Weekly Update #8

Hello everyone,

I write this final blog post as a fond farewell, as this is my last week working in the school. I've treasured my time here in Raymond and have grown tremendously from all of our wonderful and challenging experiences. I'll miss each of you greatly and cannot wait to see where the rest of your senior year and your future take you next! Hopefully I will be able to be back up in June to watch you all walk across that greatly-anticipated stage. :)

I want to to express how thankful I am for how welcome the entire school staff has made me feel over these past few months: everyone's been an amazing support to me and, in doing so, has helped me support Cam, Katie, Wesley, and Jade. For that, I am incredibly grateful.

Jade and Cam were able to join me this past Saturday for Hibachi and fro-yo! 

March is going to be an important month for a lot of you--it's super important that you each focuses on your grades, your attendance, and on yourselves. Self care and self confidence are two of the greatest keys to success. If these past weeks have taught me anything, it is that you are all bright, capable young adults with every capacity for excellence. Have faith in who you are and in what you can accomplish. The world is yours!
  

 ~ Quote of the week ~

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later."

- Og Mandino 

Best wishes to all! With appreciation,
Jake

Weekly Update #7

Hello!

It's been a few weeks since I've last updated this blog because RHS enjoyed a lovely February Break last week! The weather has been uncharacteristically warm and March is beginning to show promise that we may soon be exiting our New England Winter! (~ maybe ~) It's crazy to think that I only have one more week left as the SEAD winter intern! :( Though I cannot fathom how fast time has gone by, I hope to make my remaining days in the school productive and meaningful. I hope to plan a bunch of activities to do with the kids this weekend! Some things on my mind are the new Deadpool movie, an evening out to dine somewhere, maybe we could even head into Manchester to eat and explore. Hopefully our scholars will be free and we can work in some fun.

With last week being break, there is not too much to update on in terms of RHS. However....

I want to congratulate Katie on her acceptance to St. Joseph's College!!! I and all of SEAD are so ecstatic to learn this great news and we cross our fingers for all the other application decisions to come later this month. Keep rakin' em in, kiddos. Everyone: make sure to bring in your acceptance letters so that Mrs. Cooper can give you a little hat and hassle paper cut-out to go on the window in front of guidance!! (:

Wesley workin' on some English!

~ Quote of the week ~ 

"Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals."

- LL Cool J

Keep rockin' on, you Rockstars, 

Jake

Weekly Update #6

Hiiiiiii!

A bashful Cam showing off his complete
checklist for college applications!

I hope this blog post finds everyone warm and well. We were all graced with a late arrival to school today because the roads were a little slick this morning--hopefully the weather will begin to warm up as the week continues (though I don't think any of us will be tooooo opposed to the possibility of another snow day). ;) 

Last Thursday, we were so happy to welcome MaeAnna and Rachel from SEAD leadership who were on a visit to Raymond. It was such a treat having them in the school with us. We were able to meet with all of the kids individually, engage in a lot of meaningful dialogue with everyone, and formulate action steps to help everyone get to where they need to be. Plus, we ordered lunch from Teddy's and it was ~*~*~ delicious ~*~*~

This week, it's all about getting on top of our work: catching up, staying strong, getting ahead!! This Friday afternoon marks the beginning of February break. We've scheduled a RHS-EBHS meet-up at Dave & Busters on Wednesday, February 24th, so I hope everyone is excited for that (I know I am!!). 

Alsoooooo, 
CHECK OUT THE COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE BLOG: 
http://sead2college.blogspot.com
The blog is being updated weekly with awesome college descriptions and **scholarships**. Just because most applications have gone in, doesn't mean you can't spend a little time getting !!!free money!!!

:) :D XD

~ Quote of the week ~

"In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can."

- Nikos Kazantzakis 

Best,

Jake

Weekly Update #5

Why, hello there, everyone,

Wes achieving his reward for his new attendance program :)

Wow, I can't believe we're already well into February. Since my last update, Raymond has received a couple instances of snow! Most of us woke up happy last Friday morning to learn that we were granted a snow day and a make-shift three day weekend! And yesterday (Monday), RHS even had an early dismissal. (Sometimes I feel like a weather reporter when I am writing these posts haha) Though having school cancelled is most always a lovely, lovely treat, it's important we keep in mind ways in which schedules and due dates change. A lot of us have major essays to be working on and, with plans changing, we all need to be prepared to be flexible in order to succeed.

Though there is always room for improvement, I am super happy and proud of the way Jade, Cam, Wesley, and Katie have all been improving their attendance, submitting their assignments, and practicing great effort in their school work! Their energy is really commendable and now it's just a matter of keeping up the good work for the rest of the quarter (and year)! Sidenews: Cam was student of the week for his Entrepreneurial class! Whoo!

Home-made preventative remedies to halt Senioritis | Part 2

Fortunately, Senioritis has not yet fully hit our scholars in all of it's debilitating forms. However, based on these past few weeks' study habits and work ethics, it's important we all take our vitamins and do everything in our power to ensure everyone remains happy, healthy, and successful in their final semester of high school. 

Nonsense! There is much to be done to evade this plague.

1. Get to class! Attendance, as always, matters. Everyone has personal things going on that may factor in to difficulties getting to school. However, if you are capable of being in class, be in class. Colleges need to imagine what your performance will be like as a student taking courses at their school. Grades and success in college depend on showing up and being prepared for class. Good attendance, especially during senior year, is a great way to show colleges you are ready. Besides, in college, think about how much $ moolah $ you are paying for class. 
2. Set attainable goals Be ambitious and challenging, but also be realistic and patient with yourself when setting your goals to write a paper, apply to a scholarship, anything!
3. Treat your classes seriously Colleges, uh, still look at your grades. If you are still waiting for a response from a school and even if you've already been accepted/deferred, colleges care about your grades. If your performance (both academic and behavioral) drops well below the ability you showed while applying, the school has every right to reconsider your acceptance.

~ Quote of the week ~

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, 

and how he treats people who can't fight back."

- Abigail Van Buren

Stay studious, stay fancy, stay fun,
Jake

Weekly Update #4

HAPPY FEBRUARY!

Mother Nature's been very generous to us these past few days with the 50+ degrees weather. Who knows what our next month will look like, but hopefully we'll benefit from some more sunshine. Right off the bat, I would like to give a hearty and happy  CONGRATULATIONS to Katie  on her acceptance to Franklin Pierce University!!!!! We could not be happier for you, Katie!

The week has, so far, gone by well. It's been full of college visits, a new attendance-coloring-smiley-face program, the good ol' homework grind, and the completion and submission of college applications and financial aid materials. Whooo!    

Home-made preventative remedies to halt Senioritis | Part 1

Fortunately, Senioritis has not yet fully hit our scholars in all of it's debilitating forms. However, based on these past few weeks' study habits and work ethics, it's important we all take our vitamins and do everything in our power to ensure everyone remains happy, healthy, and successful in their final semester of high school.

Nonsense! There is much to be done to evade this plague.

1. Take care of yourself Self love and self care will lead to a happy and healthy you! (Wow this sounds cheesy, but it’s sooo true). Sleep is super important for focus and long-term health. Dedication to a regular sleeping schedule will also make it easier to get up each morning. 
2. Stay organized Don't skimp out on minor assignments. Everything counts. Everything adds up. When applying to schools/figuring out what to do after high school, there is often a lot to keep track of (both online and on paper). Have folders, save passwords, draft calendars--anything that will help you stay composed in the influx of info. 
3. Have fun It’s your senior year of high school. You've earned a good time. Make that good time productive and exciting!

~ Quote of the week ~

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. 

The good news is that you don't know how great you can be!

How much you can love! 

What you can accomplish! 

And what your potential is!"

- Anne Frank

Stay classy, Rams,

Jake

Weekly Update #3

Hi, hey there, hello,

Wowza. With midterms ending yesterday, the 2nd quarter has officially been winding down. Tomorrow begins the third quarter of your senior year (aka the last semester of your high school career!!!). Oh, how the time has flown. The start of the new semester means that, for some of you, you’ll be starting new classes with new teachers. This is a great opportunity to spiffy up your work ethic and begin the term off strong by staying on top of work. 

Cam and I organized his backpack today, so that was quite the ordeal; Jade had an interview with Yale over the weekend she thinks went really well; Katie is tidying up her college applications and even landed a new job; and Wes is off to an away basketball game tonight and is starting a new art class tomorrow morning (which I personally am super excited for)!

A bunch of us were able to hang out together outside of school last Friday night. We enjoyed incredible food at the Cork N’ Keg restaurant and then hung out some more over in Epping. We got loads and loads of fro-yo at Orange Leaf and then finished the evening off with a movie at the theaters. Personally, I had a blast and I feel as if I am getting to know each of the kids better and hopefully they're getting more comfortable around me too! 

The gang out to eat at the Cork N' Keg (minus Wesley who was busy winning his away basketball game).
 Unbelievably delicious buffalo chicken dip, but even more unbelievably amazing young ladies and lads. :)

~Quote of the week~

“It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." 

- Vince Lombardi (à la request of Cam)

Take care err'body,
Jake

Weekly Update #2

Hey hey hey,

This week's midterm exam schedules.

Today’s the first day back after a glorious four-day weekend. Midterms are on the horizon and, with Quarter 2 coming to a close, it’s important to focus on finishing the term strong. 

The FAFSA Filing Night has been rescheduled for TONIGHT, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm in the RHS Media center. Guidance counselors will instruct and help parents walk through online FAFSA forms. This could be a super helpful opportunity to anyone new to FAFSA; plus, I’ll be there, so we could meet each other in person! :) It’s important to submit FAFSA information as soon as possible!

The RHS SEAD chicas at my desk in the guidance office.
Katie is finishing a few college applications
and Jade is stopping by for a quick 'hello'! 

Everyone is getting their college applications in and I couldn’t be more proud. I want to especially congratulate Jade on her acceptance to Wheaton College!!!! Wooohooooo!!! We in guidance and at SEAD could not be more excited for her! 

Also, I'm in the process of coordinating our SEAD group dinner for the end of this week, so stay tuned for more details :)

Also, also, coming to school is super important, especially senior year. A lot of things go on at home, but trying your hardest to be in class (prepared) is very crucial to keeping up good grades and getting the best out of learning!

~Quote of the week~

"It's so important to understand your good attendance ups your chances of graduating."
- Tyra Banks 

As always, shoot me a text, give me a call, or swing by my desk for everything and anything at all!

Jake