Free mock ACT and SAT tests

Several companies that offer SAT and ACT prep classes also offer free mock ACT and SAT tests. If you decide to do a mock test, make sure to apply for extended time. One of the companies that offer mock tests is Bespoke. Some current 11th grade students have taken tests at one of Bespoke's locations and given positive feedback. Visit Bespoke's website to view multiple test sites and times:

http://www.bespokeeducation.com/mock_testing.cfm

New guidance program prepares students for life after Churchill

To better prepare students for success after high-school, Churchill has created a new comprehensive four-year program where high school guidance counselors Deborah McEntee works with 9^th and 10^th graders and Erin Hugger counsels 11^th and 12^th graders. In addition, head art teacher and Churchill veteran Dennis McKonkey trains 9^th and 10^th graders in self-awareness and self-advocacy. 

 “We're very excited about this new program” Deb said in a recent interview with her and Erin at the new 6^th floor guidance office.

Churchill high school counselors Deborah McEntee and Erin Hugger at the guidance office.

Deb has a background in special education and counseling and Erin used to work as college guidance counselor at Chapin School on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside. Both Erin and Deb have Master’s degrees in school counseling and are New York State certified school counselors. Last year Deb worked as assistant high-school guidance counselor at Churchill.  

Student centered process

The new guidance program is student centered and starts in 9^th grade where students analyze their strengths, weaknesses and interests, learn time management and are exposed to various career options. In 10^th grade, students are slowly introduced to start thinking about post high-school.  10^th graders will begin to make the connection between their own work ethics and how that translates into their career choices and life after Churchill. Students are introduced to Naviance, a computer-based system with a multitude of resources and data on where previous Churchill students have applied to college, been accepted and attended college, their test scores and grades.

In junior year transition preparations become more focused. Building on the foundation laid during the first two years, Erin works with students to plan a path that leads to their desired future endeavors. Most Churchill students attend four-year colleges and tend to do well. Churchill alumni have a retention rate above 90% from college freshmen to sophomore year.

In the beginning of the second semester of 11^th grade, Erin meets with students and their families to discuss college, gap year programs/vocational school options. Student interests and needs, high school grade point average through the first semester of 11^th grade and PSAT scores factor in to this discussion. Spring of junior year/summer after junior year is the time to start working on a resume, visiting colleges and begin drafting the college essay. Students who have an essay draft at the start of 12^th grade are in good shape, Erin says. She calls the transition process “a family affair” and recognizes the vital part parents and other support persons play and the importance of communication between them and the student.

The fall of senior year can be intense. Families and students have follow-up meetings with Erin, finalizing their college lists, gap year/vocational school plans. In school, students attend weekly transitioning classes and college/career planning and preparation learning how to handle college admissions interviews, writing personal essays and working on other writing assignments required for admission packages.
"Start early and stay calm," Erin advises. 

Test prep and college reps at Churchill

Erin and Deb are currently in the process of meeting with test prep companies that have experience working with LD students to explore the possibility of offering a SAT/ACT prep class at Churchill. At Churchill, students are offered to take ACT/SAT at school twice a year (spring and fall).

Another new part of the process is the visits to Churchill by college representatives selected based on their colleges’ LD support and suitability. This fall some 20 college reps are visiting Churchill. In addition, both guidance counselors tour colleges and evaluate alternative post high school programs. Over the past summer Erin visited Northeastern University, Curry College and Clark University, three schools where Churchill alumni have enrolled.

Workshop: Is My Child Ready for College?

Identifying Support for College Bound Students with Learning Differences 

Workshop at the MAIAA Parent Resource Center

October 11, 2012  btw. 6:30-8:00 pm 

Guest speaker - Sherri Maxman, College Advisor

Sherri Maxman will discuss the process of college placement for students with Learning Differences. What are some specific things to think consider for your child when determining a good fit? 

Group size is limited to 12 people. 

Location: 

417 E. 90th Street, 6H 

New York, NY 10128 

Fee: 

$35.00 (non-refundable due to small group size)

Refreshments and light snacks will be served. Please contact Colleen Mariani at colleen@maiaanyc.com or 917-747-2146 to reserve your spot.

MAIAA- A Parent Resource Center
(212) 426-3742
www.maiaanyc.com

Pay less for testing for ACT/SAT extended time

Last school year (2011/2012) I had my son, then a 10th grader,  tested so that he could obtain extended time on the SAT/ACT and get accommodations in college. I did not feel that it was necessary to pay between $5,000-7,000 for this service. Instead I paid $600 and he was tested during the February break at Hofstra by a Ph.D student supervised by her professor, a certified clinical psychologist. After meeting with the testers to discuss their recommendations, I verified that these were consistent with those on his IEP.

Contact information for universities that offer low cost psycho-educational evaluations:
Teachers' College 212-678-3262 (fills up quickly, call early)
Fordham University, 212-636-6483. (fills up quickly, call early)
Hofstra University in Hempstead 516-463-5660
Adelphi University 516-877-4844 (supposedly charges $500 for testing, but did not answer the phone)

The NYC Department of Education performs psycho-educational evaluation for free if you belong to the NYC school system. 

Exploring college at JWU career days

My son Peter has just returned from a career exploration weekend at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in Providence, RI. JWU offers four-year career-oriented college degrees at four campuses (Providence, RI, Charlotte, NC, Miami, FL and Denver, CO) within hospitality, culinary arts, business, technology and arts & science. 

Peter took a bus from New York City on Friday morning and was picked up by a JWU representative in Providence in time for lunch. The first day he spent dining in the school cafeteria, touring the campus, listening to presentations including information about the learning center, and meeting with current JWU students. He shared a dorm room with another high school student for two nights. On Saturday Peter got a taste of hospitality classes during the day and the JWU recreation center in the evening. Sunday morning was check-out. The entire program was just $95.

Peter Stolt (right) and Joseph Schembari at their JWU dorm room. Photo by Christine Negroni.

“I’d recommend a career weekend at JWU for those who have an idea of what they would like to do in life,” Peter says. “It was great to get an idea about how it is to be at a school that is career oriented and not about liberal arts.”

Churchill alumn picked to lead 5,000 students

In college, Churchill alumn Shoshana Rosen turned initial struggles into success. At her recent graduation from University of Maryland (UMD), Shoshana was one of eight Senior Marshalls selected out of 5,000 students to carry UMD’s flag representing her grade.
“It was one of the proudest moments of my life,” Shoshana said at a recent interview at an Upper Eastside coffee shop. “I was leading everyone else.”

Shoshana had to work very hard to earn her success. The adjustment from Churchill to UMD, a large state research university with 300 student freshmen classes, was rough. During her first semester an English professor refused to tolerate any dyslexic errors, even after being informed about Shoshana’s LD issues, and the Writing Center did not offer any proof reading services. Instead, Shoshana paid a proof reader to help weed out typos and grammar errors before handing in her papers. In the beginning of her sophomore year, however, the Writing Center had a new director who was receptive to Shoshana’s self-advocacy.  From then on, the Writing Center helped Shoshana with her papers. As a result of persistence, hard work and obtaining the support she needed, Shoshana made the Dean’s List almost every semester.

“Academically it would have been easier at a smaller school, but for me academics were not the only aspect of college,” Shoshana says. She picked UMD because of its variety of student activities, student diversity and an active Jewish community.
“Socially UMD was the best option for me,” she says.

At UMD, she was able to create her own major, an endeavor that entailed writing a thesis arguing her proposed major and convincing faculty members of its feasibility. Shoshana’s “Children with Special Needs and Family Support” major consisted mainly of courses in psychology, special education and family science.

Throughout her four years at UMD, she participated in many different organizations, including a peer counseling and crisis intervention hotline  She also had an internship at The ARC, an organization that works with families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities where she created an online support network platform that helps families of disabled children ages 0-3  to connect and share experiences. Another advantage with UMD is the proximity to Washington, DC, which Shoshana visited about once a week to spend time at museums, restaurants and enjoy big city life in general.

Shoshana graduated from Churchill in 2008 after being at Churchill since middle school.
“Churchill did a great job teaching me how to learn,” she says. Also, at Churchill “I felt smart for the first time.” Churchill teachers are the best teachers in the world, she says.  Churchill’s supportive and nurturing environment, however, made her unprepared for the harsher UMD reality. No one at Churchill had told her that in college she might get assigned to read 100 pages in one night. She was the first Churchill student to attend UMD while most of her classmates selected smaller schools. Initially she felt as if “I wasn’t expected to succeed at Maryland,” she says.

Shoshana now looks forward to volunteering with families of intellectually and developmentally disabled children in Israel during the coming year. Long term plans include obtaining a master’s degree in Social Work and running a support center for families with intellectually and developmentally disabled children using a holistic approach including art therapy, teaching social skills, and offering sibling and family counseling.

Shoshana’s advice to Churchill HS students and their families: Students: know yourself and pick a school where you can see yourself for four years (or more). Parents: It’s not about the name of the school, but what the student wants and the college being able to provide the support the student needs to succeed.

Churchill alumn Julia teaches art at Churchill

Julia Romano took a gap year before attending college. Now she teaches at Churchill.

When Julia Romano, 25, was a senior at Churchill, she applied to college “because that’s what everyone else was doing so that’s what I was doing too,” she said in a recent interview at the Churchill Middle School art room. She applied to 12 schools, which resulted in 11 acceptances and one wait-listing. After a few weeks at a college in New Hampshire, however, Julia realized that she had made a mistake and dropped out. Instead, she spent her first year after high school working in retail and pondering future career plans.

“I gained a lot of responsibility and independence,” Julia says about her time as a retail employee. Adult life also sparked a desire and motivation to obtain higher education and focus on art. She had friends at Manhattanville College and became interested in the school’s strong programs in art and education. When her acceptance letter from Manhattanville (the only college she applied to) arrived Julia was very excited.

“I was hungry for new challenges,” she says. During her freshman year at Manhattanville, Julia was enrolled in The Higher Education Learning (HELP) Program, an individualized support program where she worked with a tutor who helped her with papers and essays. After her freshman year she did not need the Help Program, which costs extra, anymore. Overall, she had a rewarding college experience.

“My grades were much better in college than in high school, she says. She is dyslexic and had to work very hard, and credits the solid foundation built at Churchill for her success mastering her college courses. Having never studied any foreign language prior to college, Julia took two language courses and studied art history for a semester in Barcelona, Spain where she also enrolled in an intensive Spanish language course.

Dennis McConkey, Churchill’s head art teacher, has been a mentor for Julia and remembers her as a nine-year old. “She was the kind of kid that you knew was going to become a good adult,” Dennis says. In addition to being a serious student, he remembers her artistic skills. Julia and many other Churchill students are talented artists, but they are not fully aware of the significance of their creative gifts until they are in a different learning environment, he says. Julia and Dennis share values regarding teaching and art. “She often says exactly what I was going to say,” he says, "I’m passing on the torch.”

Julia recalls Dennis telling her early on that one day she’d make a good art teacher. During her senior year in college, Julia applied for teaching jobs at various LD schools in New York City. After she graduated in the spring of 2010, an assistant science teacher opening materialized at Churchill elementary school. A year later, she landed a position as middle school art teacher. She enjoys being back at Churchill and having some of her former teachers as colleague. The feeling is mutual.

“It is funny to have one of my former students as a colleague,” Dennis says.