CVHS GUIDANCE NEWS

The CVHS Guidance Team wishes you happy holidays and a wonderful winter break!

The CVHS AVID program is sponsoring a practice SAT/ACT Exam for any interested CVHS student. The details are as follows:

Scores Review Night – Tuesday, January 29, 2008 6:00 pm (presented by the Princeton Review)

HOW TO REGISTER: Pick up a registration form in the Guidance Office and complete the information, INCLUDING which test you want to take – the SAT or the ACT. Return completed forms with checks or cash to the Guidance Office.

According to Paul Kanarek, head of The Princeton Review in Southern California, now is the time of year when PSAT/SAT scores begin arriving, and hence, students can become extremely stressed about their perceived testing woes and scores. Mr. Kanarek suggests that parents and students keep the following points in mind when reviewing PSAT/SAT test scores (points paraphrased):

Remind students that the PSAT/SAT has nothing to do with how “smart” a student may be.

Mr. Kanarek feels that the PSAT (and the SAT) tests have limited correlation with what students have learned in school. It is not a curricular test, and this is why some students can have A’s in advanced classes but average or poor PSAT/SAT scores. (Advanced Placement (AP) exams are examples of curricular tests that seek to measure what students have learned academically. The ACT exam is more curricular in nature than is the PSAT/SAT.)

In general and if possible, Mr. Kanarek feels most students should avoid the SAT test date in January (due to 1^st semester finals) or June (students are often exhausted from the school year). March or May tend to be the best test dates, unless a student has more than one AP class and exam, in which case, that student should probably choose the March test date.

Mr. Kanarek advises that test preparation has a place in PSAT/SAT testing but that students should be smart about their strategy. Look at the student’s test scores and compare them with the scores needed to go to various colleges. If the student’s scores are close (within 80 points), Mr. Kanarek suggests that the student purchase test prep books and study for him/herself. He goes on to suggest that if a student is 90-150 points away, the student might opt for one of the less expensive and less time-consuming programs. He only suggests taking one of the longer (5+ weeks) and more expensive ($700+) classes if scoring more than 150 points higher will make a substantial difference in the student’s college application.

Although the above points represent just one expert’s opinion, they are probably worth considering.

A graphic organizer (provided by CVHS math teacher Teresa Miller), which is designed to assist students with organizing their study time and materials for fall finals, is available at the following link: http://www.cvhs.com/guidancedocs/finalsorganizer.pdf All students are encouraged to use this organizer as they prepare for finals on January 30^th, 31^st, and February 1^st.

Students in AP classes were recently given the exam registration forms in their AP classes. Students who may need replacement forms should visit the Guidance Office. AP exams will be administered during the period of May 5^th through May 16^th. The registration fees are $84.00 per exam and the deadline to register is February 22^nd, 2007. Students may pay for the exams at the CVHS Activities Office with checks payable to CVHS. An official bulletin from the College Board with detailed information will be coming sometime in early January. Additional information regarding specific test dates, locations, and times will be given to students following the close of registration. Any questions regarding AP Testing should be directed to Academic Advisor Cassandra Ondryas at condryas@capousd.org

All students met with their first period teachers on Wednesday, November 28^th for Spring Semester Advisement Day – the first step in registering for Spring Semester classes. Students were given a list of course offerings for second semester, along with a course registration form and other information necessary to select classes. Students were directed to complete their course requests, obtain all necessary signatures (including a parent signature), and return the completed forms to their first period teacher on Friday, November 30^th. Academic Advisors and Counselors are now in the process of meeting with each student during English classes in order to finalize course requests for second semester.

Current scholarship opportunities are now posted at the following link: http://www.cvhs.com/Scholarship.htm , or go to www.cvhs.com and then click on “Guidance” and “Scholarship Info.” Recommendation: Scholarship information will be updated approximately every 7-10 working days, so students and parents should check the posting periodically throughout the year. In addition, a “Scholarship Notebook” of information will be available in the Guidance Office.

Students needing work permits MUST apply and obtain them from Ms. Deckert in the CVHS on-campus Career Center prior to holiday breaks. NEXT WEEK IS THE FINAL WEEK TO OBTAIN A WORK PERMIT PRIOR TO HOLIDAY BREAK! Since the Capistrano Unified School District offices and school sites will be closed for Winter Break (Dec. 24 – Jan. 4), no work permits will be issued during this time. In addition, Ms. Deckert will not issue work permits on December 13^th or 14^th as she will be attending a conference on those days. Therefore, students MUST see Ms. Deckert prior to holiday breaks (but not on Dec. 13^th or 14^th since, as stated above, she will be attending a conference on those days) in order to obtain a work permit in time to work for the holidays.