The Counceling Corner December 2012

The Counseling Corner

December 2012

Kislev 5773 Scheck Hillel Community School Ben Lipson Upper School

Juda and Maria Diener Lower School Samuel and Henrietta Scheck Middle School

Welcome to the 2012-2013 School Year Things are busy at the Middle and Upper Schools as we are in the midst of the second quarter of the 2012- 2013 school year. Students are settling into their schedules and adjusting to the rigor of their classes. The school counselors have been working endlessly on assuring the proper academic placement of all students and aiding in their adjustment to their new school year. The students are assigned to a counselor by grade level as follows: Grades 6 and 7—Whitney Fisch – fisch@ehillel.org/ 305-931-2831 ext. 142 Grades 8 and 9—Linda Feigenbaum – feigenbaum@ehillel.org/ 305-931-2831 ext. 221 Grades 10 and 11—Luis Deschapelles – deschapelles@ehillel.org/ 305-931-2831 ext. 170 Grade 12—Lois Perlman – perlman@ehillel.org/ 305-931-2831 ext. 152 College Counseling—Dana Ponsky – ponsky@ehillel.org/ 305-931-2831 ext. 151

Vanessa Donaher – donaher@ehillel.org/ 305-931-2831 ext. 132 By the time you read this you have already received your child’s Quarter 1 grade report. Hopefully you and your child are pleased with the report. If you have any concerns please contact the student’s teacher to find out what can be done to be more successful. Students still have time to improve grades for Quarter 2. Community Login on the school website is a wonderful tool for parents to use to access their student’s grades on a daily basis.

New Guidance Office Policies and Procedures The past three months have been very hectic in the Guidance Office with dozens of students and family members coming through each day. In order to maximize our efficiency and ensure our students are not missing too much class time, we have implemented the following policies:

- All students must present a pass from a teacher if they arrive during a class period. Students will not be permitted to meet with a school/college counselor without a pass.

- All students must sign in upon entering the office in the new sign-in book placed at the front desk.

- Students must schedule appointments with their designated counselor in order to be seen.

- Student emergencies will still take priority over scheduled appointments, but counselors will work to

uphold all scheduled appointment times.

School Counseling Department Overview Hillel’s School Counseling department delivers a proactive and preventive comprehensive program that supports all facets of the educational environment. It is designed to help all students in the areas of academic achievement, personal/social development, and college and career readiness development. Over the course of this academic year counselors will deliver guidance lessons in the classroom setting on various topics vital to the growth and development of the students. This ensures that all students will receive instruction on necessary skills needed to maneuver life.-

Graduation Update for Seniors Many members of the senior class have or are prepared to apply to college and have even been accepted (Congratulations!). The next step is to make sure you have met all the requirements to graduate in May and receive your diploma. Therefore, do you know if you have met the following requirements in;

- Practical Arts?

- Performing Arts?

- Elective Credit?

- Tefilah?

- Community Service? (Remember, you need to fulfill 100 hours of service) Please make an appointment to see Ms. Perlman to review your credits and community service hours. Any student’s who need to submit their service hours, must hand them in to Ms. Ackerman at the Middle School front desk.

Grade Level Guidance Curriculums Each student will have the opportunity to participate in the counselors’ classroom lessons. All students will meet individually with their counselor for the purpose of academic planning and setting personal goals. Individual student needs will be addressed as they arise.

6th grade: - Study habits - Organization skills - Self-development - Healthy Communication 7th Grade: - Positive friendships - Socio-Emotional Development - Rational Reasoning - Self-respect 8th grade - Self awareness - Values and beliefs - Empathy and diversity - High School readiness 9th Grade - High school transition - Understanding GPA and transcripts - Self awareness - Peer pressure - 4 year academic plans-Individual planning 10th Grade - Character education - Stress management - Personality and career assessments 11th Grade - College readiness (SAT, ACT, PSAT/NMSQT) - Goal setting - Healthy decisions 12th Grade - Graduation requirements - Decision-making

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

Decision Making

Recently, a young man strolled into my office for a piece of candy. I asked him, “In general, what issues are really on your mind lately?” He quickly responded “College—what college is right for me? That is what you should focus on” and with that he helped himself to a mint in my plastic jar.

I pondered this idea and thought about how each of us makes decisions every day. Frequently, we are not fully aware that we have mentally thought through circumstances and sifted through advantages and disadvantages. Thus this young man is on target because he and the rest of his classmates will be expected to make decisions, such as a choice of college, which will affect his/her life beyond high school.

Therefore, now is indeed the time to give careful reflection on the many important decisions you the high school pupil will have to make. What decisions will you make about the following?

• • • •

Should I go to college? If so what will help me determine if a school is ideal for me?

Should I join the military? Or would I be better suited to be in a technical school?

Is participating in a gap year program right for me—whether domestically or internationally?

If I am eligible, what honors level and AP classes should I add to my curriculum?

Good decisions require careful and organized thought. The first step should be to identify the problem or decisions to be made. After understanding the situation, you should list several possible solutions. At this juncture, you should determine the consequences of each decision or solution. List the advantages and disadvantages for each. Now it will be time to select the alternative that is best for you. It may be a combination of options. Once a choice is selected, plan specific ways to act on your decision and then begin. The final step would be to check out how it worked out for you. You should review the outcome of your decision. Now here is the most important part of all of this, do not be afraid to start again. It may very well be possible that your decision did not go according to your plan. Thus be prepared and willing to go through the steps again if you are dissatisfied.

Henry David Thoreau said “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Do not be resigned to that. Break out and dare to discover what is really yearning within you. If you are not careful you may learn something about yourself that you never knew you had within you.

College Counseling Department Overview Hillel has a proactive College Counseling Program that begins in Grade 9 and spirals with intensity through Grade 12. Hillel understands that students and families approach the college application process with diverse needs and styles and, thus, highly values and practices a studentcentered philosophy in this crucial transition. Counselors provide current information regarding the college admissions process and encourage open communication and an open door policy with students and parents.

Important Testing Dates and Deadlines Hillel is considered a testing center for both the SAT and ACT. Testing is offered only on Sundays and we encourage all students to take the test here. Our students report that when they test here at school, they perform better and feel more relaxed on test day.

All students from Hillel who register for the SAT or SAT II (Subject Tests) for the first time MUST do so by mail. Registration packets are available in the Guidance Office and the registrar, Ms. Jacobson, will have copies of the letter from a Rabbi that is needed in order to test on Sunday. The ACT registration is all completed online at www.actstudent.org.

SAT/SAT II Subject Test Dates School Code: 101234 Test Center Code: 10501

Regular Registration Deadline

Late Registration Deadline (additional fee added)

January 26, 2013

December 28, 2012

January 11, 2013

March 9, 2013

February 8, 2013

February 22, 2013

May 4, 2013

April 5, 2013

April 19, 2013

June 1, 2013

May 2, 2013

May 17, 2013

ACT Test Dates School Code: 101234 Test Center Code: 153061 February 9, 2013

Regular Registration Deadline

Late Registration Period (additional fee added)

January 11, 2013

January 12-18, 2013

April 13, 2013

March 8, 2013

March 9-22, 2013

June 8, 2013

May 3, 2013

May 4-17, 2013

FIU Dual Enrollment

The partnership between Hillel and Florida International University has been growing over the past year and we are happy that more and more students from 10th to 12th grade are interested in pursuing college-level courses in the dual enrollment program. This program allows students who meet specific academic requirements to take courses at FIU-Biscayne Bay campus as a supplement or in addition to their Hillel courses. With approval from a school counselor, students may use one or more of these courses towards their high school graduation requirements.

Registration for FIU Dual Enrollment courses begins one week prior to the start of classes which will begin on January 7, 2013. Students will be notified in the start of December about the opportunity to participate and will need to meet with Ms. Ponsky to fill out registration forms.

Contact Us School Counselors

Luis Deschapelles Counselor, Grades 10-11 305-931-2831 x170 deschapelles@ehillel.org

Linda Feigenbaum Counselor, Grades 8-9 305-931-2831 x221 feigenbaum@ehillel.org

Whitney Fisch Counselor, Grades 6-7 305-931-2831 x142 fisch@ehillel.org

Lois Perlman Counselor, Grades 10-11 305-931-2831 x152 perlman@ehillel.org

Vanessa Donaher College Counselor 305-931-2831 x132 donaher@ehillel.org

Dana Ponsky College Counselor 305-931-2831 x151 ponsky@ehillel.org

College Counselors

Registrar

Rita Jacobson Registrar 305-931-2831 x108 jacobson@ehillel.org