Counselor Podcast 1

The podcast hosts, Ms. Lovejoy and Ms. Jackson, introduce themselves and their educational backgrounds. They discuss the importance of a well-rounded transcript with specific requirements for each grade level. Freshmen should check their classes and make up any failed credits. Sophomores have specific required courses to take. Juniors need to be aware of upcoming applications and testing. Seniors need to ensure they have all necessary credits to graduate and should follow up on college applications and scholarships. They also discuss the FAFSA, cap and gown orders, and upcoming events and communication. They encourage students to ask questions and seek help when needed. Hey guys, and welcome to our first ever Black Diamond Counselor Podcast. We wanted to create a podcast so that we could share with you guys all the things in a way that you guys can listen to it on the go or you can reference it later. We're the counselors. I'm Ms. Lovejoy. And I'm Ms. Jackson. And we're excited to be talking to you guys. So we're going to break the ice and we're going to ask each other some questions or we're just going to answer questions. And the question today is, where and when did you graduate college? Ms. Jackson's going to go first. So I attended Mid-America Christian University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Behavioral Science and Ethics and went on to earn my Master's Degree in Education School Counseling from East Central University. What about you? I am much more boring than that. I went to A&M for a little bit in Texas and then I moved to Durant and went to Southeastern. And I originally was going to get my degree in Aviation Science. And then I changed it to Aviation Management. And then later on I came and got my Master's in School Counseling. So yeah, and now I'm in South Eastern as well. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So we're going to go into information that you guys need to know just per grade level. So I'm going to talk a little bit about just ultimately what your transcript needs to look like. Okay. So for everyone and their reference on what a transcript needs to have, you need to have four histories. You need to have four Englishes. You need to have three science and three math. You need to have three math on the high school campus. Yes. So if you had Algebra I in the eighth grade, you'll definitely want to make sure you have three math on the high school campus. Yes. Or not pre-calc, I'm sorry, pre-algebra in eighth grade. And that doesn't count, right? Correct. Okay. So then you also need to make sure that you have two years of computers or a foreign language and one year of a sign language. Okay. Remember that it's half credit, which is a semester. Right. And you need a whole credit, which is two semesters. Right. So keep that in mind. So freshmen, we want you guys to remember to make sure to check your classes for next year. If you have failed anything as a freshman, you will need to make sure to make up those credits. So you need to be communicating with your counselors if you did fail something as a freshman. Also, we will be coming into classrooms to register for fall. So be thinking about what are some things you're wanting to take as a sophomore, but also what you have to take as a sophomore, which would be your English 2. Geometry. If you passed algebra, then you're going to have to take your biology. And I'm blanking. U.S. government. U.S. government. There you go. So those are the things. If you didn't fail anything as a freshman, you still have to take those as sophomores. Okay. Ms. Jackson sent a talk to the juniors and what they need to be thinking about. All right, juniors. We've got a lot to look forward to this spring. I want to let you know that you need to be on the lookout for the Oklahoma Boys and Girls State applicants. So if you're interested in attending the summer conference, those applications will be released quickly. So make sure you listen for announcements. Check your Google Classroom and ParentSquare for that information or StudentSquare. Also, ICTC applications are due and interviews are being held in February. Concurrent enrollment at Carl Albert will open in late March. So pay attention to those application windows. You will also take the spring ACT and CCRA testing in April. I want to remind everybody that these tests are mandatory participation for graduation. So you do have to participate in testing in order to graduate. Okay. So you must take the ACT on our campus. You must take the U.S. History, Science, and juniors and below will take the U.S. Naturalization. And, again, you have to pass the naturalization test. CCRA and ACT are participation tests. Yeah, so that's a great question. The U.S. Naturalization is given every year. So starting your sophomore year, you will take the test. If you don't pass it, you can take it as many times as you need to upon request. But we are also mandated to offer it at least once a year for anybody that needs to take it. Yep, we're going to do credit checks this spring. We are going to do pre-enrollment. So kind of be looking over your transcripts, making sure you've got all those classes that you guys look forward to enrolling for senior year. Okay, seniors, final credit checks. Make sure that you have all the courses that you need to graduate. That is super important, and we can't check too many times. If you have questions, stop by see your counselor, and we will make sure that you are prepared for graduation. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yep. Yes, and if you are in concurrent enrollment for dual credit, you need to make sure you're taking care of business at Carl Albert because it does count for high school credit, which can affect your graduation if you do not pass those classes. So make sure you're taking care of your business on campus and at Carl Albert if you are a concurrent student. Also important, we need to make sure that you are following up and confirming college applications and scholarships. So let's say you applied in the fall, and you kind of need to know the status of your application. We can reach out to those colleges and universities and check on that and let you know where you stand and kind of what you need to do to finish up your application, maybe enroll in classes, secure your housing, and things of that nature. So it's important to follow up on those things and make sure they are in place and ready to go. You also need to check your email, your school and personal email for communications from colleges because I know a lot of the times we encourage you not to put your school email when you do your applications because you do lose access to that at some point. So make sure that you are checking your personal email for communication so that you do not miss any deadlines. Oh, and the dreaded FAFSA. I know it's been hard for seniors this year with their FAFSA. We don't really have a whole lot of updated information, but we are encouraging seniors to make sure that they document any kind of communication that they have if they're having any trouble. What else do you know? So FAFSA, again, is free money. So make sure that you get those applications completed. I know, again, there's been some issues with the launch of the new FAFSA. Ms. Merrill has been in senior classes, so make sure you guys have the necessary logins and FFA IDs to successfully complete that. Again, be diligent in completing those applications. Make sure your parents are aware that they will have a portion of the application to complete. But once you do complete that, that is free money that you do not have to pay back if you qualify, and that's really important as we look at finances associated with college. You missed that, and you weren't in Mr. Bateman's class. Whenever Ms. Merrill came to do that, send us an email, and we can maybe set up a time for Ms. Merrill to come back and meet with students that maybe weren't there that day. Absolutely. So feel free to reach out and let us know so we can get that set up. Okay, what's next on our list? Okay, make sure that you have ordered your cap and gown. If you have questions about a cap and gown or need a cap and gown, stop by the counselor's office. We can help you take care of that if you have not already done so. On a side note, we, the counselors, will order your Cherokee Nation stoles. So don't worry about doing those applications. We submit names, and they will send us those stoles, and we will hand them out here on campus. I know that JOM is going to be ordering all other tribal stoles aside from the Cherokee Nation. So we will take care of that this spring. Okay. I'm going to do a few questions because there's a lot on here. We want to remind you guys to make sure you're doing your PFL, and that is being done in Mr. Bateman's class, and he has a model for you all. Remember, if you don't get those done, you cannot graduate. That is a requirement. The same thing with CPR. I know there's quite a few of you guys that have maybe finished it but not printed it out and turned it in, and that needs to be done so we can put those on your transcript and that can be completed. ICAP. ICAP is also a requirement. We'll be in senior world history classes to complete those ICAP checks in April. Yes. That's important. Okay. The college fair is a mandatory event for all seniors in order to get that internship credit for ICAP. Okay. Also, apply for local scholarships. Check your senior Google Classroom. Guys, I would say probably three, four times a week or posting things on your Google Classroom, even for juniors. I posted something for juniors yesterday. So you guys need to be checking that, and I know you all get a lot of alerts. I know it's kind of overwhelming, but try to keep up with some of those. But also, remind your parents to check Parent Square. That's how our whole district is communicating with parents. So make sure that we're doing that. It's really important. Yes. Okay. And ultimately, we want you guys to finish strong and take care of business, and sometimes that just means asking questions. So we're here for that, and let us know if you need any help. Okay, seniors. I want to kind of reiterate. It is seniors. I want to reiterate how important it is that you are checking your email, your Google Classroom, your Student Square, your parents are checking their Parent Square for vital communication regarding graduation and spring events. Our calendar is going to be booked this spring, and you need to be aware of what's going on, where you need to be, how you need to dress. All the things that are associated with graduation and baccalaureate will be posted on your email and Student Square. So please be sure to check that information. A lot of the things that we do for graduation, parents are proud of you. They want to see you participate and have all of the things. So make sure that you are paying attention to those deadlines and dates of events. Okay. All right. So those are all really good things. That's all we have for today. This is our first podcast, so give us a little break. But we're excited to be able to talk with you guys and get y'all information that you can reference or maybe listen to later whenever you have some time. And again, if y'all don't have any questions or if y'all do have some questions, make sure y'all email us or just come and see us. All right. We'll see y'all later. Make your choices and go Black Diamonds. Thank you.