Lucrative College Majors

NPR posted this great piece today about the 10 Most (and Least) Lucrative College Majors. This is really something to start thinking about!

8 of the 10 most lucrative majors are in the engineering fields, and 1 is in computer science - whoa, McKee students. You are seriously on the forefront of a really nice career and salary in your life!

If you don't actually read the article, at least read this line, which is the best and most important advice you could receive on choosing a college/major:

What you major in has a bigger influence over your income than where you go to school, according to Anthony Carnevale, an economist at Georgetown University.

 Here is also a more thorough chart with info on salary increases by majors:
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Degrees_that_Pay_you_Back-sort.html

-Ms. Miller

Overcoming Obstacles

Today was the first day we began presenting Overcoming Obstacles in the classroom. We were lucky enough to receive this program in our school free of charge from the NYC Gifting Initiative! Overcoming Obstacles is a life skills program that teaches students over 20 important life skills that all young people need, starting with a strong foundation of the most critical skills: communication, decision making, and goal setting.

With the help of our wonderful History department, Mr. Jeff Thomas and I did an introductory lesson with some of the freshmen and sophomore classes today and it went great! The students responded really well to the topics we were talking about and presenting and we're really looking forward to going further in this program with them.

You can find out more about Overcoming Obstacles at www.overcomingobstacles.org.

-Ms. Miller

College Fair

Yesterday was McKee High School's College Fair and it was a real success! Our seniors, juniors, and some sophomores got the opportunity to speak with college representatives and find out information about some schools they may not have known about otherwise! This was a really great chance for our students to find out what is offered at different schools and the wide range of opportunities they have ahead of them. My sincerest thank you to the schools who attended and spoke to our students yesterday:
Wood-Tobe Coburn
Kingsborough Community College
CUNY Central
Kean University
SUNY Maritime College
SUNY Alfred
Institute of Design and Construction
NY Career Institute
Berkeley College
DeVry University
Lincoln Tech
NYIT
College of Staten Island
WorkForce1
US Army
US Marines

We had a great turnout of school and a great turnout of interested students. Thanks so much for your time and effort, representatives! Looking forward to seeing everyone again in the spring and next fall!

-Ms. Miller

College Fair

Parents and students!!

On Tuesday October 9th we will be holding our McKee High School College Fair (yaaay!!!)!

McKee students: seniors and juniors will be taken during their shop periods, and selected underclassmen will also be taken to the fair with their class.

McKee parents: you are invited, too! If you would like to come to speak to some college representatives, 6th period (11:50am to 12:30pm) will be open for you to visit.

We were lucky enough to have many city, state, and private institutions agree to attend, as well as some areas of the military, WorkForce1, and a representative from HESC to give you information on paying for college. Here are some of the schools that will be attending:

Lincoln Technical Institute
LIU Brooklyn
Institute of Design and Construction
The City University of New York
New York Career Institute
KEAN University
CUNY City College of Technology
CUNY Kingsborough Community College
Wood Tobe-Coburn
Universal Technical Institute
SUNY Maritime College
New York Institute of Technology
SUNY Alfred
CUNY New Community College
Mobile Technical Training
Berkeley College
US Navy
US Air Force
US Army
US Marines
WorkForce1

Please call me (parents) or visit me (students) if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing you at the College Fair on Tuesday October 9th!

Positive Affirmations

Affirmations are positive statements that describe a desired situation, and which are repeated many times, in order to impress the subconscious mind and trigger it into positive action. This means you repeat it over and over to yourself in order to convince your brain into thinking and processing it as the truth. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the affirmations, they have to be repeated with attention, conviction, interest and desire.

The best positive affirmations to repeat are short and easy to remember. Repeat them every time your mind is not engaged in something important, like when you're taking the bus or train to school, but do not affirm while crossing a street, or while sitting in class or while taking a test!

Relax any physical, emotional or mental tension when you start repeating it to yourself (also known as "affirming"). The stronger the concentration, the more faith you have in what you are doing, the more feelings you put into the act, the stronger and faster will be the results.

Choose only positive words, describing what you really want. If you desire to lose weight, do not tell yourself "I am not fat" or "I am losing weight." These are negative statements, bringing into the mind mental images of what you do not want. Say instead, "I am getting slim" or "I have reached my right weight". Such words evoke positive images in the mind.

Always affirm in the present tense, not the future tense. Saying, "I will be rich", means that you intend to be rich one day, in the indefinite future, but not now. It's more effective to say, and also feel, "I am rich now", and the subconscious mind will work at overtime to make this happen now, in the present.

The power of affirmations can help you to transform your life. By stating what you want to be true in your life, you mentally and emotionally see and feel it as true, no matter what your current circumstances are, and thereby attract it into your life.

Today's positive affirmation for you repeat to yourself as often as you can is this:

I AM SUCCESSFUL IN WHATEVER I DO

Positive Mental Attitude! PMA!!!

-Ms. Miller

Seniors!

McKee's class of 2012 is set to graduate in just about 2 weeks and I couldn't be more excited for all of you!! Last night (June 7th) was the McKee 2012 Prom and all of the seniors looked incredible! The party was at The Vanderbilt on Staten Island. The DJ was great!! Everyone was dancing all night; students and teachers. I know I had a great time dancing all night at prom. I might have been more excited to celebrate with my seniors last night than I was at my own prom! Here are some pictures to show you what a great time everyone had and how AMAZING everyone looked.

They definitely danced a lot all night!

 
The lovely prom King and Queen: Izzy Alcivar and Nathalie Ubaldegaray! 

 
Ms. Miller (that's me!) with students Anu McPherson and Aaron Oquendo, with Ms. Starkey - who put the whole prom together. Great job, Ms. Starkey!!

I hope everyone had a great time! It definitely looked like everyone did. Also, I hope everyone was SAFE after prom!

I'd also just like to throw in a quick note here. 

I've only been your Guidance Counselor at McKee for about 8 months, but it has truly been MY privilege to be your Counselor. As your Guidance Counselor and as a member of the McKee community, I've learned what it means to truly LOVE your job and feel fulfilled by the work that you do everyday. To the 2012 Senior class: thank you for being some of the most amazing, coolest, funniest, smartest kids I've ever met. I wish I could have gone through your four years of high school with you but I hope to hear about your upcoming years of college/work/whatever you do! I wish you all the best of luck and I know you'll do great things - I'll try my best to take some credit when you get famous ;). 

To my underclassmen, I'm excited to keep working with you and see you through high school and work together to make it the best few years of your life! 

This doesn't mean the school year is over (sorry to be a bummer). Check the schedule for Regents and make sure you go to tutoring!! Some of you seniors still need to pass Regents in order to graduate - this means if you do not pass the required Regents, you will unfortunately NOT be able to take part in the graduation ceremony. Parents, please be aware of this and contact either me or Ms. Ippolito to find out if your child falls in this situation. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Fingers crossed for no rain!!

-Ms. Miller

Why Four-Year College?

FOUR YEAR COLLEGE
A four-year college education, or bachelor's degree, can open doors and prepare students for a wide variety of rewarding careers.
While all four-year colleges hope to attract bright, well-prepared students, colleges vary greatly in their size, admission requirements, costs, and in the majors they offer.
At most four-year colleges, students take about half of their courses in their major (the subject they have chosen to study in depth). The rest of their courses are required general education courses (English, science, history, math, etc.) and electives (courses they want to take).

COLLEGE PREPARATION
Colleges recommend that students follow a college prep program in high school, and that they get the highest possible grades. 

College Prep Courses
Most colleges recommend that students take the following college prep courses in high school:
4 years of English
3-4 years of math (including Algebra I, Geometry and Trigonometry/Algebra II)
3 years of social studies
3 years of science
2-3 years of the same foreign language*
1 year of fine or performing arts*

*The NYC DOE Public High School requirement for foreign language recently changed to 2 credits, which is equal to 1 year. McKee offers 1 year of Spanish to our students to meet graduation requirements. We also offer one year of General Art class to meet the 2 credits of Art/Music requirement.

Competitive schools and programs consider the above to be the minimum requirements. They commend that students take advanced courses when possible. Students who haven't taken several of the above recommended college prep courses may want to start at a community college or at a college's branch campus. The requirements for admission are less competitive, the classes are smaller, and there's less pressure.

Activities and Interests
Colleges are looking for students who are active and involved. Develop your interests, skills, and talents, and get involved in activities in your high school and your community.

CHOOSING A COLLEGE
There are many things to consider when you choose a college.

Size
Do you want to go to a large school with lots of majors and activities, or to a small school with fewer students and smaller classes?

Academic Programs
If you have a specific subject you want to study, you need to find the colleges that offer that major. If you don't know what subject you want to study, look for a college with a variety of majors.

Location
Where do you want to go to college? Staying in Staten Island? Living at home but commuting to NYC? In another state completely? In an urban or rural area?

Admission Requirements
Look for colleges that accept students with grades and test scores similar to yours.

Cost
If cost is a concern, keep the following in mind:

• public colleges (in-state) are generally less expensive than private colleges
• you can save money by living at home and commuting, or by starting at a community college
• there is a great deal of financial aid available!!

Here is a very, very general and broad college outline. As I continue this blog, I will be adding more about month-by-month steps for each grade level.

9th grade
Get off to a good start academically. Look for ways to develop your interests and talents.

10th grade
Consider taking the PSAT.

11th grade
-Take the PSAT in October.
-Begin to seriously research your college options.
-Start thinking of your interests and abilities in terms of possible college majors.
-Talk to your counselor about your college plans.
-Take the ACT and/or SAT in the spring.
-Make college visits. 

12th grade
-Retake the ACT and/or SAT, if necessary
-Fill out applications. Be aware of deadlines.
-Meet with your counselor to discuss your college plans, possible majors, financial aid, etc.
-If you are applying for financial aid, apply for your PIN and submit your FAFSA as after January 1 as possible.

Finally, the internet knows a lot more than me about all of this. Here are some extremely helpful websites:
www.collegeboard.com
www.educationplanner.org
www.finaid.org
www.actstudent.org
studentaid.ed.gov
www.collegesavings.org

-Ms. Miller

REGENTS

18 DAYS UNTIL FINALS BEGIN (12 FOR SENIORS!)

26 DAYS UNTIL REGENTS BEGIN!! Please see the Regents schedule for June 2012!! Please be on the lookout for Regents prep and tutoring after school!

40 DAYS UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR (that's actually only 27 SCHOOL DAYS left!)

The end of the year is fast approaching!! That doesn't mean it's any time to slack off, though - keep working hard to bring up whatever grades may have dropped in the second marking period, or just keep working to get your great grades even higher and greater!! (Can you tell I'm excited for summer and am a fan of exclamation points?)

As it gets closer to finals week, I will be posting the schedule for all students and parents to be aware. If you have any questions leading up to them, please get in touch!

-Ms. Miller

Show Me app

Have you heard about this cool new iPad app called Show Me? Our students in the AVID program have been utilizing this very cool app as a classroom tool to teach and learn lessons. Students are able to create and share lessons that they make with each other and with the world on the Show Me website. Check out some of the lessons our AVID students have made here: http://www.showme.com/mckeehighschool

ALSO! Congratulations to some of our seniors, Caleb King, Epifanio Ortiz, Corey Newell-Hopkins, Jonathan Cortes and Patrick Fleming on their exit interview from the Construction Skills Program.  
The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills provides pre-apprenticeship training that prepares graduating New York City public high school seniors for entry into unionized building and construction trades apprenticeship programs.
The pre-apprenticeship program is designed to prepare New York City public high school students for the rigors of the construction industry.  Through the provision of classroom and hands-on training, students complete the program armed with the skills necessary to be successful in the unionized construction industry.
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates of Construction Skills are referred to union apprenticeship programs through a “direct entry” track.  In other words, Construction Skills graduates earn access to union building and construction trades apprenticeship opportunities without going through the public recruitment process.

This is a great motivator for sophomores and juniors in the Construction shop to keep in mind! Successful students will be referred to the program by Mr. O'Connell, the Construction teacher, and will be able to receive even more support from outside the building through this program. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to work in the construction field right after high school?? If construction is your field, make sure you talk to Mr. O'Connell about this opportunity!

-Ms. Miller

Thank you, from Ms. Ippolito

Ralph R. McKee High School held its very successful second annual Career Fair on Thursday, May 3, 2012.  The Career Fair consisted of over twenty professionals from various career and technical areas.  Professionals included Nick Manfredi and Frank Agostino; Emil Galante from Galante Home Improvement; Leroy Cooper from Lincoln Tech; Lawrence Chiarelli from Poly Tech; Richard Rothenberg from Fashion Institute of Technology; FDNY; William Smith and Dan Wardrope, Construction Managers for the State of NY (DASNY); William Ellis (Graphics); Dan Morio, Information Technology (NYCDOE); Alan Broth, Information Technology from Queens Hospital; William Bonner, CFN Network Leader; Tracy Brown, author and former student; Cheryl Farrell, Cristelle Yamada and Julia Harris who are engineers in different areas of construction and computer science; Carol Burt, National Association of Women in Construction; Denise Schiera, salon owner; Samantha Bernadine, NYS My Health Careers. 

The McKee High School students have received immense support from these professionals. We feel especially privileged to have had some of these individuals join us in the past.  Their dedication and consistency has reinforced and enhanced our efforts and ability to assist our students through active engagement, providing materials/information to our students and discussing internship and employment opportunities available for the CTE areas.

The goal is to prepare students for careers in Architecture, Computer Networking, Computer Graphics, Construction Technology, Automotive Technology and Cosmetology.  McKee students experience great success in higher education, internships and employment. Having professionals visit our school is the ideal means to experience what we offer as a career and academic institution.  It also provides our students with more exposure to the career and technical fields, develops their knowledge and enhances their skills. Our staff is thankful to the professionals who have taken the time to assist us toward our goal to motivate and encourage our students to continue exploring, enhancing their skills and pursuing the career and technical areas.

Joyce Ippolito, Guidance Counselor

Do you know about Pupil Path??

Parents,
Do you know about Pupil Path? It's a great website program that McKee uses to keep everyone connected - staff, teachers, parents, and students. On Pupil Path, you can check your child's current academic progress, their attendance, and anecdotal logs left by teachers. If you already know about this website and have been utilizing it, that's great! You already know the benefits of using Pupil Path. If you didn't know about this program, I'm here to help you with it.

The website is www.PupilPath.com; you will need a registration code to get into this program. You can call your student's Guidance Counselor (myself at 718.420.2619 or Ms. Ippolito at 718.420.2629) to receive your code. Once you have it, log onto the website and click the link that says, "New User? Signup Here!" From here, you will select "Parent," and give your information. Your own personal e-mail address is required. Please use one that you check often, as you will receive updates or messages from teachers there! On the next page, you will input your child's information. Choose "Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School," their 9-digit student ID number, their birthday and YOUR registration code (Your child can also register; they should go to their Guidance Counselor to get their separate registration code). After this step, you will  be able to create your own unique password and use it to log into the website.

Please utilize Pupil Path as it is something that our school is starting to use more widely and it will be a very important source of information for you and your child, and a very simple and convenient way to monitor your child's progress. Don't hesitate to call with any questions about the website and how to get yourself onto it!

-Ms. Miller