College and Career Planning Center Tradition. Community. Innovation.

Transcription

1 CCPC Tradition. Community. Innovation.

2 About CCPC Letter from the Superintendent Matriculating to college is more competitive than ever, and the Mariemont City School District s offers students a dedicated college counselor, ACT and SAT test prep, a Resource Center where students will have access to information and will meet with counselors and colleges, and access to Naviance, a web-based platform that allows students to determine potential careers and assist with the college search process. For those choosing work or military, our counselors are dedicated to guiding these students into meaningful opportunities that can lead to careers. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the Mariemont City School District s and the many services and programs we offer our students and families to help them plan for the next chapter in their lives. Whether in their elementary years, starting junior high or finishing high school, we want students and their families to have the resources and support they need to plan for the future. The College and Career Planning Center showcases the Mariemont City Schools commitment to academic excellence and ensuring students are college and career ready. Our school district reflects a community that chooses excellence every day, and this center is a direct reflection of this excellence. As you ll see throughout this publication, our advanced learning options, early college experiences, and professional college and career counseling services set our school district apart from so many others and give our students the edge in the college application and selection process. It is important to note that the opening and offerings of the College and Career Planning Center are a direct result of community collaboration. This center would not be possible without generous support from the Mariemont School Foundation and the Mariemont High School PTO. Thank you to all of the people that have made this great resource possible for our students and families. As a school district, we will continue to seek ways to give our students the edge in college and career readiness. We want our students to explore and develop their interests, and we want them to stretch their minds and grow academically. This is what we re all about and this is what we mean when we say we re creating the scholars of today to become leaders of tomorrow. I urge you to visit the, located inside Mariemont High School, and attend the center s events that will prove helpful to you wherever you are in the college and career preparation process. Take advantage of this great resource so that, together, we will Launch our Leaders of Tomorrow. Sincerely, Steven Estepp Superintendent, Mariemont City Schools 2 3 MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

3 CCPC Staff CCPC Staff Amanda D. Leszczuk, M.Ed., NBCT Director of College & Career Counseling Bowling Green State University & University of Cincinnati Phone: With nearly 10 years of counseling experience, Ms. Leszczuk joined the Mariemont City School District in 2005 as a high school counselor, where she coordinates the college and career preparation and application process for all students. As the director of college & career counseling, Ms. Amanda Leszczuk works with all high school students to guide them through the college identification and application process and determine the best college or career path for each individual student. Ms. Leszczuk is certified as a national boardcertified school counselor, permanent school counselor, secondary principal and professional secondary educator in mathematics and basic business. 4 Ms. Leszczuk serves on many board and committees and has received many accolades within her field. She was recently selected for the University of Cincinnati counseling expedition to present at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. She has also taught graduate-level courses at Xavier University, University of Dayton and University of Cincinnati. Ms. Leszczuk has drafted articles in numerous trade publications and has presented at various local and regional events. She also attended the Harvard Institute on College Admissions, which included a week of intense training with college admissions professionals from Harvard, Princeton, Brown, the University of Michigan and Stanford among others. Judy Dunlap Counseling Administrative Assistant University of Cincinnati jdunlap@mariemontschools.org Phone: Judy Dunlap is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and has worked in the Mariemont City School District for over 35 years. Ms. Dunlap worked as a special education aide for four years at the junior high; she then held the position of library aide for over 12 years. Ms. Dunlap has over 20 years of administrative counseling assistant experience. Amanda Leszczuk received her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Business Education from Bowling Green State University and her master s degrees in Education Administration and in School Counseling from the University of Cincinnati. 5 MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

4 CCPC Programs CCPC Programs These programs are designed for the specific benefit of Mariemont City School District students and parents. The goal is to provide an individually tailored service to students and parents to make them confident and comfortable with their post-secondary options and choices. Mariemont City Schools exceeds the generally accepted standards of only providing resources to the juniors and seniors by offering elementary, junior high, freshman and sophomore students and their parents grade-specific tools, tips and programs. For exact dates and information about these programs, please visit the College & Career Planning section on the school district website: ELEMENTARY PARENT COFFEES Director of College & Career Counseling Amanda Leszczuk meets with parents at both Mariemont Elementary and Terrace Park Elementary once a year to answer any questions about the college and career planning process and to disseminate helpful information to those parents about the services she and the College & Career Planning Center staff provide. These events occur during the school day. EVENING PARENT PROGRAM The purpose of the Evening Parent Program is to give parents an opportunity to understand the information that the director of college & career counseling is disseminating to their children, as well as to give parents tips on how to help and support their children with their goals and post-secondary plans. Each year, the director of college & career counseling holds separate evening parent programs for parents of 7th and 8th grade students. Each program generally lasts about an hour and a half. RSVPs are not required. COLLEGE APPLICATION WORKSHOP In addition to individual meetings with the director of college & career counseling, seniors are invited to attend the College Application Workshop in August before school starts. During this workshop, seniors will: Review and update their post-secondary planning notebook. Work with the director of college & career counseling and three college representatives to learn how to present themselves in their applications. Learn how to properly and thoroughly complete college applications. Revise their college essays and resumes. Learn the college application procedures, including how to send their transcripts through Naviance. Start the Common Application, which is applicable to over 500 colleges. Seniors who are not able to attend the College Application Workshop will attend a lunch meeting where they will receive their post-secondary planning binders and college application instructions. COLLEGE PLANNING PANEL DISCUSSION In the spring, Director of College & Career Counseling Amanda Leszczuk hosts a panel of college admissions officers, who discuss items such as meeting with the college advisor, transferring AP credits to your college, living with your roommate and choosing a major. This panel discussion is for high school seniors only. COUNSELOR COFFEES The Counselor Coffee events present a more informal time for members of the counseling department to talk to parents about what is happening in the College & Career Planning Center specifically and in the counseling department in general. This is a great time for parents to ask questions as well. The coffees are held in the College & Career Planning Center. RSVPs are not required and all parents of high school students are welcome to attend. Coffee will be provided. CAREER CHATS The Career Chat program is a monthly student lunch series designed to assist students in gaining a broader sense of career perspective and awareness, connecting students with highly regarded professionals in a variety of career fields. The program allows for candid dialogue and creates resources and relationships for students with professionals in possible fields of interest. Career Chats are open to all high school students and take place in the College & Career Planning Center. TWITTER As the director of college & career counseling, Ms. Amanda Leszczuk utilizes the social media platform Twitter as another point of communication with students and parents. She posts updates, reminders, tips, event dates, due dates and other important announcements through Twitter. Her handle Log on to Twitter and start following her today! WELLNESS PANEL In the spring, the Mariemont High School health teacher hosts a panel of Mariemont High School alumni, who speak candidly to the current senior class regarding roommate situations, study habits and making healthy and smart choices while in college. 6 7 MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

5 Life & Leadership Series Life & Leadership Series The Life & Leadership Development Series is a collaboration between Mariemont City Schools and the Mariemont School Foundation to bring highquality national experts and experiences to the district. The programs included in this series build upon the already robust offerings of the College & Career Planning Center, creating an even more vibrant and well-rounded college and career planning experience for our students and parents. For exact dates and information about these programs, please visit the College & Career Planning section on the school district website: College-Planning.cfm. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS NATIONAL SPEAKER Each school year, the director of college & career counseling arranges a nationally-renowned college admission expert to present to district students and their parents and guardians. These experts offer insight and answer questions on topics such as the application process and choosing a college that is right for you. COLLEGE FINANCIAL PLANNING 101 This is an entry-level presentation for parents of students in grades 5-8, although parents of students of all ages are welcome and could find the information valuable. The program focuses on helping parents plan to finance their children s college education. College can cost a lot of money and planning can never start too early. This program is aimed at helping parents understand that the answer can be yes when asked the question Can I afford to pay for a college education?. ESSAY-WRITING WORKSHOP In early spring, high school juniors spend part of the school day working with college essay writing experts. These experts work individually with students to assist them with both the technique and the content of their college essays. The Mariemont School Foundation is an independent non-profit organization, whose mission is to support the long-term success of the Mariemont City School District students and community through initiatives that preserve, enhance and sustain educational excellence. Please visit the Foundation website at like the Foundation on Facebook (MariemontSchoolFoundation) or follow the Foundation on Twitter (@MariemontSF) to learn more about the programs the Foundation supports or to make a donation. Thank you to the Mariemont School Foundation for its continued support of our school district! 8 9 MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

6 Naviance Standardized Testing School Counselors The program provides a tool to engage the school Offered through Family Connection, Naviance is a comprehensive web-based program that provides up-to-date college and career planning information that is specific to our school. The program provides a resource that connects academic achievement to college and career readiness goals and is made possible through the generosity of the Mariemont School Foundation. community with easy-to-use surveys. Naviance also helps our school counselors as they engage students in post-secondary planning sessions. School Administrators Naviance provides a way to track the status of college applications as well as the success of school graduates. It also provides data analysis tools to track the academic success of the students. The program has specific benefits to multiple groups within the Mariemont City School District community: The Mariemont City School District Naviance platform is available at connection.naviance.com/mariemont or by visiting the district website > Academics > College & Career Planning Center > Naviance (in the left navigation). Parents and Students Naviance connects individual student achievement with post-secondary goals. College and career planning tools allow students and parents to identify which colleges or careers would best fit their interests based on interest inventories and actual test scores. With Naviance, students are able to: college-level courses. Due to the nature of the types of questions, colleges have become increasingly focused on ACT scores in making admission decisions and scholarship opportunities. From a school perspective the ACT data allows teachers and administrators to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum and to make adjustments where necessary to better prepare students for success in college and their future careers. Students who apply for Early Decision or Early Action should definitely take the ACT during their junior year. Remember to check with each individual college to see if they require the ACT Plus Writing. Most students will need to take the writing test. Test dates are located in the college binder each student will receive from the director of college & career planning. With the ACT, you can take this test more than once and choose which scores are sent to colleges. Registration dates for these tests are announced about five weeks prior to test administration. Students can register at Test scores are reported about four weeks after the test date. ACT The ACT is the most prevalent college-readiness assessment for students attending Mariemont High School. This is a three-hour test that measures skills in four major curriculum areas: English, mathematics, reading and science. The ACT has a composite score range of 1 36 and each test subsection has a score range of ACT arranges six national test dates between September and June. Mariemont students are encouraged not only to sign up for one of these testing dates beginning in their junior year, but are also encouraged to take the ACT multiple times. The ACT measures achievement based on both national high school curricular standards as well as college and career readiness standards, both of which are used to predict success in Build a resume. Research colleges by comparing GPA and standardized test scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from our school. Research careers and career clusters and take career assessments. Administer a personality inventory. Manage college application process timelines. Along with an examination of academic program and grades, colleges also examine the results of standardized testing. Most colleges continue to require the SAT or ACT, and most competitive colleges also require the SAT subject tests. Some colleges place more emphasis on standardized testing than others, while there are a number of colleges that are test optional. Some colleges understand that some students don t always test well and determine their true academic achievement and potential by examining their strong academic record rather than relying on one day s testing experience. Colleges interpret standardized tests in a variety of ways, which are discussed in individual meetings with the Mariemont City School District director of college & career counseling, but below is an overview of the tests. 10 ACT ASPIRE The ACT ASPIRE assessment is administered each spring to Mariemont City School District students in grades ACT developed ASPIRE to replace the PLAN and EXPLORE assessments to better align to college and career readiness standards and to provide students, parents and teachers a more 11 MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

7 Standardized Testing Standardized Testing robust view of a student s academic progress and potential. This assessment also takes advantage of newly developed testing technologies and is delivered electronically. ASPIRE identifies where a student stands academically at the time of testing, and provides a predictive trajectory of how that student is likely to progress academically. The assessment also provides a predictive ACT score for 9th and 10th grade students. ASPIRE assesses student academic progress in five content areas: English, math, reading, science and writing. Questions are delivered in the following formats: constructed response (essay), selected response (multiple-choice) and technology enhanced. ADVANCED PLACEMENT TESTS (AP) Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are given in May with specific dates set by the College Board. These three-hour, college-level subject tests are used by many colleges for placement and credit. Mariemont High School offers 15 AP courses and typically 93% of Mariemont High School students score a 3 or higher on their AP exams. PRELIMINARY SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE/NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFYING TEST (PSAT/NMSQT) The PSAT is administered primarily to juniors, although many sophomores also elect to participate in this assessment. The PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). Based on the results of this assessment, students may earn the distinction of being a National Merit Commended Student, Semi-Finalist or Finalist. Students receiving these honors are notified in the fall of their senior year. This is a two-hour and ten minute examination designed to measure verbal, mathematical and writing ability. Scores range from on each section. The PSAT is used as a practice test to acquaint students with the kinds of questions on the SAT. Scores are reported to students, parents and to Mariemont High School, and used as predictors of later scores on the SAT. SAT Administered by the College Board, the SAT is divided into three parts: critical reading, mathematics and writing skills. The SAT is designed to test critical thinking skills in both the verbal and quantitative areas. This test lasts three hours and 45 minutes and is administered to juniors and seniors. The SAT subject tests, as the name indicates, are subject specific. The score range for the SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests range from 200 to a high of 800. The twenty subject area tests in five different content areas include: English, history, languages, mathematics and science. Students that elect to take one or more of these tests may be able to distinguish themselves from other college applicants. A composite of a students scores are used by colleges when making decisions on admission. The results from the SAT can help students determine which colleges will be a good fit academically. School administrators and teachers also analyze the data from the SAT to determine the effectiveness of their instruction in preparing students for success in college. Some very selective colleges require or recommend that students submit results from two or three subject tests in addition to scores from the SAT Reasoning Test for admission or placement. Of the colleges that require these tests, most ask for the Math II subject test plus one or two subjects of your choosing. Registration dates are included in the college binder given to Mariemont High School students from the director of college & career counseling, and are about five weeks prior to test administration. Students are responsible for meeting all registration deadlines. Students receive scores about four weeks after the test date. Unless students enroll in Score Choice, all SAT and SAT Subject Test scores will be sent to colleges. To register for the SATs visit sat.collegeboard. org/register. SENDING SCORES TO COLLEGES Students are responsible for sending their test scores to the colleges to which they choose to apply. When a student is ready to report the scores for the SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Tests or the ACT the student should make a list of colleges to which the scores should be sent. Contact the testing agency (College Board or ACT) to ask them to send the test scores to the selected colleges. The Mariemont City Schools Code Number (CEEB) is: There is a fee for each test score sent. Each college is unique in their requirements, so it is important to talk to the director of college & career counseling and to college officials about specific admission requirements MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

8 College Planning Guide College Planning Guide Based on the input and experience of the school district s top-performing students, the next few pages include a suggested year-by-year college planning guide for high school students to follow. *** Freshman Year *** SUMMER BEFORE SCHOOL Research college costs & requirements. Explore career ideas. Read, read, read! Visit a college campus in your own city or on vacation. It is a great way to familiarize yourself with campus life. 1st-2nd QUARTER Set goals for the school year. Working towards a specific goal will help you stay motivated and focused. Strive to establish a high grade point average (GPA). It is a lot easier to maintain a strong GPA than try to raise a weaker GPA. Get involved in extracurricular activities, such as a sport, a club or an organization outside of school. Get involved in activities and sports that interest you and look for leadership opportunities in these activities. Consider volunteering for an organization that interests you. Actively participate in class. Contribute to class discussions and ask questions when needed. Do your homework and develop strong study habits. Explore Naviance and become familiar with how to use it. Begin to explore colleges and careers using the program. Start a file of important information that will be useful when applying for a job or college, such as test scores, honors and awards, leadership positions held, extracurricular activities, work experience, community service and meaningful essays written in a class that could be used for a college essay. 3rd QUARTER Continue to develop good study habits and complete all homework. Start thinking about financial aid and researching it. You can use any college s online net price calculator, which will help you get an estimate for financial aid and the cost of colleges of your choice. If you re planning on attending college, it s not too early to look into types of aid that could help you cover college costs. Begin thinking about next school year s classes. Be sure you re going to challenge yourself and taking courses that an employer or a college admission officer expects to see. Remember consult a counselor to update your four-year plan. Parents and guardians should attend the evening presentation regarding college information. 4th QUARTER Start a college and/ or career list and begin to decide what matters most when choosing a college or career that will fit well with your interests and capabilities. Add these potential options to your Colleges I m Thinking About list in Naviance. Make purposeful summer plans. Maybe try some volunteer work or get involved in activities that will help you explore interests or teach you a new skill. Consider taking the SAT subject test in biology if you were in Honors Biology during your Freshman year MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

9 College Planning Guide Warriors RULE! College Planning Guide Start your resume in Naviance by adding the activities that you have participated in this year. *** Sophomore Year *** SUMMER BEFORE SCHOOL Continue to explore career ideas. Read, read, read! Visit a college campus in your own city or on vacation. It is a great way to familiarize yourself with campus life. Consider doing some light prep for ACT and SAT maybe sign up for question of the day or do some test prep with your Naviance Family Connection account through PrepMe. Try a new volunteer activity. 1st-2nd QUARTER Continue to work on your study skills. Consult with teachers and peers regarding the most effective way to study for each class. Take the ASPIRE test (practice ACT). Consider taking the PSAT (practice SAT) in October. Continue with your extracurricular activities that you enjoy or try something new. Continue to seek out leadership opportunities. Remember: You don t have to be president or captain of the sport or club there are other ways to be a leader within any activity. Actively participate in class. Contribute to class discussions and ask questions when needed. Consult the MHS College Visit Schedule available in Naviance and plan to attend at least two presentations in which you are interested. Take a practice ACT and SAT and create a study plan. Consider attending the National College Fair, usually held in October. Details are in Naviance. 3rd-4th QUARTER Consider taking SAT subject tests if they pertain to the courses that you took this year. Consult the list of subject tests or see your counselor. Take a career survey through Naviance. Reflect on the results and possibly pursue more research in this area. Use Naviance to explore different colleges. Obtain a copy of your transcript from your counselor. Use your GPA to form a list of realistic college options for yourself. Add these potential options to your Colleges I m Thinking About list in Naviance. Parents and guardians should attend the evening presentation regarding college information. Think about worthwhile summer activities, including volunteer work or programs at colleges. Update your resume in Naviance by adding the activities that you have participated in this year. If you are considering being an athlete at college, research the requirements on the NCAA Clearinghouse website. Continue researching your career choices and the educational requirements of each through Naviance. Refine your planned high school program of studies through your four-year plan. Make sure that you are on schedule to meet the entrance requirements for the types of colleges you hope to attend. Think about your reasons for going to college or starting a career: What are your goals? MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

10 College Planning Guide College Planning Guide *** Junior Year *** SUMMER BEFORE SCHOOL You can officially start your 40 hours of required community service for graduation. Make sure that you log these hours using the online system and that you gain approval before beginning your community service. 1st-2nd QUARTER Check your Naviance account at least once a week for important updates and opportunities. Update your Naviance account with colleges that you are considering. Add these potential options to your Colleges I m Thinking About list in Naviance. Consult the MHS college visit schedule available in Naviance and plan to attend presentations. Consider attending the National College Fair, usually held in October. Details are in Naviance. Register to take the PSAT, which is administered in October. This test allows you to compete for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Review and prepare for the PSAT. Visit colleges of interest. Remember: You are allowed to miss three days of school if necessary. Your parent must the director of college & career counseling two days before your college visit in order to obtain an excused absence. Continue taking challenging courses, including AP courses where possible. Continue your involvement in extracurricular and volunteer activities. Tip: Colleges look favorably upon a strong commitment to a few activities rather than a broad variety of activities with little continuity from year to year. Seek additional opportunities to develop your leadership skills. Consult the ACT and or SAT testing schedule in your college binder. Plan ahead for these tests and watch their registration deadlines closely. Note: Most juniors will take these assessments in the spring at the latest. Create a study plan regarding the ACT and or SAT. Tip: You should create a plan and use a calendar planning backwards from the actual test date. As you research colleges, you should consider many different aspects of the colleges. If you have free or reduced lunch, you should discuss fee waivers with the director of college & career counseling. You may be eligible for fee waivers regarding the ACT and SAT as well as college applications fees. Consider registering for SAT subject tests if you plan to apply to any highly selective colleges. Tip: The colleges individual websites will state if these tests are necessary. 3rd-4th QUARTER Check your Naviance account at least once a week for important updates and opportunities. Update your Naviance account with colleges that you are thinking about. Parents should attend the evening presentation detailing college application procedures. Take the ACT and or SAT. Tips: It is generally recommended that students take both assessments. Watch the registration dates closely. Many students plan to take one of the tests at least twice. Remember to include as our school code so that MHS receives your scores. Visit colleges of interest. Remember: You are allowed to miss three days of school if necessary. Your parent must the director of college & career counseling two days before your college visit in order to obtain an excused absence. In English class, you will participate in a college essay-writing lesson where you will complete an essay. Update your resume in Naviance by adding the activities that you have participated in this year. As you research your colleges make note of those colleges that offer early decision options. Think about worthwhile summer activities, including volunteer work or programs at colleges. If you are considering being an athlete at college, research the requirements on the NCAA Clearinghouse website. Tip: At the end of junior year, you may want to consider registering with them (there is a fee), and then requesting that your transcript be sent to them in June. Think about which teachers you might ask for recommendation letters for your college applications next year. Talk to high school graduates who are now attending college, especially those who are at the colleges that you are considering, to inquire about their college experience. Obtain a Social Security Number if you don t have one. Note: This is necessary for college applications MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

11 College Planning Guide Good Luck SENIORS! College Planning Guide *** Senior Year *** AUGUST SEPTEMBER Attend the college application workshop in August. Make sure your transcript permission form is signed and turned in to the counseling office. Remember to update your resume with any significant activities that you did over the summer. Provide a copy for the director of college & career counseling. Register for and take/retake the ACT and SAT, if necessary. Consider registering for SAT subject tests if you plan to apply to any highly selective colleges. Tip: The colleges individual websites will list if these tests are necessary. Check your Naviance account at least once a week for important updates and opportunities. Ask teachers and/or the director of college & career counseling for a recommendation letter, only if necessary. Remember: Give them at least two weeks notice and provide the teacher/director with a copy of your resume. Narrow your college choices to 4-8 schools. Update your list of Colleges I m Thinking About in Naviance. Consult the application deadlines of the colleges to which you plan to apply. Tip: Pay careful attention to early decision deadlines if you are considering that. Remember to request transcripts and all necessary forms at least two weeks before the deadline to your school counselor. Note: You may need to send your ACT and/or SAT test scores from the testing agency directly (there is a cost for this). Check the colleges to which you are applying many colleges will not accept test scores on your transcript. Many colleges require that you send your scores directly from the testing agencies. Watch deadline details closely. Tip: If the application is due 12/1, request your transcript by November 1 because of Thanksgiving break; if the application is due 1/1, request your transcript by 12/1 because of winter break; and if the application is due 1/15, request your transcript by 12/15. Do not wait until the due date to submit your applications. The common application and other online applications suggest that you submit your applications at least 48 hours before the due date. Parents should attend the evening presentation detailing college application procedures. Consult the MHS college visit schedule available in Naviance and plan to attend presentations. Visit colleges of interest. Tip: Some colleges will help you plan an overnight visit. Continue taking challenging courses, including AP courses where possible. Continue your involvement in extracurricular and volunteer activities. Tip: Colleges look favorably upon a strong commitment to a few activities rather than a broad variety of activities with little continuity from year to year. Seek additional opportunities to develop your leadership skills. OCTOBER DECEMBER Check your Naviance account at least once a week for important updates and opportunities. Consider attending the National College Fair, usually held in October. Details are in Naviance. Check college application and scholarship deadlines carefully. Note: Some deadlines are as early as October especially for some scholarship programs or honors programs. Remind your parents to attend the financial aid program. A financial aid officer from a college will explain the rationale of financial aid as well as answer your questions. Use the FAFSA forecaster on the FAFSA website to get an estimate of any financial aid for which you may qualify. In addition, every college has a financial aid estimator on their website designed to provide families with an estimate of any aid they may qualify for and sometimes they also include possible merit scholarship monies. Some selective colleges may request that parents complete a CSS Profile. This is part of the financial aid process (there is a fee to complete the CSS Profile). Maintain good grades. Note: Many colleges will request a mid-year report with your first semester grades. They want to see seniors that are applying themselves and can revoke an offer of admission if failing or disappointing grades are on the mid-year or final transcript. JANUARY FEBRUARY Check your Naviance account at least once a week for important updates and opportunities. Parents should complete the FAFSA at This is a free process. Tip: Make sure that you go to the.gov site other sites may charge for this free service. Consult the individual colleges deadlines for financial aid a common deadline is 2/15. Remember to update your Naviance account with application responses mark whether or not you were admitted, waitlisted or denied at each college to which you applied. Note: This will be kept confidential MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

12 College Planning Guide DISTRICT MISSION STATEMENT To provide the utmost in quality education for our Scholars of Today by offering enriching opportunities for individual achievement to inspire our Leaders of Tomorrow. DISTRICT GOAL Student achievement will increase through rigorous curriculum design, instructional best practices and purposeful environments that maximize learner autonomy and capacity to thrive in the 21st century. Request that the director of college & career counseling sends your first semester grades to the colleges to which you applied, if they require this. MARCH APRIL Colleges will notify you of financial aid awards. Compare financial aid packages to help you decide which college to attend. Continue to apply for scholarships, including local scholarships. Tip: Seek private sources such as organizations, churches and businesses. Attend the college planning panel discussion and the wellness panel. Don t catch senioritis. Keep working you re almost finished! Complete the senior survey on Naviance. This will tell us where you plan to attend college and where we will send your final transcript. MAY 1, DUBBED SIGNING DAY This is the final date to notify a college that you intend to enroll. You should also notify the other colleges that you have been accepted to that you have decided not to enroll there a simple is appropriate. Mark your calendar for the Mariemont High School Signing Day celebration in the MHS Commons. Seniors sport spirit wear of the colleges they have chosen to attend and faculty members wear attire representing their alma maters. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend this fun and informal event. Tip: It s a great day for photos! OTHER ITEMS TO CONSIDER SENIOR YEAR Most colleges suggest that college students be able to do the following before attending college: 1. Budget time well and maintain a calendar of classes, appointments and deadlines. 2. Manage a simple budget, including a checking account, ATM card and possibly a credit card. 3. Arrange a power of attorney, a power of attorney for health care and /or a living will (if you are 18 or older). 4. Know when medical attention is necessary. 5. Know how to do laundry. 6. Prepare simple meals and eat healthy. 7. Ask for help when overwhelmed. TM MARIEMONT CITY SCHOOLS

13 Launching the Leaders of Tomorrow Find us on and SCHOOL CONTACT INFORMATION Board of Education Bill Flynn Mike Gaburo Marie Huenefeld Dee Walter Ken White Visit the district homepage to subscribe to district news, view the latest Mariemont Minute video or read the superintendent blog. To get the latest updates, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter Mariemont City School District Superintendent: Steven Estepp 2 Warrior Way Cincinnati, Ohio Phone: Fax: Mariemont High School Principal: James Renner, PhD 1 Warrior Way Cincinnati, Ohio Phone: Fax: Mariemont Junior High School Principal: Molly Connaughton 3847 Southern Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio Phone: Mariemont Elementary School Principal: Ericka Simmons 6750 Wooster Pike Cincinnati, Ohio Phone: Fax: TM Terrace Park Elementary School Principal: Linda Lee 723 Elm Avenue Terrace Park, Ohio Phone: Fax: