9th Grade Action Plan

The beginning of high school is an exciting time. Your child may be adjusting to a new school, making new friends and becoming more independent. But your child still needs your help and involvement. Here are some things you can do together to succeed this year. Colleges will look at your 9th grade-11th grade transcript. That means everything counts from now on!

Fall

• Make sure your child meets with the college counselor to introduce him/herself.
• Your child should schedule a meeting to talk about college and career options and to choose the most-appropriate classes. The College Counselor and Registrar help with this process.
• Your child will get access Naviance which is a comprehensive college and career readiness solution that helps schools align student strengths and interests to postsecondary goals, improving student outcomes and connecting learning to life. There are many career exploration components in the system. An email was sent to all 9th graders with a temporary password to access this system, if your child has misplaced or forgotten password please contact Dr. Rios at erios@sagemont.com so she can provide another reset link.
• Please have your child do assessments on the Naviance system under the About Me tab.
• Help your child set goals for the school year. Working toward specific goals helps your child stay motivated and focused.
• Make a plan to check in regularly about schoolwork. If you keep up with your child's tests, papers and homework assignments, you can celebrate successes and head off problems as a team.  Grades start to count NOW. Everything impacts the GPA so remind your child that from now on everything matters.
• Talk about extracurricular activities. Getting involved in clubs and other groups is a great way for your child to identify interests and feel more engaged in school.  
  

Winter

• Start thinking about financial aid. It’s not too early to look into types of aid that could help you cover college costs. Your child can start an account with www.raise.me which is a micro scholarship site. Through RaiseMe, high schoolers can start earning college scholarships as early as 9th grade for good grades, sports, extracurriculars and other achievements.
• Discuss next year’s classes. Make sure your child is challenging him- or herself — and taking the courses college admission officers expect to see.  High School students need 24 credits to graduate in a college-prep track.

 
Spring

• Help your child start a college list. At least three in each of these categories: Dream (very competitive), Target (somewhat competitive), Safety (not very competitive). 
• See how much you need to save for college. If you have not already started a pre-paid plan, look into it.
• Help your child make summer plans. Summer is a great time to explore interests and learn new skills — and colleges look for students who pursue meaningful summer activities.

Summer Before 10th grade

• Visit a college campus together. It’s a great way to get your child excited about college. 
• Get the facts about what college costs. It is not cheap but it is not impossible to have much of the costs covered for excellent students. 
• Show your child how to explore career ideas. He or she can make a list of interests, talents and favorite activities and start matching them with occupations.