Making Your List and Checking It Twice

I am here to answer any questions you or the students might have regarding applications. For some of you, there have been some last minute changes to your child's list of schools. Others may have trouble with entering information in the online forms. Many have asked, "How do you fit all the information in these little boxes and under 250 characters?!" Just know you are not alone. If you have a question, most likely someone else does too.

Please note the following:

Mitty, Bellarmine, and St. Francis applications are due Friday, December 17th. Transcripts and teacher recommendations will be mailed separately and are not due to those schools until February 4th.

Official transcripts will be mailed home for you to review over Winter Break. After your review, a copy will be sent to any schools to which your child is applying.

With the exception of Sacred Heart School in Atherton, the independent school applications are due January 13th. Sacred Heart is due January 6th. Students can finish essays and factual information for independent school applications and submit them over the break or the first week back to school in January.

The final No-Homework Weekend is January 22 and 23. Many students choose to take the HSPT or ISEE that weekend.

Notre Dame and Presentation applications are due January 26 and 28, respectively. I am happy to review essay drafts for these schools at any time. They can be emailed to me or students can drop them off in my office.

November-December Task List

Thanksgiving is next week, Winter Break is quickly approaching, and that means there is a lot of work to be done on high school applications!

1) Students living within the Los Gatos High School boundaries will bring home LGHS registration materials today. Even if your child is not considering LGHS as one of his/her schools, please read the enclosed letter and return the required materials by Nov. 29. Let me know if you have any questions.

2) Mitty, Bellarmine, and St. Francis applications are due December 17. Students applying to these schools should be editing their essay drafts and inputing information into the online applications. We are also using class time to do this.

Important Dates:
By Nov. 23:
• Students speak with teachers about writing their recommendations.

By Nov. 29:
• Return LGHS registration materials
• Submit revised essay drafts for Mitty, Bellarmine, St. Francis to Ms. Maisel in High School Decisions class. Continue working on essays for other schools.

Dec. 4-6:
• No-HW weekend
• ISEE test at Hillbrook
• Complete and submit Mitty, Bell, St. Francis applications. Revise essay drafts for other schools.

Test registration

ISEE/SSAT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
Students applying to independent schools must take either the ISEE or the SSAT. Several test dates and locations are available.

The deadline to register for the December 4th ISEE test at Hillbrook is November 13. The ISEE is also offered on other dates at Hillbrook and other schools. To view the list of test dates, locations, and registration deadlines, go to www.erbtest.org and click on Parents > Admission > ISEE.

The deadline to register for the December 11th SSAT test is November 19. Visit www.ssat.org for more information.

Students applying to Catholic schools must take the HSPT.
The HSPT is offered at the Catholic schools on three Saturdays in January: 8th, 15th, and 22nd. Register for the HSPT via the Admissions page on the school's website. Make sure to register before Winter Break.

Forms, Brag Sheet, Essays, and No-Homework Weekend

Forms:
Students received a folder today for all transcript release, teacher recommendation, and other principal/counselor forms. For every school your child is applying to, please complete the student information section of the forms, sign if necessary, and return with stamped addressed envelopes. Page 45 in the HSD booklet explains the required forms and how to turn them in. In addition to the Catholic school forms passed out today, independent school forms can be printed off school websites and added to the folder with envelopes.

Forms are due November 15 (Monday after the no-HW weekend) in the High School Decisions class.

Brag Sheet:
Many students have already completed a significant portion of their brag sheet in High School Decisions. The remainder needs to be completed at home in a Word document, emailed to Ms. Maisel (or printed out and turned in). Please refer to pp. 48-49 in the HSD booklet for more information. Brag sheets are due November 15 as well.

Essays:
Mr. Bonoma will introduce some key concepts for personal essay writing on Wednesday in English class. On Thursday, students will have the opportunity in English class to share examples of their work and continue working on their essays. A draft will be due for English class and Mr. Bonoma and Ms. Maisel will review them and provide feedback. Refer to the HW assignments section on the portal for the essay draft due date.


No-Homework Weekend:
Students should use the No-Homework Weekend November 13-14 to complete high school paperwork, brag sheets, and an essay draft. Paperwork and brag sheets are due November 15.

Upcoming paperwork to turn in

Please note the revised dates for turning in paperwork for transcript release, teacher recommendations, and brag sheet. Paperwork will be due November 15 (Monday after the no-HW weekend) in the High School Decisions class.

Students applying to Catholic schools do NOT need to print the transcript release and teacher recommendation forms. We will print the forms for the students and send them home next week. Forms should be signed and returned with envelopes to Ms. Maisel by November 15.

Students applying to independent schools will need to print the teacher recommendation and transcript release forms and give them to Ms. Maisel with envelopes by November 15.

Please see p.45 in the HSD booklet for details regarding the required forms and how/when to turn them in.

Information regarding transcript release, recommendations, and brag sheets will be explained to students during the HSD class next week.

We will also be working on essays in the next two weeks.

Recommendation and Transcript Release Forms

Students applying to Catholic schools do NOT need to print the transcript release and teacher recommendation forms. We will print the forms for the students and send them home in the next week. Forms should be signed and returned with envelopes to Ms. Maisel by the end of October.

Students applying to independent schools will need to print the teacher recommendation and transcript release forms and bring them to Ms. Maisel with envelopes by the end of October.

Please see p.45 in the HSD booklet for more information.

This information will be explained to students during the HSD class in the coming week.

Boarding Schools

On Wednesday, October 13, the Associate Director of Admissions at Thacher School, Aaron Mieszczanski, will visit Hillbrook's campus. He will remain on campus from 3:15 to 4:00pm to allow interested students the chance to have an informal conversation about Thacher. Please let me know if your child is interested in staying after school to visit with Mr. Mieszczanski.

Additionally, every October the Town School in San Francisco hosts a Boarding School Fair for students and parents. Anyone is invited. Boarding school representatives from every region in the United States attend this event; these schools are members of the National Association of Independent Schools. Attending this event, Sunday, October 17, 2010 from 11:00-2:00 will offer you insight into the boarding school choices and experience. Visit www.townschool.com where you will find a link to the Boarding School Fair; all information is there.

Essay Writing for High School Applications

In early November, students will begin drafting essays in High School Decisions. Essay drafts will be due mid-November. Mr. Bonoma and Ms. Maisel will provide guidance to the students, but they will also need to do a majority of the writing on their own time. Students can use no-homework weekends to write essays. There is one no-homework weekend per month.

No-HW weekend dates:

October 9-11
November 13-14
December 4-6
January 22-23

Notre Dame 8th Grade Day

Notre Dame's 8th Grade Day is November 5th. Registration for this event is now open. Click on the following link if you are interested in attending.

http://archive.ndsj.org/admissions/8th_grade_day_f_Student.html

Student Program
8th Grade Day is an opportunity for current 8th grade students to see the campus, meet the faculty, enjoy lunch with fellow students, explore high school curriculum, and get to know what the ND spirit is all about! Register

Parent Program
Notre Dame also offers a program for a limited number of parents of interested 8th grade students to see the campus, meet the faculty and students, and experience the ND community in action.

High School Decisions CD

The book that students have received in their High School Decisions class is available on CD for parents and will be passed out at Back to School Night. If you are unable to attend, please email me and I will send a CD home with your child.

High Schools visit Hillbrook

Monday marked the first day of many visits from Admissions Directors of local independent and Catholic secondary schools. During the High School Decisions class period, Admissions Directors speak to the 8th grade about their schools and answer the students' questions. All students attend these presentations. The reason for this is simple, the more students learn about high schools in general, the more informed their decision will be when they finally choose their school.

Cathy Shelburne, Director of Admissions at Menlo School, spoke with the class on Monday September 13. Some questions that came up were:

What kinds of clubs and activities do you have?
Is there a uniform?
What sports do you offer and what leagues are you in?
What is the campus like?

The next visit will be September 23 by Tom Sheppard, Director of Admissions at Stevenson School. By the end of October students also will have listened to representatives from Kirby, Bellarmine, Notre Dame, Castilleja, Mitty, Woodside Priory, St. Francis, Harker, Presentation, and Santa Catalina.

Catholic High School Information Nights

The format of the Catholic High School Information Nights is that each school makes ½ hour presentations, so it is possible to see three school presentations during the evening. Usually the Admissions Director is making the presentation and sometimes there are student representatives, sometimes not. These informational evenings are helpful if you know very little about the high schools, can’t attend an Open House in October or November, or you just want one more opportunity to learn something else about one or more Catholic high schools. All programs run from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. No reservations are required.

Dates and Locations:

Tuesday, September 14
Most Holy Trinity School
Cunningham, Ave., San Jose

Thursday, September 16
St. Lucy School
Kennedy Ave., Campbell

Monday, September 20
St. Catherine School
Peak Ave., Morgan Hill

Thursday, September 23
St. Clare School
Washington St., Santa Clara

Tuesday, September 28
Holy Spirit School
Redmond Ave., San Jose

Thursday, September 30
St. John Vianney School
Hyland Ave., San Jose

Schedule Shadow Visits

Most Catholic high schools open their shadow visit calendars on September 1st. Spots fill up quickly, so be sure to contact schools as soon as possible. Good dates to consider shadowing are:

October 11
October 29
November 1
December 6

Otherwise, make sure to tell Ms. Maisel and your advisor which days you will be missing for shadow visits.

Saso Fall HSPT Prep Course

If your child will be applying to any Catholic schools, he or she will need to take the Catholic High School Placement Test (HSPT).

Steve Saso will be offering a fall HSPT prep course on Friday afternoons at Hillbrook, beginning September 24th. To register your child, visit his website www.sasohighschoolprep.com.

August "To Do" list

1) Meet with Mr. Hinrichs and Ms. Maisel.
2) Request all application information from high schools (if not available online).
3) Schedule shadow days. Catholic schools open Shadow calendar September 1.

Schedule meeting with Mr. Hinrichs & Ms. Maisel

Contact Brent Hinrichs and Eden Maisel by email to arrange an initial parent meeting to discuss high school options. We will schedule meetings between August 11 and 20 and September 6 and 17.