Dear Parents,
Over the past few weeks, Dean of Academic Advising Ayoleida Páramo and I have met with many students seeking academic advising prior to course selection. It has been a joy to take the time to get to know each student and learn more about his or her passions and goals for the upcoming school year. One constant driver during these individual meetings is the power of asking questions. We believe that one of the best ways to help support students in accomplishing their goals is asking them questions and listening to their responses. By asking a question as simple as “why?” students are encouraged to think deeply about their decisions—whether it be a course choice, an extracurricular commitment, or a college goal.
As parents, I am sure you too value the dialog that comes from asking your child questions about the school day, future goals, or favorite new TV show. With that in mind, in this month’s newsletter, we would like to recommend a series of important questions to ask your child (in partnership with the advising office) to help prepare him or her for next school year.
Five Questions to Ask
Preparing for Next Year
Question 1: What do you envision your weekly schedule looking like next year?
National Honor Society students loaded a truck for the Hopelink food drive.
This question will allow a student to consider the ways in which his or her academic courses intersect with other activities and commitments. Often students have considered each of those three factors in isolation but asking them to imagine a weekly schedule filled with assignments, social and church commitments, school activities, etc., will help them understand the important intersections. We encourage you to work with your child to go over a few hypothetical weeks and actually chart out what the schedule would look like each day of the week. This activity often encourages students to be concrete and understand how their commitments impact one another. This is easier to do now than in the fall when classes and other commitments are under way. Right now, it is much easier for a student to make a schedule or activity change as needed prior to next school year.
Question 2: Why are you excited to take ________ course next year?
Spanish I students sharing their success.
Understanding why a student wants to take a specific class is not just an important question for us as advisors to ask, but also a great question to reinforce as parents. Asking students about each of their class choices for next year will help them think through the pros (and potential cons) of each specific class. I encourage you to probe into the different subjects, particularly asking questions about what classes or areas of study align with their interests. Inquire if there are any classes that they have always wanted to take or even have never considered. Walking through the Course Catalog with your child is a great way to make sure he or she has considered the options. Additionally, this is a great opportunity to engage with your child on the amount of academic rigor in next year’s schedule and will allow students time to reflect on how course choices impact the rest of their commitments, as discussed in Question 1 above.
Question 3: What do you think you are interested in studying or pursuing as a career in the future?
Theater students performed "The Government Inspector" by Nikolai Gogol.
Yes, this is even relevant for grade 9 students. This question is not intended to pressure students into a premature career choice, but rather to give them the space to begin considering what they are passionate about. Asking these questions early (and often) gives students the freedom to change their minds or say “I don’t know” when the stakes are low.
Naviance, Bear Creek’s tool for college advising, has a fantastic set of self-discovery assessments which allow students to explore how their interests might intersect with different career paths. Additionally, it can also give students insights into their strengths as a student which can help them improve their study skills and methods. I would encourage you to have your child take these short assessments as they will foster even deeper conversations and likely spark more questions.
Question 4: What activities do you want to continue to pursue next year and are there any you don’t want to continue to pursue?
Marine Biology students working on a lab.
As we have mentioned in previous newsletters, high school is a time not just for academic pursuits but also a time for students to explore their passions outside of the classroom. I recommend intentionally asking your child about each activity he or she pursued this year. Lean into questions, especially about what your child most enjoyed and why. This may be obvious, but it is still valuable to give students space to articulate their passions, something that colleges will also ask of them in applications. Encourage your child to continue to pursue activities that he or she enjoys and help your child find ways to deepen his or her commitment to each. On the other hand, if there are activities that your child is not enjoying then it is a great time to discuss why as well as weigh the pros and cons to staying involved.
Question 5: What is one new thing you want to try next year at Bear Creek?
The varsity girls soccer team celebrating a goal.
One of the great gifts of a small, connected community is that students at Bear Creek have so many opportunities for leadership, service, and fellowship. We strongly encourage students to look for opportunities to deepen their investment in Bear Creek's Upper School, and frankly, colleges want to see this as well. Ask your child questions and encourage him or her to try something new. Maybe next year he or she wants to start a club or represent his or her House in the Viking Games or volunteer in Lower School. I have seen firsthand how students asking this question and being challenged has created some amazing opportunities and communities at Bear Creek. This question is not meant to encourage overcommitment from busy students, but rather an invitation for your child to think critically about how he or she wants to spend his or her time during high school.
Asking questions is one of the best parts of my job, and I know Ayoleida would agree. The questions do not have to be profound and frankly, are often quite simple. However, this allows me to do less talking and more listening so that I can best support each and every student in achieving his or her goals.
This month we invite you to ask your child these five questions and encourage you to open a dialog about his or her goals for next year. We continue to be a resource as well so always feel free to schedule a meeting with Ayoleida or me and bring your questions! (See below for links.) Please know that parents are always encouraged to attend advising meetings, however it is not mandatory as we recognize families have different schedules as well as philosophes about how they support their child(ren). Thank you for your continued partnership. I pray that these questions lead to fruitful conversations.
Course Selection
Rising Sophomore and Junior Advising
As students begin to consider course selection for next year, Ayoleida and I are offering one-on-one advising meetings with students to help them prepare for selecting next year's courses and applying to college (for rising seniors). Even if your child has a good idea of the courses he or she wants to take, we still encourage students to book a short check-in appointment. All students have been given access to these links via Teams, and we encourage you to support them in booking a session. Please note, parents are always welcome to attend these appointments.
- Freshmen may book an appointment
- Sophomores may book an appointment
Rising Senior Advising
Juniors must first complete the College Advising Student Questionnaire. The link for booking a one-on-one advising appointment is provided on the final confirmation page after the survey is submitted.
Parents of juniors are requested to complete the College Advising Parent Questionnaire, providing important information that will help me guide your child through the college application process.
Advising Events
During the month of January, Ayoleida and I hosted three class-specific advising events. If you missed either College Knowledge for Juniors or Academic and College Advising for Sophomores, please email me at kgomulkiewicz@tbcs.org to request a recording of the presentation. If you missed the event for freshmen, then please book an appointment with Mrs. Páramo so she can assist your child in completing his or her 4-year high school plan.
Summer Opportunities
There are many ways that grades 9 through 12 students can spend their summers, and Ayoleida and I encourage students to use the time off to relax, spend time with family and friends, and also explore more deeply their academic and extracurricular passions. If your child would like to take part in a summer program or internship, there are literally hundreds of options.
Here are a few starting points. Please reach out to Ayoleida (grades 9 and 10) or me (grades 11 and 12) if you have more specific questions about summer opportunities for your child. We also have multiple programs listed on the upstairs bulletin board in the Upper School for students to view.
Precollege Programs
A precollege program is typically an on-campus opportunity which includes a course or courses taught by professors. Often, the program will also help students prepare for the college application process. I encourage students to use these two questions to guide their research:
- What colleges I am interested in?
- What degrees am I interested in?
Here is just a short list as many, many colleges offer these programs.
- Berkeley Changemaker Program
- Rose-Hulman Summer STEM Program
- Wake Forest Debate and Public Advocacy, Policy and Politics Programs
- West Point Summer Leader Experience
- Tufts Precollege Program
- Launch Generation (University of Cambridge) Conference
- University of Chicago Immersion and Enrichment Programs
Internship or Job Shadow Programs
Students who are interested in a particular field of study such as law, business, or medicine may find internship or job shadow opportunities available to them. They should spend some time researching online for programs, and I am happy to vet them for you. If you and your child aren’t finding anything, I can help you reach out to Bear Creek’s Office of Alumni Relations to inquire about job shadows within the community.
Internships in Medicine and STEM
- COPE Health Scholars
- ISB High School Interns Program
- Fred Hutch Summer Internship
- University of Washington Neurotechnology Program
- NextVet Internship
- NASA Internship
- Boston Leadership Institute
Leadership and Service
- TIPS Internships
- Senate Page Program
- Port of Seattle Internship
- National Student Leadership Conference
- Camp Blaze
- Envision Programs
- Seattle City Light
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
Please mark your calendar and plan to attend these informative events and heed the upcoming deadlines. All these events and deadlines are listed on the School Calendar and in The Bear Facts each week where you can click the event title to learn more about each one.
- February 3: Spring Semester Add Course Deadline
- February 10: Spring Semester Drop Course Deadline
- February 12: Road Mapping Your Journey: Freshman Year to Graduation
- March 4: Course preferencing opens
- March 4: Identifying, Owning, and Communicating Your Strengths
- March 10: Navigating College Admissions Tests
- March 12: Course preferences due
- March 14: Grade 10 PreACT
- March 19: SAT School Day (juniors must register by February 7)
- April 3: Executive Functioning Skills for Success in College and Beyond
If you have any questions, then please feel free to reach out to me or Ayoleida (aparamo@tbcs.org).
Best,
Katie Gomulkiewicz
Dean of College and Academic Advising
kgomulkiewicz@tbcs.org