Welcome to Village School for the 2009-10 school year. I have enjoyed getting to know teachers,staff, students, and parents over the last few weeks; and I’m glad to be working with such wonderful people! The students are fun and are doing a great job with using more English. Most of the parentshave also been using English at school, I’m very impressed with your ability.

This year, one of our goals in the high school is to increase the use of English at school. Pleaseencourage your students to use as much English as possible in order to increase their skill level. Also, if you could be working with your students in 8th - 12th grade on preparing themselves for college, that would be great. Some of the things they need to do:

Make Sure They Are on Track for Graduation

There are certain requirements that each student has to fulfill in order to graduate. It is easier to complete all of the classes and credit hours if students begin early. They can meet with their academic advisor, but it is also helpful to have parents working with them as well.

Choose a Tentative Career Path

In order to plan for college, a student needs to have in mind at least a tentative career they would like to do. Without an idea of future career, it is harder to choose the college or university that would best serve the student. There is a big difference in the quality of programs depending on the school.

Research the Best University Programs for That Particular Career There are several ways to research which colleges or universities are the best for specific programs.

US News and World Report does an annual review of university and college programs in the United States. You can order the book online at amazon.com or go directly to the usnews.com website and click on rankings.

Check the University Website to Find out the Admission Requirements After narrowing perspective colleges or universities to a short list, it is necessary to go to the website for the specific school and find out what the admission requirements are for incoming freshman students. After finding out the requirements, the next step is to make sure they are doing what they need to do to qualify.

Take the Sat or Act Exam Several Times to Increase the Score Students can retake the college entrance exams as many times as they wish in order to improve their score. They should not have the scores sent to a school if they plan to retake the test, and then they can have only the highest score sent later. College applications must be made before the deadline, but test scores can be sent later. Research indicates that students will improve their score by several points each time they take the exam. Some universities prefer the SAT test, others prefer the ACT.

Find out which test is preferred, but most schools in the US will accept the score from either exam.

If you have any questions about graduation, career planning, or college admissions, please contact the school to speak with Maria Teresa Vela, the college counselor; or with Keith Lockhart, the high school director, or Veronica Pellecer, high school sub director. We will be happy to assist you and your student in any way we can. Thank you for helping us help your student succeed!

Keith Lockhart High School Director