Summer's Over

It is hard to believe, but the summer is already over for me... I know that you are happy to have another few days of freedom. Now that it is time to head back to school full time, I wanted to share some of the my favorite high points from the summer.

Hands down, the best part of my summer involved time with my niece and nephew. Carly and Cole are growing up so fast and they are such a joy. I am blessed to have them in my lives and having summers off enables me to spend some extra time with them.

Carly and Cole were in town for the 4th of July and we went to Red, White, and Boom, the parade, had a cookout, took naps, and headed back out for more fireworks.

(Carly at the parade...)

Carly then headed out of town with my mom leaving Cole with me for the week. We had a great time together. He is full of energy so we spent lots of time on the go and he always had me laughing. While he was here we went to the movies, the zoo, the splash pad, and the playground. At the zoo he really liked the baby elephant and the penguins, but his favorite was the zoo's playground and the carousel.

(Cole on carousel... can you see how red his cheeks are? He was such a trooper - he is only 3 but he walked on his own for the entire time we were at the zoo.)

Here is a picture of Cole playing at the playground... how is it that little boys find playing in the dirt as much fun as playing ON the playground equipment?? :-)

I also had the chance to spend some time in Kentucky. While there Carly lost her other front tooth and was VERY excited that the tooth fairy came to see her. ;-) And my sister's family also has a new addition... they adopted a puppy and named her Lucy. She is very sweet. And yes, when arriving home, everyone calls out, "Lucy, I'm Home..."

So, in short, it was a great summer, but it went too fast. I'm definitely not ready for early mornings! Now that I have shared the highlights from my summer, I hope you stop in to see me and let me know how your summer went and what you did to stay busy.

School Pictures

Just a quick reminder that schedule pick up days are also the same days when you will have your school pictures taken. It really is pretty incredible all the stuff that Mr. King has organized and squeezed (efficiently) into these schedule pick up days.

Any Requests?

Since the school year is about to start it is time for me to head out and buy candy to fill up the candy jar in my office. I am curious, do you have any special requests?

The candy jar is just one of many small things I do to try to make sure that my office is welcoming and that you always have a reason to stop by and say hi - even if it is just to stop in and pick up a piece of candy. :-)

Schedule Pick Up

By now you all should have received the new school year information packets in the mail, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the upcoming schedule pick up days!

9th graders: Monday, August 17th - You will be picking them up based upon the first letter of your last name, so all of "my" students will be in the A - H group and you get to pick your schedules up first thing on Monday morning between 8:30 - 10:00am. (In case you are curious, students with last names I-Q will pick up their schedules between 10 - 11:30, and those with last names R - Z have the 1:30 - 3:30 time.)

Marching Band Members (All Grades) also pick up their schedules on Monday, August 17th between 12:30 - 1:00.

10th graders: Tuesday, August 18th - morning (A - L is between 8:30 - 10:00am and M - Z is 10:00 - 11:30)

12th graders: Tuesday, August 18th - afternoon (A - L between 12:30 - 2:00pm and M - Z between 2:00 - 3:30)

11th graders: Wednesday, August 19th - morning (A - L between 8:30 - 10:00am and M - Z between 10:00 - 11:30am)

Also, for any new students there will be a new student orientation on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 19th at 1:00pm in the library.

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities - finding your locker, getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc. (All non-freshmen students need to bring your ID's with you... the freshmen will have their ID cards made while at schedule pick up.)

I'm sure it will be a few crazy days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you so don't forget to stop by and let me know how your summer vacation was and update me on your lives.

I still have a little more summer vacation left (YEAH!), but I will be back at school on Monday to try to make sure everything is good to go for you when you pick up your schedules.

See you soon!

Tests Optional

My last few updates have been regarding the ACT and SAT tests and I want to continue the theme for one more post. I know that the college admissions tests can be stressful to students (and parents), but it is important to know that not every college requires strong test scores... in fact, there are many colleges that do not require test scores when evaluating applicants for admission.

The website Fair Test is the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Their site features a list of colleges that are test score optional schools. This hopefully reminds you that any one aspect of your college application does not make or break you - there are always more options to explore until you find the college that is the best fit for you. So please, don't allow the college admissions tests give you nightmares!

Concordance Tables

As I mentioned in my last post earlier this week, the ACT and SAT tests are a part of the lives of nearly all high school students. As a school counselor I receive questions about these tests all the time - which test should I take, do I *have* to take a test, how many times should I take a test, what does my score mean, what if I didn't score as high as I think I should have and how do you figure out how the scores compare to one another... and quite honestly the list goes on and on.

Today, let's talk for a second about the score comparisons. A lot of seniors took both the ACT and SAT this spring and have received their scores and are now considering which test (if any) to take again in the fall. It's important to review the requirements for the schools you are considering and see what they are looking for and where you fall compared to their averages. Some students will want to repeat both tests and some will elect to focus on the test they did "better" on the first time through and try to improve that score.

But how do you know which test you did "better" on? Well, the ACT and SAT actually test different information, but you can see what scores would be most comprable by using the concordance tables. These tables can help students (and colleges) compare scores for students across the different tests. I'll be honest - these tables can seem a little confusing at first, but if you read the information on the pages prior to the tables then you will understand them. Table 1 will let you compare your SAT score based on a 1600 scale with the ACT without writing. Most of you will have taken the ACT with writing (and if you didn't, you NEED to take it with writing in the future as colleges are moving toward considering the writing test more and more) so you will use the data on Table 2 to get the writing score and then you will add that to the results from Table 1 to get an accurate overall score based upon the 2400 scale.

Try not to get stressed out about the college admissions tests... I know it can be frustrating, but remember it is only one piece to the puzzle that the colleges will be considering when evaluating students!

The ACT and SAT

Registration deadlines for the upcoming fall ACT and SAT tests are rapidly approaching so I wanted to give you all a quick review of some of the basic information that I thought might help you. There are two main college admissions tests – the SAT and the ACT – that enable colleges to compare students from different schools and backgrounds. Most colleges will accept scores from either test, but it is important to double check with the college admissions office to be sure they will accept the test you plan to take. One test is not better than another - take the test that is best for both you and the school to which you are applying. And yes, you may take both tests.


The Scholastic Aptitude Test I (SAT I)

When people are talking about the “SAT” they are generally speaking about the SAT I test or the SAT Reasoning Test. No matter what you choose to call it, this is a 3 hour and 45 minute long test. There is a critical reading, math, and writing component to the test. Scores for each section range on a scale of 200 – 800.

SAT Subject Tests

The SAT Subject Tests are sometimes also referred to as the SAT II Achievement Tests. They are one-hour tests in specific subjects such as English, history, mathematics, or foreign languages. Some of the more competitive schools require two or three tests for first-year placement. Be sure to check to see if these tests are required (and if so, in what areas) before you sign up to take them!

The ACT Tests

The ACT tests assess specific academic abilities in English, math, reading, and science reasoning, and writing. Scores range from 1 (low) to 36 (high) for each of the four tests and for the composite. The composite is the average of the four test scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Submitting Your Test Scores
When you register to take your test they will ask you which schools you would like to have notified of your scores. You automatically have 4 “free” choices of colleges to be notified of your scores. It is to your benefit to take advantage of this because the colleges will consider your highest score (and disregard your lower scores) and it will cost money to send the scores to the schools after you receive your results. Nearly all schools want the ACT/ SAT directly from the testing provider rather than from WKHS.

When should I take the test?
Students usually take it in the spring of their junior year, early in their senior year or both.

When is the next test offered?
The next testing date for the SAT is October 10th. The registration deadline is September 9th.
The next testing date for the ACT is September 12th. The registration deadline is August 7th (which is this Friday!). There is another ACT scheduled for October 24th. The registration deadline is September 18th.

Do I need to take the writing test?
Yes. For the SAT it is now a standard portion of the test. With the ACT you will need to pick if you will be taking the test with or without the writing portion. At least one of the test score reports to your college should include the writing test.

How do I register, figure out costs, and find more information?
Visit the SAT and ACT websites. (I also have a link to the websites on the right side of the page.)

And, last but certainly not least, do I *HAVE* to take the test again when I did OK the first time I took it?
Unfortunately this isn’t an easy answer. No, you don’t *have* to do anything. If you are confident in your score then relax and be done with the testing. If you are confident in your score, but know that you could do better… well, then I’d say relax (there is no testing pressure because you are confident in your score) and take the test again. Some of you are sitting there wishing you hadn’t read that last line… but the reality is that if you take the test and improve your score it can only help you. You can benefit in the eyes of the college if you ended up on the bubble for their admissions decision and you can benefit financially if you are applying for any scholarships that consider your test scores. If you are not confident in your scores or if you know that you can do better – then the answer is simply, yes, take it again and see if you can improve your score.

Wow, that was a lot of information – hopefully you are not too overloaded… after all, it is still summer.