High School Night on October 3 and High School Placement Program

Everybody knows the college selection process is very involved. In fact, it is something that has become a lightning rod of debate in recent years. Concurrently, many students across the country are transitioning from middle to high school and with the addition of IB and magnet programs, as well as the plethora of independent and boarding school options, the process is no longer as easy as crossing the street to the next  building. At Canterbury we want to help ease this transition as much as possible. Below are some of the programs we offer to that end.

High School Night

Canterbury's campus at 5400 Old Lake Jeanette Rd

All middle school families should have the opportunity to explore every option for high school and make an informed decision about what will best serve their child at the next level, whether it be a public, magnet, independent or boarding school. To that end, Canterbury has organized High School Night. Over 30 schools will be represented including those from the Greensboro area, as well as nationally recognized boarding schools. We encourage anyone from the community to join us on October 3 from 6:30 - 8:00 in Berry Hall (next to the chapel) on the Canterbury School campus for a meet and greet with admissions directors, officers, and student representatives who can answer all your questions about schools. There is no fee and this event is open to the public, so please invite your neighbors and friends.

High School Placement Program

At Canterbury, we are pleased to introduce a new High School Placement Program. This is, at its core, a one-on-one family approach to finding the right high school for each student at the school. We are uniquely positioned to offer this service because of two factors. First, as a small K-8 school, we know our students and families very well, allowing for a caring and informed perspective on all of the high school options out there. Second, as an academically challenging K-8 school, we have developed and continue to build strong relationships with prestigious public, magnet, independent, and boarding schools seeking students who reflect our Middle School Vision (see description on right hand column) and can demonstrate the ten skills of a Canterbury graduate.

The program has three main components: people, support, and events.

People

Each student will be assigned a high school placement coordinator. The coordinators will meet with each family at least twice over the course of their 7th and 8th grade years - once in the spring of 7th grade and once in the fall of 8th grade. Our three High School Coordinators are:

• Anna Taylor, School Counselor, taylora@canterburygso.org
• Kristen Lancaster, Middle School Academic Counselor, lancasterk@canterburygso.org
• David Skeen, Middle School Director, skeend@canterburygso.org

Support

The high school placement coordinators charge is to walk families through every step of the process from beginning (in 7th grade) to end (enrollment in the spring of 8th grade year). This person will be the point of contact for all issues relating to high school placement including:

• Investigating various types of schools
• Focusing the family's high school options based on their particular needs
• Providing a student-specific timeline for the admissions or registration process
• Working with students on application completion and interview practice
• Providing standardized testing resources (for the independent and/or boarding schools)
• Completing all required forms, including transcripts and teacher recommendations

In addition, the coordinators have developed the High School Placement Packet which outlines the entire process for families. This document includes timelines, admissions strategies, descriptions of IB/AP/Honors Programs, magnet school explanations, and much more. Parents and students can use this as a reference book as they explore their options. 

Events

Canterbury will put on various events pertaining to High School Placement over the course of the year. This year they include:

• High School Night (Whole Community, 6:30 - 8:00, October 3, 2011 in Berry Hall): Over 30 high schools will send representatives to Canterbury to meet and answer questions about their schools, the admissions or registration process, and dialogue about the high school experience. Boarding, independent, public, and magnet schools from Greensboro and beyond are represented. 
• Fall Meetings, 8th Grade Families (October 12, 2011 and continuing throughout the Fall of 2011): We have assigned each 8th grade family to a high school placement coordinator who will be available during Middle School Conferences on October 12, 2011 to discuss high school options. Stay tuned for an introductory email. 
• Fall Meeting, 7th Grade Families (6:30 - 8:00, October 20, 2011 in Armfield Hall): We will introduce the placement process, our placement coordinators, and the resources we can offer to support you as you think about the next level.