Dear Senior Parents and Guardians:
The quiet of Winter Recess descended upon the campus quickly and completely. It gave me some time to reflect on the fall, and I feel not enough can be said of what a tremendous term it was not only for Seniors individually but also as a group leading the School in wonderful ways. From academic achievements and athletic highs to drama and musical performances to remember, to a renewed commitment to Community Service projects and fundraisers, this class led the way. One important term down and two important terms to go. This is not the time to rest on a successful Fall Term, however. It will be important to continue to excel in all areas into the most challenging of terms!
Your children’s teachers have been hard at work crafting the required recommendations, and we are readying supporting documents which will be uploaded to Gateway and SAO on or before January 9th, 2024.
Please resist the temptation to call us / email us to see if materials have been sent to schools. We send this update so you have the information you need and are reassured of the process. Checking with us will only slow down our processing and will ultimately be counterproductive. It is much better for the group if we can move forward efficiently. Know that we have electronic copies of everything and if a school makes a one-off request, we can deliver in a moment's notice.
Thank you for processing this information and for tending to the Action Items listed below. While many were included in the November and December Newsletters, I send them again as a reminder.
Best wishes for 2024! Let’s hope the campus soon looks like the Alan Zhou photo above. It has been a while!
Clayton
Director of Secondary School Counseling
Action Item!
CHARACTER SKILLS SNAPSHOT
The Character Skills Snapshot (CSS) is used by admission officers to gain additional information across seven character traits. It is optional for nearly all schools but may be required by a few. The assessment takes approximately 30 minutes. Access to the CSS will be available in your child's ssat.org portal. Please use the resource below for more information and check out the short video: http://www.ssat.org/snapshot#take-the-snapshot
Action Item!
SENDING SSAT SCORES
They can be sent when your student submits their application(s).
As stated in the November and December Newsletters, though most schools remain test optional, they are all open to receiving scores- in fact some recommend it. Ultimately the scores belong to you, and you can decide to send them or not. If a school requires scores or if you choose to submit scores, you need to designate to which schools scores will be sent. If you have more than one set of scores you should choose the 'best' set to send to schools and if you are unsure, send all scores. If your child is taking a January test, you will need to send at least one set of scores to early deadline schools so as to not be late on application deadline. Updates can happen at any time. They can be sent when your student submits their application.
How to Send SSAT Test Scores
To send your SSAT scores to a school or educational consultant:
Go to the SSAT Scores page in your parent/guardian account.
Click the downward caret next to your student's test.
Type the name of the school or educational consultant (or their four-digit code) into "Search and Add Score Recipients."
Select the correct recipient (double-check their location) and click "Add." Only scores from the selected test will be sent, even if your student tested multiple times.
Action Item!
ASSIGNING RUMSEY HALL AS SCORE ADVISOR
Please BE SURE to make Rumsey Hall a SCORE ADVISOR for SSAT scores in your ssat.org account if your child has taken the SSAT outside of Rumsey. By making Rumsey a Score Advisor, means nothing more than we in Rumsey's Secondary School Counseling Office- and only Rumsey's Secondary School Counseling Office- have access to your child’s scores. Rumsey does not send score reports to schools; that is a family Action Item.
Action Item!
SUPPLEMENTS & “OTHER TEACHER” RECOMMENDATION REQUESTS
Supplements and 'other teacher' recommendations... This is pesky. Be sure your child has checked to determine if a supplement to the application is required. This often takes the form of a specific set of questions or a separate third / personal recommendation. Be sure your child has secured and requested the 'extra' recommendations if a school requires them.
Action Item!
SUBMITTING GRADED ESSAYS
If your child needs a graded essay for submission and has yet to do that, he / she will need to contact their English teacher and retrieve it. We can then help scan it so that it is prepared for upload but please communicate that to either me or Julie.
Action Item!
FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS & DEADLINES
Know that FA deadlines are typically similar to application deadlines. Please pay particular attention and check each school's website for more specific information. If you have additional questions about the financial aid application it would be best to contact the individual schools directly.