It's that time of week again...
SEAD Weekly Update!!
It's been a busy week, yet again, here at Raymond High School. Here's a quick recap:
Tuesday: I and most of the SEAD students were able to get together and have a lovely dinner at Applebee's on Tuesday. It was a great night, and I absolutely loved getting to know the students even better.
Wednesday: Five of the students took the PSAT Wednesday morning, and I'm so proud of the work that they've done with this. We had a SEAD breakfast before the test started to kick-start our brains and start the day off right. I hope everyone feels confident in their performance on the test! But I also want to say (and I will continue saying this for as long as I live) that while test scores are important, they are not your defining characteristic, and they should not be treated as such. There are so many qualities and abilities that test scores cannot measure, and these qualities are far more important in defining who you are as a person. You are not your test score, and I very sincerely hope that you'll be able to remember this, even as the people around you (including the well-meaning ones) try to reduce you down to just a number during the college admissions process. Keep your head up, keep working hard, and don't forget to be awesome! I have faith that each and every one of you will succeed in whatever you put your minds to!
Thursday: I and the SEAD interns from our other three partner high schools were able to do a Google Hangout and share some of our struggles and triumphs. It was great to hear what everyone has been doing, and I am constantly inspired by the wonderful people I get to work with. If you'd like to see what they've been up to, here are the links to their SEAD blogs!!
Thursday: I and the SEAD interns from our other three partner high schools were able to do a Google Hangout and share some of our struggles and triumphs. It was great to hear what everyone has been doing, and I am constantly inspired by the wonderful people I get to work with. If you'd like to see what they've been up to, here are the links to their SEAD blogs!!
Maggie, East Boston High School: http://seadebhs.blogspot.com/
Erika, Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics: http://seadbcsm.blogspot.com/
Kayla, Schenectady High School: http://seadshs.blogspot.com/
Things to do:
Students:
- As always, please continue working on both WilsonPrep and College Greenlight! There are a lot of great prizes to be won, from free Dartmouth gear to money for college!
- Like last week, there were a few problems with needing to cancel or reschedule our individual meetings. I understand that sometimes life happens or schoolwork piles up, so I will definitely try to accommodate changes in schedule. But to do this, please let me know ASAP so we can arrange an alternative time to meet, either in-person during school hours or over the phone in the evening.
- Return your RSVP forms for the family dinner and the Boston College visit! These are due ASAP!
- Continue being awesome, and keep up the good work!
Parents:
- Progress reports came out this past week, so if you haven't looked at it or had a discussion with your student as to their progress in school yet, please do so. Parental support is so incredibly important to student success, and your involvement means so much to them.
- I've haven't been able to get in contact with all of our SEAD parents yet, so please be on the lookout for my call. I look forward to getting to know you all as the term progresses!
- Please RSVP for the family dinner and sign the permission slip for the Boston College visit this Saturday! If you haven't seen the forms about these events yet, ask your student. They should all have received them by now.
Upcoming SEAD Events!
- On Wednesday October 22nd, we have our SEAD family dinner! All of the SEAD students, their families, and the SEAD intern (me) and staff (Danise and Jenni) are invited. Please let me know ASAP whether or not you will be attending and if anyone in your family has a dietary restriction. The dinner will take place at 6pm at RHS, and I hope that everyone can attend!
- On Saturday October 25th, the Raymond SEAD students and I will be taking a trip down to Boston College, where we will meet up with the Schenectady and East Boston SEAD students. We will do an information session, campus tour, eat in one of the dining halls, and then have a bit of free time to explore campus. There's no cost to the students. Please arrive at RHS by 9am Saturday morning, and we will arrive back at RHS around 5pm that evening.
- On Saturday November 1st, we will be doing a full-length practice SAT as part of our College Knowledge and SAT prep. It will take place on Saturday morning in the high school (exact room and time TBD), and it is absolutely expected that all the students attend. The more times they practice taking this test, the better they'll do on the real SAT next year. Plus, we'll go get ice cream (or coffee & hot chocolate if it's too cold for ice cream) afterwards as a reward for their hard work on the test. I'm looking forward to it!
Student Showcase!
Our student showcase for the week is none other than Wesley! He's done a phenomenal job in his English class this year. He had a rocky start, but entirely through his own hard work and effort and by going above and beyond the required work for the class, he was able to pull his grade up to an A! Congratulations Wes, you really deserve that grade! Keep up the phenomenal work!
That's all for today, everybody. As always, reach out early and often, and I hope you have a great week! I look forward to seeing you all at dinner on Wednesday!
Your friendly neighborhood intern,
Katherine
