No classes, but lots of activity this half-day
Job shadowing, i-Ready, college tours, senior panel, and free PSATs all part of the Oct. 16 schedule for Watertown High School students
October 16, 2019
Job shadowing, i-Ready, college tours, a panel of seniors, and free PSATs.
Wednesday, Oct. 16, is going to be a different kind of half-day at Watertown High. It will be a half-day like no other, because each grade will be doing something different.
And there will be no classes that day.
The ninth-graders will be taking the math i-Ready test. The i-Ready test has recently come to Watertown schools and it helps teachers discover where their students are at. It will not be graded or affect the students in any way other than to help the teachers learn more about the students.
The test takes into account what students got right and wrong on the last questions and gives them more that are either easier or harder based on the previous answers.
When freshmen finish their tests, a panel of seniors will be waiting for them in the auditorium to discuss their experiences in high school, and provide advice for the Class of 2023.
The 10th- and 11th-graders will have the option to take the PSATs for free! This is the second year Watertown High has had this as an option. There are many great reasons to take the school up on this opportunity.
When asked about the PSATs — the preliminary SATs — principal Shirley Lundberg said they really help with your scores on the SATs and it’s a great way to have students get a taste of what’s to come.
The PSATs usually have a fee for the test-taker, however, Watertown High will be covering the cost for its students.
“It gives students an opportunity [to take the test] when they may have not gotten be opportunity otherwise,” said Ms. Lundberg.
She stated that taking one of these tests will make students’ experience better when they take the SATs. Students who take the PSATs often receive higher scores on the actual test.
“You really don’t want to go into them as your first standardized test of that kind,” she said.
After students take the PSATs, they get access to Khan Academy resources to help them prepare for the SATs. It also allows them to be part of the National Merit Scholars program if they score well enough. National Merit Scholars are offered scholarships by the government.
The WHS seniors have been asked to go on a job shadow or a college tour on this day to help them prepare for life outside of high school.
Ms. Lundberg thinks that, like the PSATs, it’s great to have this kind of experience, even if it’s not the job or the college a student necessarily goes into.
Seniors can also be on a panel for the freshmen. This panel will talk about all the things they wish they had known when going into high school. It is being put together by Mr. Rose and Mr. Nabel.
When asked, Ms. Lundberg had nothing but good things to say about it, saying that she loves the community involvement of the job shadowing and that the freshmen could get some real genuine advice from the seniors, something that she thinks can really keep building on the WHS community.
This half-day is dedicated to improving the academic lives of WHS students and creating a pathway for their futures.
So mark your calendars because Wednesday, Oct. 16, is going to be a busy day.
–Oct. 15, 2019–
