parentconnection

Parent Connection

This link has been established to help parents become familiar with what types of discussions need to take place between themselves and their students in order for students to receive the appropriate parental support, open discussions about post high school plans and to make sure students are pursuing the appropriate academic training needed to be able to achieve their post-high school goals.

What does my student want to be when they grow up?

The most important thing to remember is your student only has four years to select appropriate courses and adequately prepare themselves for their post-high school plans. It does not matter whether or not your student has a clear vision of what they want to do once they graduate. The most important thing is to begin discussing what they may want to do and what types of training and high school coursework would be necessary to enter into their field of interest.

Unity High School works hard to provide the opportunities for every student to reach their goals and be successful. The approach is simple: Ready for Work/Ready for College. This simple sentence says it all. Unity High School administration and faculty believe if a student prepares themselves by taking the most challenging curriculum they can for four years and doing their best work each and every day they are enrolled, they will be ready to take the next step towards their post-high school plans whether that be directly into the work force or enrolling in a four year college. The recommended coursework for work and college is the same.

4 years of English

3 to 4 years of math (Including Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II)

3 years of science

2 to 4 years of the same foreign language (college bound) or humanities

coursework for some colleges or junior colleges and vocational schools

3 years of social science

1 year of performing arts or humanities course work

Competitive colleges and universities consider the above to be the minimum requirements. They recommend that students challenge themselves by taking advanced, honors, AP (Advanced Placement) courses and dual credit coursework whenever possible.

How do we, as a family, learn the language of college?

The Counseling Department works very hard to keep their website up to date with all of the information that will assist you and your student throughout your student’s high school career. The College Center link is your first stop to begin familiarizing yourself with the terms of college and financial aid.

High School 101 Year by Year

Below are just a few of the things parents need to be aware of as their student progresses through high school. The most important thing a parent can do is be aware of deadlines and opportunities and encourage students to take advantage of them. None of us want to see students, especially our own, not perform to the best of their abilities, miss opportunities or fail. However, when parents take the lead in making sure their student knows what is going on, constantly reminds them of deadlines, or brings in things they may have forgotten at home, the student does not fully learn of the consequences attached to deadlines.

Students have been instructed to develop a high school folder. This folder should contain the following information that will assist both students and parents as their student proceeds through high school:

Their curriculum guide

Class registration sheets

All grade reports

Transcripts that contain GPA and Rank

All test reports from ISAT, EXPLORE, PLAN, PSAT, and practice ACT reports

The student’s PIN number and the parent PIN number can be written on the inside folder of the file in order to make sure that the parent will always be aware of both numbers and where to find them when it is time to apply for financial aid.

The following suggestions for each grade level are not comprehensive. They are purely informational to encourage discussions between parents and their student:

Grade 9

Make sure your student understands the importance of getting off to a good start academically. Remember, all of the 9^th grade courses and grades will be on their transcript and their freshman grades will be used to calculate their GPA.

Sit down with your student to discus their plans and assist them in developing a 4 year plan for their high school coursework. This plan should list all of the courses they plan to take each year. Parents and students need to make themselves familiar with their student’s specific graduation requirements and the course descriptions found in the curriculum guide. Make sure that the 4 Year Plan includes the recommended college prep courses

Discuss your students interests with them and make sure to schedule time to meet with their counselor

Be aware of when standardized tests are being given, what you can do as a parent to make sure your student is prepared, how to use the reports to assist in the growth of your student, and how to use the results to best of your student’s advantage. When this information appears on the Counseling Center Bulletin Board, schedule time to sit down and review the EXPLORE exam results with your student. This pre-ACT exam is given in the freshman year and has an enormous amount of information on how your students can improve in each subject area tested.

Get in the habit of having your student use the Counseling Center website everyday and discussing what they have learned.

The Counseling Center Bulletin Board is changed twice per month (01-15 and 16-30, 31) Please remember to check out this information as it will be reminders of upcoming deadlines and opportunities to discuss with your student!

Grade 10

Be aware of when standardized tests are given during the sophomore year. When the results are returned, review and discuss the PLAN exam results with your student. This is a pre-ACT exam given in the sophomore year and has an enormous amount of information on how to improve in each subject area.

If your student is in the top 25% of their class, consider having them take the PSAT. This test is primarily for juniors but many sophomores take it to become more familiar with the standardized format of tests. The level of difficulty of this test can be overwhelming because many times sophomores have not yet been exposed to the curriculum that is being tested. However, becoming familiar with the test prior to taking it during their junior year will allow them to better prepare themselves.

Have your student research and make a list of colleges they believe they might be interested in attending. Use sites from the College Center to explore possibilities. Make time to schedule informal visits to colleges to get a feel for what different college campuses are like and whether or not each campus will fulfill the needs of your student academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Remember that the student will be attempting to “recreate” their home life in a new setting. When they have done their research, they will “know” what college “feels right”.

Attend CAP nights with your student

Get in the habit of having your student use the Counseling Center website everyday and discussing what they have learned.

The Counseling Center Bulletin Board is changed twice per month (01-15 and 16-30, 31) Please remember to check out this information as it will be reminders of upcoming deadlines and opportunities to discuss with your student!

Encourage your students to begin seriously researching and considering their college options by doing the following:

Grade 11

1. Meeting with college representatives that visit the school. The visitation calendar for colleges, vocational schools and military visits can be found on the counseling center website. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend the scheduled visits from colleges, vocational schools, career speakers and the military. Parents can keep abreast of scheduled visits by checking the following link: Career, College, Vocational, Military Visitation Calendar.

2. Attending college fairs such as the Illinois College Exposition (ICE) at Parkland College

3. Visiting college web sites to learn about specific colleges. The College Center is a perfect place to start!

4. Scheduling regular discussion times as a family to share information on the direction the student wants to pursue, the colleges they are considering and the cost that will be involved

Encourage your student to consider taking the PSAT in October if they are in the top 10 to 15% of their class. This standardized test is very difficult and only those students who have prepared themselves by taking the most rigorous curriculum (advanced English, Algebra II or Pre-Calculus, Advanced Biology, Chemistry, etc) should consider taking this exam.

Discuss your students interests and abilities in terms of possible college majors

Remind your student that their college choice may be directly linked to the amount of time they spend researching scholarship possibilities. Again, the counseling center website is a great place to start by accessing the site called Choosing a College!

A point of interest may be that students who wish to improve their ACT scores should spend serious time on reviewing and may want to consider taking an ACT review course or a practice ACT prior to April.

Any student considering playing a sport in college will need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse

Students will need to meet with their counselor to discuss their senior schedule and make sure that their senior coursework not only meet the high school graduation requirements but keep them on track to be seriously considered by the college they wish to apply

Students and parents need to visit colleges in the spring and summer to narrow their choices.

Be aware that students are encouraged to use the free ACT/PSAE review opportunities available on the Counseling Center Website

Students need to be prepared to have all college applications completed by December 1 of their senior year.

Get in the habit of having your student use the Counseling Center website everyday and discussing what they have learned.

The Counseling Center Bulletin Board is changed twice per month (01-15 and 16-30, 31) Please remember to check out this information as it will be reminders of upcoming deadlines and opportunities to discuss with your student!

Grade 12
Fall

Students need to use the free ACT/PSAE review opportunities available on the Counseling Center Website

Students should retake the free ACT/PSAE in October if they would like to raise their scores to be more competitive in the application process or for consideration of scholarships. Students should not retake the ACT/PSAE unless they prepare by reviewing

Students who did not take the ACT/PSAE in April of their junior year MUST take the ACT/PSAE in October of their senior year in order to meet graduation requirements.

The parents and student should revisit the colleges that are seriously being considered and narrow the choices down to 2 or 3: One “sure thing”, one “dream college” and one college that the student would be happy to attend if they were not admitted into their “dream college”.

The student (not the parent) should have all college applications completed and submitted prior to December 1. By having this done, students will have heard back from many colleges and be able to narrow their choice down to one or two. By being able to narrow down their choices, students will be able to spend the entire holiday break searching for scholarships that directly apply to their major, their college choice, their family’s financial situation or personal traits.

Students should never, never miss a deadline

Do not eliminate a specific college because of cost. Many times parents feel that a specific college is out of their financial range but do not know what type of financial aid package the college might be able to offer. Any work study monies offered by a college will not count on the student’s finances for the following year. The Financial Aid and Scholarships link provides a huge amount of information for both students and parents.

Parents and students both need to apply for individual PIN numbers in order to make application for FAFSA

Winter

Remember the financial aid deadlines and begin gathering all of the information necessary to make application for financial aid

Attend FAFSA workshops in February

Spring

The student needs to consider all college options and compare financial aid packages before making their final choice

The student needs to decide where they want to attend college

The student needs to return award letters and notify other colleges of their decision when the final decision is made or by May 1 (Decision Day)

The student needs to send housing and admission deposits (if required) to reserve admission spot

The student will complete the senior check out form that will send their final transcript to the college of their choice.

It is only normal for parents to want the best for their student. Unfortunately, it is proven year after year that the more a parent does for their student in high school, the more likely the student will not adjust to independent college life and will return after one semester.

The Web is your friend!

As your discussions with your students begin and become more involved, you will need to plan and prepare for their next step of training. Learn as much as you can about vocational school and college admissions, possible majors, financing your students training and/or college coursework. These web sites have excellent information for both students and parents.