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Counseling Weekly 04.28.20
Hello Peak to Peak Community,
Happy Tuesday! We hope you are all well, please remember counselors are here to support you in any way possible. Please see below for middle school reminders and a few new high school updates.
Secondary Activities and Fun Week:
Reminder for students- We need your fun, encouraging photos to replace your school picture in this year's VIRTUAL SENIOR TUNNEL! Upload your fun picture to https://url.peaktopeak.org/
Are you participating in the virtual spirit week?
- Tuesday Apr 28th : Crazy hair /school color ( in honor of hair stylists and the school we miss)
- Wednesday Apr 29th: Dress like an Older Person Day( in honor of the generation that is most at risk)
- Thursday Apr 30th: Sportswear day (in honor of our favorite sports teams that we miss watching/participating in)
- Friday May 1st Pajama Day (because let’s face it pajamas are the best part of distance learning)
- HS Students please consider submitting your photos to the PeakStuco Instagram to be featured as well as sending all pictures that you take and submit them through this link for the school community to see!
Coming soon: Secondary 6-12 Scavenger Hunt
PUMAS, ARE YOU UP FOR A CHALLENGE? Join the secondary Puma community for a week-long scavenger hunt!
- Households in grades 6-12 are welcome to participate.
- The Hunt starts at 5:00 PM on Friday, May 1 and ends on Thursday, May 7 at 5:00 PM.
- You can do a little bit each day between May 1st at 5:00 PM and May 7th at 5:00 PM, or you can spend a Saturday afternoon doing all the challenges! It’s up to you!
- Challenges can be done individually or in a household group.
- Judges will give bonus points for creativity, so go big!
- Our wonderful Friends Office will give prizes to winners!
- Details of how to sign up are in this link.
- You will be able to see each other’s mission pictures as you compete against other teams.
- Please remember to maintain social distancing and safety norms.
- Get out there and have some fun with our big, wonderful Puma community! Any questions, please contact Wade Kingsbury.
Middle School Updates
- April Newsletter
- MS Counseling Student Request
- Middle School Distance Learning Guide- see page 4 for Self Care Recommendations
- Suggested Middle School Breathing Exercises
High School Updates
Below are links for a voluntary check-in. While you are not required to submit this, we would LOVE to hear from you! If you are at a 8-10 on our safety scale, please reach out directly (via email) to your counselor as soon as possible, and let your adults at home know that you need help.
- Colorado Crisis Support Line - 844-493-TALK
- Colorado Crisis Text: text TALK to 38255
- Student Form
- Parent/Guardian Form
- Senior Form (required for all seniors)
Notice Concerning Online Courses for Peak to Peak HS Students:
Peak to Peak has been notified that BVSD sent out a communication to all families and students informing them of online summer and semester course options. Please see below for Peak to Peak's policy concerning online courses for original credit:
As a charter school within Boulder Valley School District, Peak to Peak has created its own unique courses. Due to our courses not necessarily reflecting the same content as BVSD courses, Peak to Peak students may not take BVSD online courses for original credit. If a student wishes to pursue a waiver for unique circumstances, they must contact their counselor, and follow the pathway to get approval from the department lead and the HS Principal. Since Peak to Peak transitioned to an 8-period day, there is little cause for a student to take an online course due to schedule conflicts.
NEW SAT and AP Testing Updates and Schedule
Juniors & Families: Due to the school closure this spring, juniors were unable to complete the Colorado SAT School Day exam in April. College Board has announced that juniors (will-be seniors) will take the SAT for free in Fall 2020 to make up for the missed administration this spring. You were not charged fees for this exam, and will not be charged to take it next year. This exam is a Peak to Peak graduation requirement; there is no need to sign up for additional SAT exams unless it is your personal preference to take the test more than once.
AP Students & Parents/Guardians: The new AP exam schedule can be found here. This is different from what was released at the beginning of the school year. AP Exams, as you may have heard, are 45 minute exams that will be taken at home on any device your student has access to--smartphone, tablet, computer, or even hand-written and then uploaded at the end of the exam.If you do not have a compatible device, please let me know as soon as possible. College Board is constantly making more information available to students and teachers about what these exams will look like; these updates can also be found here. Please encourage your students to read the emails and updates that come from the College Board as that will have the most up-to-date information about their specific exams. College Board will be releasing a practice platform very soon where students can experience what their exam will look like, how they will respond to questions, and how to submit their answers all within the window of time allowed for their exam. This will be a very helpful resource to prepare your student for the exam. Because of this unique at-home exam format, it is the sole responsibility of the student to log on to the College Board exam platform at the appropriate time for each of their exams. It is Peak to Peak's continued expectation that students will take the AP exam for any course they are registered for this year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to tracy.durland@bvsd.org.
NEW: Senior Parents/Guardians (no students) Virtual Transition Night on Monday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m.
- Learn best practices for the transition to the first year of college from guest speaker Alana Davis-DeLaria, an Academic Coach from CU Boulder.
- Google HangOut Link. Please note that due to district privacy settings each person without a BVSD email will need to be manually added to the meeting, please be patient!
New College Search Tool from The Colleges that Change Lives. Advice from the Executive Director, Maria Furtado, “...choose wisely—using your head and your heart: Research and experience tells us that when students major in something they really enjoy, they are naturally more engaged and involved, not to mention more successful after graduation.”
Community Service- Did you know you can still serve your community from home (and earn service hours for graduation credit!)?
Here are some unique ways that have been shared with counselors:
- Bilingual students are hosting online language lessons for others who want to learn a new language.
- Students gifted in a particular instrument are creating how to videos or are doing virtual music lessons.
- Many students are joining the cause to protect their communities by sewing face masks.
- Other students are providing comfort to those who are isolated and alone by writing them letters of encouragement.
- While students of all ages are learning from home, many high school students are doing virtual tutoring lessons with elementary or middle school students.
- Students are getting creative with art - some are creating messages of encouragement and taping it to their windows for passersby to see. Others are utilizing chalk to write positive messages on the concrete for those going on walks.
- Technology savvy students are connecting with elderly individuals to teach them computer and software skills allowing them to do video calls with their families.
Summer Programs: As you explore your options for the summer, please be patient and check with each organization or college to see if summer programs are continuing as scheduled. Many colleges are presenting their summer programs virtually.
New: Seattle University Summer Programs is offering two pre-collegiate summer programs for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. In response to safety and wellness concerns due to COVID-19, Seattle University Summer Programs has moved all courses to virtual learning. Both pre-collegial programs will provide opportunities for self-paced learning, experiential projects and real-time engagement with our faculty and undergraduate program mentors.
- Albers’ Summer Business Institute: Social Entrepreneurship
- Dates:July 5 – July 10, 2020
- Credits:2 college credits
- Tuition:$450 (scholarships are available)
- Deposit:$50 [if accepted into program]
- Seattle University AI4ALL: Criminal Justice and Artificial Intelligence
- Dates:July 12 – July 24, 2020 [No Session: July 18 – 19, 2020]
- Credits:3 college credits
- Tuition:$695 (scholarships are available)
- Deposit:$50 [if accepted into program]
- Articles and Resources:
- Thanks To The Virus College Will Be Different In The Fall; What Will Students Pay?
- If campuses are able to open up in the fall, despite the concern that the virus may return stronger than before and they may need to go remote again, they will not be able to have big events or large classes.
- Common App Resources for students- These resources will be particularly useful for juniors.
- Knovva Academy’s Covid-19 Learning Initiative Watch this web-based and interactive lecture series to hear from world-renowned scientists and public health experts to provide students and teachers with accurate information and access to an online community where they can Learn, Engage & Develop.
- Sophia.Org is offering free access to some of their online introductory college classes. While you’d need to check with the individual college you attend to see if the credits will transfer, this is a good way to explore your academic interests from home!
- Virtual Career Conversation Training: As an initiative of the Education Leadership Council and on behalf of the Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado Education Initiative is offering Colorado Career Conversation training. In response to our changing environment, due to COVID-19, we are starting to offer virtual, live Career Conversation Trainings using the Zoom video conferencing app. We are confident that the virtual workshops will provide meaningful professional development and provide an opportunity for all of us to connect around the important topic of career planning and transition. Zoom provides capabilities such as breakout rooms and polling, which we will use to create an engaging experience for participants. For more information about Colorado Career Conversations training, please contact Liz Kuehl at lkuehl@coloradoedinitiative.
org.
Stay safe, Pumas. Please reach out to your counselor if we can be of assistance in any way.
-The College Counseling Team