Greetings from the Valley to Rising VIIth Form Parents and Guardians,
It is hard to believe, but tomorrow we gather for our 123rd Commencement. It seems like just yesterday that we were welcoming all of our students back to campus. Alas, the tent is up and the excitement for the summer is at a fever pitch. What a privilege we all have to work with such dynamic and engaging students!
Now, we turn our attention to the next phase of education for your student. It is Julie’s and my pleasure to work with you as stewards of the secondary school counseling process in support of your child. Please use these monthly Placement Newsletters for information and for keeping track of time-sensitive action steps. Newsletters can also be found archived under the Secondary School tab on our website.
Please pay special attention to information here, as the landscape of the admissions process does shift and change. It is true that we have returned to a largely familiar way of applying to schools, but assuming everything remains static would be a mistake.
I had the chance to work with the entire Class of 2024 in our third year of the 3C Class. They also had two additional large group leadership sessions this spring. They embraced the opportunity to spread their fledgling leadership wings. I am very excited about this group both in terms of placement, but also the positive impact they will have on our community.
Enjoy some time with your student outside as the warm breezes of summer soothe and relax you and your family.
Cheers!
Clayton
Director of Secondary School Counseling
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Rising VIIth Form Parents and Student Action Items – Past Due (May 31)!!
Just ⅓ of Parent Questionnaires, and General Release for School Records Forms have been returned. We can’t stress enough how important these completed Forms are. If you have still to submit yours, links are at the end of this Newsletter. Thank you for returning them to Julie Fredlund at jfred@vaftizo.com ASAP! I am happy to report that 95% of Student Questionnaires have been returned and our goal is 100% return.
It is extremely important that parents tend to this ASAP. Your answers will help me as I put together a list of recommended schools. Your list of recommended schools may be delayed if you do not turn this in to Julie.
SSAT Prep Options:
While our area does not have the resources to provide support for test preparation and practice, parents and students can utilize online preparation platforms detailed below.
http://www.ssat.org/prepare/practice
http://testinnovators.com/
http://mytutor.com/
In your email on July 12
Rising VIIth Form families will receive an email from Julie on July 12 with an attached letter from me which will include a list of 6 – 10 recommended secondary schools to investigate. The recommended list of schools will be based on information provided in the Parent Questionnaire, your child’s Student Questionnaire, and our knowledge of your child’s strengths, interests, needs, projected growth, development and maturity. After completing some research on the schools through their websites and catalogues, Senior families will schedule interview visits over the Senior Week which follows our Fall Parents’ Day (October 16-21). Rumsey will keep you posted if there are any changes to our School calendar. The ‘visits’ may be virtual or in person with restrictions. Please refer to individual schools’ admission web pages for detailed information. After the visits, we will together, be able to select a final list of schools to which you will make application.
TOEFL
If English is not your child’s first language OR your TOEFL result is more than two years old, you need to consider taking the test in your home country this summer if it is available, as certain schools may require it.
For Newly Enrolled VIIth Form Families!
Welcome to the Class of 2024! If your child has already taken the SSAT in the past year, please forward the results to us. If your child has not yet taken the SSAT, I suggest you try to complete that task before arriving at school. The Parent Questionnaire, Student Questionnaire, and General Release for School Records (links below) should also be completed and returned to Julie Fredlund at jfred@vaftizo.com . We understand that not every question or topic is relevant to new families, but any input you can provide is valuable.
