January Counselor Corner & Lunch for the Feb. Break

January Counselor Corner 

Happy New Year, and welcome back! As the semester winds down, January is all about finishing strong. Whether you’re wrapping up big projects, studying for finals, or planning for what’s next, we’re here to help. This month’s newsletter includes practical tips, key dates, and resources to help you navigate the end of the semester smoothly. Let’s tackle this final stretch together! 

 

January Counseling News You Can Use 

All Students 

Second Semester Change Process  

As 1st semester draws to a close, many students are looking ahead to their 2nd semester classes and asking about changes. As communicated last spring and again this past fall – course change requests remain limited in scope. Reasons that a course change request will be considered are limited to:  

• A missing required core class  
• Level change – AP/Honors to non-AP/Honors  
• Seniors missing a graduation requirement  
• Class on schedule that has already been taken  
• Double booked for a period/missing a class  

The course change request form and visuals of criteria and timeline can be found on the counseling website. Any requests must be submitted for review by Thursday January 30th, at 11 a.m. Any changes that meet the criteria and can be made (pending availability in requested course/in student schedule) will be updated by 4 p.m. on the 30th.  

Counselors are available for student drop ins every day during lunches to answer questions about 2nd semester course change requests.  

As a reminder:  

Schedule changes, even for appropriate reasons, are only done prior to the start of a semester and within the first 5 days of the semester. If a student wants to drop a class after the first 5 days and before the 20th day of the semester, they will receive a "W" on their transcript for that course. Classes dropped after the 20th day will earn an 'F' on the transcript.  

We will be locked out of Skyward from Feb 11-Feb 26 and there will not be ANY opportunity to change classes during the system shut down.  

 

Lunch for the Break:

The Second Winter Break is approaching, and so is Lunch for the Break from the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank. The service will be available for those who register on Friday, February 14, from 1-7 p.m. Families can shop for free from a variety of produce, dairy, proteins, and other kid-friendly breakfast, lunch and snack items!

This program is available for families with school-aged children in the Issaquah School District & ZIP codes 98027, 98029, 98059, 98074, and 98075. Registration is required; to register, visit the food bank website. For additional details about the program in Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian or Chinese, read the flyer from the food bank.

 

Seniors:

Mid-year reports will go out to colleges with your transcript the 2nd week of February. If you receive an email from one or more of your colleges stating that your transcript is missing, do not order a transcript! Transcript will not be ready with 1st semester grades until the 2nd week of February and this is when we will be sending them for you with the mid-year report. Don’t worry, this happens every year, WA is one of the last states in the country to finish 1st semester in late January. Colleges understand and will not reject your application. Feel free to communicate with them that your mid-year report with transcript of 1st semester grades will be delivered the 2nd week of February! 

All Students:

Check out this article from Point Loma Nazarene University for 10 study Tips for Surviving Finals Week. Don’t forget finals are January 28th, 29th and 30th.  

 

Family Partnership Event Jan. 22; Supports, Resources for Students

The Counseling and Student Well-Being Team with the Family Partnerships Team will host a virtual presentation for K-12 families about supports and resources available for students experiencing academic challenges, physical/health concerns and social/emotional needs.

• ​January 22, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Register to receive the Zoom link.

Sessions will be in English, Spanish, and Chinese.  Sessions in other languages will be scheduled at an alternative time.