Do not fret if you still have not heard from a college regarding your application. Here's what you should do:
1. Confirm the date that everything was mailed by your guidance counselor.
2. Call the school to confirm that your file is complete. If it is not, ask to see if they have completed opening mail. Many schools are still opening mail from late December. See this Washington Post article for details.
3. a. If your file is complete, ask for an estimated date for a decision. Do not pressure them, do not discuss other answers you have received. Then the waiting continues...
3. b. If your file in incomplete and they have opened all of their mail, contact your counselor to resend the missing pieces.
Remember - all colleges have different policies regarding notifying students of admission. Some do so on a rolling basis, some have a set mail date (e.g. April 1). Do your research on your individual schools so you are aware.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Report Cards
3rd grading period report cards were sent home with students on Wednesday, January 23. If you did not see a copy, please contact the Guidance Office and we will send one home.
You are able to access student grades online at any time. Go to the district web site to find out more information.
You are able to access student grades online at any time. Go to the district web site to find out more information.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Millions of youths use cold meds to get high
Number who abused OTC medications similar to LSD use, officials say MSNBC News Services
updated 9:07 p.m. ET, Wed., Jan. 9, 2008
WASHINGTON - About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 to 25 — or about 5 percent of the age group — have used over-the-counter cough and cold medicine to get high, a U.S. government survey found.
In large doses, cough syrups and cold pills can be used to induce hallucinations, “out-of-body” experiences or other effects, officials said.
This type of abuse has been known for years, but the 2006 survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA, sets out the best numbers to date quantifying the problem, officials said.
In recent years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has cited the rising popularity of cough syrup cocktails — prescription codeine-laced cold medicine mixed with soda or sports drinks. With names like "Syrup," "Purple Drank" and "Lean," these concoctions first gained fame in Southern rap circles. As the trend spread to fans, teens started using the more readily available over-the-counter versions of cough suppressants.
Today's report, based on interviews with almost 45,000 people ages 12 to 25, provides a snapshot but don't show whether this type of drug abuse is rising, falling or staying the same.“The survey tells me that parents need to be very concerned about the over-the-counter medicines that they have in their medicine cabinet,” Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said in a telephone interview.
“And young adults need to be concerned about the effects that over-the-counter cold medications and cough medications have on their functioning.”
The abuse was highest among whites — at levels three times that of blacks. Overall, the level of abuse of these drugs is comparable to levels of use of LSD, methamphetamine or the drug ecstasy in this age group, the agency said. Among those ages 12 to 17, abuse of these drugs was most common among girls, while it shifted to young men among those 18 to 25. Nearly 82 percent also had used marijuana, the agency said.
Among those surveyed who said they had misused one of these cough and cold medications in the past year, about 30 percent said they used a NyQuil brand product, 18 percent used a Coricidin product and 18 percent used a Robitussin product.
The cough suppressant DXM is found in more than 140 cough and cold medications available without a prescription. When taken in large amounts, DXM can cause disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech and vomiting.
"While increasing attention has been paid to the public health risk of prescription drug abuse, we also need to be aware of the growing dangers of misuse of over-the-counter cough and cold medications, especially among young people," said Terry Cline, the agency's administrator.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
© 2008 MSNBC Interactive
updated 9:07 p.m. ET, Wed., Jan. 9, 2008
WASHINGTON - About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 to 25 — or about 5 percent of the age group — have used over-the-counter cough and cold medicine to get high, a U.S. government survey found.
In large doses, cough syrups and cold pills can be used to induce hallucinations, “out-of-body” experiences or other effects, officials said.
This type of abuse has been known for years, but the 2006 survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA, sets out the best numbers to date quantifying the problem, officials said.
In recent years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has cited the rising popularity of cough syrup cocktails — prescription codeine-laced cold medicine mixed with soda or sports drinks. With names like "Syrup," "Purple Drank" and "Lean," these concoctions first gained fame in Southern rap circles. As the trend spread to fans, teens started using the more readily available over-the-counter versions of cough suppressants.
Today's report, based on interviews with almost 45,000 people ages 12 to 25, provides a snapshot but don't show whether this type of drug abuse is rising, falling or staying the same.“The survey tells me that parents need to be very concerned about the over-the-counter medicines that they have in their medicine cabinet,” Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said in a telephone interview.
“And young adults need to be concerned about the effects that over-the-counter cold medications and cough medications have on their functioning.”
The abuse was highest among whites — at levels three times that of blacks. Overall, the level of abuse of these drugs is comparable to levels of use of LSD, methamphetamine or the drug ecstasy in this age group, the agency said. Among those ages 12 to 17, abuse of these drugs was most common among girls, while it shifted to young men among those 18 to 25. Nearly 82 percent also had used marijuana, the agency said.
Among those surveyed who said they had misused one of these cough and cold medications in the past year, about 30 percent said they used a NyQuil brand product, 18 percent used a Coricidin product and 18 percent used a Robitussin product.
The cough suppressant DXM is found in more than 140 cough and cold medications available without a prescription. When taken in large amounts, DXM can cause disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech and vomiting.
"While increasing attention has been paid to the public health risk of prescription drug abuse, we also need to be aware of the growing dangers of misuse of over-the-counter cough and cold medications, especially among young people," said Terry Cline, the agency's administrator.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
© 2008 MSNBC Interactive
Monday, January 7, 2008
College Drinking Games Lead to Higher Blood Alcohol Levels (HealthDay News)
Women at themed events also drank more heavily than male peers, field study finds
-- Madeline Vann
SUNDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The first on-the-scene study of college drinking behavior shows that parties with drinking games result in higher blood alcohol levels, while themed parties encourage college women to drink more heavily than men, new research suggests.
Previous studies of college drinking have relied largely on individual behavior and self-reports of drinking habits. Researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Michigan have determined that environment and party activities also affect drinking behavior.
"Most studies use survey methods that require people to recall their drinking behavior -- days, weeks or months prior -- and such recall is not always accurate," corresponding author J. D. Clapp, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services at San Diego State University, said in a prepared statement. "By going out into the field and doing observations and surveys, including breath tests for alcohol concentrations, we were able to mitigate many of the problems associated with recall of behavior and complex settings."
The team observed 1,304 young adults (751 men, 553 women) at 66 college parties over the course of three semesters. The parties all took place in private residences close to an urban public university in southern California. The team noted party environment, surveyed attendees and collected blood-alcohol concentrations.
The researchers found that playing drinking games, having a personal history of binge drinking, attending a party with many other intoxicated people, and attending a themed event all predicted higher blood alcohol levels. The researchers expressed surprise over the finding that women at themed events drank more heavily than their male peers.
Students who attended parties with the intention of socializing and people who attended larger parties drank less alcohol.
"From a methodological standpoint, our study illustrates that is possible and important to examine drinking behavior in real-world settings," Clapp said. "It is more difficult than doing Web surveys and the like but provides a much richer data set. Secondly, environmental factors are important. Much of the current research on drinking behavior focuses on individual characteristics and ignores contextual factors. Yet both are important to our understanding of drinking behavior and problems."
The team plans to expand its research to other environments, including bars.
The study was published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
More information
To learn more about alcohol abuse, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
-- Madeline Vann
SUNDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The first on-the-scene study of college drinking behavior shows that parties with drinking games result in higher blood alcohol levels, while themed parties encourage college women to drink more heavily than men, new research suggests.
Previous studies of college drinking have relied largely on individual behavior and self-reports of drinking habits. Researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Michigan have determined that environment and party activities also affect drinking behavior.
"Most studies use survey methods that require people to recall their drinking behavior -- days, weeks or months prior -- and such recall is not always accurate," corresponding author J. D. Clapp, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services at San Diego State University, said in a prepared statement. "By going out into the field and doing observations and surveys, including breath tests for alcohol concentrations, we were able to mitigate many of the problems associated with recall of behavior and complex settings."
The team observed 1,304 young adults (751 men, 553 women) at 66 college parties over the course of three semesters. The parties all took place in private residences close to an urban public university in southern California. The team noted party environment, surveyed attendees and collected blood-alcohol concentrations.
The researchers found that playing drinking games, having a personal history of binge drinking, attending a party with many other intoxicated people, and attending a themed event all predicted higher blood alcohol levels. The researchers expressed surprise over the finding that women at themed events drank more heavily than their male peers.
Students who attended parties with the intention of socializing and people who attended larger parties drank less alcohol.
"From a methodological standpoint, our study illustrates that is possible and important to examine drinking behavior in real-world settings," Clapp said. "It is more difficult than doing Web surveys and the like but provides a much richer data set. Secondly, environmental factors are important. Much of the current research on drinking behavior focuses on individual characteristics and ignores contextual factors. Yet both are important to our understanding of drinking behavior and problems."
The team plans to expand its research to other environments, including bars.
The study was published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
More information
To learn more about alcohol abuse, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Sending out transcripts
Seniors, please remember that it can take up to five school days to process a transcript, and that you MUST turn in a transcript request form. If you have any questions, please talk to your counselor.
Final Exams and semester Early Dismissal
Reminder for all students:
January 10 - Final Exams during blocks 3 through 6
January 11 - Final Exams during blocks 1 and 2; Early dismissal immediately after second block (11:00AM)
January 10 - Final Exams during blocks 3 through 6
January 11 - Final Exams during blocks 1 and 2; Early dismissal immediately after second block (11:00AM)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
FAFSA 2008-09 now open
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2008-2009 school year is now open. To complete the form, visit the FAFSA web site at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you prefer to mail in your form, you may print out a .pdf version at http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/docs/en-bwPDF_FAFSA_20071818.pdf.
The Guidance Office has paper copies of the worksheet, but not the form that can be mailed in to the federal government.
If you would like assistance completing your FAFSA, please contact the Guidance Office to set up an appointment with our LEAF advisor.
The Guidance Office has paper copies of the worksheet, but not the form that can be mailed in to the federal government.
If you would like assistance completing your FAFSA, please contact the Guidance Office to set up an appointment with our LEAF advisor.
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