Next week is National Screen-Free Week, May 6th-11th, 2024. The School Counselors at Penn Manor High School are encouraging families to look at the resources on screenfree.org and talk about a personal family goal to reduce screen time and social media use for a week. University researchers examined the impact of taking a one-week break from social media. They found that the levels of depression and anxiety dropped significantly when participants took a break from popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram and SnapChat. Adults and Teenagers can make a commitment as a family to reduce or give up social media use for a week and find replacement activities for to do together.

Read more about the research behind Screen-Free week https://screenfree.org/research-says-unplug/

Tips for Adults and Teenagers:

1. Tips for less screentime at school:
   • Take class notes by hand if possible and look for physical copies of required readings
   • If you struggle with scrolling but don’t want to delete the message part of your social media, try only checking social media from your laptop and deleting the apps from your phones
2. Taking care of your mental health:
   • Don’t just remove screens: REPLACE THEM. Pick up a hobby, plan a hike, or read a good book.
   • Before posting online, ask yourself WHY?
   • Adequate rest in an important part of wellness, and screens make it harder to sleep. Try to stop scrolling an hour before bed. Adults and teenagers can hold themselves accountable by plugging in your devices in a public place away from bedrooms and using a different alarm for the mornings. Late night screen usage can keep us feeling alert and suppress the release of the sleepy hormone melatonin. Sufficient sleep is not just important for tackling the next day at school, a lack of sleep in children has been linked to an increased risk of obesity.
3. Taking care of your social health:
   • At meals, keep your phone in your bag… out of sight, out of mind! Spend time with the people around you.
   • If you can, call a friend instead of text them!
   • Remember, conflict is better handled in person than over the phone. Conflict over text is never a good way to come to a solution. Tone is difficult to guess online.
4. Taking care of your physical health:
   • Go outside, starting with 15 minutes a day.
   • Get moving! There are plenty of gentle exercises that help combat ‘text-neck’ or stiff wrists from typing and phone use.
   • Mindful breathing helps combat anxiety.

Resources:

Article: Reflection tools to help manage teens and social media

Article: 8-ways-to-help-teens-unplug-from-technology

Activity Log Planner

101 Screen Free Family Activities

Penn Manor students who qualify have the opportunity to enroll in college courses while they are high school students through our Dual Enrollment program. College courses may only be taken after a student has exhausted all related course offerings at PMHS and require administrative approval.

Students are required to meet all deadlines, submit all paperwork, and gain all permissions prior to a Penn Manor course being dropped and replaced with a Dual Enrollment class.

Students interested in learning about the Dual Enrollment process should attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 26th during Flex in the LGI Room A. Sign up on this google form

There are reimbursement scholarships available from the Penn Manor Education Foundation to help with partial cost of Dual Enrollment courses. Many educational institutions offer a discounted tuition rate for HS students.
Families and studies can find out more about these colleges and policies at: https://blogs.pennmanor.net/pmhscounseling/college-planning/dual-enrollment/

Dual Enrollment Partners:

Penn Manor currently has partnerships with Millersville University, Harrisburg Area Community College, PA College of Health Sciences (now St. Josephs in Lancaster), Messiah College, Elizabethtown , PA College of Art and Design, Lancaster Bible College and the Lancaster County CTC. Penn Manor has recently expanded the partnerships for dual enrollment with several additional colleges: Messiah College, Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design and the Lancaster County CTC. .

The Lancaster County Career & Technology Center is a full service career and technical school dedicated to preparing high school students and adults for careers in the new economy. Lancaster County CTC is best among its class and strives to meet the highest standards of quality instruction.

The application is now open for high school students to apply to CTC. 10th grade students must apply now for 11th grade, and 11th grade students must apply now for 12th grade.

Click here to Apply Online to CTC. Penn Manor Student Applications are Due DECEMBER 22nd!

APPLICATION TIPS:

1. Create an Application Account
2. Student fills out demographic information, parent/guardian information, program they want to apply to, and emergency contact information (must be someone other than the main parent/guardian listed.
3. Student must log into their account and have the parent sign the application
4. Student puts in a teacher email address for a recommendation form. Students must be sure they know the teacher is willing to do the recommendation and should double check they have spelled the teachers email correctly. It must be a core teacher or a teacher related to the program they are applying for.
5. Student submits the application when all three proportions are filled out completely.

Watch this CTC Application Video for more details

CTC Open House Info in November.

The Dual Enrollment meeting for students interested in taking courses will be held during Flex on Tuesday, November 7th, 2023. This is for HACC, Millersville, Lancaster Bible College, and PA College of Health Sciences, Elizabethtown, & Messiah College. (Thaddeus Stevens Early Enrollment is a different program, with a meeting October 24th at 5:15 pm) If you want to take dual enrollment in the Spring 2024, you must attend this meeting. Even if you are already in a dual enrollment course.

Meeting Date: Tuesday, November 7th, 10:30-11:15 during Flex in the Media Center/Library. Sign-up now at this link: https://forms.gle/ZYcFvXAN4GGz6KAR7

More information about Dual Enrollment can be found at https://blogs.pennmanor.net/pmhscounseling/college-planning/dual-enrollment/

Lancaster County Career and Technical Center. The last two weeks 10th and 11th graders attended an assembly about the CTC options for next year. The tour field trips are coming up in October. Check the counseling blog for details.

The permission slip deadline for 11th graders is October 4th. For 10th graders, the deadline is October 10th. 

11th Grade Tours Permission Slip Deadline Wednesday October 4th, 2023 

Brownstown – Tuesday, October 17th 

• Depart: 8:15 am

Mount Joy- Wednesday, October 18th

• Depart: 8:15 am

Willow Street -Thursday, October 19th

• Depart: 12:10 pm (All students going on this trip MUST EAT LUNCH A)

10th Grade Tours to Willow Street: Tuesday, October 24th 

Permission Slip Deadline October 10th

Applications open online on the CTC Website on November 6th and are due for PMHS on December 22nd (we will announce it when open).

Opportunities for parents to see the CTC are their Open House on November 14th, 15th, or 16th. Open House Locations 

Evening Open Houses   

• Brownstown: Tuesday 11/14  6pm
• Mount Joy:  Wednesday 11/15 6pm
• Willow Street: Thursday 11/16 6pm

Recording of Information Session about Early Enrollment First Year Pilot 23-24

Slides from the information session First year Pilot 23-24

Millersville University and Penn Manor School District began a program that provides an opportunity for high school students to experience college coursework. The program started in the 23-24 school year. High school juniors who meet eligibility requirements can join the Early Enrollment Pathway program.  This initiative allows students to take one college course on Millersville University’s campus each semester of their junior and senior years.  They will learn about college life, interact closely with faculty, and gain insight into college-level work. Students will receive 3 credits for each class (12 total) completed and upon successful completion of these courses will be admitted to Millersville University ( if that is a post-secondary goal).  Tuition for the classes is paid by Millersville University for accepted students. Students will be asked to pay for a course textbook and a planner.  

Coordinated by Millersville University’s Lombardo College of Business, this pathway program will help to prepare students for careers across diverse fields, including accounting, entertainment technology, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, occupational safety, environmental health, information technology, sport management, and many more.  Early Enrollment and Dual Enrollment are designed to complement what is offered at the high school. Penn Manor has set the requirement that students must have completed four of the following business-related courses at Penn Manor before enrolling. (Four total between grades 9 and 10)

Effective July 1, 2024, students shall have successfully completed at least 4 of the related courses before enrolling in the Early Enrollment Program.

To be eligible for this opportunity, students must have mostly College Prep or higher courses or have administrative/counseling approval after submitting the interest form.

Students are required to earn an A, B, or C in the Millersville class in order to be permitted to enroll in the next course.

Examples of the courses students may take at MU include Introduction to Business, Macroeconomics, and Introduction to Management.

Next steps:

For current 10th and 11th graders, 

1. Submit your MU Program Interest Form with parent’s signature to the School Counseling Office. MU Starts class on Aug 19, 2024 which is before the Penn Manor school year starts. You must be able to attend classes during this week. I
2. Email your counselor to set a meeting to determine if the MU Program is a good fit for you and plan how you can arrange your schedule to make the MU courses fit.
3. Once you know it works in your Penn Manor Schedule, Register with Millersville University:
4. https://www.millersville.edu/admissions/undergrad/dual-enrollment/index.php
5. For Fall 2024- Students entering their first MU Early Enrollment course should choose: BUAD 101A Introduction to Business 12-12:50 MWF
6. For Fall 2024– Students entering their 3rd MU Early Enrollment course should choose ECON 101 01 Principles of Macroeconomics MWF 12-12:50 pm.
7. In June, students will receive an email from the Registrar with news of their acceptance into the class. The student must take a screenshot of the class schedule and upload to the link on the counseling blog Dual Enrollment page as proof of enrollment.
8. All Early Enrollers must attend a required Orientation in person at MU. This is typically held the first week of August and there is a morning and afternoon session. Check the student’s personal email for the information about the orientation and sign up for a session.

For current 8th and 9th graders.

1. Please email your counselor to determine whether this program is a good fit for you and plan how you will take the four required Business related courses prior to your Junior Year.
2. Fill out the interest form (available in the school counselors office) and return it to your school counselor.

Special Attention 8th and 9th grade students and parents:

Millersville University and Penn Manor School District are excited to announce a new opportunity for high school students.  Starting this fall, high school juniors who meet eligibility requirements can join the Early Enrollment Pathway program.  This initiative allows students to take college courses on Millersville University’s campus each semester of their junior and senior year.  They will learn about college life, interact closely with faculty and industry experts, and be mentored by Millersville college students.  Students will receive 12 college credits, and upon successful completion of these courses will be admitted to Millersville University.  This program is free for all accepted students.  Coordinated by Millersville University’s Lombardo College of Business, this pathway program will help to prepare students for careers across diverse fields, including accounting, entertainment technology, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, occupational safety and environmental health, information technology, sport management, and many more.  Early Enrollment and Dual Enrollment are designed to complement what is offered at the high school. Penn Manor has set the requirement that students must have completed business-related courses at Penn Manor prior to enrolling. See the attached flyer and interest form for details of the classes. Students interested in the program in the future will need to plan courses appropriately to be eligible. Attend this information session to learn more.

Millersville University Early Enrollment Flyer

Penn Manor Eligibility Requirements

If you are interested in learning more about free college classes, please attend the virtual information session at 7:00pm-7:30pm on Tuesday, May 30th. RSVP here to get the google meet link: https://bit.ly/RSVPEarlyMU

Students of the class of 2025 (current 10th graders) who have met the eligibility requirements were already contacted via email and invited to attend an informational meeting. Their parents were contacted via email.  Any remaining spots in the program will be opened up to the class of 2024 (current 11th graders) who meet the eligibility criteria. Students who met the eligibility criteria in both grades were contacted via email last week. 

The information session will be recorded, please register above to get the link to the recording.

Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences is offering a Medical Terminology class for 2023 graduates, current 11th graders, and current 10th graders. They have extended the deadline. This is an enrichment opportunity, it does not count for high school credit, as it is in the summer. The class comes with support for study skills, time management, and handling school stress! See the below flyer.

If you missed the Thaddeus Stevens Early Enrollment Meeting at Penn Manor, there are other opportunities for 11th graders and families to check out the program.

https://stevenscollege.edu/early-enrollment-information-sessions/

2022-23 Early Enrollment Information Session Schedule

 In-person sessions:

• Wednesday, October 19 at 6pm
• Wednesday, November 16 at 6pm
• Wednesday, December 14 at 6pm
• Wednesday, January 18 at 6pm

REGISTER FOR A SESSION

Virtual sessions:

• Wednesday, September 28 at 7pm
• Wednesday, October 26 at 7pm
• Wednesday, November 30 at 7pm
• Wednesday, January 25 at 7pm

REGISTER FOR A SESSION

Questions? Please contact Megan Wysock, Associate Director of Admissions and Early Enrollment Coordinator: wysock@stevenscollege.edu or 717-299-7773.