November 29, 2017

Reminders:

• Rick needs nominations for students and teachers of the month! The next deadline is tomorrow. Here is the criteria. You just need to send him an email to nominate! 
• There are still three families that need to be sponsored for the Family Gift Drive. 
• The entrance exam for the Class of 2022 is this Saturday, December 2!
• Monday, December 4 we will have a Christmas concert in the gym at 8:30 am. 
• Men's Club will provide lunch for staff on Wednesday, December 6.
• We will have a liturgy for the Immaculate Conception at 8:30 on Friday, December 8.
• I will be writing our next blog post Wednesday, December 13. Please send me updates, shout-outs, and/or pictures you have! Please feel free to send them as they happen- I'll hold onto them until I write the next post!

Looking Ahead:

The following is the schedule for semester exams:
Monday, December 18

8:30-9:30 period 6

9:45-10:45 period 7

Tuesday, December 19

8:30-9:30 period 1

9:45-10:45 period 3

11:00-12:00 period 5

Wednesday, December 20

8:30-9:30 period 2

9:45-10:45 period 4

Records:

• The Records Office is anxiously awaiting Saturday's Entrance Exam, hoping that our 294 shadows translates into strong numbers for the Exam.

Practicum:

• Practicum students will write thank you notes to their mentors and hand deliver them in the upcoming weeks. 
• Exploring Careers students completed their final shadowing experience on Tuesday, November 28.
• Practicum students will conclude their field experiences on Friday, December 8. Students who missed placements will make them up the week of December 11. 

Rankin:

• We are still in the process of revising program objectives and outcomes. 
• Preparation for semester exams is beginning. 
• At a recent staffing, academic support, generalist counselors, Tam, and Kristine discussed possibilities to implement empathy and understanding students with differences into the curriculum in different classes. We would like to begin as soon as possible in Religion 1 and for Natural Helpers week. Eventually we would like these ideas to be addressed among multiple classes (Health, English, History, etc.)   

College Counseling:

• 14 seniors were selected to be Illinois State Scholars! Stay tuned for more info on which students received this honor.
• Juniors must register for the ACT Prep class by this Friday, December 1, if interested. 
• December 1 and December 15 are common application deadlines- the apps and acceptances keep rolling in! Listen to morning announcements every Friday to hear who got accepted where during that week. 
• We have 1 Evans Scholar finalist and 1 QuestBridge finalist- Both in the running for full-ride tuition scholarships!

General Counseling:

• We are accepting nominations for the HOBY Leadership seminar. This occurs in June 2018 at Dominican University. Every year the counselors sponsor 2 Sophomore students for this program. We are looking for 10th graders who display strong leadership and service work OR students who would thrive in a program that enhances their leadership skills. If you have any nominations, please contact Mary or Sheri.
• Sheri and Mary Kaye hosted the Transfer Connection luncheon Wednesday.
• We encourage all members of the Student Services Department to attend the memorial services Isabella Simioni on Tuesday, December 5 during Seminar B in the Chapel.
• Tam and the counselors are working on a school wide presentation on Angst. This will hopefully occur during Natural Helpers week 2nd semester.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

Rachel Dietz '19

Q: Why did you decide to take Practicum?

A: I chose to take Practicum as one of my courses because I knew it would help me figure out what profession I want to go into. I was excited to take this class because I heard all the great things about it including how you get to go into the field and shadow mentors.

Q: Which careers are you shadowing this semester?

A: This semester I shadowed at all medical sites. I visited the Family Birth Place, the Cancer Infusion Center, and even Advocate Lutheran General Hospital to observe a surgery. I chose all medical placements because I know I want to work in a hospital setting; I love the atmosphere.

Q: What experience/rotation have you enjoyed the most?

A: The experience I enjoyed the most was the Family Birth Place. I loved the energy and excitement that came when someone gave birth to a baby. Being able to see someone’s life change because they had a child was so exciting, and I loved being a part of it.  

Q: What have your learned about yourself and your interests this semester in Practicum?

A: Because of Practicum, I have learned that I want to work in the hospital and most likely specialize in Family Birth. I loved being with patients immediately after they gave birth, and I also loved the Special Care Unit. In the SCU, I was able to see babies who needed more intense care because they were born premature or sick. After shadowing these placements, I know I want to work with babies/kids in the hospital.

Q: What advice do you have for students who participate in the Practicum Program?

A: I definitely suggest to do as many placements as you can that you think you would be interested in. If you really like one of the placements, I would recommend to choose the placement more than once so you can experience it multiple times.

Q: Any other comments or insights?

I recommend doing all the Lutheran General rotations because they are once in a lifetime opportunities. I was able to witness an open heart surgery and stand over the patient next to the surgeon. This experience was mind blowing; I was able to see a real heart beating inside someone's chest. I will never forget that moment because it was incredible.

November 15, 2017

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Reminders:

• Thanksgiving break begins on November 22. Have a great break!
• Kairos will leave on November 28. If you would like to write letters to any of the students, you can drop them off in the main office.
• Rick needs nominations for students and teachers of the month! The next deadline is November 30. Here is the criteria. You just need to send him an email to nominate! 
• I will be writing our next blog post Wednesday, November 29. Please send me updates, shout-outs, and/or pictures you have! Please feel free to send them as they happen- I'll hold onto them until I write the next post!
• We wish Sam the best of luck during her recovery. She will be back in the building on December 4!

Records:

• Mary Kaye is [still] waiting patiently for the Freshmen Entrance Exam on December 2.

Practicum:

• Students in Exploring Careers will have their final shadowing experience on Tuesday, November 28. 
• Practicum students will conclude their field experiences on Friday, December 8. Students who missed placements will make them up the week of December 11. 

Rankin:

• 3 teachers attended a "Wired Differently" conference on students struggling with emotional disables, ADHD, anxiety, depression, etc. and they reported that it was extremely informative! They will present the information they learned to the rest of the faculty during a professional development next semester. 
• We are seeing a great amount of interest from 8th grade families looking to join the Res family next year. 
• Sam and Bri, along with Rick and Kristine, are reviewing and revising the Rankin Academic Support Program objectives from when the program was initiated 3 years ago. They will reflect how the program has developed. 

College Counseling:

• Junior Parent Night last Thursday was a success!
• Meredith will be returning practice ACT scores to Juniors during seminar on Thursday and Friday of this week
• Juniors should sign up for ACT Prep class before December 1, if interested

General Counseling:

• Mary Bridich will be starting the grief group this week. 
•  Sheri is assisting Deacon John with planning a memorial service in honor of Ms Simioni. 
• With this in mind, the two counselors will be sharing the following information with the teachers in the Principal's blog:
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/school-safety-and-crisis/addressing-grief/addressing-grief-tips-for-teachers-and-administrators
• The counselors will sharing information with the sophomore class about the HOBY program. It is a leadership camp that several of our students have been through.  They hope to send 1 or 2 students to this summer program.  
• Sheri and Mary have had some significant information come out of parent/teacher conferences, so they are currently following up with students regarding this. 

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

Caleigh Reardon '18

Q: Why did you decide to take Practicum?

A:  I took Practicum because I really wanted to really experience social work on the forefront. I thought the class was a great opportunity to experience my career interest before it even started. I figured it would be wise to explore my career and make sure it was right for me before I went to college and started working towards a degree in it. Also, my area of interest is so broad that I really wanted to see all sides of it in order to narrow down what I could focus on in college.

Q: Which careers are you shadowing this semester?

A: I have mostly shadowed social work this semester. I did several placements with a social worker named Samantha Tuminaro who works at Resurrection Medical Center. She works in all departments so not only have I been able to see her do social work but I have also been fortunate enough to see many different departments of the hospital and observe the people who work in each one. I have also shadowed the Case Management Team at the hospital and interviewed a therapist at Urban Wellness.

Q: You had the opportunity to shadow social workers and case managers for several weeks at Resurrection Medical Center. You also did an informational interview with a therapist at Urban Wellness. Describe those experiences.

A:  I have currently been going over to Resurrection Medical Center to shadow the social workers and Case Management Team. When I am with Samantha, we go all throughout the hospital. She meets with patient after patient, each with a different case. Not all the patients will need the help of Samantha, but she makes sure all needs are being addressed. Someone may come in with an injury and then it will be discovered that they need help with addiction issues as well. I have been with her through many cases such as when she assists babies in the special care unit or petitions someone to be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric word. Her case load is always very diverse, and she is always dealing with a variety of issues on a day to day basis. This is great for me to see because I really get to observe every type of case and how it is handled. The days when I am not with Samantha, I am typically shadowing the Case Management Team. The team is made up of nurses whose focus is to come up with patients’ discharge plans. They work closely with the social workers to investigate the patients’ needs, make sure those needs are being met, and planning for the patient’s aftercare. This is really interesting to see because it showed me the medical side of social work if you choose to work in a hospital. I am also able to meet the types of people you work with in this kind of setting. Finally, I did my interview with Urban Wellness. I have always had a passion for mental health so I was really excited to have this opportunity. I met with the owner of the company, Maureen Werrbach, who also happens to be a Res graduate. I basically sat down with her and talked all about her career. She took me through her education, what jobs she had before starting Urban Wellness, and how she ended up starting her company. We also talked about the specifics of her career such as what a typical therapy session looks like, what kinds of patients she sees, and how she handles the emotional/ stressful component of her job.

Q: What have your learned about yourself and your interests this semester in Practicum?

A: I think what I have learned most through Practicum is how to apply the careers to real life as well as to your own reality. It is really easy to have a “dream” career in mind and romanticize that job in a way that does not match up with reality at all. When I first dreamed of being a social worker four years ago, I pictured myself saving people’s lives, solving everyone’s problems quickly and easily,  just generally being a hero, and then receiving a giant paycheck for all my easy, breezy work. With lots of time, maturity, and especially through Practicum, I have learned that this is not what social work is at all. Of course, a few pieces of that fantasy might hold some truth, but mostly in my placements I have found that social work can be a frustrating career. Things move slow, cases don’t work out, people have problems after they leave you, and some people's problems are so big that it can’t help but stay with you even after you go home. In this career you can be held back by even a patient’s insurance. But it is also a rewarding, interpersonal, and extremely intimate career. You do it because you love it and because you love people and you truly want to help. So although it may sound disappointing that my perspective of the career changed so drastically, it is actually quite the opposite. I am thrilled to have discovered that my passion for social work matches up to the trials and tribulations of the job. Because in the end that is what is important to the career; not playing savior but just having the drive to help other people and doing the best for them despite the limiting circumstances. It is much more important to learn about yourself that you are up to the challenge instead of choosing to glorify a job you didn’t really know anything about in the first place.

Q: What advice do you have for students who participate in the Practicum Program?

A: My advice for Practicum students is to keep an open mind, be present, and really reflect afterwards on what the career means for the world and for you. In this class, you truly get out of it what you put into it. Be aware that every career you look at will be different from what you pictured. Try to think realistically about the things you see and how your mentor’s jobs impact the world around you. Truly try to picture yourself in that specific career and ask yourself if it is something you could see yourself doing for the long term. Be super respectful of your mentors but also be sure to put yourself out there and ask lots of questions. And most importantly, try out any careers that pique your interest but be cognizant of the fact that it still only allows you to see a fraction of what is really out there. So, even if you go through all the your placements and still have not found your area of interest, do not be disappointed. You have not failed. Instead, you have succeeded in finding several jobs that you for sure do not want to do and therefore do not have to waste any time in your college education on them. It’s all about perspective. It’s a learning process to experience a career, not a life sentence.

Q: Any other comments or insights?

My only other comment is that I really encourage everyone to sign up for Practicum. It’s a fabulous opportunity and one you’re not going to get anywhere else. So, take advantage of it!!

November 2, 2017

Happy November! My favorite month!

Reminders:

• Don't forget to turn your clocks back Sunday!
• Yearbook retakes during seminar on November 7.
• November 9:
• Lunch and learn
• Practicum guest speaker
• Student progress conferences
• No school on November 10!
• The craft fair is on November 11
• IC all school shadow day on November 13
• Noon dismissal on November 15
• Rick needs nominations for students and teachers of the month! The next deadline is November 30. Here is the criteria. You just need to send him an email to nominate! 
• I will be writing our next blog post Wednesday, November 15. Please send me updates, shout-outs, and/or pictures you have! Please feel free to send them as they happen- I'll hold onto them until I write the next post!
•  If you have any other ideas about sections for me to add to the blog, just let me know!

Records:

• Mary Kaye is waiting patiently for the Freshmen Entrance Exam on December 2.

Practicum:

• Students in Practicum and Exploring Careers will be attending a presentation by guest speaker, Dr. Jo Wolthusen, on Thursday, November 9 during Seminar A and B.
• Dr. Wolthusen will be speaking to the Practicum students about her career journey as a licensed clinical psychologist. She will also help students visualize a roadmap to potential careers in the field of psychology.
• Dr. Wolthusen is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of clinical experience. She has worked in a variety of treatment settings including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric hospital programs. She has also led an intensive outpatient program for adolescents and has volunteered at an emergency care shelter for adolescent girls. Currently, she works with adults, adolescents, and families in private practice.  
• Katherine Cuscaden '18 and Clare Ryan '20 have registered for the CBA  Law Explorers Program. Their first meeting was last night! 

Rankin:

• We were able to chat with many families in need of the Rankin Academic Support Program during open houses. Briana has already received many inquiries for the entrance exam. 
• We are doing mid-semester check-in's with support level teachers to see how the new courses are going so far. 

College Counseling:

• All Early Decision and Early Action Applications are submitted as of yesterday
• Meredith is working on the junior parent night presentation that will be held during the dinner break of parent/teacher conferences on November 9
• Meredith is creating a new ACT Prep Program for juniors. Any teachers interested in the program should let Mr. P know before November 15. An email with details was sent on Monday.
• Seniors are receiving a lot of acceptances to great schools! Deadlines for regular decision applications are throughout the remainder of the year. Thanks for everyone's effort/support and letter of recommendation writing! 

General Counseling:

• Sheri has started the Transition group, which has  been going well.  There are a few more students joining this week. 
• The counselors are finishing the individual Sophomore meetings, and starting up the Junior meetings.  They are using an online survey tool and have already had the bulk of the juniors respond. The data has been insightful for the individual meetings.
• Mary will be starting the Grief group next week. It will span over the holiday break to assist students with the challenges the holidays bring. 

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

Anastasia Mourikes '18

Q: Why did you decide to take Practicum?

A: I decided to take Practicum because I wanted to explore what certain careers are like in real life. I am not sure what it is that I want to study in college, so Practicum is a great way to explore my options. I knew I had certain interests, and I wanted to see what careers within that interest are like in the real world.

Q: Which careers are you shadowing this semester?

A: This semester I have, or will have shadowed a hospital social worker, a lawyer, an engineer, a marketing executive, a tax accountant, and a physician's assistant. I wanted to explore everything!

Q: You've expressed an interest in law and had the opportunity to shadow at the Skokie Court House. Describe that experience.

A: Yes, I do have an interest in law. I was very grateful to have had the opportunity to observe a lawyer in court. I observed Mr. DiFranco defend a client who had gotten in a head-on collision and was arrested for a DUI. When I first arrived, my mentor met me outside the courtroom and explained to me what was going to be happening inside. He walked me to the front where I met many other lawyers who were waiting to defend their clients. Mr. DiFranco explained to me who everyone in the court was and their purpose. After listening to many smaller traffic court cases, the bench trial Mr. DiFranco was defending began. Both the assistant state's attorney and Mr. DiFranco questioned the police officer who had arrested the defendant on the night in question. Later the judge watched video footage of the interaction between the defendant and of the officer and the defendant's sobriety tests. Mr. DiFranco asked the judge if I would be able to watch the footage with him and that was really cool. Soon after, the judge ruled that the defendant was in fact not intoxicated and therefore not guilty. After the case concluded,  I met the judge and the assistant state's attorney who had been prosecuting the case. It was a really great opportunity to meet other lawyers, see the work environment, and what their everyday work life might be like.

Q: What have your learned about yourself and your interests this semester in Practicum?

A: This semester I have learned that I do not like working in hospital settings, and I am not a fan of medical work. I have also learned that I like having a steady and predictable work schedule. The most important thing I have learned is what my values are and how to use them to find a suitable career path. I value independence and being able to work on my own projects without being very closely supervised. I value good work relationships and being able to work well with my co workers, and lastly I value having support and a good boss or supervisor who will be able to help me when I need it and trust me when I am doing work.

Q: What advice do you have for students who participate in the Practicum Program?

A:  Take the opportunities the program offers you seriously and learn from them so that you can make a more focused decision about your future.

Q: Any other comments or insights?

A: I think it is amazing that Res is able to offer this program and as students, we are really lucking to have the opportunity to shadow professionals in the careers we hope to have some day. My day in court was one of the best school days I have ever had, and I can't wait to have more.