WELCOME BACK!
Welcome back to school D’Evelyn families! We are excited for the beginning of the school year and to witness all the amazing work our students will accomplish. We hope you all had a wonderful summer, and we want to share some information with you about the year to come. We will be meeting with each class either group, smaller groups, and/or individually as the year progresses. The calendar committee has put the dates we are meeting with each class in the planner to eliminate the element of surprise. All students will be required to attend the appropriate class session for their grade. We view this time to help students plan for their future and prepare for their life after high school. We truly value our time with students and recognize time is precious. Our goal is to encourage students to look at the big picture of their future and provide them with new suggestions, advice, and encouragement as they explore their new goals. Our goal is to help students recognize there is more to the college process than grades. Even though grades are very important, we want students to discover their strengths, their interests, and their passion to help them be successful when high school ends. We have the privilege to collaborate with some of the best staff, parents, and community members in the state to help our students reach their maximum potential. We are very excited for this new school year, and to watch students grow as they continue their journey through D’Evelyn. COUNSELING CALENDAR August 14th – Sources of Strength Launch (Noon) August 15th – New 8th/9th Grade Student Orientation (9am – 12pm) August 16th – First Day of School August 16th – Junior Class Meeting with Counseling (7th Hour) August 17th – Senior Class Meeting with Counseling (7th Hour) August 20th – Sophomore Class Meeting with Counseling (7th Hour) August 21st – Freshmen Class Meeting with Counseling (7th Hour) August 22nd – 8th Grade Class Meeting with Counseling (7th Hour) August 27th – Common Application Workshop (7th Hour) Seniors August 28th – Sources of Strength (7th Hour) August 29th – Student Voice (7th Hour) August 30th – New 8th/9th Grade Group (7th Hour) Military Opt-Out If you would like to opt-out your child’s information from being given to the military you need to do so by the end of September. You can do so by logging into your Jeffco Connect account and click opt-out. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Sue Brown in the counseling office. 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. 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. If you can 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! COLLEGE DAY D’Evelyn will be hosting a College Day on September 5th! This event is for students in all grades, and we would love to see you all there. During the school day we will be having our in-state college fair for students to attend during their lunch period. We will have around 15-20 Colorado schools present during our college fair. We encourage all students to attend the fair, and there will be prizes for students who attend. In the evening we will be hosting an event for all family members to attend including 5 guest presentations for families to choose from. We have set it up so you are able to attend 2 of the 5 sessions. The breakout sessions will range from financial aid to how to write a strong college essay. We will have the final list in the weeks to come. We look forward to seeing everyone there! SENIORS Welcome back to your last year of high school! We are excited to help you navigate through this final year. We will be holding multiple workshops and activities throughout the year during 7th hour to help make the college process easier. Please keep an eye and ear out for our common application workshops, college essay workshops, scholarship workshops, and senior class meetings. We will be addressing all your questions and concerns during this time, as well as meeting with you all individually to solidify your plan. We will be meeting with you to go over the application process, and the steps you need to take to make sure everything is sent properly. This can be a very overwhelming time of the year, and we are here to help make the process go smoother. Do not hesitate to reach out to your counselor for questions. You will most likely need letters of recommendation for your college applications. Be sure to ask your teachers as soon as possible and give them at least two weeks to complete the letter. You will need to provide them with the rec questionnaire, which can be found on the Naviance homepage at the bottom. You will also need to request a letter from them through Naviance. We will go over this process when we meet with you all on August 17th. If you have any questions about this process, please contact your counselor. JUNIORS Welcome to your junior year! This will be a year full of ups and downs, with the most exciting up being you are almost to your senior year. During your junior year one of the most important pieces to focus on is your academics and the SAT. On August 16th, the first day of school, we will be meeting with you to help you get acclimated with Khan Academy (free SAT practice) and talk about the year. Our goal is to make sure you have all of the resources you need to be successful on the SAT and how to improve your scores. We will also be talking about steps you should start taking to prepare for the college process. Even though junior year is known as the most difficult we want to make sure you have time to enjoy the activities you participate in, and prepare for the next level. If you have any questions about college, the process, the SAT, or just how to navigate through junior year please feel free to stop by and see your counselor. For most schools you will apply they need a letter of recommendation from your counselor. We enjoy getting to know you all so our letters can be as outstanding as you are. We hope you enjoyed your summer and we look forward to working with you! SOPHOMORES Welcome to your sophomore year! You are no longer freshmen, and you are reaching the back half of your time here at D’Evelyn. This is an important year to start discovering your interests, and what excites you about life outside of school. Starting to gain a stronger understanding of what you’re interested in will help you as you move along in the college/career process. We will be meeting with you all multiple times throughout the year, and we will mostly focus on the exploration of careers, your strengths, and how we can combine those to help you discover what you want to do after high school. We will be hosting lunch career sessions throughout the year, and sophomores and freshmen are required to attend at least one session. As counselors, we are always here to help you with any issues that arise throughout your time at school, and if you have any concerns outside of school. Please do not hesitate to come see your counselor if you need any assistance. FRESHMEN Welcome to your freshman year! This is the year that grades really begin to count towards your college transcript. We highly encourage you all to get off to a strong start, and work hard in all of your classes. We will be meeting with you all multiple times throughout the year to talk about goal setting, how to plan for success, the importance of freshman year, and how to prepare your next 4 years to have a strong college application. Our goal is to help you all be successful in and out of school. This is a great time to start learning more about your likes and dislikes. We encourage you to begin exploring career options and what your interests are. We will be hosting lunch career sessions throughout the year, and all freshmen and sophomores are required to attend at least one session. If you ever need any assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to your counselor. 8th GRADERS Welcome to your second year at D’Evelyn! I truly hope you have a happy, successful and productive year. I will be available to help you in any way I can, and you are always welcome to come talk with me about any concerns or problems you may be having. You can even come in and share good news with me! Eighth graders will be meeting in the cafeteria on Wednesday, August 22, to complete our annual Needs Assessment. This is your opportunity to tell us what you need from Counseling. We will also be meeting once each semester to work on your Individual Career and Academic Plans. One thing to remember is that it is important for you to continue to develop good work habits and study skills as you prepare for high school. If you would like to talk about this further, please come see me. Also, keep in mind that it is important to enjoy yourself, and the best way to do that is to get involved in a sport or extracurricular activity that you enjoy! I consider it a privilege to be your counselor. Mr. Northway 7th GRADERS Welcome seventh graders! This is the beginning of your six-year adventure at D’Evelyn! Every year will be new and different, and each year will have many opportunities for you to learn and enjoy what this school has to offer. Not only “school,” but there are many clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities for you to become involved with. D’Evelyn requires a lot from its students, but when you talk to the upper classmen they will tell you that it’s worth it. Please keep in mind that I am available to help you with anything that may come up. If you have difficulty in one of your classes, with friends, lockers, or anything please come see me and we can work on solutions together. You can come in and see me before school, after school, at lunch, or during a passing period. You will not be counted tardy anytime you need to see me during part of a period. I consider it a privilege to be your counselor. Mr. Northway By Suzanne Roberts, Social Emotional Learning Specialist As D’Evelyn celebrates our 25th year, it provides an opportunity for us to do some reflection – a time to remember the benefits of being a part of our fabulous Jaguar community. As we embark on this celebration, it is natural to want to ensure that we are all feeling our best so that we can recognize the opportunities around each corner. It is in this spirit of fortifying all to have their best year as students, staff, families, and community members that we introduce a year of challenges! These challenges will be consistent across the groups in our community and when challenges are accepted, will give each of us the opportunity to practice something that can help us take care of ourselves while we also are supporting others in our community to do the same. These challenges will be shared with students and staff at school, and with families and community members through Jag Tracks. There will be a new challenge each month that will range from a Gratitude Challenge to a Random Acts of Kindness Challenge. The challenges will be grounded in the Sources of Strength wheel, will provide opportunities to grow our tool kits that help us to handle difficult situations while growing resilience, and will be supported in our student body by our Sources of Strength peer leaders. Watch for announcements in Jag Tracks regarding what our challenge will be each month! Join us by accepting the challenge to take care of yourself and to encourage your family members and others in our community to do the same. Be your best Jaguar this year! |
Jon Watson Archives
April 2022
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