The guidance department is so excited to kick off the 2017-2018 school year! Every year, the first day of school consists of a meeting with each class. Guidance is a part of these meetings and it gives the counselors an opportunity to welcome the students back and provide important information and reminders.
We are so happy to welcome the freshmen, Class of 2021, to the Lowell Catholic Community! It is important to the counselors for the freshmen to know who we are, which counselor is his or hers, and what we can do to help! Many incoming 9th graders have never had a school counselor before, so this first introduction is very important!
Now that they have a year under their belts, the sophomores need to be prepared for more challenges! Some have had the opportunity to advance levels and there are just more expectations in general. The counselors stress to the sophomores that they should take advantage of all the support they have at the school, such as extra-help sessions and peer tutors. The sophomores will also be taking the PSAT exam for the first time this year. We reinforce that this is a great opportunity to get a sense of what it is like to take this type of standardized test!
They hear it all the time, but juniors have an important year ahead of them. It may still seem far away, but they need to start thinking about colleges, and junior year grades play a big role in this. We encouraged the juniors to work hard, take advantage of resources if support is needed, and get involved/continue to be involved in the school and community. They will also be taking the PSAT exam a second time, but this round has a little more weight. Before they know it, the SAT in the spring will be here so we want them to reflect on the results and how they can better prepare for the real thing.
For the seniors, where do we begin?! Not wanting to overwhelm them on the first day, they were reminded of a few key items they should be thinking about. The number one thing is communication! For the counselors to help the seniors most effectively, the need to be telling us what schools/majors they are considering, where they are in the college application process, etc. Finally, they need to be thinking about taking the SAT and/or ACT if it has not been done yet, request letters of recommendation, and begin work on the college essay. And a reminder that the Senior College Information Night will be held on Thursday, Sept. 21st.
The guidance department wishes all of the classes the best of luck this year!
Lowell Catholic High School Guidance Department 