End of summer

WHOA!

Summer is almost over! It's been a busy one for me so I apologize for the COMPLETE lack of posts on here over the past 2 months. But school is starting back up so soon and I'm really excited for the 2012-13 school year at McKee. We're going to have some new activities going on during and after school, you're going to be seeing me in your classroom more often doing class lessons, and everything is going be awesome and exciting.

To all McKee students who have been attending summer school at Curtis, congratulations! Today is the final day, and you have a nice 2 weeks off until school starts up again. I hope you never have to take summer school again! But I'm sure you're just glad it's over right now. For those that attended everyday and worked hard to get their credit, good for you! You deserve these 2 weeks of relaxation before you start working hard again.

I hope you're as excited for the new school year as I am, and if you're not, then GET EXCITED! We all have to work together to start off this school year (and every school year, and everything we do!) thinking positively and optimistically. POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE!

• Positive mental attitude (PMA) is the philosophy that having an optimistic disposition in every situation in one's life attracts positive changes and increases achievement. It employs a state of mind that continues to seek, find and execute ways to win, or find a desirable outcome, regardless of the circumstances. It opposes negativity, defeatism and hopelessness. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_mental_attitude)

I just got an idea. At least once a week, I will post a positive affirmation for you to think about and repeat to yourself throughout the day to get your brain on a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE kick! PMA!

Well, here's to the end of summer being better than the rest of the summer. Enjoy yourselves and be safe!

-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