Boerne High School Guidance and Counseling

EOC and Course Selection Information Presentation from 1/23/2012

2012-01-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

Parents of 2012-13 Boerne High School 9th graders who were unable to attend the presentation on Monday, January 23rd may access the presentation information here.

AP Exam Registration Begins February 1st

2012-01-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

Registration for AP Exams will be done on-line only between February 1st and March 1! Registration after the March 1st deadline will not be allowed this year. The cost for each AP Exam this year will be $87.00

The online registration website is http://www.excelregistration.com/ Once you get to the Excel Registration home page, you may find our school by using the "Search for your school and register for exams link" or by going directly to the BHS registration homepage at:

www.excelregistration.com/schools/440730.php

Students may select from 2 payment options: 1) pay on-line via credit card, or 2) by check (payable to BHS) or cash brought to the BHS Counseling Office. Registration will be validated as complete when payment is received.

Registrations will not be accepted after the March 1st deadline (on-line registration closes at midnight on March 1st). All exam fees from students who will pay in person (after registering on-line) are due in the BHS Counseling Office no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 2nd. If payment is not received by the March 2nd payment deadline, the student will automatically be deleted from the test candidate database.

If you have any questions regarding the AP Exams or Registration, please contact me at 830-357-2233. Thank you and I look forward to seeing your child at the AP Exam Sessions.

Donna Landreth
Counselor/AP Coordinator

PSAT Presentation: January 10th, 2012

2012-01-11T09:20:00.001-08:00

You may access last night's presentation here.

Incoming Freshman Parent Night - Monday, January 23rd- 6:30 PM

2012-01-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Boerne High School will be hosting an Incoming Freshman Parent Night for Students and Parents. The event will provide information regarding our upcoming STARR/EOC testing as well as 9th Grade Course Registration Information for next year's scheduling.

Meeting begins at 6:30 PM in the BHS Auditorium. Please plan to attend this meeting to receive important updates that will affect your future 9th grade student.

Thank you.
The Boerne Counseling Team

Dual Credit Information for Current 11th Grade Students

2011-12-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

The Dual Credit Application is now open from November 1st until February 10th.
Students who are currently in 11th grade may apply for DC -if you are thinking about taking a Dual Credit Course next school year, please complete the Apply Texas Application. If you do not apply by Feb 10th, you will not be eligible. Please see the Dual Credit link on right side of page for specifics.

PSAT Test Results Meeting for Students/Parents- January 10th at 6:30 p.m.

2011-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

All 9th-11th grade students at BHS are invited to attend our PSAT Test Results Meeting for both students and parents on Tuesday, January 10th. The meeting will be held in the BHS Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. All results from October testing will be handed out at this time.
Please plan to attend!!

The BHS Counseling Team

BISD Financial Aid Night Presentation

2011-12-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

For those of you unable to attend the presentation on 12/6, you may view the information here.

BISD FINANCIAL AID NIGHT- December 6th

2011-11-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

BISD Financial Aid Seminar will be held at Boerne High School in the auditorium beginning at 6:30 P.M.. A financial aid representative will be presenting important information about the financial aid process. Projected audience would be junior and senior students and parents. Please plan to attend in order to gain a better understanding of the financial aid process and successful completion of the FAFSA.

BISD College Night - October 27th from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

2011-10-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

BHS Students and parents are cordially invited to attend the BISD Annual College Fair hosted by Champion High School on Thursday, October 27, 2011. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last until 8:00 p.m. This is a browsing event, so please feel free to come and go between the times listed above. There will be over 75 representatives from various colleges, universities, technical schools and military branches in attendance.

To make the best use of your time at the BISD College Fair, download a copy of the College Fair Checklist provided by the National Association of College Admissions Counselors.

Click here for an updated list schools represented at the 2011 BISD College Fair

Can't make it to the BISD Fair? No problem. Here are some additional college fairs in and around the Boerne/San Antonio area:

10/24: Northside ISD College Fair @ UTSA
10/25: Kerrville ISD College Fair @ Tivy High School
10/26: Northeast ISD College Fair @ Blossom Athletic Center

UT-Austin makes announcement for fall 2013 freshman applicants

2011-09-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Top 8% to Receive Automatic Admission in 2013 – 2014
According to a letter to the Texas Education Agency, The University of Texas at Austin will automatically admit students in the top 8% of their high school classes to summer/fall 2013 and spring 2014.

Parent Grade/Attendance Portal is Now Open!

2011-09-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

The new BISD parent portal has some great features, allowing parents to:

set alerts to receive emails when a grade is posted that falls below a selected score
set alerts to receive notification of absences from classes

Access and learn more about the portal here.

"Off to College 101" Presentation Posted

2011-09-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who joined us last night for our second annual "Off to College 101" presentation. The "Important Links" menu to the right has been updated with links to the sample "Be a Longhorn" resume, the updated "Purple Packet" recommendation request; and (for those of you unable to attend the presentation), a link to last night's updated presentation is there as well.

As always, we appreciate your feedback and input as we look forward to next year's presentation.

Welcome Back!

2011-08-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to get started here at BHS and as we move into the first two days of the new school year, please pay close attention to the following information, which will be posted outside of the counseling office on Monday and Tuesday:

TODAY and TUESDAY, counselors will only see students who have:

“see Counselor” on their schedule
one or more missing periods on their schedule*
duplicate class periods on their schedule (i.e. 2 3^rd period classes)
been assigned to a class that has been previously taken and passed

*counselors will see students ONLY during the effected class period

Other information:

Students wishing to transfer into or out of a course with an extracurricular requirement (i.e. athletics, band, ROTC, choir, etc.), MUST bring a written note from the program sponsor and/or coach to be dropped or added.
Students enrolled in Pre-AP and AP courses will remain in the course until the drop window opens on Monday, September 26^th. No requests to drop from a Pre-AP or AP course will be accepted until Monday, September 26^th. The window to drop from a Pre-AP or AP course will close on Friday, October 14^th. Please see page 21 of the student handbook for more information.
Beginning Wednesday, August 24^th; requests to see the counselor will be made available to all students. Requests for schedule changes may be considered if the change helps to balance classes that are currently overloaded.

Back to School Information 2011-12

2011-06-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

New student registration information

Course request/schedule information for current BHS 9th-12th graders

Back to school camp information

Fish Camp 2011 information

Summer Reading for English Pre-AP/AP

The BHS counselors will be out of their offices from 17 June through 31 July and will be back in their offices 1 August. Email will be checked periodically during this time.

Updated Course Choices for 2011-12

2011-06-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Please read the following information carefully before viewing your updated course choices for the 2011-12 School Year!

The BHS Counselors, Academic Dean, and Registrar are busily working on next year's master schedule. In creating this schedule, some classes may have been closed or eliminated.

Many course change requests were received that requested the addition of classes that have been closed or eliminated. When you log in to view your updated course requests, please note that requests to be moved into courses that were closed or eliminated were not processed.

Additionally, changes to course requests may have occurred for one or more of the following reasons:

Recommendations from academic departments regarding Pre-AP or AP placements
Changes to account for failed courses during the 2010-2011 school year (for students recovering credit in summer courses, changes will not be made until passing grades are completed)
Removal from courses for which there was an application/screening requirement that went incomplete
Placement into courses required for graduation (i.e. Physics, SAT/ACT, various technology application courses, etc.)
Removal from courses for which prerequisites were not met
Removal from or denial of request to move into courses for which an application requirement was not met and/or the application deadline has expired

Please note that you are viewing course choices, not schedules through the online portal. Preliminary schedules will be available at back to school camp. Final, official schedules will be made available the first day of classes.

Click here to view a list of courses no longer offered for the 2011-12 school year

Click here to access the login page to view updated course choices (remember all student ID numbers must contain a leading zero or your login attempt will fail!)

Images from the 2011 BHS Senior Scholarship and Awards Night

2011-05-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Photography courtesy of Photoccasio

Is It Really Worth It?

2011-04-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

Here's my favorite quote from this excellent article from our friends at Tech Crunch:

Like the housing bubble, the education bubble is about security and insurance against the future. Both whisper a seductive promise into the ears of worried Americans: Do this and you will be safe. The excesses of both were always excused by a core national belief that no matter what happens in the world, these were the best investments you could make. Housing prices would always go up, and you will always make more money if you are college educated.

Like any good bubble, this belief– while rooted in truth– gets pushed to unhealthy levels. Thiel talks about consumption masquerading as investment during the housing bubble, as people would take out speculative interest-only loans to get a bigger house with a pool and tell themselves they were being frugal and saving for retirement. Similarly, the idea that attending Harvard is all about learning? Yeah. No one pays a quarter of a million dollars just to read Chaucer. The implicit promise is that you work hard to get there, and then you are set for life. It can lead to an unhealthy sense of entitlement. “It’s what you’ve been told all your life, and it’s how schools rationalize a quarter of a million dollars in debt,” Thiel says.

View Your Course Selections for Next Year

2011-04-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Students who have completed the course choice process for the 2011-12 school year may log into the txMyZone portal here to view their course choices.

PLEASE NOTE: You must add a leading zero to the student id in the login process to access your account, otherwise, your login will fail.

Students who wish to change their course choices need to wait until the course choice confirmation letters are mailed out in May. Requests for changes must be documented on the course change confirmation form.

NISD Summer School Information

2011-04-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

For students interested in a more traditional type summer school. NISD is offering summer school classes at Stevens High School. Information here.

NW Vista Accuplacer Information

2011-03-11T10:58:00.001-08:00

Accuplacer dates/fees/deadlines are now updated on the NW Vista Dual Credit Page. Click here to go directly to the Accuplacer flyer.

2011-2012 Course Selection Dates/Deadlines/Information

2011-03-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

Information about the 2011-2012 course selection cycle is accessible via the BHS Course Selection Guide links to the right of this blog roll. Information will be added/updated as we move into and through this process.

Future 9th Grade Student Parent Night March 7th

2011-02-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

The 9th Grade Parent Night will include a brief introduction of the BHS Administration and Counselors followed by important registration information for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year.

•BHS 9th Grade Parent Night: Monday, March 7th 2011 at 7:00 p.m. (In the BHS Auditorium)
•Elective Career Fair before the parent meeting from 6-7:00 p.m. (In the BHS Cafeteria)

BHS Counselors will meet with future 9th grade students at BMSN to assist in selecting classes for next year on March 22nd and March 23rd.

AP Exam Registration Is Now Open!!

2011-02-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Parents/Students,
AP students may now register for all AP Exams. Students will complete the registration online by March 23rd at 4:00. Online registration closes and will not be available after the 23rd. Payment for exams must be paid by check or cash to Donna Landreth in the counseling office by 4:00 March 24th. (make checks out to BHS AP Program)

The cost of each individual exam will be $57.00. Students will be required to pay a $15/late fee per test on March 24th & 25th. No Registration will be accepted after March 25th.

Note: Students enrolled in Pre-AP classes do not take AP Exams.

Visit the BHS AP Student Registration Site Here

Et Tu, Harvard?

2011-02-03T05:13:00.000-08:00

I'll let our friends over at Hot Air take it from here, but I have to say with a state budget crisis staring down the barrel of doubling the number of standardized testing days in the coming years, something has got to give with the "College for All" mindset. Enough already.

2011-2012 Registration Information and Course Catalog Link

2011-01-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year, but it's an unusual year. In years past, parent meetings at the middle and high school are generally on the calendar, or have already been held, to discuss course selection for the upcoming school year.

However, this spring, BISD is migrating to a new student data management system. In essence, we still know the course offerings and the credit requirements for graduation, but logistics involved with sending our students through the course selection process with the new system are pending as is system training and transition.

Meanwhile, however; feel free to peruse the latest draft of our the 2011-2012 High School Course Catalog. Graduation plans, requirements, and course descriptions are contained therein, giving parents and students an opportunity to shop and to plan...and stand by for information about the upcoming course selection process.

SAT/ACT Voucher Information for Current 11th Graders

2011-01-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

As part of the Texas College preparation Program (TCPP), funded by the 81st Texas Legislature, approximately 60 percent of 2010-2011 grade 11 students have an opportunity to take one state-funded college entrance examination in the spring or early summer of 2011.

Students in grade 11 are eligible for ONE state-funded college entrance exam, either the ACT (with or without writing) or the SAT. Eligible test administrations for each exam are as follows:

SAT
April 9 at BMSS(registration deadline March 4)
June 11 (registration deadline May 6)

ACT
May 7 (registration deadline April 8)
June 4 at BHS (registration deadline May 6)

In order to register for an eligible test administration, students must obtain an exam voucher from their counselor. Please note that the voucher only covers the regular registration fees associated with the examination. All additional fees and charges are the responsibility of the examinee.

Students who have already registered at their own expense for one of the eligible administrations above may request a refund directly from the test vendor. Instructions on how to request a refund are included on the exam voucher. Student who have used a fee waiver to register for one of the eligible administrations above, and who wish to preserve that fee waiver for a future test, must follow the steps on the voucher to request a refund of their fee waiver. A valid voucher is required for all refund requests.

The TCPP voucher will be available beginning the week of January 18th. A PA announcement will be made instructing the 11th grade students on how to request a voucher. We encourage you to discuss with your child the benefits of taking a college entrance examination. Those benefits include the identification of academic strengths and weaknesses, experience taking college entrance exams, and access to scholarship opportunities. Please be aware that students have the choice of which exam to take. When students receive their exam voucher, they will receive a flyer from each test vendor explaining the benefits of each exam. We encourage you to take a few moments to review this information with your child in order to select the exam that best fits his/her needs.

Should you have any questions related to this opportunity, please contact your student's counselor.

PSAT/NMSQT Presentation

2011-01-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

How to make sense of the PSAT score report.

This presentation was shared with sophomores and juniors on Monday, January 10th.

Northwest Vista Dual Credit Information

2010-12-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed the informational meeting with Northwest Vista on Wednesday evening, please note that we will keep information on the program updated here. Or just click on the "NW Vista Dual Credit Info" in the right hand column of our website.

What's My AP Score Worth?

2010-12-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a one-stop resource (courtesy of the College Board) to search for university/college Advanced Placement credit policies. Use this guide to cross match degree requirements to available AP credit based on scores you have received/hope to receive. A great planning tool for students and parents.

PLAN Exam Presentation Information

2010-12-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

All 9th graders received their PLAN (Practice ACT) results this morning and Ms. Landreth provided a brief overview of how to interpret the results. Parents may wish to access the presentation, found here, to review their student's results as well.

Dropping a Pre-AP/AP Course at Semester

2010-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

Students interested in dropping a Pre-AP or AP course should submit a completed Pre-AP/AP Course Drop Request Form before Christmas break to ensure a smooth transition into the second semester. The only courses a student may drop or add are Pre-AP courses, AP courses, or courses with an extra curricular component (i.e. band, athletics, etc.).

News Flash!

2010-10-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the college reps/parents/students who came to the BISD College Fair last night at Boerne High School.

Speaking of career choices...

UT- Austin and TX A&M Scholarship Deadline

2010-10-27T14:10:00.001-07:00

Seniors,
Just a reminder......the UT & A&M Scholarship Applications are due by Dec. 1.
Please make sure you meet this deadline.

BOERNE FINANCIAL AID NIGHT - DECEMBER 1

2010-10-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Parents/Students,
The Boerne Financial Aid Night Program will be hosted by Champion High School on Wednesday, December 1 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Texas A&M will be presenting an over-view of the entire financial aid process. (FAFSA) Location: Auditorium

The University of Texas at Austin Automatic Admission Policy

2010-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Beginning the 2012 summer school session, UT will limit its automatic admission allotments to the top 9% of Texas high school graduates. More information under "Important Links" to the right side of this post.

2010-10-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

StraightWay

Students and parents - get more information on The StraightWay Team. Click here to access their website, order CDs or to check out their latest music on iTunes.

Beginning of School Year Schedule Information

2010-08-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

It is time!

Schedule Pick Up: All students will pick up new purple schedules in the main concourse of BHS (main hall in front of the library) beginning at 8:00 a.m. Monday, 23 August. Students must present their new (purple) schedule to their teachers during the first day of each class.

Schedule Change Requests (non AP/Pre-AP): The BHS Counselors will be working on resolving conflicts and balancing classes during the first week of school. Requests for schedule changes will be accepted for the following scenarios during the first week of school:

"See Counselor" appears on the student schedule (students may only come to the office during the period the "See Counselor" appears)
Duplicate class periods appear (i.e.: 2 3rd period classes)
There is a missing class period
Student is enrolled in a class for which credit has been received
Student is attempted to add/drop a course linked to an outside competition obligation (i.e. agriculture/athletics/band/theater production/choir)

Requests for any other type of schedule change will not be honored during the first week of school.

Requests to Drop AP/Pre-AP Courses: These requests must be submitted by September 10th per the BISD Student Handbook guidelines (page 27). Requests must be documented on the "Boerne High School Waiver out of Pre-AP/AP Course" (forms available in the "Important Links" menu on the right side of this page). If the 10 September deadline is missed, the next opportunity the student will have to drop from the AP/Pre-AP course will be at the semester.

Important Reminder: (class of 2011): Letters of Recommendation

2010-06-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

We have a very structured process for you when making requests for letters of recommendations. Please do yourself a favor and get started now on preparing your recommendation request package. Visit the Recommendation/Transcript Request link to the right and get started this summer!