1. Freshman Focus: How to Help Your Child Have a Successful High School Experience
Student Services Department
Riverside Brookfield High School
September 18, 2018
Good evening. My name is Beth Augustine and I am the Director Student Services. I want to thank you for being here this evening.
This is the 7th year that we have offered this presentation for parents and it was born out of the idea that we felt parents just needed to begin hearing this information earlier in their child’s high school career.
Students hear so much of what we will be sharing tonight, but the information doesn’t always get communicated at home. So, we created a program that we feel will highlight what you need to know as parents to help your student have a successful high school experience at RB and prepare them for post-secondary success.
The PP will be available on the Student Services webpage by the end of the week as a reference.

2. Program Goals
Share who we are and how we can provide guidance and support to you and your student
Provide you with specific tips on course selection, 4-year academic plans, and post- secondary planning
Introduce you to Naviance, our primary resource and planning tool used with students
Provide you with suggestions on how to help your student transition to high school and have academic and personal success
Our goals for the evening are to…
And we will leave some time for questions at the end.

3. The Student Services Department Team
Director: Beth Augustine
Counselors: Melissa Carey, Jim Franko, Maggie Leiteritz, Mike Reingruber & Renee Thomas
Social Workers: Emily Collins, Chrissy Tappert & Mitch Zilinger
Department Assistant – April Englehart
Counselor Interns: Nicole Spinazola & Kati Winchel
Social Work Intern: Susan Abbott
Pillars Counselor: Tina Shrader
I’d like to introduce our department members that will be presenting this evening.
This presentation is collaborative effort and I’m very grateful to have such dedicated people working for our students.
Renee Thomas and Maggie Leiteritz.
Mike Reingruber, Melissa Carey and Jim Franko are the 3 other counselors.
Have 2 full-time social workers, Chrissy Tappert and Mitch Zilinger. Along with a part-time Social worker, Emily Collins . They work very closely with the counselors on individual student needs as well as providing school-wide support social emotional support.
We have 2 counselor interns and 1 social work intern
Other resources – counselor from Pillars 2 days a week

4. Counselor Contact Freshman Year August – Small Group Meetings
1st Semester– Individual Appointments as Needed, Naviance Training (Career Profiler) Goal Setting & Develop 4-Year Plans
November– Small Group Pre-Course Selections Meetings
December – Individual Appointments for Course Selection for
Spring – Small Group Meetings (Career Cluster Finder & Resume Builder)
One of the most common questions freshman parents ask is how often will my student see his or her counselor? Please know that we are always available to see students. Some students need to see his or her counselor more frequently due to home-life circumstances or academic struggles. The counselors have about 330 students on their caseloads so it is important that we have scheduled opportunities for students to meet with the counselors.
We have 5 scheduled times throughout freshman year that all students will meet with his or her counselor.
Counselors meet with each of their students in small groups to introduce themselves to their students and share some general information about transitioning to high school and how the Student Services Department is here to support them. They also learned how to sign up to see their counselors and we do our best to see the student by the next day.
During the 1st semester, the counselors will have individual appointments as need and meet in small groups to introduce the freshman to Naviance. Naviance is a web-based college and career planner and is used by all students at RB. At this meeting students will take a Career Profiler survey, set goals for freshman year and begin to develop their 4-year plan. You will learn more about Naviance during this program.
In November, freshman will hear a pre-course selection presentation for sophomore year classes. Counselors will talk about graduation requirements, 4 year plans, recommended sophomore year classes and importance of taking a rigorous but well balance schedule.
All freshman will have an individual registration meeting with their counselor before winter break. Students will select their classes for sophomore year and will have the opportunity to ask their counselor for advisement.
In the spring we will meet again in small groups for another Naviance lesson. Students will take another career survey and begin working on their academic resume.
Again, these are the scheduled meetings, students are always welcome to see their counselor as needed.
I will not turn the presentation over to Mike Reingruber

5. Graduation Requirements
Total credits needed for graduation = 22
English – 4.0
Math – 3.0
Science – 3.0
Social Science – 3.0
Western Civilization or AP European History
US History – 1.0
US Government - .50
Global Area Studies A or B or Sociology (up to level 4 of a world lang)
Consumer Economics or Economics or AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics – 1.0

6. Graduation Requirements Continued
Cultural & Applied Studies – 2.0
1.5 Applied Arts, Fine Arts or World Language
.50 Fine Arts Survey (or 4 years of one area of concentration within Fine Arts OR .50 of a performing arts and .50 of a visual arts)
Health Education – .50
Physical Education – 3.50
Additional Electives – 2.50

7. Fine Arts Electives Fine Arts Survey Art Drawing & Painting
Photography
Digital Imaging
Ceramics
Music
Band
Orchestra
Choir
Rock Band
Theater
Acting & Directing
Improvisation & Sketch Comedy
Fine Arts Survey
Art
Dance
Music

8. Applied Arts Electives
Business & Technology
Business Marketing & Web Design
Business Principles & Accounting
Computer Animation
Graphic Arts
Family & Consumer Science
Foods & Nutrition
Child Development
Industrial Technology
Automotive
Advanced Auto
Construction Tech
Technology Education
Drafting/CAD
Pre-Engineering/CAD
Pre-Architectural/CAD
Television/Media Arts

9. 4-Year Academic Plan Freshman Year Sophomore Year 1. English 2. Math
3. Science
4. Western Civ./
Reading
5. PE
6. Elective *
7. Elective
*World Language
Sophomore Year
1. English
2. Math
3. Science
4. PE/Health
5. Economics/Elective
6. Elective *
7. Elective
*World Language
Western Civ./AP Euro.
Driver’s Education

10. 4-Year Academic Plan Continued
Junior Year
1. English
2. Math
3. Science
4. US History
5. PE/PE
6. CAP/Elective
7. Elective *
*World Language
Senior Year
1. English
2. Government/Elective
3. Math (Elective)
4. Science (Elective)
5. World Language or
Area Studies
6. PE/PE
7. Elective*
*Fine Arts Survey

11. Helpful 4-Year Planning Tips
Health is usually offered in summer school for rising juniors.
Government is usually offered in summer school for rising seniors.
Fine Art Survey Proficiency Exam is offered twice a year.
Encourage a rigorous academic schedule but one that allows for extracurricular involvement.
Taking a study hall can be a good option.
Suggest an elective course outside of
your student’s interest.
Check college World Language requirements.

12. Course Selection for 2019-20 School Year
October 31st - Curriculum Guide Available
November 27th & 28th - Pre-Course Selection Meetings
A PowerPoint will be available on the website.
November - Teacher Recommendations
Students/parents will have an opportunity to change a level recommendation.
November 29th-December 14th - Course Selection Appointments
Students should have a completed registration form with alternative classes and a parent’s signature.
March - Course verifications letters are mailed home
Only changes due to errors will be made.

13. Naviance – A Valuable Resource
Web-based college research and planning tool for students, parents, and school counselors.
The site manages individual students through the entire college planning, application and decision process.
Students can search and explore careers, take interest inventories, and search for colleges.
Account Information:
Students – October
Parents – November
Naviance is a college and career program that assists students in developing their post-secondary plans
Students can search careers, colleges, and manage their 4-year academic plan
Parents will be receiving their account information in November and students will receive their information on October 17th and 18th

14. Career Interest Profiler
Students will complete a Career Interest Profiler in October
The results will provide them with a list of occupations they may be interested in
Students can take it one step further and research majors that would relate to this occupation and the colleges that offer than major
Students can view matching occupations based on their results. They can then research majors related to that career and receive a list of colleges that offer that major.

15. Schoology & Skyward

16. Schoology

17. Skyward

18. Skyward P1 - Progress Quarter 1
T1 - Quarter 1 grade (40% of semester grade)
T2 - Quarter 2 grade (40% of semester grade)
SE1 - Semester 1 Exam grade(20% of semester grade)
S1 - Final Semester grade (only grade that is represented on transcript and in GPA)

19. How to be College Ready Take a rigorous high school curriculum.
Get the best grades possible.
Take advantage of test prep for SAT.
Get involved – extra-curricular activities
Volunteer – Keep track of service hours.
Balance – Use free time to read & explore.
Colleges want interesting people who are prepared for college and will work hard.
Help your students understand how GPA works.
Colleges are most concerned about core classes.
More does not necessarily mean better.
With more selective colleges, the way to set yourself apart is to be interesting. Everyone who applies to very selective schools has a bunch of AP classes with great grades. 9 instead of 7 AP classes is not going to set you apart. Being intellectually curious and exploring interests on your own time might.
Megan Blewett was a sixth-grader when she first read about multiple sclerosis in a textbook. Although she didn't know anyone with MS, something about the depth of the medical mystery — it was described 600 years ago and doctors still don't know what causes it — appealed to her.
"Maybe I was naive or overambitious, but I'd like to contribute to the knowledge of this disease," she says. In eighth grade on her own initiative, Megan started mapping multiple sclerosis cases to help understand the disease's environmental triggers.
Megan's research, which found common geographic patterns between MS and Lou Gehrig's disease, earned her a $50,000 scholarship as a winner of the Young Epidemiology Scholars competition last month. She also did chemical biology research at the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on a protein implicated in susceptibility to MS and Lou Gehrig's disease.

20. College Planning Tips for Freshman Parents
Tuesday, November 6th 7pm to 8pm
Help your students understand how GPA works.
Colleges are most concerned about core classes.
More does not necessarily mean better.
With more selective colleges, the way to set yourself apart is to be interesting. Everyone who applies to very selective schools has a bunch of AP classes with great grades. 9 instead of 7 AP classes is not going to set you apart. Being intellectually curious and exploring interests on your own time might.
Megan Blewett was a sixth-grader when she first read about multiple sclerosis in a textbook. Although she didn't know anyone with MS, something about the depth of the medical mystery — it was described 600 years ago and doctors still don't know what causes it — appealed to her.
"Maybe I was naive or overambitious, but I'd like to contribute to the knowledge of this disease," she says. In eighth grade on her own initiative, Megan started mapping multiple sclerosis cases to help understand the disease's environmental triggers.
Megan's research, which found common geographic patterns between MS and Lou Gehrig's disease, earned her a $50,000 scholarship as a winner of the Young Epidemiology Scholars competition last month. She also did chemical biology research at the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on a protein implicated in susceptibility to MS and Lou Gehrig's disease.

21. Standardized Testing at RB
PSAT 8/9
Ocotber - 8th Grade Placement Exam
April – Freshman Year
PSAT/NMQST (National Merit Qualifier)
October - Sophomore and/or Junior Year
(not mandatory)
PSAT 10
April – Sophomore Year
SAT
April – Junior Year (mandated by the state and scores can be used for college admission)

22. Transition Time for Parents
Parents tend to visit school less as their children get older, but parents are needed even more.
Attend…
Meetings
Sporting Events
Fine Arts Events
Open Houses
Guest Speaker Events
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Student Services College Programming Events

23. Their Friends, Their World
Know who they are; they reflect your child’s view of him/herself.
Ask for a friend’s cell number that you can call in case of an emergency.
Show a genuine interest in their friends.
Be careful not to prematurely criticize peers
Social media
Will provide a handout on

24. Talk About the Hard Stuff
If you have not been talking about the hard stuff...this is the time to start.
Your teen will have an increasing desire for and participation in their own private lives, much of which you will not know.
Establishing a curfew and boundaries helps provide your child with a sense of independence within structure.
If you have not been talking about the hard stuff, drugs, birth control, sex, consent….this is the time to start. If you have been talking, keep it up. Your child is now in world where these issues arise, if not for them (hopefully!) for schoolmates, and the time to talk is early and often. Every family has its own mores and values and every ninth grader should know them. Over time, they may discard some of what we say, ignore our warnings or our rules. They may choose to defy us, but they should never for one moment be unclear of both the rules and the values our families espouse

25. Family as a Buffer family time together.
Don’t let them be too busy f0r
family time together.
A recent study at McGill University reports that regular family dinners can act as a protective buffer against the mental health effects of cyberbullying in adolescents
Rates of anxiety, depression, self harm, suicidal thoughts are far more significant for those teens who do not spend daily time with family members.
While not all families are able to sit down at the table together when dinner time rolls around, protective family contact can come in other ways throughout the day, the important thing is that feeling that home is their safe place.

26. Questions?