• Encourage your student to make monthly appointments with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Help your student set academic and personal goals for the year in order to stay motivated and focused.

Discuss ways to take on challenges. Help your student under that failure is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth.

• Be vocal about your expectations for school.

Understand your student’s academic growth and development.

• Absences make a big impact on student learning; make sure your student goes to class.

Ensure that your student attends school as much as possible; schedule family trips during school breaks.

Encourage your student to participate in classes and turn in assignments on time.

• Ask questions about your student’s classes, teachers, homework, and class assignments.

Knowing that you care will help your student take school seriously.

• Attend the Tribal Educational benefits workshop
• Contact the Education Dept. to find out how your student’s Tribal benefits can provide financial assistance with your students educational plans.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Check your student’s grades regularly.

Keep track of weekly progress.

Ask school staff how you can learn about your student’s grades, opportunities for tutoring and other available services.

• Encourage reading for pleasure.

Reading improves focus, concentration, imagination and knowledge.

• Help your student practice good written and oral communication skills.

Encourage your student to write more; keep a journal, start a blog, or join an activity like the school newspaper.

Encourage your student to practice writing college and scholarship essays now and ask for edits from a teacher or trusted adult.

Encourage your student to learning to speak confidently; join the debate team, try out for the school or practice public speaking in the community.

• Look for opportunities to engage your student to get involved with extracurricular activities.

Encourage your student to engage in meaningful activities. The Tribe offers a wide variety of events.

• Encourage your student to take the PSAT 10 or the ACT ASPIRE test.

Inquire with your student’s high school to see if this is available.

• Review scores with your student and a teacher or counselor to find out what areas your student needs to work on to maintain good grades in school and to prepare for college.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Talk to school staff to make sure your student is on track to graduate and prepared for college.

Make sure your student plans to take math all four years in high school.

Encourage your student to take a foreign/world language; four-year public universities in Oregon require at least two years of the same language while more selective colleges might require more.

• Encourage your student to sign up for advanced classes and earn college credit in high school.
• Tackling tough courses can give your student confidence and prepare him or her for higher-level classes. Encourage your student take the most challenging courses that he or she can handle.
• Explore ways your student can earn college credit while still in high school.
• Make sure your student takes as many classes as the school schedule allows.

Encourage your student to explore new interests by taking electives including career and technical education (CTE).

• Get to know your student’s friends and their parents.

Peers will have an increasingly large role in your student’s behaviors and actions.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• This is a good time to help your student find a system to stay organized.

Review the school calendar together, Note important dates and put them in a shared online calendar or in an easy-to-view place, such as a bulletin board in your kitchen.

Encourage your student to use a paper or digital planner or calendar to keep track of school assignment and projects.

• Help your student find a quiet, well-lit study location.
• Establish a homework routine for your student to follow each day.

Promote good study skills.

Set limits around technology.

• Help your student update the file of important documents.

This should include a list of activities, copies of report cards and lists of awards and honors. These will be useful for college and scholarship applications.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Encourage your student to continue participating in extracurricular activities and to consider a leadership role.

Getting involved in clubs and other groups is a great way for your student to identify interests and feel more engaged in school.

Consider looking into Tribal events and activities.

• Get involved yourself. This will send a strong message to your student that you think school is important.

Volunteer at the high school.

Make contact with teachers and the counselor. Know the resources at the school and make sure your student is aware that there is help when needed.

Attend award ceremonies, activities, sporting events, etc.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Help your student find a trusted adult or older student who can serve as a mentor.

Schedule time with your student to discuss school, goals, and how life is going.

• Encourage your student to serve as a role model and mentor for younger students.
• Help your student understand appropriate, safe behavior online and on the phone.
• Help your student set appropriate privacy settings on social media.
• Remind your student to only share information with people he/she knows and trusts, that information posted can live online forever, and to always ask him/herself: would I want my grandma/teacher/religious leader to see this?
• Share your expectations and the risks of behaviors like drinking, doing drugs, etc.

Understand your student’s social and emotional development.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Talk with your student about his/her future career goals and help make a plan.
• Share your expectations about college attendance.

Talk about the importance of higher education.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Help your student think about what is most important to him/her in a college.
• Help your student explore types of colleges and make a list of colleges and universities that interest him/her.

Have your student think broadly: include two-year and four-year options as well as in-state and out-of-state choices.

Help your student confirm that these colleges have the program or major for his/her chosen careers.

Help your student research admission requirements for each college to make sure she or he is on track.

• Help your student sign up for TWD work readiness workshops and/or activities.
• Practice mock interviews with your student for Tribal summer internship opportunities.

• Encourage your student to make an appointment with the Cow Creek Career Center manager to stay on track.
• Get to know colleges.

Explore colleges online with your student using college websites and social media.

Encourage your student to attend a college fair if their school provides.

If you live near a college, look for upcoming events on campus that are open to the community (like sports games or theater productions) or see if the college offers classes to local students and families.

• You can afford college. Learn about financial aid and ways to pay for college.

Attend financial planning or how to pay for college programs with your family.

• Explore the different costs of college with your student.

Complete the FAFSA4caster with your student to estimate how much financial aid he or she may receive.

Explore the net price of the colleges on your student’s list – use a calculator to get an estimate.