Weekly Update - 11/3-11/14

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay! But it's that time of week again...

SEAD Weekly Update!!

It's been surprisingly quiet these last couple of weeks. The RHS girls soccer made it all the way to STATE FINALS this year!! I got to watch both the semi-finals and the final match, and boy was that some good soccer. Congratulations ladies!

On both Saturday and Tuesday, I hosted a practice SAT, and we had four students attend between the two dates. Another SEAD student even asked if he could take the test at home since he could not go to either of the two scheduled sessions. Such dedication! I'm very impressed with how all five students showed their perseverance and successfully finished such a long exam.

Things to do:

Students:

• Our individual meetings this week are crucial, so please make sure you come to them! We have a lot of end-of-term things to discuss, and I want to maximize the rest of the time I have left with you.
• As always, please continue to do your WilsonPrep exercises. A few of you are in danger of losing your access because you haven't done an exercise in so long!

Parents:

• Ask your student about their WilsonPrep progress.
• Ask about your student's top three colleges and why. We want to get as much conversation and discussion going as possible.

Upcoming SEAD Events!

• On Wednesday, November 19th, we'll be having our last ever group meeting for the term. I'll bring a lot of yummy goodies to snack on, and the winter intern Roberto will be Skyping into the meeting to say hi!
• Also on Wednesday, November 19th, we're having a group lunch to celebrate. It will take place during 5-3 lunch (we're extremely lucky that everybody has the same schedule!), and I'll get pizza delivered. It should be a lot of fun!
• On Friday, November 21st, we're going to see the Not2Sharp a cappella performance in the RHS cafeteria. Please tell me ASAP if you plan on going so I can get tickets for everyone!

Student Showcase:

Our student showcase this week is Tatiana! She's graduating this year (one year early!) and has been doing an absolutely phenomenal job handling her eight (yes eight!) courses and completing her college and scholarship applications. She plays sports too! Good job Tati, and keep up the great work!

That's all I have for this week. Don't forget to be awesome.

Your friendly neighborhood intern,

Katherine

Weekly Update - 10/27-10/31

Happy Halloween! Do I have a treat for you! It's the....

SEAD Weekly Update!!

Last week was surprisingly calm here at RHS. We didn't have any SEAD events (I know, that's super sad, right?), so it was just business as usual. During our group meeting this week, we discussed the differences between and the pros/cons of target, reach, and safety schools when applying to colleges. We will continue to work on this throughout the rest of my time here at RHS, and the winter intern (Roberto) will work with the students on this as well. Having a balance of target/reach/safety schools in the list of colleges you apply to is incredibly important, and it can make the difference between attending a school you love and a school you hate.

Things to do:

Students:

• As always, continue to do your WilsonPrep exercises! They could be the key between getting a so-so and getting a great SAT score. It's just a couple minutes each day, but it will pay off so much in the end. Also, doing a full week of WilsonPrep by Friday at 9pm is worth FIVE College Knowledge Points!
• Keep updating your College Greenlight profiles! A couple of our SEAD scholars have been excellent about exploring College Greenlight over the past week, and they've both told me that they were really surprised about how helpful the website is.

Parents:

• Ask your students about their target, reach, and safety schools. Ask what we've been talking about during our meetings this term. Ask what their current top 3 colleges are and why. 
• Be involved with their college search process because when your student is deciding where to attend college their senior spring (just a year and a half from now!), you should hopefully be as excited about their choice as they are. 

Upcoming SEAD Events!

• On THURSDAY November 6th (please note the date change!), RHS is hosting their Financial Aid night at 6pm. Even though our SEAD scholars are juniors, it's never too early to start planning for how to pay for college. The presentation will cover the financial aid process and ways to apply for aid (FAFSA and CSS Profile forms), what types of aid are available, scholarship searches, and the importance of deadlines. I'll be there, and please plan on attending if you are able!
• On Saturday November 8th, we will be doing a full-length (~4 hours) practice SAT as part of our College Knowledge and SAT prep curriculum. It will take place at 8am in room 204 in the high school, and it is absolutely expected that all the students attend. Since the SAT is as much about endurance as about knowing the right answer, the more times they practice taking this test, the better they'll do on the real SAT next year - it's like training for a marathon. After the test, we'll go get ice cream (or coffee and hot chocolate if it's too cold for ice cream) as a reward for the students' hard work on the test.
• On Friday November 21st, we will be going to see Not2Sharp, an a capella group from UNH, preform in the RHS cafeteria. A capella is, in my opinion, quintessentially college, and it should be a great experience for all involved. This will be my last night in Raymond, so I would absolutely love for everybody to attend so I can say my goodbyes. I've already had a couple of students RSVP to this, so for the rest of the students: please let me know ASAP if you plan on going so I can buy tickets for everybody!

Student Showcase!

This week's student showcase is Shae! She put in a lot of time and effort last week to get all of her assignments in on time for the end of the quarter, and she has sought me out during her study hall for help when she needs it. Good job Shae! Keep up the good work, and always reach for help when needed! I'm excited to see what you'll accomplish this coming term.

That's all I have for now. As always, reach out early and often, and have a fantastic week! See you soon!

Your friendly neighborhood intern,

Katherine