College & Career Meetings - Zoom Recordings & Resources

Dear 9th Graders and Parents/Guardians,

On Monday, June 1st, during cohort, I met with the 9th graders for our end-of-year college and career check-in. See the slides from Monday's presentation for your reference.

Here's what we covered on Monday:

Summer With Purpose: Students don't need a packed resume, but for most colleges/universities, including UCs, they do need a few meaningful experiences each year (and summer). I have asked students to begin a habit of documenting their experiences using CCGI (CaliforniaColleges.edu). Whether a student works a job, volunteers, takes care of family, pursues a creative project, or takes a dual-enrollment class, logging it in their CCGI My Experiences section now ensures they don't lose track of those experiences. Those entries become the building blocks for future college and job applications.

What 10th Grade Looks Like: 10th grade is when choices start showing up on college applications. UC/CSU GPA is calculated from 10th and 11th grade, so sophomore year is the first glimpse into their academic abilities (though private and out-of-state schools do use 9th grade for GPA calculation). We talked about being intentional when students choose junior-year electives next spring, staying involved with 2–3 activities they genuinely care about, and building real relationships with teachers, who will eventually write their college recommendation letters.

CCGI Activity: I demonstrated and asked students to log their activities into CCGI. I also reviewed tools I introduced them to earlier in the year: the College, Major, and Career search tools, and the assessment tools that can help them explore their strengths and aptitudes. Ask your student to show you these tools and encourage them to keep exploring!

UC/CSU Eligibility: I introduced students to the UC/CSU eligibility trackers in the CCGI Academic Planner. It's important to note that while the planner shows whether a student is on track to meet the minimum A-G requirements, "eligible" and "competitive" are not the same thing. Many popular campuses and majors require GPAs and experiences well above the minimum. Think of eligibility as the floor, not the goal. Grades, course rigor, activities, and essays are what make a student genuinely competitive. Students will keep building all of those over the next two years.

Before September, I've encouraged students to:

• Do something meaningful this summer

• Log experiences in CCGI → My Experiences

• Review their career and major results, and save some colleges and careers in CCGI

Looking Ahead - College & Career @ Credo

10th Grade

• College Knowledge Night & Mini College Fair (fall, optional)

• 2 Whole-Grade Evening Zoom Meetings with parents & students — fall & spring (dates TBD; watch the Credo calendar and weekly Credo Compass)

• 5 College & Career Activities in Cohort

• College Rep Visits at Credo @ lunch, Sept–Nov

• Bi-monthly SRJC Office Hours (year-round)

11th Grade

• College Knowledge Night & Mini College Fair (fall)

• PSAT/NMSQT (fall)

• 2 Whole-Grade Evening Zoom Meetings with parents & students — fall & spring (dates TBD; watch the Credo calendar and weekly Credo Compass)

• 6 College & Career Activities in Cohort

• College Rep Visits at Credo @ lunch, Sept–Nov

• Bi-monthly SRJC Office Hours (year-round)

• College Monday! College search & application prep workshops (spring)

• 1:1 College/Career meetings with juniors and parents/guardians (spring)

A Note to Parents/Guardians: Supporting your student through this process is a team effort, and I need your partnership for them to get the most out of the college and career program at Credo. The best ways to stay in the loop: read my ParentSquare posts, check the Credo calendar regularly, and read the weekly Credo Compass. These are the primary ways I communicate upcoming events, deadlines, and opportunities. Don't miss out!

My last day of the academic year is this Friday. I look forward to connecting with everyone next fall at the College Knowledge Night and Information Meetings. 

Your students worked hard this year. I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

Ms. Wuerthner

Dear 9th Grade Families,

Thank you to all who tuned in at 7 pm on a Wednesday, February 4th, to hear me talk college and career! 

I shared lots about Credo's College & Career Counseling program, resources, communication, and where to find important information, and partnering with me on your kids' journey to adulthood!

Below are my slide deck, the e-handout with resources and links, and the recording link. 

For this process to be successful, it requires students and parents to be informed, engaged, and to meet me at least halfway!

I look forward to meeting and working with you all over the next few years!

Ms. Wuerthner

• My presentation slides (with live links)

• E-handout (with live links)

• Recording link & Passcode: Z3@wT$bB