Class of 2023
Freshmen - We recognize that this is a very difficult and unexpected time for all of you. We know that many of your are struggling with the potential loss of some of the end of year events that you have been looking forward to for a long time and that the loss of social interaction is very hard. Please know that we all remain hopeful that those events will be able to happen and that you will have the opportunity to make the end of freshman year memories that you have been dreaming about.
In the meantime, you must do your part to stay engaged with your academics, so you can end the year with the grades that will best represent your ability and your commitment to your education. Every semester of high school counts as much as the others. They all end up on your transcript and calculate into your GPA the same. So, as much as this time does not look how you planned, you must do your best to stay focused and on top of your course work. We also need you to stay healthy, physically, emotionally, and spritually. We, school counselors, will support you in any way that you need with all of those things.
Some of the ways the school counseling office will support you during this time include:
Regular check ins by email to see how you are doing academically, personally, and other. If needed, we will provide a videoconferencing option to check in with you. We will miss you and would love to check in live with those who will benefit from it. Our forum for those live interactions will likely be google hangouts, and possibly, some zoom meetings.
If there is something you need, you do NOT need to wait for a check in, reach out to your school counselor by email:
Mrs. Reeves kristenreeves@skuttcatholic.com Student last name begins with A - G & P - Q
Mr. Schumacher kevinschumacher@skuttcatholic.com Student last name begins with H - M & T
Mrs. Starman meganstarman@skuttcatholic.com Student last name begins with N & R
Ms. McNeil allimcneil@skuttcatholic.com Student last name begins with O & U - Z
Mr. Crandall brycecrandall@skuttcatholic.com Student last name begins with S
Regular Grade Checks. Your school counselor will check all students grades weekly and will reach out to you and to your parents if we notice anything of concern. We realize that adjusting to a full online format will be difficult, so we will do everything you need to support you with organization and successful completion of the work you are assigned. Thankfully,
Support with College Exploration Second semester freshman year, is a perfect time to begin college exploration. In our most recent set of one on ones we encouraged you to start that process by using the college search tool on the CollegeBoard website. Below is the link to a refresher video on how to use it:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z8YeAZUMAiKfk43WHqu3ooMnlsXbahm9/view
It might also be helpful for you and/or your parents to view the Google Slides from the Junior Parent Meeting that we had this Spring. You are only freshmen, but it is good for you and for parents to know what the expectations will be when you get to junior year. The presentation can be found on the link below:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1h-NjRb6o_ICYWqLsT5WyB_v6NVFif6oJBoU6eVd4I-Y/edit?usp=sharing
College Visits -Some freshman take college visits in the Spring of freshmen year and the summer before sophomore year when they are in cities that have schools that might interest them. Unfortunately, at this time most college campuses are closed to visits. It is unclear when colleges will begin accepting visitors again, so for now, use the online resources, especially Collegeboard.com and the school's websites. Most schools have virtual visits that you can take that will be a good exposure to the school. This is perfect way for 9th graders to get early exposure to colleges!
Collection of Information Using Google Forms So we can best support you in all parts of your SC experience, we will be reaching out with a few google forms during out time away from school to gather information. Please keep a close eye on your email and complete those forms as you receive them.
Scholarships
Sophomores can already begin to search for college scholarships using online sources, especially fastweb.com and scholarshipquest.org. If you find yourself with some downtime in the coming days, check those sites out.
Tips for success with remote learning:
1. Be positive - Keeping a positive attitude in a difficult situation will make it seem more achievable.
2. Get organized - Have all your materials in a logical place. Make lists of what you need to do and when things are due. Prioritize work in the order it needs to be done.
3. Establish a routine. Get up at the same time each day. Get dressed. If there are classes you need to be virtually present for, be prepared and ready before the start time. If classes are more independent in nature, make yourself a schedule for when you will work on each one. Stick to the schedule.
4. Set Goals.
5. Utlize your resources (Online, teacher supports, office hours, Mrs. Thielen, SC media specialist)
6. Start on track from day one. Do not procrastinate.
7. Limit time online, especially social media. Operate as though you are restricted from being on distracting devices just like you would have to do if you were at school.
8. Ask for help when you need it. Your teachers, school counselor, and parents are here to help. Let us!
Program of Studies below for your reference if you are contacted by your school counselor this Spring about schedule concerns for the 2020-2021 school year:
