Welcome to Freshmen/Sophomore Night

Nancy Kundinger 9 th and 10 th Grade Counselor Last Names A-K & Julie Staten 9 th and 10 th Grade Counselor Last Names L-Z

Course Selection for School Year February 10 th students will be receiving their course selection sheet Teachers will be recommending students for their classes based on their standardized test scores and their performance in their class this year Parents are responsible to go over the course selection sheet with their child and sign the sheet once the final choices are made February 21 st is the Deadline for students to turn in their course selection sheet Reminder that Re-Enrollment for next year begins on January 27 th and is DUE on February 3 rd

Things to Keep in Mind when Selecting Courses For Next Year Rising Sophomores All Sophomores take PE for both semesters This will be your “lighter” load year so this is your time to really focus on your grades/GPA You will be allowed to miss 2 extra days for College Visits, provided that you submit documentation from the college of the visit

Things to Keep in Mind when Selecting Courses For Next Year Rising Juniors This year tends to be your “harder” year It’s not uncommon to have a Study Hall where students can do their homework, study, and get organized (especially if they are involved with a sport/extra-curricular activities) This is also the year that students have the option to take SAT Prep as an elective. Students choose to take this semester course to help prepare for the SAT

Graduation Requirements Theology4 English4 Mathematics4 Science3 World Language (same) 2 U.S. History1 U.S. Gov’t½ Economics½ World History1 Computer 1 PE1 Fine Arts1 Elective1 Total credits required Some Colleges require 3 years of a Foreign Language Do your Research!

Importance of GPA Your GPA begins your 9 th Grade year so make it a great one Colleges REcalculate students’ GPA based on grades in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language A great article to read titled “What College Admission Officers Look For: Transcript, Academic Averages, Class Rank, Types of Courses Taken” what-my-academic-average-class/

College SC Lottery Scholarships Palmetto Fellows Scholarship - $6,700 per YEAR There are two ways to qualify: Must meet ALL Three below a SAT or 27 ACT b. 3.5 GPA on SCUGP through Junior year c. Be in the top 6% from SCUGP OR 1400 SAT or 32 ACT and 4.0 GPA on SCUGP Life Scholarship - $5,000 per YEAR Must meet TWO of the Three Criteria: a SAT or 24 ACT b. 3.0 GPA on SCUGP c. Top 30% of the class from SCUGP

College SC Lottery Scholarships Hope Scholarship - $2,800 per YEAR (for Freshman year only) Must have a 3.0 on SCUGP Enhancement for Math & Science Majors Must complete 14 hours in math and science during the first year in college. Students will be eligible beginning of their Sophomore Year Life Recipients: Possible $2,500 extra PALMETTO Recipients: Possible $3,300 extra

Guidance Website & Scholarships Scholarships are updated on a weekly basis Summer Opportunitie s College Planning Timelines College Representative Visits to BE

o All Freshmen students take the PSAT in October here at BE during school hours o Scores were given back to your child in December o The average National PSAT Score for Sophomores in 2012 was: o 43 in Critical Reading o 44 in Mathematics o 42 Writing Skills o Note: The PSAT does not give average scores for Freshmen o All Juniors take the PSAT in October here at BE during school o Students are strongly advised to begin taking the SAT in the Spring of their JUNIOR year PSAT/SAT Difference between SAT & ACT :

o All Sophomores take the PLAN (pre ACT) in October during school hours o Plan results were given back to your child in November o Students are advised to begin taking ACT in the Spring of their JUNIOR year. Students register to take both the SAT & ACT online SATwww.collegeboard.com ACTwww.act.org PLAN/ACT Difference between SAT & ACT :

Naviance What is it? A college and career readiness platform that helps connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals How can I use it? Career Planning: Interest Inventory and Cluster Finder Inventory College Planning: College Search, Application Process, College Major Exploration, Scholarship/Financial Aid Resources Where do I find it? On the BE home page, under “Guidance”, click on “Naviance Family Connection” and then click on the link. Use student Netclassroom ID and password. Letters are case sensitive

Career Day March 26 Over 30 professionals in their fields will be speaking to our students during our annual Career Day

Meetings with your Counselor We have met with all Freshman and Sophomore students at least once over the course of the first semester Counselors will be calling Freshmen in again this second semester to check in on you and discuss grades, importance of GPA, make sure you know how to get onto Naviance, and talk about future college plans Sophomore Parents and Students: We will be having “Sophomore Meetings” with parents and students. Meetings will begin in March. You will be receiving a letter in the mail reminding you to call or your student’s Guidance Counselor to set up an appointment to meet. The meeting is optional, but it’s a great time to discuss future college plans, course selections, GPA, SAT/ACT, Scholarships, etc.

Extra Help All teachers have scheduled extra help sessions If you don’t know when each teacher has their help session, you can contact the teacher directly, look under the Parent tab on the BE website, or contact the guidance office Many teachers will accommodate special requests if the student is unable to make it to a regularly scheduled help session

Juniors and Seniors will be split next year between Ms. Gastaldi and Ms. Salley Ms. GastaldiLast names A-K Ms. SalleyLast names L-Z

Questions?