It's that time of year again... the leaves are changing color, the temperatures are dropping and the rainy weather has returned. This only means one thing: time to start thinking about colleges! This year, we have already scheduled several different colleges to come in and talk about their programs and share information. Most of the visits will be occurring during our Senior Class, but all students are welcome to join in. Below is a list of who we have scheduled to come so far: Wednesday, September 20 = University of Puget Sound 2:15pm Monday, September 25 = Eastern Washington University 2:15pm Tuesday, October 10 = Landmark College 2:15pm Wednesday, October 11 = Evergreen State College 11:45 Thursday, October 12 = Washington State University 2:15pm More visits to come!

On Thursday, April 20, we will be having an Open House from 5-7pm. This is an excellent opportunity for potential families to tour our school, look at our curriculum, meet our teachers and ask them questions regarding our program. This year, we are excited to also be having our 1st annual science fair! Students have been working hard on their science fair projects and will be presenting their projects to their parents, teachers and potential families during the Open House. We welcome any new families, current families and professionals to come in and get to know more about our program. We would love to meet you and answer all your questions! Feel free to email our director, Jennifer Vice, if you have any questions: Jennifer@eastsideschool.org

Dual Enrollment is an ideal option for students who need smaller class sizes for their academic classes but want electives at a larger public school for socialization with their peers. This means that they can take all their core academic classes at a private school and up to 2 electives at their local public school where they live in the attendance area. Students can also participate in after school activities and clubs. This is a great option for students - one foot in each world. Students are able to exist in both worlds and be successful as well as happy. When it comes to the last semester of their senior year, public schools prefer students to choose - either all classes at the private school and graduate from there or all classes at the public school and graduate from there. Regardless, the transcript will have combined classes and grades from both schools for prospective colleges. Many families are unaware of this option when researching the option of needing something different to help their student. However, it is a great option to help students feel like they still get to see their friends and are connected as well as get the skills they need to be successful in their classes.

With an increase of students with autism attending 4 year colleges , these colleges have started rethinking how best to support these students. Western Kentucky University has the Kelly Autism Program. This is a comprehensive program that includes peer mentors, social events, access to tutors, counselors and a psychologist. Many other large universities such as Rutgers, University of Connecticut, and Cal State Long Beach are also following suit. Even in the Pacific Northwest, colleges are starting to change the way they support students. University of Portland groups students in dorms based on similar interests. Bellevue College has the OLS program while Seattle Central College has the SAILS program. The additional costs of these programs can also be supplemented through DVR assistance. Other local universities are researching how to implement more of a support program, even a dorm that offers these services. They also are developing more communication between professors and students. With 1 in 68 children having Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is great to see that colleges are starting to make changes so students can experience success in the transition to college. It sends a strong message that students on the autism spectrum can continue success in college and have the supports. It is a positive shift in higher education that will continue to improve.

Why should students attend summer school? One of the main reasons why students attend summer school is for grade retrieval. If throughout the school year, a student received a grade they are not proud of, summer school is an excellent opportunity to make up that grade. It's never too late! Colleges love to see that students take the time out of their schedule and dedicate themselves to replacing a low grade. Not only will this improve their GPA, it will show colleges that these students are determined to be successful and take their education seriously. Another reason why students attend summer school is to get ahead of their education. If a student excels in math, they can get approval from their school to take a class over the summer so they can begin a more advanced math class during the school year. This is for very motivated students who are applying to colleges who are more rigorous and competitive. If a student is taking an entire year's course, they will need to get approval from their current school and typically need to take a comprehensive assessment at the end of summer to show they learned the academic learning goals from that program. Besides math, students can also take a science course or foreign language course. One of the last reasons students may enroll in summer school is to improve their skills. For sophomores, taking an ACT or SAT prep class gives them extra practice to perform better when they take the test in the fall. Other students might want to enroll in a writing class to help strengthen their writing skills for the fall or to complete the required summer reading needed for the following year. Although some students might not be thrilled to spend their summer in school, these opportunities set students up for more success in the upcoming school year as well as help their chances with the colleges they are applying to.

Jennifer Vice – Page 2 – Eastside Academics School

College Visits

It's that time of year again... the leaves are changing color, the temperatures are dropping and the rainy weather has returned. This only means one thing: time to start thinking about colleges! This year, we have already scheduled several different [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-09-21T00:16:49+08:00September 21st, 2017|News|

Test Prep – Why the ACT

As a new school year is on the horizon, it is time for juniors to begin thinking about test prep. The ACT has now become the popular option for students to take. Every 4 year university in the US accepts [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-08-25T01:29:44+08:00August 25th, 2017|News|

New WA Education Legislation

On July 7, Governor Inslee signed into effect House Bill 2224. This bill takes passing the end of course Biology exam off the table for seniors graduating through 2021. The purpose behind this is to give students other opportunities to [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-07-26T23:49:46+08:00July 26th, 2017|News|

New HS Graduation Requirements in WA

As we finally enjoy the beginning of the summer, it is also a great time to start to prepare for fall. For the graduating class of 2019 (the students who entered 9th grade during the fall of 2015), the [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-07-01T05:52:31+08:00July 1st, 2017|News|

College Visits – More than just the tour

With summer almost here, this is the season for seniors to be making their decisions on colleges as well as for juniors to start thinking about the admissions process and where they want to go. For students, when considering a [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-05-24T05:52:09+08:00May 24th, 2017|News|

Open House April 20

On Thursday, April 20, we will be having an Open House from 5-7pm. This is an excellent opportunity for potential families to tour our school, look at our curriculum, meet our teachers and ask them questions regarding our program. This [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-04-15T01:50:24+08:00April 15th, 2017|News|

Best of Both Worlds

Dual Enrollment is an ideal option for students who need smaller class sizes for their academic classes but want electives at a larger public school for socialization with their peers. This means that they can take all their core academic [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-04-02T12:42:11+08:00April 2nd, 2017|News|

Autism and College

With an increase of students with autism attending 4 year colleges , these colleges have started rethinking how best to support these students. Western Kentucky University has the Kelly Autism Program. This is a comprehensive program that includes peer mentors, [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-02-28T06:57:43+08:00February 28th, 2017|News|

Why Summer School?

Why should students attend summer school? One of the main reasons why students attend summer school is for grade retrieval. If throughout the school year, a student received a grade they are not proud of, summer school is an excellent [...]

By Jennifer Vice|2017-02-09T05:45:41+08:00January 20th, 2017|News|

About Jennifer Vice