Student Services / Counseling

Counseling Calendar for Deadlines and Events (including College Rep Visits)

Fall & Spring eSchool (online, outside the school day)

Enrollment for Spring 2022 eSchool enrollment is open!

**Enrollment must be done online by a parent or guardian in Skyward. Complete instructions for enrolling are on the SMSD eSchool website.

---IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT PAY for the course until you've received a notification that your course selection has been approved. Approval will be sent by email within 72 hours of enrollment.

If you encounter difficulties with the online enrollment process please contact the eSchool office.

**Mandatory Orientation Information:

AFTER you have completed enrollment, attendance at one of these meetings is mandatory for all students.

January 13, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p,m. @ SM West Cafeteria OR
January 20, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p.m. @ SM East Cafeteria

DEADLINE: Students must be enrolled and paid before the January 20th orientation begins at 6 pm.

The following online courses may be taken in eSchool for INITIAL CREDIT (not credit recovery) in fall and spring, outside the school day.

Health (9-12), Fitness for Life (9-12), Art History (9-12), Financial Literacy (10-12), Psychology (10-12), ELA 3 (11), US History (11-12), ELA 4 (12). and Government (12).

Courses are taken outside the school day and all work is completed entirely online.
Fee is $180.
Check with your counselor before enrolling, to be sure you're in the correct class.
Fitness for Life may be taken only once.

Find additional important details on the eSchool website.

Enrollment for 2022-23

KC Scholars Application (9th & 11th graders) is now open - Deadline is February 25th

ACT & SAT Exams - TUESDAY, MARCH 1st ACT at SME

FREE Tuesday, March 1st ACT for juniors @ SME

This is the only real ACT that will be given at SME and this is the only real FREE ACT.
All juniors have already been automatically registered. More details, including room assignments, will be sent to juniors in February.
Juniors who test will be excused from classes on the morning of Tuesday, March 1st.
Students who will not be able to take this exam, or do not wish to, must cancel their registration by using this Google Form no later than Fri., December 3rd.)

Future exams (Saturday testing sessions):
Check the ACT and College Board (for SAT) websites for registration and updated information on future test dates, scores, help with . Students must pay a fee to take an ACT or SAT on a Saturday.

Click here for ACT registration, MyACT account help, COVID updates, etc.)

Test Prep: See options for free test prep on the SME Testing website.

Sign-up Form for Field Trips to the CAA and the CTC

Students – Interested in in taking classes in one of the Signature Programs at the CAA or the CTC? Field trips to tour either the Center for Academic Achievement or the Career and Technical Center are being planned now. Come take advantage of the opportunity to see our Signature Programs in action! Sign up here or contact Mrs. Merriman for more information. Dates and times for field trips are TBD.

Sign-up Form for Internships

October 13 Test Day - Scores

TENTATIVE:
Scores for tests taken by 9th, 10th & 11th graders should be available as outlined below:

All Grade 9: PreACT - Score reports will be provided to students at school sometime in December. Details will be shared with students and parents as soon as we have them.

Grades 10 & 11:

Locally-scored ACT (practice): Score reports will be provided to students at school sometime in November.
PSAT: Scores will be available on students' College Board accounts sometime in December or early January. If students already have a College Board account, they should not create a new one. (Check the College Board website for instructions if you forgot your user name or password.) Students who do not yet have a College Board account will receive instructions on how to create one when scores are available.

Transcripts & Recommendation Letters

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Before requesting a transcript, you should always confirm first that your college or university actually needs and wants a transcript right now---many do not! If the school uses self-reporting for courses and grades, you'll just enter them yourself. Do not request that a transcript be sent now unless you're sure they want and need it.
If you're sure the college needs a transcript, you may request it in ONE OF TWO WAYS, depending on the application method you used for each particular college or university:

OPTION 1:
Use only if you are applying directly via a college or university's website:

(For Common App or SendEDu, see Option 2, below.)

Request your transcript through your Xello account, but only after you have contacted the SME registrar and signed a transcript release form. Only students may do this (parents are not able to request transcripts using their child's Xello account). Please allow at least seven school days after you submit the request for your transcript to be sent.
In your Xello account:
- To the right, click Request.
  - A banner at the top of the screen will indicate the request was sent..
- Under the Application Checklist, find Transcript.
- Under College Applications, select the institution to which you'd like your transcript sent.
- In your Xello Student Dashboard, under Goals & Plans, click College Planning.

OPTION 2:
Use only if you are applying to a college or university via Common App or SendEdu:

You must contact the registrar first, to obtain and submit a transcript release form. (Keep in mind that many colleges do not require a counselor recommendation.)
When you return your completed transcript release to the SME Registrar, she'll confirm whether you need a recommendation letter or not, and will then let your counselor know you need your transcript submitted via Common App or SendEdu.
Invite your counselor in Common App or SendEdu. This will add you to your counselor's Common App account and allow her to upload your transcript.
Your counselor will then upload your School Report (which includes your transcript) to Common App and each college will download it when you submit your application.
If a college requires a counselor recommendation, let your Mrs. Lowe (registrar) know immediately, but no later than a month before your application deadline. Mrs. Lowe will have you complete the College Information form and will then send you a Google Form questionnaire.
Keep in mind that it may take several days (or even weeks, during busy times), for a college or university to download and match your transcript to your application file. This must be done manually, even with transcripts sent electronically. Your application status may continue to indicate they have not yet received your transcript if they haven't yet matched it to your file (even if it has already been sent by SME). If you have questions, first check with your college's admissions department directly.

For all other transcripts or questions about GPA:

Please contact SME Registrar, Melanie Lowe, directly: melanielowe@smsd.org

Graduates (alumni):

Final Transcripts:
A final official transcript was automatically sent to the college indicated in the Graduate Information form in Skyward (first item in this module). Therefore, students do NOT need to send another request for a final transcript to their counselor or to the registrar.
- A senior may request an unofficial transcript for their personal use by emailing the SME registrar after June 1^st (Melanie Lowe, melanielowe@smsd.org)
For all other transcripts (for example, fraternity or sorority), you must contact the SME registrar, Melanie Lowe.

College Applications & Financial Aid

AP Exam Registration & Payment - deadline was November 1st

Steps for Seeking Learning Support (Flowchart)

Visits with College Reps

SME is now using RepVisits.com to schedule virtual visits with college representatives! (In-person visits are pending, based on COVID protocol at the time of the visit.)

View all virtual visits on our Counseling Calendar.

Only juniors and seniors may participate.
Students should inform their teachers they will be missing class.
Students are responsible for making up any classwork they miss during a visit with a college representative.
Copy and paste the url listed in the calendar to join the virtual visit on the scheduled date/time.

FAFSA & College Financial Aid Events

College Now / JCCC Concurrent Credit

With fall College Now enrollment beginning August 23rd, here are the hot topics for the week!

College Now Course Placement Test Requirements - To determine if a placement test is required for your course, go to jccc.edu/collegenow and click the Class Schedules link to look up available courses for your high school. If a prerequisite or test score is required for your class, it will be noted.

To assist students, we offer several pathways for students who need to enroll in courses that have a placement test requirement. For information on how to meet the placement requirements for your College Now course, go to jccc.edu/collegenow. Click the Learn more about testing button to see the testing requirements needed for your course.

If you have not taken the Accuplacer but meet the placement requirements with an ACT score, high school GPA, or AP test score, click the Request Placement Waiver button. If you do not have a qualifying ACT score, HS GPA or AP test score, click the Schedule Accuplacer Test button to schedule an appointment to take the Accuplacer placement test at JCCC.

Important Reminder - Be sure to complete all steps in the enrollment process. You will still need to enroll in the class after your placement waiver is issued or after you test and earn a qualifying score.

The fall College Now enrollment deadline is Friday, Sept 17.

For complete SME enrollment instructions, click here.
For general JCCC College Now enrollment information, click here.
For the JCCC Quick Step Plus enrollment guide, click here.

Questions? Contact Jodee Merriman, SME Real World Learning Counselor, jodeemerriman@smsd.org.

College Now campus contacts:

Admissions→Phone: 913-469-3803 | Email: admissions@jccc.edu
Testing→Phone: 913-469-4439 | Email: testingservices@jccc.edu
Registration→Phone: 913-469-3803 | Email: registrar_office@jccc.edu
Payment→Phone: 913-469-2567 | Email: bursar@jccc.edu

Real World Learning (Internships, Job Shadowing, Dual Enrollment, Concurrent Enrollment and more!)

Real World Learning is here at SME!

College Now

Concurrent Credit

Dual Enrollment

Career and Technical Training

Internship and Job Shadowing Opportunities

Students - interested in an internship next spring? Fill out the internship application form to start the process. Please see Mrs. Merriman for additional details.

If you are interested in knowing more see the Real World Learning website or contact counselor Jodee Merriman at JodeeMerriman@smsd.org or 913-993-6661.

Social and Emotional Resources

Johnson County Mental Health Center Crisis Line: 913-268-0156
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255; Text: 741741
Johnson County Resource Connection
Youth Line Teen crisis helpline: Text TEEN2TEEN to 839863
Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
SMSD Resources for Parents
Includes a variety of activities to do at home, community resources, COVID-19 specific resources, and the SMSD PickUp and Go Meals information
EverFi Family Portal: receive direct access to a library of digital courses. Simply enter your state and your child's school name to receive the full catalogue of age-appropriate courses for your child.