SJDL

HIGH SCHOOL

9TH - 11TH COUNSELING NIGHT

Mrs. Sanchez & Mrs. Williams

INTRODUCTION

Welcome Saint Jeanne families! We are thrilled to start the new year with you and your students.

AGENDA

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School Year At-A Glance

Academic Info & Graduation Requirements

Maia Learning & Information Systems

College & Career

Counseling Resources

School Year At-A-Glance

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IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES

School Dates:

• September 9th: Back to School Night
• September 10th: Grandparents Day & Spring 2025 Honor Roll after Mass
• September 15-19: Club Rush
• September 25th: MSJC Informational Night
• October 3rd: Progress Report Grades End
• October 9th: PSAT/NMSQT School Day
• October 11: Homecoming
• October 23rd: SAT School Day
• October 31st: Fall Leave

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• December 3rd: Advent Retreat
• December 6th: Street Feed
• December 15-18: Finals
• March 12th: Career Day
• March 26th: SAT School Day
• April 1-10: Spring Break
• May 2nd: Junior & Senior Prom
• May 4-15: AP Exams
• May 26-29: Finals Week
• May 29th: Last Day of School

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IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES

College Dates/Deadlines:

• September 12th: PSAT/SAT Interest Form Deadline
• September 19th: PSAT/SAT Payment Due
• October 30th: AP Test Payment Due
• December 12th: FAFSA/CalGrant Waiver Forms Due

Freshman Year To-Do List

Get Adjusted:

• Build effective and efficient study habits - Learn to be a high schooler
• Learn the skill of self-advocacy
• Be mindful of the learning experience this year is; give yourself some grace
• Begin considering what subjects and extracurriculars you enjoy to grow your understanding of your calling
• Come visit your counselor to discuss developing a 4-year plan

Get Involved:

• Join a club - Club Rush 9/15-9/19
• Participate in a Sport
• FFA, ASB, or HOSA

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Freshman year is full of learning, self-exploration, and acclimating to the new world of high school!

Sophomore Year To-Do List

Narrow Down Your Focus:

• Challenge yourself, but be true to you!
• Course rigor is important, but be sure to consider both your strengths and weaknesses when deciding between AP/Honors/College Prep classes
• Explore career options on Maia Learning, by volunteering with organizations that relate to your interests, or participating in our Career Day
• Research colleges that offer programs which align with your career aspirations and your personal preferences for college experience (e.g., factors like cost, location, average class size, etc.)

Stay Involved:

• With freshman year under your belt, you will have a better idea of what it is you are interested in
• Maintain your involvement in activities you enjoy, consistency and commitment are qualities that colleges love to see

Sophomore year is your chance to shine! Many schools, such as UCs and CSUs, especially consider your sophomore and junior year GPAs.

Junior Year To-Do List

Invest into Yourselves:

• Narrow down the universities you are interested in; learn more about their acceptance rates, costs, and admissions requirements
• Visit the universities you plan to apply to - imagine spending the next 4+ years at these schools
• Put your all into this year, and be sure to take care of yourselves too (e.g., proper nutrition, sleep, exercise)
• Planning on playing a sport in college? Register with NCAA and get familiar with their eligibility criteria
• Come visit your counselor with any questions or concerns

Crank It Up a Notch:

• Consider leadership positions in the extracurricular activities you are involved in
• Research potential internship, shadowing, or job opportunities to apply to for the summer going into senior year

Junior year has a reputation for being the most rigorous and rewarding year of high school. Give it your all and know that you have supportive figures all around you.

Junior Seminar

Preparation for Postsecondary Success

• Our Junior Seminar course is designed to prepare your students for their future endeavors
• We discuss topics such as:
• College Applications
• College and Career Researching
• Application Essay Writing
• Resume Writing

ACADEMIC INFO & GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

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PSAT/SAT

PSAT/NMSQT

SAT

• A standardized test used for U.S. college admissions; some colleges are test blind.
• Measures skills in reading, writing & language, and math.
• Scored on a scale of 400–1600.
• Taken by high school students, typically in 11th or 12th grade.

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• Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
• A practice version of the SAT, with slightly easier content.
• Taken by high school students, usually in 10th or 11th grade.
• Scores from the 11th-grade test can qualify students for National Merit scholarships.

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PSAT/SAT

Dates

Interest Form for Fall

*Form due September 12th to reserve spot

October 9th: PSAT/NMSQT (10/11 grades)

October 23rd: SAT (11/12 grades)

March 26th: SAT (11/12 grades)

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ACT

General Information:

Why Some Students May Prefer It:

• Science Section: The ACT includes a dedicated science reasoning section, which may appeal to students aiming to demonstrate their skills in this area
• Faster-paced but more straightforward questions: The ACT has more questions in less time than the SAT, but the questions tend to be more direct
• Math Content: Covers a slightly broader range of math (including more geometry and some trigonometry), which may benefit students stronger in those areas

• Includes four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, plus an optional Writing (Essay) section.
• Scored on a scale of 1–36.

ACADEMIC UPDATES

Classes for Advancement

• Courses for advancement taken outside of SJDLS will no longer be accepted
• Acception for courses taken at Community Colleges with prior approval from Mrs. Brown
• Summer advancement courses will be offered on campus this upcoming summer; the summer course offering list will be coming out in the next few months

DUAL/CONCURRENTENROLLMENT

• Students earn college credit while in high school
• Students must send transcripts to the counselors to reflect credit on their high school transcripts
• Transcripts from spring will be submitted by students directly to the universities they are applying to
• Spring college classes will not be factored into High School GPA

Current DE Offerings:

Concurrent Enrollment

• English C1000/C1001 MSJC
• (Formally English 101/103)
• Taught here at SJDLS for Seniors

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• Students can enroll in various online college courses following approval from Mrs. Brown
• May need to meet certain prerequisites depending on the course

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MSJC INFORMATIONAL NIGHT

Thursday, September 25th

6PM in the theater

We will discuss:

• Graduation Requirements
• Concurrent Enrollment
• Dual Enrollment
• Important Dates & Fees

HIGH SCHOOL RECOGNITIONS & CORDS

English Academic Distinction

VAPA Distinction

LOTE Distinction

Magis - Campus Ministry

Must complete a total of 60 credits of English classes

Must complete a total of 30 credits of VAPA electives

Must complete a total of 40 credits of LOTE courses

Must be a member of the Campus Ministry team for 3 years & participate in & organize faith-related events

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HIGH SCHOOL RECOGNITIONS & CORDS

National Honor Society

ASB Officer

PLTW Pathway Completion

FFA Chapter

Must be a member of National Honor Society

Must be an ASB officer

Must complete an entire PLTW pathway

Chapter degree, elected chapter officer, or state degree

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HIGH SCHOOL RECOGNITIONS & CORDS

California Scholarship Federation

Scholarship Distinctions

Key Club Elected Officer

Must work to extend their hands to those in need and were members in CSF for 5 semesters

Summa Cum Laude (4.0+)

Magna Cum Laude (3.8-3.99)

Cum Laude (3.5-3.79)

Must be an elected officer of Key club

GENERAL ACADEMIC INFORMATION

• GPA (Weighted vs. Unweighted)
• General College Prep Courses: 4-point scale
• Honors Courses: 4.5-point scale
• AP/Dual-Enrollment/Concurrent Enrollment Courses: 5-point scale
• Exception for courses taken at Community Colleges with prior approval from administration
• Summer advancement courses will be offered on campus this upcoming summer; the summer course offering list will be coming out in the next few months

Graduation vs. A-G Requirements

High School Graduation Requirements

• Requirements held by SJDLS
• Students must meet these requirements to graduate from this high school
• Developed to prepare students for academic excellence in their post-secondary endeavours
• Up-to-date with current CA state graduation requirements

A-G Requirements

• A set of high school courses that students must complete and pass to be eligible for admission to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems.
• Courses must be UC/CSU-approved as A–G courses.
• Completion of A–G does not guarantee admission; it just meets the minimum eligibility.

* 80 Hours Community Service

Maia Learning & Information Systems

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MAIA LEARNING

College and Career Readiness Platform for Students

• Assessments, Resume Building, Sends Documents to Universities, Teacher Letter of Recommendations
• 4 –year Educational Planning
• Access to SJHS Transcript
• Scholarship Search Engine
• University Researching
• Financial Planning

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CANVAS OBSERVER

Parents can sign up as an observer in Canvas.

• Link their Canvas account to their student's account
• See assignment due dates, announcements, and other course content.
• View the course content but cannot participate in the course.

How to Register:

• Open SJDLS Canvas URL
• Create a Canvas Parent Account
• Enter Sign-up details and Student Pairing Code found in Student User Settings

FACTS & OFFICIAL GRADES

FACTS is our student information system that grants parents access to view official student grades.

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• The grades in FACTS are what will ultimately end up on their official transcripts
• Canvas and FACTS communicate with one another and changes to grades update nightly

College & Career

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COLLEGE & VOCATIONAL INVITATIONAL

CITY OF TEMECULA COLLEGE & CAREER FAIR

Promenade Mall

Saturday, September 20th, 2025

10 AM - 2 PM

Questions? Contact workprograms@temeculaca.gov

COLLEGE & VOCATIONAL INVITATIONAL

SOME PREVIOUS COLLEGES IN ATTENDANCE:

UCLA

UC Santa Cruz

UC Berkeley

Pepperdine University

University of Alaska Anchorage

Southern Oregon University

Laguna College of Art and Design

Oregon State University

Sonoma State University

UC Santa Barbara

CSU Chico

Cal Poly Pomona

University of La Verne

Loyola Marymount University

Colorado Mesa University

Arizona State University

CAREER DAY

March 12th, 2026

On Campus

• Q & A Panels
• Booths
• Representatives from various Career Paths, local businesses & organizations
• Learn about necessary job-related skills
• Resumes
• Interviews
• Job-searching websites

COLLEGE REP VISITS

Announcements on Counseling Page, Instagram, and in school!

Scheduled Visits:

• John Paul the Great Catholic University
• September 12 @ 11 AM
• Baylor University
• September 19th @ 11 AM
• Pepperdine University
• October 3rd @ 11:30 AM
• New York University (NYU)
• October 16 @ 11AM

USD Torero Promise

To be eligible for Guaranteed Acceptance into, a student must meet the following requirements by the end of junior year:

• Achieve a weighted, USD recalculated grade point average of 3.80 (USD recalculates a grade point average based on courses in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Language and Religion/Philosophy. Weighted values are given for Honors, AP, and dual enrollment college course work).
• Have taken and successfully completed at least six semesters of academic classes at the Honors, AP, or dual enrollment college level.
• Have repeated all Ds and Fs successfully with a C or better by the summer before senior year.
• Have no disciplinary record during high school.
• Submit the Common Application by our regular decision deadline of January 15.

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COUNSELING RESOURCES

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HOW WE CAN SUPPORT

Our Services:

• Frequent meetings with students to provide more individualized support and post-graduate planning
• Review college essays
• Monitor your students’ progress through the college application process
• Academic checks and other college/career-related counseling services
• Our job is to get you into the schools that are a best fit for you
• The beauty of having two counselors for 160 students

SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

Behavioral and Mental Health Counseling Services

• Mrs. Sarmiento provides 1:1 20-minute check-in sessions with students needing additional social-emotional services.
• Students can request meetings by scanning the QR code in the front office or counseling offices.

Rizza Sarmiento

M.A., AMFT

FINANCIAL AID INFO NIGHT

October 16th at 6 PM

• Completing the FAFSA
• Types of Financial Aid
• Scholarship Researching & Opportunities
• Loans vs. Grants
• Work Study
• Expected Family Contribution
• Private institutions fund everything themselves, they give their own financial aid
• State schools are funded by the government

COUNSELING WEBSITE & IG

Don’t forget to follow our IG!

@SaintJeanneHSCounseling

FFA

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxOD1N0Ck/YLGw4CPn0P_rWB9wXy_R3A/edit?utm_content=DAGxOD1N0Ck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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FFA

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxOD1N0Ck/YLGw4CPn0P_rWB9wXy_R3A/edit?utm_content=DAGxOD1N0Ck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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FFA

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxOD1N0Ck/YLGw4CPn0P_rWB9wXy_R3A/edit?utm_content=DAGxOD1N0Ck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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FFA

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxOD1N0Ck/YLGw4CPn0P_rWB9wXy_R3A/edit?utm_content=DAGxOD1N0Ck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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FFA

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxOD1N0Ck/YLGw4CPn0P_rWB9wXy_R3A/edit?utm_content=DAGxOD1N0Ck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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FFA

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxOD1N0Ck/YLGw4CPn0P_rWB9wXy_R3A/edit?utm_content=DAGxOD1N0Ck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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THANK YOU

Samantha Sanchez (A - Lee)

ssanchez@sjdls.net

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Stephanie Williams (Lef - Z)

stwilliams@sjdls.net

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

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