The semester is coming to an end, but it certainly won’t go out quietly. With finals approaching, students and parents should work together to check in with grades, design successful study plans, and create healthy and supportive study environments. Students should be making plans for how to spend their winter breaks and seniors must be staying on top of deadlines. This month will likely come with learning new stress management skills, but the break is near!
At a glance…
Upcoming ACT deadlines:
Test on December 9th*
*Last test until February 2024
Upcoming SAT deadlines:
Test on December 2nd**
**Last test until March 2024
Critical topics:
Studying for finals
Winter break goals
Registering for SAT/ACT
Update Common App
Update Regular Decision schools
9th graders
If you’re a freshman, then your jobs this month are:
Those grades. Keep them up. You’re almost done with your first semester!
Study for your finals. The caliber of finals will certainly be much harder this year than in years past. Come up with a study plan that you can stick to to ensure your first high school finals week is not only a success, but sets you up with good habits for the rest of your high school career.
Make a list of 5 goals for your winter break. How you utilize your winter break will be very important in years to come, so it’s good to practice creating goals now. You could learn a new skill, reorganize your room, volunteer locally, create something, read a few books, or plan your second semester success. Many resume-building things can be done right from home!
Evaluate your extracurriculars. What has been serving you well? What is worth continuing next semester and where do you have room to try something new after the break?
Parents of 9th graders
Monitor grades as finals approach. Help your kid determine how their performance on their finals will impact their overall grades, if necessary.
Help create a good study environment for finals. They might need help finding the recipe for success for their first high school finals week.
10th graders
If you’re a sophomore, then your jobs are:
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