Open Wide!

Great Lakes Dental Talks with SLHS Students about Dental Health Careers

Dr. Pollard from Great Lakes Dental and University of Iowa's dentistry student, Alyssa Siegrist, talked with SLHS students about careers within the dental health field today, including: dentists, laboratory technicians, dental hygienists and dental assistants. 

There are many benefits of pursuing dental health careers, specifically dentistry. Dr. Pollard highlighted dentistry's great job outlook, no required residency, respectable salary (i.e. $80-100K) and flexible hours. 

While majoring in pre-dentistry is an option for an undergraduate major, both Dr.Pollard and Alyssa discussed the ability to concentrate on something much different (e.g. Alyssa majored in nutrition/dietetics, Dr.Pollard's dentist son majored in Business Administration); however, many dentistry students choose to study a science related major, such as Biology or Physiology. Students have to attend four years of dentistry school once graduated with an undergraduate degree, totaling eight years of post-secondary education. 

How do you know if dentistry is right for you? Dr. Pollard recommends taking as many science classes as possible and encourages student to job shadow! 

For more information about dental health careers or setting up a job shadow with Dr. Pollard, please see me! 

Everyone Wins in a Globally Competitive Workforce

National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC): A Common Language to Improve the Quality of the Workforce

According to Skilled Iowa, the NCRC evaluates and validates the skill sets and competencies essential for a globally competitive workforce across a range of industries.
*Business and industry leaders know exactly what foundational skills they need for a productive workforce-and can easily communicate their needs
*Individuals understand what skills are required by employers-and ow to prepare themselves for success
*Educators close the skills gap using tools aligned with career pathways
*Economic developers use an on-demand reporting tool to market the quality of the workforce

The NCRC is comprised of three WorkKeys assessments: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information and Reading for Information. These assessments measure "real world" skills, essential building blocks of knowledge linked to job success. Based on the scores from these assessments, an individual can earn one of four levels of certification: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. To identify careers aligned with specific certification levels, go here.

SLHS freshmen will be taking the WorkKeys assessments on Tuesday, October 22nd. SLHS seniors will be taking the WorkKeys assessments in the spring.

Should you have further questions or comments, please direct them to myself or Brock Holman.

More to come...

Young Women in Business Conference Opportunity

A business degree is your ticket to opportunity. Rise to the top of a large company. Start your own business and make it grow. Work for a nonprofit, or a university, or a government. With a business degree, all that and more are possible.

But what is it like to be a business major? Or to work in a particular industry? The College of Business at Iowa State University wants to help you find out.

Young Women in Business is a conference especially for females in grades 9 through 12 [parents welcome] hosted on October 21st on the ISU campus.

• Explore majors in business
• Learn about career opportunities
• Meet and ask questions of business faculty members in each major
• Hear directly from professionals working in each field
• Interact with female business students from Iowa State about their experiences and what they hope to accomplish

Information taken from the YWIB website. You can find additional information and registration details here! 

Senior Presentation

Senior Presentation
9/17/13
7:45am

Seniors, go here!

HS Timeline: Fall

It's bizarre how sneaky high school can be. One minute you're sitting as a freshmen thinking you all the time in the world to think about and plan for college and then all of a sudden BAM! you're a senior and have no idea what's ahead...

Here are some helpful tips from the Iowa College Access Network that may help you, regardless of where you're at on the continuum.

Fall (September, October, November)

Freshmen & Sophomores: 

• Ask your parents and other adult what they like and dislike about their careers. Find out what type of training or education is required for each job.
• Talk with family members, friends, teachers, counselors, and coaches about their college experiences.
• Get to know the different types of postsecondary institutions. Colleges and universities offer four-year degrees and beyond, while community colleges and technical institutions offer many different programs nine months to two years in length.
• Many colleges require four years of English, three to four years of math, science and social studies, two years of electives, and two to four years of foreign language to be considered for admission. Work with Mrs.Nelson to stay on track. 
• Keep your grades up! 
• Keep a record of your extracurricular involvement in an activities portfolio-a summary of your achievements, talents, and interests. 

Sophomores & Juniors: All of the above and...

• Attend college fairs (Golden Circle) and meet with college representatives that visit school.
• Consider taking the PSAT
• Think about what you like to do, what you're good at and what you value most. Use your IHAPI account to explore career possibilities!
• Talk to your parents about your plans for the future. Discuss your personal and academic goals. 

Juniors: All of the above and...

• Consider the ASVAB 
• Determine what factors are important to you in a college. Go to www.ICANsucceed.org for information on choosing a college.
• Review college and career resources available in Student Services.
• Visit with Mrs.Nelson about ways to increase your chances of being admitted to the college of your dreams
• Make a list of 10-15 colleges that fit your requirements
• Download the College Checklis on ww.ICANsucceed.org to keep on track
• Start planning to take the SAT and/or ACT exams. 

Seniors: Look for Senior Presentation (posting 9/17/13)

SDSU College Visit Opportunity

Who: SLHS Juniors & Seniors [and their parents] are welcome!

What: Group college visit to SDSU

When: Wednesday, September 11th 

Where: Brookings, South Dakota

Why: College visits are a great way to help determine whether a college is the right place for you!  

How: Sign-up here !!! Deadline to sign-up is Wednesday, September 4th! 

U of Iowa, Iowa State, or UNI bound?

Thinking about attending Iowa, Iowa State, or UNI? 

Iowa's three regent universities use the Regent Admission Index (RAI) to determine acceptance!

Freshman Admission requirements to Iowa Regent Universities

Admission of freshmen who wish to enroll at any of the Iowa Regent universities is based on the Regent Admission Index (RAI) equation described below. In addition, applicants must meet the minimum high school course requirements for the university they wish to enter.

    (2 x ACT composite score)

+  (1 x percentile high school rank)

+  (20 x high school GPA)

+  (5 x number of years of high school core courses)

    Regent Admission Index

Freshman applicants from Iowa high schools who achieve at least a 245 RAI score and who meet the minimum number of high school courses required by the Regent universities will qualify for automatic admission to any of the three Regent universities. Freshman applicants who achieve less than a 245 RAI score may also be admitted to a specific Regent university; however, each Regent university will review these applications on an individual basis and the admission decision will be specific to each institution.

**********Find out the RAI courses offered at Spirit Lake here: