of the benefits to students taking advantage of college credit in a dual enrollment course:

• Less time required after high school to finish a college degree.
• Exposes students to the rigor of a college level course
• Dual enrollment classes often save students money on college tuition.
• College credits acquired in a dual enrollment program are transferable to other colleges and universities besides the one where you had earned those credits.
• Students can get core college courses like introductory English and Math classes out of the way in high school, making more room on your full-time college schedule for classes specific to your area of study.

If you or your child have any questions regarding dual enrollment options, please reach out to your child’s school counselor.

Check out the WPHS Course Catalog for the dual enrollment offerings! (Course catalog for next school year will be updated by February 1st, 2025.

There is an upcoming pre-college fair this weekend! Click here to learn more: National Summer Program Fair

It is not to late to complete your FAFSA!!!

FAFSA (this form is required by all colleges)

https://fafsa.ed.gov/

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

NYS TAP Application:

NYS Student Aid Payment Application

Federal Guide to Financial Aid:

https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/do-you-need-money.pdf

Sign up here for Financial Aid Workshops sponsored by NY State

FAFSA/TAP Completion Events | HESC

Upcoming Financial Aid Presentations and Workshops through NYS:

College Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities:

• Date: Wednesday, January 22, 6:00 PM

• Learn about the financial aid programs available to New York State students with disabilities.

• HESC financial aid experts will explain available programs and answer questions to help students and families navigate the process.

Resume Building Workshop:

• Date: Monday, January 27, 6:00 PM

• In partnership with the New York State Department of Labor, HESC will host a fun and interactive workshop on resume writing. Topics include resume-writing basics, how to read job descriptions, and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Senior Basics Presentation :

• Date: Every Tuesday & Thursday at 6:00 PM

• HESC’s Senior Basics Presentation gives high school seniors the essential tools and information they need to apply for financial aid and prepare for higher education.

• Available in Spanish

Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account

• Creating a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) is the first step toward accessing federal student financial aid. This 15-minute presentation will guide students through the quick and easy process of setting up their accounts.

• Available in Spanish

HESC Virtual Drop-In Lounge

• Students can connect with HESC experts to get answers to their financial aid questions in HESC’s Virtual Drop-In Lounge.

DREAM Act Support Session

• Date: January 6, 5:00–7:30 PM

• This session offers personalized assistance for students with their DREAM Act financial aid application. Students can join anytime during the session hours for one-on-one support in a safe and helpful environment.

Stay Connected with HESC Resources

Students and parents can receive text message updates with essential financial aid information, key deadlines, and helpful resources to keep them on track toward college success.

Students who are granted testing accommodations on their IEP, 504, or Declassification Documents, about testing accommodations for College Board (SAT) and ACT are not automatically granted. Accommodations on these exams are granted by the organizations that administer the tests. If you are interested in applying for test accommodations through these organizations, we ask that you please research and familiarize yourself with the accommodation application process in its entirety. Both College Board and ACT have informative websites that provide detailed information regarding a variety of topics including: application deadlines/important dates; forms; eligibility criteria; documentation guidelines; taking the exam with accommodations; changing accommodations; appealing an eligibility decision; frequently asked questions; and helpful tips. We also recommend that you contact your child’s guidance counselor to further discuss the College Board/ACT application process after you have had an opportunity to review the College Board and/or ACT website. You are additionally welcome to contact College Board/ ACT directly to ask any questions that you may have regarding the application process.

College Board (PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests):

• Website: https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/request-accommodations
• Once you have reviewed the College Board website, spoken to your child’s counselor, and have made a decision to apply for College Board accommodations, you must complete the College Board Consent Form for Accommodations Request. This form can be found on the College Board website (https://www.collegeboard.org/pdf/ssd/ssd-consent-form-accommodations.pdf) and complete this form https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/cms/lib/NY01000029/Centricity/Domain/178/College%20Board%20SSD%20Universal%20App.pdf found on our Guidance website. After you have completed this form, please return it to the school counselor. The school will then begin processing your request for accommodations.
• You can complete the consent form at any time, but at least 12 weeks prior to the exam.

ACT:

• Website: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/
• The process for applying for accommodations for the ACT exam does not begin until you are ready to schedule a date to take the exam. You can apply for ACT accommodations through ACT Extended Time National Testing or ACT Special Testing, depending on which accommodations you are requesting. Again, it is important that you refer to the ACT website to learn about the ACT accommodation process.
• All ACT application materials should be submitted to your counselor at least 10 weeks prior to the exam date. Please submit this form with your materials: https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/cms/lib/NY01000029/Centricity/Domain/178/Request%20for%20Testing%20Accommodations%20for%20ACT%20Exams%20-%20Universal%20Form.pdf

*Please note ACT and the College Board are private entities and may or may not grant a student the testing accommodations listed on his/her IEP, 504 or Declassification Document.

The BOCES campus is hosting an open house for families who are interested in touring their campus. They will be hosing visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting on February 6th through March 14th. If you would like to sign up for one of these tours please use this link: https://forms.gle/VTozcHbmLNStMvfS7 -

If you are not able to attend a during the day session they are also hosting an evening session on March 21st from 6:30pm-8:30pm. No sign up is required.

In addition, we will be hosting a visit from the BOCES counselors on January 31st during all lunch periods. If you student is interested in attending BOCES next year this informational session is required. Please reach out to your Childs school counselor to sign your child up for the informational session. Please know that this is a student only event.