COUNSELORS CORNER

October 26, 2018

In this Issue:

SHS Goes to College Week

Schedules & Meetings

& Deadlines, OH MY!

College Visits

Meet the Counselors

Senior Credit Checks

High School Transition

Counselor Trainings

Early College & Dual

Enrollment News

Graduation Coach’s Update

Our FIRST issue of the quarterly Volume I, Issue 1

Sandalwood School Counseling newsletter!

Sandalwood Goes to College Week

Sandalwood Goes to College Week was a huge success. The

week was kicked off on Monday, October 8, by announcing the

college door decorating contest and registration for the

National College (NACAC) Fair. Students and staff represented

their school of choice by wearing college gear throughout the

week and teachers shared their college journey stories.

Counselors and college representatives provided financial

information and assisted 93 parents and students with

completing the FAFSA during Financial Aid Night. Counselors

then rewarded students for their college knowledge by playing

BINGO during lunch. Congratulations to the door decorating

contest winners, AVID, for their door, “Boo to you, without

college life is frightening.” Finally, the week ended with the

NACAC Fair at the Prime Osbourne Center. Were you there?

Financial Aid Night Teachers and staff representing their college.

Was it hard to see the counselors in the beginning of the school year? Yes, for good reason! The counselors were busy scheduling new students, changing schedules to ensure proper placement, as well as conducting English Language Learner (ELL) Committee and 504 Meetings. With 3,000 students… you can imagine the task! Schedule change requests are no longer being accepted for the 1st semester. However, counselors will be in the cafeteria January 8th—11th for 2nd semester schedule change requests. Only seniors who are on track for graduation, with college ready reading and math scores, will be eligible for a partial schedule. The deadline for partial schedule applications for the 2nd semester is December 1st.

Previous College Visits Included:

Florida A&M University

Florida Atlantic University

Florida International University

Florida Polytechnic University

Florida State University

Full Sail University

Georgia Southern University

Johnson & Wales University

School of Automotive

Machinists and Technology

University of Central Florida

Wesleyan College

Morehouse College

University of Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky

Upcoming College Visits:

Bethune Cookman University Friday, October 26 @ 9:00 a.m.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Tuesday, October 30 @ 9:15 a.m.

Fashion Inst. of Design & Merchandising Thursday, November 8 @ 11:00 a.m.

Jacksonville University Thursday, November 15 @ 11:00 a.m.

Students getting information about Florida State University.

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College Visits

College admissions representatives are now visiting Sandalwood High School. Juniors and seniors must sign up in the School Counseling office no later than the day before the scheduled meeting and receive a permission slip to be dismissed from class. Students are not permitted to miss a class where a test or quiz has been

scheduled. Please contact Mrs. Clarke with any questions..

Senior Presentations and Credit Checks

During the month of September, the counselors went in to senior English classes to present all Sandalwood seniors with graduation requirements and certificate of completion information. After the presentations, the counselors began meeting with each senior for their individual senior credit check, ensuring each senior is on track for graduation and planning for post-secondary opportunities.

“There is no elevator to success.

You have to take the stairs.”

-Unknown

Schedules & Meetings & Deadlines, OH MY!

Meet the Sandalwood School Counselors

Adrienne Wakefield (Last Names A-Cro) Ms. Wakefield holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Baltimore and a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of North Florida. She began her career as a math teacher in DCPS 18 years ago and has been a school counselor for the past 7 years. This is Ms. Wakefield’s third year at Sandalwood and she has enjoyed working with Sandalwood’s diverse population and making a difference in students’ lives every day.

Abigail Martin (Last Names Cru-Hr) Ms. Martin earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Florida. Before becoming a school counselor, she was a counselor for a local substance abuse and mental health clinic. Ms. Martin earned a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of North Florida and is celebrating her third year as a school counselor; her first at Sandalwood. She enjoys helping students learn how to overcome individual barriers, providing clear pathways to successful and productive adult lives.

Aundrelet Clarke (Last Names Hu-Moo) Mrs. Clarke has been in education for 22 years. She previously taught Exceptional Education, Algebra 1 & 2, and Biology. She holds specialty certifications in autism and dyslexia. During the last five years she has loved being a School Counselor. This is her second year at Sandalwood. She enjoys meeting students where they are and assisting them with reaching their best potential.

Dr. Melody Campbell (Last Names Mop-Sco) Dr. Campbell serves as the Department Chair of the School Counseling Department. She earned her Doctor of Education from Nova Southeastern University and both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of West Alabama. She is an adjunct professor in school counseling at the post-secondary level. She has enjoyed being an educator for 22 years, 6 of which she has spent here at Sandalwood.

Tracy Ambuehl (Last Names Sea-Z Mrs. Ambuehl completed her undergraduate degree in sociology and master’s degree in school counseling from the University of North Florida. Prior to working at DCPS, she worked for a social service agency specializing in drop-out prevention and has been a school counselor for the past 14 years, 4 of which have been at Sandalwood. She especially enjoys connecting students with college and career opportunities.

Cassie Solliday (Early College & Early Admission) Mrs. Solliday holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Master of Arts in school counseling, both from the University of Central Florida. She worked in higher education for four years before completing her master’s degree, and has a passion for helping students plan for and achieve their postsecondary goals. This is Mrs. Solliday’s fourth year at Sandalwood.

Top from left: Aundrelet Clarke, Rhonda Motley,

Abigail Martin, Adrienne Wakefield, Melody Campbell

Bottom from left: Tracy Ambuehl & Cassie Solliday

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

Counselors held an NCAA eligibility workshop on

September 12th for junior and senior athletes. The

workshop included instructions on how to register for

the NCAA clearinghouse and reviewed course

requirements for D1 & D2 school consideration.

Sandalwood has many opportunities for

students. We are well-known for our early

college and dual enrollment programs, our

AFJROTC unit, the Sandalwood Marching

Saints, the Sandalwood Academy of

Information Technology (SAINT),

Advancement Via Individual Determination

(AVID), and our athletics. This information is

shared with future 9th graders and parents.

Previous High School Transition Nights

Grace Lutheran School

Upcoming High School Transition Nights

Arlington Middle School Monday, November 1 @ 6:00 p.m.

Twin Lakes Middle School Tuesday, December 4 @ 6:00 p.m. James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School Thursday, November 8 @ 6:00 p.m.

Julia Landon College Prep Thursday, November 8 @ 6:00 p.m.

High School Transition Nights

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Assess. Learn. Evaluate. Respond. Timely. (A.L.E.R.T.)

The annual A.L.E.R.T. training was conducted for faculty and staff members by using multimedia

instruction. Every adult in the state of Florida is a mandated reporter, which means teachers and

staff are required to report any abuse, neglect, etc. As educators, we come across a variety of

issues and concerns. Our #1 responsibility will always be the safety and security of our children,

and the A.L.E.R.T training helps teachers and staff respond appropriately.

Graduation Coach’s Update

99 for the ‘19!

Sandalwood’s graduation coach, Joel Chaitovicz, monitors graduation data and facilitates activities to help reach our graduation goal. Our motto for this year is 99 for the ‘19, with the goal of reaching a 99% graduation rate for the class of 2019.

Currently, if we were to graduate today, 80% of our students are already ready to graduate.

Grad Coach’s Upcoming Activities

Administering PERT Exams 1st and 3rd Thursday of the months of October and November for those students needing to meet the math requirement for graduation or achieve college-ready scores.

SAT/ACT registration assistance provided as needed.

FREE SAT/ACT TEST PREP CLASSES KEISER UNIVERSITY 6430 SOUTHPOINT PARKWAY JACKSONVILLE, FL 32216 Saturdays 10:00 am - 11:45 am 904—296-3440 (call ahead to confirm)

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA 1 UNF Dr. Jacksonville, FL 32224 Nov 3, Jan 26, Feb 18, April 6 Register at: http://www.unf.edu/welcomecenter/ DCPS_Test_Prep

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Upcoming Events:

Junior Presentations & Credit Checks

Continued College Visits

Continued High School Transition Nights

Sandalwood Showcase on 12/6

Job/Career Fair 12/7

Early College

Sandalwood is proud to have the largest early college program in Duval county, with 368 students in grades 9-12. Early college students are expected to graduate from high school having completed all of the requirements for both a standard high school diploma and either an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree, depending on the students’ track.

Credit checks were completed with early college seniors, one-on-one, at FSCJ South. These students also had the opportunity to meet with Mrs. Akakatang, their FSCJ coordinator, to review their progress towards completing the A.A. degree.

Early college juniors and seniors attend meetings at FSCJ South (A.A. students) or FSCJ Downtown (A.S. students) on the first Friday of each month. These meetings provide students with support in their postsecondary planning and keep them aware of events going on at the college and high school sites. Students are also reminded of program expectations and resources available to help them achieve success.

All early college students should have completed their dual enrollment application for the Spring term at this point. Mrs. Akakatang at FSCJ South completed registration and Dr. Guine will be completing registration in the next few weeks for the A.S. students.

Our early college sophomores in the Associate of Science I.T. Security track were able to visit JEA, and meet with industry professionals to gain hands-on experience in the I.T. field. In December, these students will take a trip to Deutsche Bank for a similar hands-on learning experience!

Juniors in the Associate of Science I.T. Security track, currently taking classes at FSCJ Downtown, had their first monthly mentorship with I.T. professionals at JEA and Deutsche Bank. These students will work with their assigned mentors once each month to help navigate their desired career path in the I.T. field before beginning their paid internships in the coming summer.

Upcoming Early College Events:

Early College Mentorship Day at JEA and Deutsche Bank (A.S. 11th grade) 11/16

Early College Field Trip to Deutsche Bank (A.S. 10th grade) 12/5

Dual Enrollment

Sandalwood currently offers dual enrollment courses to students with three partner institutions: Edward Waters College (EWC), Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University (ERAU).

For the Fall term alone, we have 38 separate sections of dual enrollment classes on our campus. We processed 845 applications for on-campus classes, and 174 applications for off-campus clas-ses (including early college, early admission, and traditional dual enrollment students).

We are currently accepting dual enrollment applications for students wishing to take classes on the FSCJ South campus for Spring 2019. Applications are due to Mrs. Solliday by the close of business on Monday, November 19, 2018. Students taking classes on campus at Sandalwood this Spring do not need to submit applications at this time.

Early College Students at JEA

NEED HELP COMPLETING THE FAFSA?

Assistance will be available at Sandalwood

on Tuesday, 11/13 from 7:15am to 2:00pm.

Use your phone to scan the QR code to register!