March 2015

San Jacinto Unified School District

District Counseling Newsletter

SJUSD District

Counseling Newsletter

SJHS Counselors got in the FAFSA money spirit and handed out both real and fake dollars to Seniors in the Senior hallways while playing the song “For the love of money” on a boom-box”

RECORD HIGH FAFSA RATES

COMPLETED AT SJHS San Jacinto High School has been on a FAFSA frenzy to get as many Seniors as possible to

complete their FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) or Dream Act applications by

March 2nd. The applications both open on January 1st and close on March 2nd every year.

Students who file within this time frame can qualify for Cal Grant and Federal funds.

The push to have as many Seniors as possible complete either application derives from

Michelle Obama’s national Reach Higher Initiative. Studies found that BILLIONS of dollars

in federal funds went unused last year. Funds that our students could have qualified for.

Therefore this year the counseling department, with the support of SJHS administration

were able to offer various incentives for students who completed either application. Some of

the incentives included: iPad mini, extra graduation tickets, Principal for the day, lunch with

the counselors, and many other prizes.

All Seniors were given presentations on financial aid and assistance in filling out their appli-

cation through their English course. For students and parents who needed extra assistance,

counselors were available during lunch and after school for one-on-one help. The result was a

68% FAFSA/Dream Act completion rate for San Jacinto High School!

SJHS is listed as one of the top schools in all of Riverside County’s Race to Submit competi-

tion!

Since federal funds may still be available for community college students, counselors will

continue to be available to assist students who did not complete the application. We are very

proud of our students!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Career Day ..............................2

Naviance .................................2

Anti– Bullying ..........................3

Chuck Horn Memorial .............4

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life” - Confucius

The middle school counseling team in San Jacinto Unified School District (SJUSD) knows the importance of preparing middle school students to be college and career ready NOW! As part of the series of counselor-led core curriculum lessons that adhere to the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National Standards, stu-dents were introduced to the Naviance tool.

Naviance is a web-based resource that the SJUSD is using to better assist all students in planning for post-secondary success. With Naviance, school counselors can ensure that students are accountable for selecting appropriate courses and even track college application rates at the high school level.

So far across all middle schools, Naviance lessons have been done with all 6th, 7th and 8th grade stu-dents. In this preliminary presentation, school counselors showed students how to do a StrengthsExplorer, a tool to asses what strengths students displayed. From here, students could explore related career pathways based on those strengths and even begin to search for universities on the College SuperMatch feature. Students reported being able to search by location, by majors offered and by size of school.

As a bonus, students were given a step-by-step worksheet to be able to access Naviance at home, with the sup-port of parents. As more students can gain entry into this program, they will create stronger pathways for a ca-reer or college option of their choice!

CAREER DAY AT MT VIEW & MT HEIGHTS ACADEMY

MIDDLE SCHOOLS USE NAVIANCE FOR

COLLEGE/CAREER PLANNING

Mountain View and Mountain Heights Acad-emy hosted their annual career day on

W e d n e s d a y , February 25th, 2015. All stu-dents in attend-ance participat-ed in career day. We had 11 career present-ers from local colleges such as MSJC CTE pro-g r a m , S a n Joaquin Valley College, Mari-nello Beauty College, and Fashion Insti-

tute of Design and Merchandizing, to specific related careers such as law enforcement, res-piratory therapist, representatives from East-ern Municipal Water District and the District Attorney. Presenters rotated into classrooms every 15 minutes beginning promptly at 7:45 and speak to our students. At nutrition stu-dents were invited into the gym to meet one on one with their favorite careers representa-tive, get more information and speak to inter-ested programs. We resumed classroom presentations until the end of our day. At the end of the presentations students were wel-comed in the gym to speak to their interested programs. Students and staff were happy to share that this was the best Career day Mountain View and Mountain Heights Acad-emy has had.

2

Stand Up!

Speak Out!

CAREER DAY AT MT VIEW & MT HEIGHTS ACADEMY

MIDDLE SCHOOLS USE NAVIANCE FOR

COLLEGE/CAREER PLANNING

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

STAND UP AGAINST BULLYING

This year, the elementary school counseling team implemented its sec-

ond annual Bully Prevention Month. During the month of October, the

elementary school counselors, administrators, teachers, and staff

teamed up to provide awareness and education on the ever important

topic of bully prevention. Each TK-5th grade classroom received guid-

ance lessons detailing the definition of bullying, the effects and impact

it has on students, the different roles students play when bullying takes

place, and strategies for taking a stand against bullying. Students also

participated in poster and pledge contests where they came up with

creative slogans encouraging others to take a stand against bullying. On

October 22nd, SJUSD elementary schools participated in National Unity

Day, wearing orange to show unity in our stand against bullying. The

elementary school counseling team designed orange bully prevention t-

shirts for Unity Day, and sold an excess of 150 t-shirts to staff across the

district. Unity Day was the culminating event. On this day, students and

staff signed “We Stand Together to Be Bully-Free” pledges committing

to continue to make our schools safe and fun by taking a stand against

bullying. Elementary school counselors also held parent workshops de-

livering the same information and helpful tips to our families. Bully

Prevention Month was a huge success, with district office staff and

board members coming out to the school sites to participate in Unity

Day. The elementary school counseling team is proud to report that

some school sites wear their Bully Prevention t-shirts the first Thursday

of each month as a reminder of our long-term commitment.

San Jacinto Elementary proudly displays “Bully Free” Sign in front of school

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“CHUCK HORN IS THE

NAME AND COUNSEL-

ING IS THE GAME”

“YESTERDAY IS HISTO-

RY, TOMORROW IS A

MYSTERY , TODAY IS A

GIFT. THAT’S WHY WE

CALL IT THE PRESENT”

IN MEMORY OF OUR COLLEAGUE AND

BELOVED FRIEND CHUCK HORN

One of our best, Mr. Charles Horn passed away on December 18 after a brief illness. Mr. Horn

retired last year after being a Counselor within the district for 8 years. He was at San Jacinto

High School for 7 years and North Mountain Middle School for 1 year. He was a retired Navy vet-

eran and completed his career with 26 years in education. Mr. Horn was respected and beloved

by students, families and colleagues for his knowledgeable, caring, and student-centered ap-

proach.

Mr. Horn was

one in a mil-

lion. He was an

integral part of

our counseling

team and an

amazing friend

to each one of

us. We will for-

ever remember

and miss Mr.

Horn.