1. FRESHMAN PARENT NIGHT October 9, 2012

2. Goals for the Evening To help 9 th grade parents: Understand the importance of making good choices now Follow a time line leading up to the college application process Learn more about Naviance Family Connections Prepare for sophomore year

3. Common questions When do I use my locker? I don’t have enough time! How much homework should I have each night? How do I find out about clubs and activities to join? Do my grades count?

4. To-do List During 9 th grade, students should consider the following items: Meet with your counselor to discuss your future plans. Review your schedule to make sure you're enrolled in challenging classes that will help you prepare for college. Join a club, sport, or activity. Figure out what it takes to acquire a leadership role.

5. To-do List (Continued) During 9 th grade, students should consider the following items: Sign up for a community service activity. Activate student and parent accounts in Family Connections. Access www.collegeboard.com to find out the required courses and tests for colleges that you might be interested in attending. Go to college fairs in your area.

6. PSAT PSAT stands for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. It's a standardized test that provides practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. October of sophomore year

7. PSAT It measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills, and writing skills. Students will receive feedback on their strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. Students take the PSAT again during junior year and have the opportunity to qualify for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Results include school-wide data that help us predict potential student success in AP courses.

8. SAT/ACT Students should sign up to take the SAT and/or ACT for the first time during junior year. Students will have their “Junior Interview” in the fall of 11 th grade at which time the counselor will provide a more specific schedule for testing.

9. Students with IEPs and College At your child’s IEP meeting this year, the case manager will recommend that you fill out the “ Student Eligibility Form” which allows students to receive accommodations for the SAT and/or ACT. Students are only eligible to receive accommodations (i.e., extended time) if they are already a part of the IEP.

10. Mid-terms and Finals Exams will be administered to all students in 5 subject areas (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Language) Testing Dates: January 25-26 and June 11-12

11. Mid-terms and Finals (Cont.) Make-up dates are January 27 for mid-terms and June 13 for finals. Please keep the final exam dates in mind when scheduling summer vacation. Exams cannot be given in advance, and to earn a credit for a course, the student must take the exam.

12. Academic Success By the end of 9 th grade, students have already completed 1/3 of the academic work that colleges consider as part of their acceptance criteria. Success during freshman and sophomore years is critical.

13. Behavioral Expectations It is our job as an institution of education to prepare you for life after Penncrest High School. Follow the rules and respect yourself and others. Teachers and administrators are more likely to give you a recommendation for a job or college if you are in good disciplinary standing.

14. Behavioral Expectations Make Twitter and Facebook accounts private. Make sure posts are free of inappropriate comments. Parents should monitor and limit technology use.

15. GPA (Grade Point Average) GPA is a cumulative, numerical expression of a student’s average grades in ranked courses. It is computed by multiplying the credit for a course by the numerical value for the grade attained in the course.

16. GPA (Continued) When all these figures are added together, the result is a student’s “quality point total”, and when that total is divided by the number of credits, the end result is the GPA. Unweighted GPA is the result of dividing cumulative quality points on a 4-point scale by the number of majors taken. This is the number that appears on report cards and transcripts. Weighted GPA takes into consideration the degree of difficulty of the courses taken. To calculate, take the weighted cumulative quality points and divide by the number of cumulative credits. Weighted GPA is used in calculating class rank.

17. Class Rank Rank is determined by the weighted GPA which takes into consideration the degree of difficulty AND the grade earned in a course.

18. GPA and College Admission Keep in mind, if a student does poorly in one class, his/her entire grade point average will go down, even if he/she has good marks in everything else. Colleges see the grades that students earn during freshman year. These grades count toward the cumulative GPA (the average of all semester grades since 9th grade).

19. HAC (Home Access Center) Allows parents to view child’s grades as they are posted Teachers update grades regularly Log-in information was sent home in the mail

20. Course Choices It’s okay if 9 th graders don’t know exactly what they want to do after high school- --but it’s important to make good course choices NOW. Students who hope to attend college should select courses that are part of the college preparatory curriculum. The caliber of subjects students choose and the grades they earn become the most important record colleges use in making admissions decisions.

21. Course Choices (Continued) Students should make realistic choices and get recommendations from their teachers and guidance counselors. Students should aim to challenge themselves and be ready to put in the time and effort it takes to be successful in higher-level courses.

22. Basic Course Requirements 4 English 4 Social Studies 3 Science 3 Math Reach second level of World Language PE every year Health 9 th grade/11 th grade

23. Doubling up? Many parents and students wonder if it’s a good idea to take 2 math courses or 2 science courses during a given year. The general rule of thumb is to consider your interests and how it will impact your schedule.

24. Doubling up? (Continued) Considerations: Your true interest in a subject area Your desire to access all or most of Penncrest’s course offerings Your willingness to make modifications to your band/string/choir schedule

25. Advanced Placement (AP) Availability: not until junior year Benefits: prepare for college course work; earn credit to off-set college course work Weight: AP courses are weighted higher than a regular level 1 course.

26. Career and Tech Ed Students can apply to Delaware County Technical School toward the end of 9 th grade. DCTS offers course in a variety of areas. DCTS students graduate with a Penncrest diploma. Contact me if you feel career/tech ed is right for your child. Encourage him/her to attend the presentation in December.

27. Extracurricular Activities Colleges are interested in: Your non-academic interests Your long-term commitment to an activity If you’ve made a meaningful contribution If you can manage your time and priorities

28. Extracurricular Activities (Cont.) If you haven’t already done so, make sure to join a sport, club, or activity. Don’t join too many at once---focus on your ability to make a long-term commitment to only a few. Aim for leadership roles.

29. NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association has eligibility requirements for student athletes who wish to play sports at the Division 1 or Division 2 level: a minimum GPA of 2.0 at least 14 specific core courses Please let the counselor and coach know if your child is possibly interested in playing sports at the college level.

30. Work Experience Working, whether paid or volunteer, can help a student identify career interests and goals. It’s also a good way to start earning money for college.

31. Obtaining Working Papers Students must be at least 14 years old in order to secure a part-time or vacation certificate for work done after school or during vacation - including summer vacation. Papers may be obtained in the Main Office (8:30 - noon). See Mrs. Kilpatrick. Bring a proof of age such as a birth certificate or passport.

32. Job Shadowing Arrange for a job shadowing experience during sophomore year. POWR---Penncrest Opportunities for Workplace Relationships Mrs. Louise Naismith is located in the Career Center. She can arrange job shadowing. To set up an appointment, contact her at 610-627- 6344 or lnaismit@rtmsd.org.

33. Service Requirements All Penncrest students are required to participate in at least 2 school service activities and at least 2 community service activities before graduation. This is equivalent to 1 activity per year.

34. Service Requirements (Cont.) School Service: Participation in a club, sport, or activity counts as a school service. Office aides also get credit. Community Service: Volunteerism outside of school counts as community service. There is no specific time requirement.

35. Community Service Once an activity is completed, see the guidance counselor for a pink card. You must have the activity coordinator’s signature to earn credit for the service. Opportunities for service are advertised on Penncrest’s website (“Curriculum” link), on the board outside the 10-12 office, and on morning announcements.

36. Sophomore Interview Students will meet with his/her counselor during the spring of 10 th grade. Items discussed will include general information about college searches, college visits, course choices, and academic progress.

37. Counselors for Grades 10 - 12 A - D Mr. David Harple E - K Mrs. Lori Rice-Spring L – Q Ms. Karen Kerr R – Z Mrs. Helen Douglass-Garrett

38. NAVIANCE: Family Connections http://connection.naviance.com/penncrest Every Penncrest student has an account. This program is designed to serve the needs of students and parents as they go through the entire college planning timeline.

39. NAVIANCE: Family Connections Program Features  College Search  Scholarship Search  Career and Personality Inventories  Organizer for college acceptances, test scores, extracurricular involvement, letters of recommendation, etc. 39

40. How do you register?  Students received a registration code  Parents received a separate registration code  Registration codes are used to create accounts  Codes are random and alphanumeric for security reasons  Codes can be used only once  On your first visit, enter the code in the New User box, then follow on-screen instructions to create a user name and password  On subsequent visits, sign in using the Returning User box 40

41. Sign-in Page 41 First time registration, click “I need to register.” The next time you log in, use user name and password

42. New User Registration Page 42 Enter Registration Code

43. 43 Complete the Registration

44. After You Sign in 44 Important Messages Updates from the Guidance Office Click on the Tabs

45. Grade level activities 45

46. Colleges Page Use these links to do a college search

47. College Compare 47 Green means your stats are better than the average accepted student from your school Red means your stats are below the average accepted student from your school Black means your stats are equal to the average student accepted from your school Indicates percent of students from your school WHO APPLIED TO THAT SCHOOL that were accepted

48. My Applications (Colleges I’m Applying to) 48

49. Stay Informed and Involved Website: www.rtmsd.org (select Penncrest)www.rtmsd.org sign up for e-Alerts log on to HAC access staff directory view daily announcements and upcoming events PTG information

50. Contact Information Mrs. Sarah Graham 610-627-6207 sgraham@rtmsd.org Thanks for attending!