Katiana Simon, Assistant Principal Ext. 2308 [email protected]

Parent Evenings

School Counselors: Alissa Rivera-Kirby (Bilingual) Leave Replacement for Madeline Cuddy Ext. 2321 [email protected] Rosio Enriquez (Bilingual) Ext. 2319 [email protected] Marybeth Griffin Ext. 2399 [email protected]

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Freshman Parent Orientation

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OHS Back-to-School Night

Marie Kretzschmar Ext. 2317 [email protected]

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Senior Parent College Evening

Kendall McFarlane Ext. 2320 [email protected]

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Family Engagement Night

Johannah Moran Ext. 2322 [email protected]

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Junior Parent Night

Lucy Guo Ext. 2371 [email protected]

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Sophomore Parent Night

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8th Grade Parent Orientation

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Seniors Awards Night

See website and district calendar for dates.

School Psychologists: Esther Sohn Ext. 2305 [email protected] Alexa Achon-Cabrera (Bilingual) Ext. 2367 [email protected] Social Workers: Ellen Slater Ext. 2306 [email protected] Marie Fristedt (Bilingual) Ext. 2323 [email protected] Brenda DeEsso Ext. 2325 [email protected]

Ossining High School Guidance Department 29 South Highland Avenue Ossining, NY 10562 (914) 762-5760 ossiningufsd.org/schools/ohs

Joshua Mandel, Principal Francesco Fiorillo, Assistant Principal Dean Parker, Assistant Principal Katiana Simon, Assistant Principal Alexandra Greenberg, Director of SEM Like us on Facebook ~ Follow us on Twitter @OHSPride

Awarded the Middle States Program of Distinction And The Dr. Benjamin Cohn Inspirational Counselor Award

Personalized Education

Individual Counseling The school counselors will meet with each student several times during the academic school year. At any time, a student may request a personal appointment. Students can discuss academic or personal concerns. Counselors also provide additional support and attention to students with learning disabilities, behavioral or emotional problems, family issues or substance abuse concerns. Ninth Grade The school counselors are available to meet with and support the needs of the incoming freshman class. Students are introduced to careers through the Naviance program in freshmen year. Students are encouraged to meet with their counselor to develop academic, social emotional and career goals. Tenth Grade Sophomores are encouraged to take the PSAT’s which are offered in October. During the winter, sophomores receive information on the career education options available through our BOCES program. Eleventh Grade All eleven graders receive valuable information to help them prepare for the PSAT exam which is given in October. All juniors and their parents are invited to meet with their school counselor for a Junior Planning Conference in the early spring. Academic progress, college entrance exams, and educational and career goals are discussed in depth. Additional research by the student, parent/guardian and counselor result from this meeting. Twelfth Grade The emphasis in twelfth grade is post secondary education planning. School counselors will assist students with college essays, letters of recommendations and filing college applications. Seniors are encouraged to participate in college fairs and to attend college tours.

College/Career Prep College and Career Updates and Scholarship Information Essential career, college and scholarship information is made available in many ways—through Tweets, Facebook, Oblasts, REMIND texts, Naviance emails as well as information posted in the Counseling display case located in the high school lobby. Additionally, helpful information is always posted on the Guidance Department’s webpage: ossiningufsd.org/schools/ohs College Information Meetings Representatives from many colleges make scheduled visits to Ossining High School throughout the year. These college visits are posted on the Guidance Department’s webpage. Students may attend these small group meetings with the representative from the college they are interested in with permission of their teacher. The Guidance Department’s webpage has a special section just for College & Career Planning. You will find an abundance of information regarding the College Application Process including websites and recommended articles as well as other resources. Naviance Family Connection through Naviance is a comprehensive website, that helps families make decisions about courses, colleges, and careers. To visit our school Family Connection site go to http://connection.naviance.com/ossining Parent Involvement: Ways to Communicate We encourage you to take advantage of our regularly scheduled evening programs for parents/guardians that the Guidance Department holds throughout the year – go to our website or check the district calendar for dates. The website will always be an important source of information. Additionally, there are many other ways to communicate with us. All teachers and counselors have email addresses which are available on the high school website. Please use email as a way to address concerns that you may have regarding your child. Additionally, you can sign up for the Campus Portal and Oblasts as well as follow us on Twitter @OHSPride #ossiningpride and Like our Facebook page which can be found at: Facebook.com/ohspride Additional Support Services The school psychologist serves as a resource to students, parents and teachers. Services include diagnostic psychological and educational testing, individual and group counseling, and consultation with parents and teachers. The psychologist also functions as a case manager for all students classified by the district’s Committee on Special Education. RtI Meetings Response to Intervention is a school-wide model of student support, where the primary focus is students in general education classrooms who are struggling with academic and/or behavior problems.

Graduation Requirements Regents Diploma The student has completed the requirements for a Regents Diploma, when they complete 22 credits and receive a score of at least 65 on 5 specified Regents examinations. The units of credit must include the following: 4 credits of English 4 credits of Social Studies 3 credits of Science 3 credits of Mathematics 1 credit of World Language 1 credit of Fine Arts 1/2 credit of Health Education 2 credits of Physical Education Plus additional electives Students earning a 90 average on all the required Regents exams will earn the Regents with Honors Diploma.

Community Service Requirement at OHS: One way of helping students become responsible citizens is by teaching them the importance of giving back to their community and helping others. We believe this is best accomplished through actual experience – Community Service. Benefits of our Community Service requirement include: Being an active member of the Ossining Community, helping others, developing and discovering talents and interests, and fostering personal qualities, such as responsibility, time management, resourcefulness and initiative. 7 hours of community service is required for 9 th - 12th grades. Community service will be defined as activities that benefit people in need, such as helping at the food pantry or in a Nursing home. Or it may be organizing a school or community event, such as Relay for Life. Capstone Project: The Ossining High School Capstone Project is an opportunity for graduating seniors to demonstrate their academic achievement through a self-selected subject or passion-based project. The Capstone Project is a four-year program that is required for graduation with specific requirements for each academic year.

Freshmen Year:

Students are introduced to research techniques and resources in their English 9, Global Studies, and US History classes. Each of these classes has benchmark/ portfolio assignments to be completed by every student.

Sophomore Year:

All tenth grade students are enrolled in a Capstone Research course. This course meets every other day for the first semester. Students are required to attend a series of scheduled workshops and cohort meetings during the second semester.

Junior Year:

Students undertake their action research under the guidance of their mentor. Students schedule and attend regular meetings with their mentors so that mentors can monitor and assist student progress. At the completion of the student’s data collection, students will analyze their findings and write up their final summary and conclusions. Students will propose their Capstone Project. This project is the culmination of their work- it is “what they will contribute” to the greater community based on what they learned.

Senior Year:

Students will complete their Capstone Project, and present the project to the larger community in a fitting and appropriate way. These projects will be archived for posterity.