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1/2/07-1/9/07
The Inside Track for parents of:
All Students -
Q: I never received a progress report (or report card) for my child. What can I do to get one? A: Just send me an e-mail. I can send you one electronically in pdf format.
Students with Disabilities - The latest edition of the disabilities awareness newsletter is available in our office and at www.cqcapd.state.ny.us under the heading "Publications"
Sophomores/Juniors-
Immaculata Academy is offering a Regents Review Course for January Math A & Math B exams. The dates are Jan 5,8,10,17 for Session 1 and Jan 19,22,23,24 for Session 2. Registration forms are available in our guidance office. The cost is $50
Check out this article:
Colleges zero in on students' majors
By JAMES HANNAH, Associated Press Writer Mon Dec 18, 11:27 AM ET
DAYTON, Ohio - Colleges around the country are devoting more time, money and staff power to students who can't decide on a major, concerned that many of them will leave school without graduating or will prolong their college careers and take up precious spots for prospective students. Indecision can be costly for students, as well, in times of rising tuition.
College officials say many students were so focused on extracurricular activities in high school that they spent little time considering career choices.
"They are more sheltered and more accustomed to adults making decisions for them and keeping them on track," said Chrissy Coley, director of retention and planning at the University of South Carolina's Student Success Center.
Tuition and fees at public four-year public colleges this fall rose $344, or 6.3 percent, to an average of $5,836, according to the College Board's annual "Trends in College Pricing" report. At private four-year colleges, published tuition and fees rose 5.9 percent, to an average of $22,218.
But students who can't settle on a major risk extending their college careers and paying more.
Maureen Fitzgerald is one of those students. She wanted to find out what she was good at before declaring a major at the University of Dayton. So she took communications, philosophy, history, English, among other courses. She's still looking.
"So far I really haven't found a set profession that's like — it," said Fitzgerald, a 19-year-old sophomore. "A part of me is worried about if I'm going to find something."
The University of South Carolina this semester more than doubled its staff of advisers focusing on undergraduates who can't settle on a major. The school opened a center aimed largely at undecideds that will cost $580,000 a year to operate. The cluster of airy, glass-paneled offices includes group study rooms in which undecideds are tutored by fellow students in an effort to give them a connection to certain academic programs.
At Ohio University, a majors fair offering 60 fields-of-study booths with representatives from different colleges drew nearly 2,000 students, double what it did last year. Bulletin boards pinned with information about the major of the month are popping up in dorms at Western Michigan University.
Ohio University now requires students to declare a major before they complete 75 credit hours, instead of 90 previously. Many students must meet with their adviser every quarter to make sure they are taking courses that keep them on track, and a help center for them has opened in the student union.
The University of Washington is so concerned about these students that advisers are seeking them out, peppering them with e-mails and postcards to get them to come in for guidance.
Laura Avila, assistant director of special programs, said each of her counselors has more than 600 students assigned to them.
"It's ridiculous," she said.
Of the 1,800 first-year students who entered the University of Dayton this semester, 39 percent had not settled on a major. That's the highest percentage in four years.
"We're finding the more you wander through the college experience, the less likely you are to stay," said Christine Schramm, assistant dean of students at the private Catholic school. "We are becoming aware that we need to do more."
Some students remain undeclared well into their sophomore years, confused about what careers will fly in the rapidly changing job market and leaning on their schools to help them decide. Dayton created a sophomore orientation this fall.
Christen Musuraca, a 20-year-old sophomore from suburban Chicago, was leaning toward pre-medicine or pre-dentistry but is now having doubts.
"I'm thinking about redirecting my path, but now I don't know where I'm going to redirect," she said. "I'm going to be even farther behind. It's probably going to lead to an extra semester — if not an extra year — if I don't decide."
Anne Pici, an adviser at Dayton, encourages students to take a wide variety of courses their first two years and then talk to teachers and upperclassmen in fields that have piqued their interest. She is counseling 12 undecided sophomores.
"All of them are panicked that they don't have a major," she said.
The University of Wisconsin, where about one-third of the 5,600 entering freshmen are undecided, sets up advisers in satellite offices in four dorms to make it easier for students to get help.
The program has grown steadily — there are 15 professional advisers and 13 peer advisers — since it began six years ago.
"What has changed is the institution's attitude toward this," said Timothy Walsh, director of the university's Cross-College Advising Service. "There's a huge shift."
Seniors -
The financial aid night for parents is January 9th at 7:00 in the HS aud.
Dear Seniors:
We regret to inform you that the Jostens plant has lost the original copies of all Senior Quotes. Because of this you will have to re-do your senior quote and submit it to the guidance office by 2:30 on January 26th. New quote sheets are available in the guidance office.
You may change your quote or keep it the same as before. If you would like a copy of your old quote see Mr. Tomasik (we didn’t loose the copies, but they are in black and white so we can’t submit them). If you never submitted a quote, now is your chance!
So what’s the good news? All seniors who submit a new quote and buy a yearbook will be given a free yearbook DVD supplement that contains a yearbook slideshow. This DVD is not for sale, and only seniors who turn in a quote and buy a yearbook are eligible to get it.
Check out these scholarships: (taken from the "Big Red Binder" in the Career Center)
PDK Prospective Educator Scholarship Program
Who: Seniors planning on an education major.
How Much: $500-$5,000
Deadline:February 1, 2007
Requirements: Application, 2 References, Essay, & Transcript
How: Information and applications available in the "Big Red Binder" - This is a good one! Lake Shore students have won it in the past! 4 stars!!!
Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship
Who: Juniors!
How Much: $2,500-$25,000
Deadline: January 31, 2007
Requirements: Min 2.75 GPA
How: www.discovercard.com/tribute
Teachers:
Our free Math A Regent's review courses are on 1/04 - Quadratics, 1/09 - Graphing, 1/11 - Trig Ratios & Locus, 1/17 - Statistics & Review. 3:00-4:45. See Ms. Jensen for more information
Career Corner -
The 25 Best-Paying Apprenticeable Jobs
The best-paying jobs overall for apprenticeships. Excerpt taken from 250 Best Jobs Through Apprenticeships, (JIST Works, © 2005).
Job Titles Annual Earnings
1. Municipal Fire Fighting and Prevention Supervisors $57,000
2. Elevator Installers and Repairers $55,960
3. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $55,010
4. Computer Specialists, All Other $54,070
5. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $52,040
6. Power Generating Plant Operators, Except Auxiliary Equipment Operators $50,860
7. Gaugers $49,970
8. Petroleum Refinery and Control Panel Operators $49,970
9. Commercial Pilots $49,830
10. Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other $49,710
11. Motor Vehicle Inspectors $49,590
12. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $48,960
13. Central Office and PBX Installers and Repairers $48,230
14. Communication Equipment Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $48,230
15. Station Installers and Repairers, Telephone $48,230
16. Government Property Inspectors and Investigators $46,780
17. Locomotive Engineers $45,990
18. Emergency Management Specialists $45,090
19. Fire Inspectors $44,250
20. Chemical Plant and System Operators $44,050
21. Police Patrol Officers $44,020
22. Signal and Track Switch Repairers $43,690
23. Aircraft Engine Specialists $43,560
24. Airframe-and-Power-Plant Mechanics $43,560
25. Model Makers, Metal and Plastic $43,470
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District Wide Services 
