Guidance Office Newsletter for Parents/Guardians December 2011

Transcription

1 MCLEA N CO UNT Y HI G H SCHOOL EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITES Guidance Office Newsletter for Parents/Guardians December 2011 ATTENTION SENIORS We encourage seniors to review our scholarship listing on the high school website under guidance. It is extremely important that they assume the responsibility for keeping up with the most recent postings. Local scholarship information will be available in late February & March. QPR For Suicide Prevention On December 6th at 6:30p.m., Jan Ulrich from the Kentucky Department of Education will be at McLean County High School to give a training session on the Question, Persuade, and Refer skills for adults. As someone who may be in the best possible position to prevent suicide, you will find that QPR is designed to help you help someone who may be considering suicide. QPR consists of three life-saving skills. How to: Question..A person about suicide Persuade.the person to get help and, Refer.the person to the appropriate resource January Financial Aid & Workshop for FAFSA The MCHS Guidance department will be holding it s annual financial aid and scholarship meeting for seniors and their parents/ guardians. Casi Clark with KHEAA will be here on January 6:00 pm to go over the process of filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA. Ms. Spear will cover the application process for the local scholarships. Also on January 6:00 pm, there will be a computer lab help session to file the FAFSA. A completed FAFSA is required by all KY postsecondary schools to determine the students need and eligibility for many major and state federal aid programs. Any senior and their parent/guardian who need help filing out the FAFSA application are encouraged to attend the workshops. We hope everyone enjoys your Christmas break, December 21 - January 3rd We will see you on January 4th!

2 Report cards for the 2nd grading period will be mailed to parent/guardians when we return from Christmas break. If your student is failing a class, please encourage them to stay after school, or to ask their teacher when they are available to assist them. ACT Registration & Test Dates for 2012 Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline February 11, 2012 January 13, 2012 January 14-20, 2012 April 14, 2012 March 9, 2012 March 10-23, 2012 June 9, 2012 May 4, 2012 May 5-18, 2012 All test dates are given at MCHS except for February & April. Students are encouraged to register Our school code is ACT Reminder for Seniors Students, please be sure and notify the office if you have moved so that we can get your address changed. Seniors who need to take the ACT again and plan to attend college need to do so as many scholarships require ACT test scores. January 7th is the deadline for the February 11th test. It will not be given at MCHS.

3 Students planning on participating in athletics at the college level must file an eligibility form. Application for certification with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse should be made after the completion of their junior year. Forms are only available on line at Remember to use the Clearinghouse code #9999 when registering to take the ACT and/or SAT. KEES It Pays!!! Please continue to encourage your child to make good grades. IT PAYS $$$!!! To find out more about KEES and other programs or to check a students account, log on to If the GPA is incorrect or you have trouble logging on to your account, you must contact Mrs. Spear to have it corrected. Colleges/Universities that require registration with NAIA NAIA Eligibility Center to open Fall 2010 Beginning in the fall of 2010, students who wish to participate in athletics at a member institution will need to be certified by the NAIA Eligibility Center to qualify academically and be cleared as an eligible student-athlete for competition beginning in The NAIA Eligibility Center website will launch in April, with registration starting September 1. First-time NAIA participants high school students, transfers from non-naia schools and those who have never participated in athletics at an NAIA-member school must register with the online service. KENTUCKY COLLEGE & UNIVERSITIES Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passes Asbury University, Wilmore Berea College, Berea Brescia College, Owensboro Campbellsville University, Campbellsville University of the Cumberlands, Williamsurg Georgetown College, Georgetown Kentucky Christian University, Grayson Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia Mid-Continent University, Mayfield Midway College, Midway Pikeville College, Pikeville St. Catherine College, St. Catherine Union College, Barbourville

4 Financial Aid Web Resources 1) High School 2) Guidance PIN Number: Students and parents need a PIN to e-sign FAFSA on the web. FAFSA4caster: An online tool providing families with an early estimate of financial aid eligibility, allowing for data to be transferred to FAFSA on the Web when ready to apply for aid, and familiarizing students with the financial aid process. Financial Aid Wizard: A planning tool that includes scholarship searches and application deadlines. Federal Financial Aid Information: Information on federal financial aid programs and how to apply. Students can view and create I m Going testimonials. A good tool for students who are the first in their family to attend college or who need help convincing parents they should go. Free Application for the Federal Student Aid -- FAFSA on the web: Students must apply each academic year. Always free; only at.gov Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA): Information on Outreach assistance, including the Counselor-Connection newsletter. Provides students with KEES, CAP and KTG eligibility information. GO COUGARS

5 For Parents: What is the ILP? Students across Kentucky are required to complete an individual Learning Plan (ILP). The Career Cruising ILP Tool is designed to help students bring together their academic exploration activities. This enables the student, parents or guardians, teachers, and counselors to work together to develop a course of study that meets the student s needs and goals. The Student ILP Tool allows students to: * Record their career, education and life goals. * Bookmark careers and schools that are of interest to them and include their thoughts about each. * Explore the Kentucky Career Clusters and track the clusters that interest them. * Store their results from standardized tests and assessments, including Career Matchmaker. * Keep track of their career and educational exploration activities. * Record their extracurricular activities, hobbies and interests. * Document their community services and work experience. * Develop their four-year high school education plan. * List awards and recognitions they have received. * Document learning services and programs they have participated in. * Upload related files, such as essays, scanned artwork, and letter of reference. * Create personalized, professional-looking resumes. The Parent/Guardian ILP Tool allows you to: * View the work your child has entered in his or her ILP. * Learn more about the careers and schools that are of interest to your child. * Record your thought and comments about your child s learning plan. * your comments to your child s advisors. To log into the Parent ILP Tool, go to and enter your parent/guardian username and password. Please contact the guidance office for your Parent/Guardian ILP Tool login information.

6 GUIDANCE OFFICE MCLEAN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 1859 HWY 136 EAST CALHOUN, KY Phone: STANDARD A US POSTAGE PAID CALHOUN, KY PERMIT NO. 6 Address Correction Requested DECEMBER/JANUARY/FEBRUARY SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDERS Saturday, December 10 - ACT - MCHS Commons Area Friday, December 16 - Governor s Scholar Applications due Tuesday, December 20 - End of 9 weeks December 21 - January 3 - Christmas Holidays Wednesday, January 4 - Start of 2nd Semester Tuesday, January 10 - Reports Cards mailed out Friday, January 13 - ACT deadline for Feb. test Monday, January 16 - No School - Martin Luther King Day Tuesday, January 17 - Professional Learning - No school Thursday, January 19 - KHEAA Financial Aid 6:00 p.m. Thursday, January 26 - FAFSA - Computer lab 6pm Monday, February 6 - End of mid-term Monday, February 13 - Progress Reports go home Wednesday, February 15 - MCC Lunch Saturday, February 11 - ACT - Not given at MCHS Friday, February 17 - Professional Development - no school Monday, February 20 - Professional Development - no school Tuesday, February 28 - Getting In - 5:30 p.m. QUESTIONS????? Please contact our Guidance Staff: Mrs. Spear or Mrs. Whitt