We hope this finds you and your student refreshed from some of our holiday breaks! The school counselors enjoyed getting into the classrooms in November and December with our 10th and 11th graders to do some college and career exploration. Those presentations can be found in their Class Schoology Page under the Counseling Center folder. We will hit the ground running at the beginning of January with our course selection process which will take us right up until February break. We look forward to our 1:1 meetings with the students!

Winter Edition Newsletter will include:

• School Counselor Assignment Chart
• Course Selection Process
• EMCC & New Visions
• Senior Section & College Application Resources
• Financial Aid/Scholarship Resources
• Junior Section & Naviance Resource
• SAT/ACT Information (Including Digital SAT Test Day Resources)
• College Visits & Fairs
• Substance Abuse Prevention Counselor Updates
• College and Career Center
• Upcoming Events
• Additional Resources

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

The Counseling Team

Counselors will be meeting 1:1 with students beginning in the beginning of January and ending before February break. Students should be prepared with ideas for classes they plan to take next school year. Counselors will review status toward graduation and requirements, as well as discuss students future career plans. These thoughtful conversations and student course requests lead to the Master Schedule being created. Changes made after these meetings (specifically after the end of the year) may not be able to be honored due to class sizes and staffing availability.

Students will be receiving a calendar invitation in their Outlook accounts for their meetings.

Please take time to review the course catalog below to browse the extensive list of comprehensive offerings available to students!

Attention Sophomores: are you interested in participating in a vocational program during high school? Make sure to sign up for the LAST & FINAL visit the Eastern Monroe Career Center (EMCC) on February 9, 2024. EMCC offers 2-year programs for Junior and Senior year. Students participating attend IHS for half a day and are transported to EMCC for their vocational programming.

Sign ups are in the College and Career Center with Ms. Cook. Students will be asked to choose two programs to visit - use the EMCC Program Guide below to view more information!

*Please note, we do not send students for the Visual Communication & Photography Program

For students who plan to apply after they have visited, please make sure to complete and submit the application form by February 14th. Applications can be found in the College and Career Center.

Attention Juniors interested in purusing a career in the medical field: see the flyer below for the New Visions Visitation Day. Please note our school is visiting on February 6th. Interested students can sign up in the College and Career Center!

*More information about the program is outlined in the EMCC Program Guide below.

Seniors should be wrapping up their college applications and working with their counselors on any questions during the process. Please monitor individual college deadlines and make sure to allow 12 school days to process transcript and letter of recommendation requests. Materials and resources can be found below!

FSA ID & FAFSA

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

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!

Counselors did a 2-day presentation in Junior classes in December to discuss the college application and post high school planning process. Naviance is an excellent tool to use in this research and exploration phase! More information about Naviance below. Please refer to the presentation 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 adds it to the "Schools 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 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 also 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.

Hi there, I’m Nicole Corcimiglia, the Substance Abuse Prevention Counselor. I’m new to the district and have been in the mental health and substance abuse counseling field for the last 10 years. 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. I’ve created a new 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

5 Ways To Support Your Children Through The Holidays

The holidays are often seen as a time of joy, however they can also be a time of stress and emotional turmoil for some. A challenge that often appears is the increase in substance use around the holiday season.

1. Create a plan – It is important to plan ahead if you plan to be around family, friends, or colleagues that may encourage you to drink or misuse drugs. Start each day with a plan to prevent relapse. This could include bringing an accountability person to holiday events, bringing your own safe foods or drinks that you can enjoy, or creating an exit plan should you find yourself in an unhealthy situation.

2. Make sure basic needs are being met. Common triggers can stem from feelings and emotions caused by being Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired (HALT). Making sure a child gets a variety of healthy foods and snacks, as well as plenty of sleep can help prevent relapse.

3. Seek out support. Encourage your child to talk with a trusted source or schedule an extra visit with a mentor, counselor or health care provider to talk and find strategies to get through challenging times and situations.

4. Try something new. Suggest an activity that improves a child’s mindfulness or self care such as yoga, meditation or massage. Or, create a new family tradition such as volunteering at an organization. Helping others can shift the focus to something positive that makes us all feel good.

5. Model good behavior yourself. Adolescents tend to imitate their parents’ behavior so be mindful that your kids are watching and listening.

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!