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This page was
last updated:
April 24, 2008

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING NEWSLETTER

Group Program at St. Francis Starting Soon!

The group-counseling program at St. Francis High School is designed to meet the needs of all of our students. This year we again offer several groups. Group sizes are limited and registration is required. Please talk with your child about these groups. If you feel your child might profit from one of these groups or you would like to learn more about them,please contact Mrs. Rupp at extension 104 or stop by in the Guidance & Counseling Department.

The groups we offer this semester are listed below:

I: Short-term Groups for Freshmen and Transfer Students : these groups are intended to help students with the adjustment to a new school setting.

II: Ongoing Support Groups: these groups are intended for children who are dealing with difficult situations in their families, such as parents’ divorce, family conflict, etc. They are also intended for students who would like to work on personal issues such as depression, self-esteem, and social isolation. Ms. Rupp will be running this group, which will meet once a week throughout the school year.

III: Grief Group : this group is intended for students who have experienced a significant loss in their lives (death of a relative or friend). Ms. Rupp will be running this group, which will also meet once a week throughout the school year.

Short Term Freshman Group offered again during first semester

As in previous years, a short term freshman group will be offered during this year’s first semester. Starting at a new school can be a difficult time in a young person’s life. The excitement of “starting new” is mixed with the sadness of leaving familiar territory and friends. Students may be wondering: “What will it be like? Will I be wanted and accepted? Will people be friendly? Will I be successful?” Fears of change and being alone or excluded can be overwhelming for some young people. However, with encouragement and support, this transition can be a positive new start.

For all of the above reasons, the Guidance and Counseling Department will continue to offer the optional six-week group for freshmen. This group will meet once a week during rotating class periods so students never miss the same class. The transition group, run by counselors Angelika Rupp and Mary Kay Sullivan, will offer freshmen the opportunity to meet new people, to learn more about St. Francis, and to ask questions in a small, non-threatening environment. An additional component to the freshman group will be to help them work on some study skills and test taking techniques. Group size is limited and registration is required.

The freshman group will start in early to mid-September. If you would like more information on this group or on any of the other support groups available at St. Francis, contact Mrs. Rupp at ext 104.

Several Parent Information Programs Scheduled for 2007-2008

Several guidance information programs for parents will be held this school year. On Tuesday, October 2, a dual program will be held in the Spartan Theater. Beginning at 6:30 PM , Mrs. Rigney will provide a brief overview of the key factors in College Admission and Selection and explain the major steps involved in the college application process. At 7:45 PM Susan Daly of the College Planners will discuss college financial aid and how families can obtain the maximum amount of financial aid for which they qualify . This program is appropriate for parents of students of all age levels. Don't wait until your child's senior year to learn the ins and outs of college selection and financial aid. Parents who are unable to attend the program may contact Mrs. Rigney for a copy of the St. Francis College Planning Guide or request information on the services provided by Susan Daly of the College Planners.

On Wednes day, October 17 , all sophomore students will be taking the PLAN test, a practice exam for the ACT. Parents will receive the PLAN test results in the mail. Mrs. Rigney will also meet with sophomores in their English classes to interpret test score results.

On October 17 all juniors will take the PSAT test, a preliminary SAT and qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Following the PSAT, the juniors will also be taking the Strong Career Interest Inventory. Highly qualified sophomore students are also invited to take the PSAT test in lieu of the PLAN. This is most beneficial for sophomores who believe they may have the opportunity to score very well on the test as juniors and thereby earn standing as a National Merit Scholar. Because the PSAT is a challenging test that is designed for junior level students, sophomores who choose to take the PSAT should be strong test takers who usually score at the 80%--85%ile or better on standardized tests. Sophomores who wish to take the PSAT will need to sign up for the test with Mrs. Rigney no later than Friday, September 28.

On Thurs day, December 13, parents of sophomores and juniors who took the PSAT may obtain the results of their sons' and daughters' tests by attending the parent information program at 6:30 PM in the Spartan Theater. The program will interpret PSAT test scores and will also include information on the ACT/ SAT tests and on the benefits of test prep programs. Mrs. Rigney will also meet with students in their English classes to provide test score information and interpretation directly to students. This meeting will take place after the Christmas holiday break.

During February we will begin the process of registering students for courses for the 2008-2009 school year. As colleges continue to step up their course requirements, it is important that students carefully plan their high school program of studies. Parents who wish to help their children in course selection should attend the program scheduled for Thursday, January 31, 6:30 PM , in the Spartan Theater, on Course Selection Information. Parents of all students, freshmen through juniors, are encouraged to attend this program. Topics will include: typical high school courses required for admission by regional state universities, how to make a four year plan, and understanding course prerequisites.

College Fair to be held September 19 at the College of DuPage

All St. Francis students and their parents are invited to the annual College Fair at the College of DuPage on Wednesday, Sept. 19. It will be held from 6:00 to 8:30 PM in the Physical Education and Community Recreation Center . Approximately 250 colleges, universities, and service academies from across the country will be represented. In addition, a Financial Aid Presentation will take place that evening at 6:30 , 7:15 , and 8:00 PM . If students cannot attend the COD College Fair they may want to attend the NACAC College Fair in Chicago on Saturday, October 20 from 10 AM until 3 PM . Other area college fairs will be held at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove on October 1, 6— 8:30 PM and Elgin Community College on October 2, 6— 8:30 PM.

Seniors need to start the college application process

Senior students should be in the process of completing their college search and narrowing their lists of potential colleges to 5 or 6 schools. At least two of these schools can be "reach" schools (i.e. schools to which the student may not be admitted but which are "worth a try"). Two should be fairly good options even if they d o not guarantee admission for the student. Finally, at least two of the 6 schools should be "sure bets" (that is, affordable schools for which the student unquestionably meets admission criteria).

In late August, Mrs. Rigney will meet with seniors in their English classes to explain college application procedures. Once seniors have defined their lists of colleges, they should access the application through the college’s website. If the students plans to complete a paper application, he or she may obtain applications from the St. Francis Guidance and Counseling Office or the College Admission office. Applications can also be downloaded from the college admission web site. When completing applications, students should follow the directions contained in their hard copy of the College Planning Guide or on the College Planning Guide posted on the Guidance page of the St. Francis website. Seniors need to be aware of admission deadlines for certain schools. For example, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a deadline of November 10 and all documents must be received by that date. This means that students must turn in their paperwork to Mrs. Rigney no later than October 26 to ensure that the deadline is met. U of I will still accept applications after the November 10 deadline but students who apply by that date receive first consideration. Illinois State University , Northern Illinois University , and DePaul University have a priority consideration deadline of November 15. Students are wise to submit and mail all supporting documents well in advance of this deadline (around Nov. 1) to make sure that all materials are received on time. Marquette , St. Louis University , and many other private colleges have a priority deadline of December 1. Schools which offer an early notification or early decision option usually have deadlines of November 1 or November 15. Always check the college’s application information to determine the deadlines for posting or receiving application materials. Students planning to apply to large in-state or out-of-state universities should also complete applications by Thanksgiving to insure priority consideration for admission and housing availability. Furthermore, since colleges cannot make financial aid offers until the student is admitted, timely admission means better consideration for available financial aid from the college.

For more information on college planning, go to the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website.

Naviance Family Connection provides excellent support for College Planning at http://connection.naviance.com

Students and parents are strongly encouraged to use the Naviance Family Connection college planning tool. St. Francis has licensing to use this web based program which provides assistance in all areas of the college search and application process. Current seniors were all shown how to use the program last December. Seniors should use the user names and passwords they created last December to log on. Current juniors and parents of current juniors and seniors were mailed access codes last winter, but if they have not yet created a user name and password and have lost the access code, they may contact Mrs. Ellis at ext. 142 to obtain the access code again. Mrs. Rigney will provide orientation to the program for current juniors later this fall. If underclassmen or their parents wish to use the program, they may obtain the access code by contacting Mrs. Ouimet.

The Naviance program already has password protected student information loaded into the system. When a student or parent logs onto the student account, he or she can complete a college search, create a resume, formulate a list of potential colleges, and check the college visit calendar. By clicking on acceptance history, scattergrams, college match, and college compare, the student can compare his or her academic credentials to the college’s acceptance history for St. Francis students from the class of 2006 & 2007. Once the student has applied to a college, the student can track when his transcript and recommendations were sent by St. Francis.

The Naviance program has many other great features and is an indispensable tool in the college search and application process. If students or parents have questions or problems in using the program, contact Mrs. Rigney, College Counselor, at ext. 105.

Friday Progress Reports

Parents may request a bi-weekly Friday Progress Report if their son/daughter is in serious academic jeopardy. The student assumes the responsibility to contact each teacher on Friday and have the teacher complete the form. The parent and student share the responsibility of following through with a plan of action when improvement is needed.

We try to limit these reports to accommodate those students who most need this structure. We encourage students and parents to communicate directly with teachers rather than relying only on the formal report. For parents, this can be done through frequent voice mail and e-mail contact with faculty.

To limit the interruption of instructional time that teachers must use to complete these forms, students will only receive the Friday report every other week. Students A-K receive a report one week and students L- Z obtain a report the following week.

To request a report or ask additional questions, contact Ms. Sullivan at ext. 108.

Update on ACT and SAT testing

Deadlines are approaching for seniors who need to take or retake their ACT and SAT tests. Parents who wish to stay on top of ACT and SAT deadlines should check the last page of the St. Francis school calendar which was sent to all families in the summer mailing. All ACT and SAT test dates and registration deadlines are listed there. These dates are also listed on the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website. The first ACT test this fall will take place on September 15. If a student misses the late registration deadline of August 24, students can still do a walk-in/stand-by registration, but keep in mind that special procedures and extra charges are involved. The next ACT this year will take place on October 27 with a registration deadline of September 21. If necessary, seniors can also take the December 8 ACT.

The first SAT offered this fall will be held on October 6 with a registration deadline of September 10. The next SAT is November 3. Seniors may also take the December 1 SAT . Registration packets for all of these tests are available in the Guidance and Counseling Office or students may register online.

Junior students usually begin testing with the January or February test dates. Occasionally juniors test as early as the December ACT date. It is important that juniors plan ahead to avoid conflicts with spring sports and activities. Also, all juniors should plan on taking the ACT or SAT at least two times before the end of junior year.

Both ACT and SAT made changes to their testing programs which included the addition of a writing sample beginning with the test dates in spring of 2005. These changes have affected students in the Class of 2006 and beyond. For details on new ACT test content and requirements, students should pick up the booklet, Preparing for the ACT, which is available in the Student Services area. Students may also visit the testing company websites for more information.

ACT: www.act.org

SAT : www.collegeboard.org

The St. Francis High School Code is 144-383.

Notify Counselors of Your Child’s Special Needs

If you are a parent of an incoming freshman or transfer student who has special needs or learning problems, we encourage you to contact your child’s counselor to discuss your child’s individual needs and determine what specific information you would like to have communicated to teachers.

If information on your child’s learning needs should have been forwarded from the child’s elementary school or junior high school, you may want to check with your child’s counselor to make sure this information was, in fact, sent to St. Francis. To explore this further, please contact Ms. Mary Kay Sullivan at ext. 108.

Help your child become more responsible and organized this school year

Your child forgot his homework, so he wants you to drive it to school. He has not completed his English paper and asks you to let him stay home from school until he finishes it. Sound familiar? Teens aren’t always as responsible as we would like. Starting this school year, you can help your child develop the responsibilities he will need for the rest of his life.

Here are some tips:

• Give your teen as much responsibility as you can. Teens need a lot of growing room. Whenever you can give your teen a chance to make decisions independently, do so.
• Help your teen think about consequences. Teens tend to jump in without thinking. Encourage your teen to think about the results of an action before taking it.
• Make a plan. At the beginning of the school year, help your teen figure out a schedule. When is the best time to study? Developing a homework routine is important. Studying in the same place at the same time everyday makes doing homework a habit.
• Help your child with organization: Encourage your student to use the St. Francis Assignment book (contained within the Student Handbook). Purchase enough multiple pocket folders or binders. Color-code them to make different subjects easy to identify.