As introduced in August, we are challenging members of our D'Evelyn community to engage regularly in practices that can raise one's overall sense of well-being. This series of challenges continues to be offered to students, staff, and community members. This gives us all the opportunity to not only raise our own sense of well-being, but also encourage others in our families, work places, and community to do the same. Our March challenge is to spend time this month engaging in some form of creative expression. It matters less what your preferred creative activity is than it does to take the time to engage in it. So, what brings you joy? Do you enjoy drawing? Or crafting? What have you always wanted to learn? Whether you have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar or would rather learn to knit, let yourself learn this month. Whether you love to dance or prefer to write poetry, give yourself time to do that this month! We tend to pursue these and other creative activities simply because they bring us pleasure. That, in and of itself, is reason enough to do them as often as possible. These activities, however, have an added benefit: they tend to give a boost to our overall sense of well-being, which is the purpose of our monthly challenges. Creativity makes us happy and it is good for us! There is a connection between art and healing. There is satisfaction in creating something beautiful. Several studies have found that writing can help one to manage negative emotions. Musical training has been shown to improve the connectivity between the hemispheres of the brain, while dance can boost self-confidence and improve physical fitness. The benefits abound and leave few reasons for us to keep putting off something that we enjoy and can benefit from. So, whether your personal passion is cooking or quilting, set aside some extra time this month to enjoy that activity. Join us in being creative this month. Record your experiences as you wish and share them with others. Share your experiences with your family members, with your friends, online, or with us through the counseling Instagram account. And be on the lookout for our next challenge - which you can add to this one, or with which you can replace this one for the month of April! Thanks and have fun! Counseling Calendar
We Are Looking For Candy Donations! As a counseling department we try to make our activities fun and relaxing for students at the end of the day. One of the ways we do this is by engaging them in activities and conversation with prizes to be given away. The most common and fan favorite of prizes is candy. Unfortunately, with the counseling budget candy and other treats are hard to come by. We are looking for candy bag donations for this upcoming school year. After a long day of working in the classroom we want to provide the students with a treat before they leave for the day. We would greatly appreciate any type of candy bag donation. If you are able to help support our program please drop any candy you have to donate off in the counseling office with Sue Brown, or any counselor available. We want to thank every single one of you for your support! Summer Programs One of the best ways for students to stand out on college applications is to participate in summer programs offered by universities around the country. The majority of major universities and colleges offer some form of a summer program. There are programs that are only a week or two long, and they provide students a small glimpse into college life, students attend seminars, participate in research activities, and engage in hands on activities. There are other programs that act as a college summer course where students earn college credit by attending classes and completing course work. These programs are typically offered for 9th-11th grade students, however, there have been some programs that offer experiences for Junior High students as well. This is a great way for students to explore colleges, start to discover their interests, and get a taste of college course work. Under the “Helpful Links” section on the D’Evelyn Counseling website there is a link for Summer Programs. This section will have a list of the programs that send information to D’Evelyn and from around the area. You can also research to see if the university or college you want to go to has summer programs by exploring their websites. If you have more questions come stop by the counseling office. SENIORS FAFSA Completion Are you a senior looking to attend a 2 or 4 year institution? Then you should be filling out your FAFSA! There are a lot of misconceptions about the FAFSA and many reasons why families elect to not fill it out. The biggest myth about filling out the FAFSA is: My family makes too much money for me to receive any aid. Regardless of family income or any other reason you can think of to not complete the FAFSA, here are some reasons why you should.
Scholarship Workshop Are you stressing about how to pay for college? Starting in the Spring semester we will be hosting scholarship workshops for students. We have arranged 4 dates throughout the semester during 7th hours to have students come down and explore scholarships. We will provide you with multiple data bases to look at, and help you narrow down options. The remaining dates for our second semester meetings are as followed: 3/11 and 4/1. If you are looking for help on where to look, how to apply, or just want some peace and quiet to complete an application come down to counseling on those dates! JUNIORS SAT Information The SAT is right around the corner with the test taking place at school on April 9th. These next few months will fly by, and the test will be here before we know it. There are some important pieces of information we want to share with you all leading up to the exam. The state of Colorado pays for all juniors to take the SAT on April 9th, so the test is completely free! We highly recommend all juniors to take the test even if they have already taken the SAT and they are pleased with their score. D'Evelyn will also be hosting a SAT Prep course in partnership with College Drive. This SAT Prep course will meet every Tuesday for four weeks at D’Evelyn starting on February 26th. The course will be from 1:45 – 3:15pm on 2/26, 3/5, 3/12, and 3/19. The total price for the course is $129. We have a new instructor for this course, and this can be a great way for students to gain more information about the exam. We have flyers posted around the school and in the counseling office. If you would like to register for this course please call 720-496-2244. We also recommend that students begin preparing for the SAT by utilizing all of the free resources that are available to them. Khan Academy is a company that has paired with College Board (creators of the SAT) to provide free individualized practice for all students. This is a great tool for students to use in their preparation for the exam. There are multiple test prep companies that students can utilize where they can receive group help, individualized tutoring, or online practice. On the counseling website there is a link for our SAT/ACT page, which provides more information and resources for families. Please contact counseling with any questions. College Visits Juniors, it is about that time to really start vamping up your college preparation. One of the best ways to help you discover which college experience will be best for you is to start visiting campuses that you are interested in. Experts say that visiting a college is one of the top factors in discovering the right fit. With spring semester upon us, and the final semester before you start applying for college this is one of the best times to tour college campuses. Whether you want to stay in state or travel to the coasts, we highly recommend that you visit the campuses you are interested in. You can sign up for a structured visit with a tour guide, or go and explore the campus on your own. |
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April 2022
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