Planning for Your Post-Secondary Education

1. Planning for Your Post-Secondary Education Stevens High School Guidance Department Fall 2009

2. Introduction of Guidance Staff Counselors • Lori Storm A-G • Kerri Stover H-N • Kim Elder O-Z Other important Guidance staff: Kathryn Sosa - Gifted Ed. Coordinator Michelle Mott - Lifeways Advisor Marcia Geyer - Registrar Brittany Foley - Records Secretary Brenda Sinclair - Secretary/Receptionist

3. Senior Questionnaire • This Senior Questionnaire gives us information about where you are in the post-secondary planning process and also serves as a “mini resume”. • Please complete and hand in today.

4. High School Transcripts • Review your transcript (white document). • When you apply to a post-secondary school, join the military, or apply for employment, you may be asked to submit your high school transcript. • Most of you will need to apply for college before our Winter Recess or earlier, so what you see today is what will be sent with your application.

5. High School Transcripts -continued • A transcript is a record of all the classes that you have taken in high school with your grade and amount of credit earned. • Make sure that your transcript is CORRECT! • Located on the bottom of your transcript is your cumulative GPA and class rank. College applications require this information. • Please write your GPA and class rank on your Senior Questionnaire.

6. TEST OUTS / Transcripts • Students who tested out of a class have two options for recording it on their transcript. • They can have no grade, just noted that they tested out with the credit. • They can the grade earned on the test out posted - it will either be a B or an A. • Seniors have to decide by the end of 1st semester which way they want it recorded. • The SD Opportunity Scholarship does not recognize PASS/FAIL or TEST OUT in a required core course on a transcript. It must be a letter grade.

7. Senior Credit Checks • You are responsible for making sure you meet the state and local high school graduation requirements. • Each of you should have a credit check form prepared for you by your counselor (gold). • This credit check is for high school graduation requirements only, NOT college admission requirements. There is a difference.

8. Senior Credit Checks – Continued • Review your credit check to be sure you will have at least 22 total credits, including all the required classes for your chosen Pathway. • Make sure your counselor is aware of your Pathway for graduation. • The required classes are listed on the left side of your credit check; electives on the right.

9. Senior Credit Checks-continued Pathways for the Class of 2010 • Students planning to graduate in 2010 are required by the State to declare a Pathway for graduation. • Your counselor will assume you are on the Advanced Pathway unless you or your course selection tells her otherwise. • If you are considering the Standard Pathway and have not yet signed the Standard Pathway agreement, make an appointment with your counselor as soon as possible. • If you are considering the Distinguished Pathway, make sure you are enrolled in the appropriate classes for that Pathway. See your counselor with any questions.

10. Senior Credit Checks – continued • Remember that you must also meet the school district’s Reading Requirement for graduation. Check with Brittany, our Records Secretary, if you are in doubt. • New transfer students should have been tested upon enrollment. Please see Marcia or Brittany in the Guidance Officeif you have questions.

11. Senior Credit Checks – continued • If your counselor has a question about your credits or transcript, she put a question mark or star on the top of your credit check form. Please see your counselor regarding this question. • We don’t want any misunderstandings about your graduation status. • If you are taking an online or off-campus class, please write that down on your credit check and see your counselor.

12. Senior Credit Checks – continued • Clearly mark any needed corrections on your credit check form. • Sign your name and today’s date in the upper right hand side of your credit check form. (This tells us that you have seen this form and we won’t have to send for you to go over this again.) • Return your credit check & transcript to your counselor.

13. Guidance Office Appointments • We recommend you make an appointment (not during class time) so that our time is scheduled just for you. • You can make appointments with our secretary, Brenda Sinclair. • Appointment times are available from 7:45 – 3:00 each school day.

14. Senior Schedule Changes Seniors must see their assigned counselor (the one who has your credit check) regarding any scheduling changes.

15. Transcript Requests • There is a Transcript Request Form (in the Guidance Office) that must be completed if you want to send an official transcript to a college or other organization. • It must be signed by you AND a parent if you are not yet 18 years old. • A new Transcript Request Form must be completed for each place you’d like your records to be sent.

16. Transcript Requests-continued • Brittany Foley, the Records Secretary, handles all transcript requests. • Please be mindful of deadlines. • There may be scholarship or college applications due January 1, 2010. Remember that the Guidance staff leaves for Winter Recess as well!

17. College Application Procedures • Complete your application either online or by hard copy. • Request letters of recommendation*, if needed. • Complete a transcript release form. • If you complete a hard copy, staple your check for the application fee to your college application. • If you complete an application online, you will be asked to pay the fee with a credit or debit card. *See next slide

18. *Letters of Recommendation Our suggestions when asking for letters of recommendation: • Kindly ask for letters a minimum of two weeks in advance. • When asking for a letter, be clear. What is the deadline? When will you pick it up? How should the letter be addressed? What facts about you should be emphasized? • Provide the letter writer with a resume or some kind of information that represents the whole you. • Let your letter writer know exactly when you will pick up the letter. • Feel free to ask for additional copies of letters written on your behalf. Be aware that some entities will require that those letters be sealed in an envelope. • Send all letter writers a brief thank you note for their time and support.

19. College Application Procedures - continued • Paper clip your application with your check and any other application materials to your transcript release form. • Submit all items to Brittany Foley, the Records Secretary. • Brittany will gather all requested items on the transcript release form, address an envelope and give the application packet to your counselor or Mrs. Sosa.

20. College Application Procedures - continued • Your counselor will go over your application packet, complete any counselor evaluation on the forms, attach any letters received from teachers and mail your college application in one package. • The colleges appreciate receiving all application materials in one package. • We document the date that the application is mailed or faxed from our school. • On average, we need 6 school days to gather requested materials, complete our portion of the application, and get it in the mail.

21. College Admission ExamsACT or SAT • Seniors planning to attend college are required to take one of these two college admission exams. • Most students in this area only need to take the ACT.  However, check with your college to see which test they prefer. • See your counselor for more information.

22. ACT You can register online at: http://www.actstudent.org/ • If you register online and create your own account at this website, you will be able to see your test results (online) a lot sooner than by mail. • September 18 is the next regular deadline date to register for the October 24 ACT test date.

23. SAT • You can register online at: www.collegeboard.com • The registration deadline for the October 10 test date was September 9. The late registration deadline is Sept. 23. • October 1 is the regular deadline date for the November 7 test date.

24. ACT / SAT – continued • The School of Mines & Technology is one of the test centers for either test. • Remember that it takes at least 20 - 40 minutes to complete the test registration, so don’t put it off until the last minute. • You can ask Brittany Foley, the Records Secretary for an unofficial transcript to help you fill out your registration. • To register, you will also need your high school code:  Stevens High School - (421-072)

25. Learning Express- South Dakota State Library • This is a WEB-BASED test preparation program for the ACT or SAT. • It is free of charge for our students. • You can access it from home or school. • Ask your counselor for instructions on how to use this program.

26. NCAA & SDHSAA Eligibility • Make sure you are carrying enough classes to be eligible to participate in the SDHSAA sports and activities. • What you do this semester will affect 2nd semester participation. • You must be passing 4 classes the semester before participation in a SDHSAA sanctioned activity.

27. Prospective College Athletes • Athletes wishing to compete at the college level must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. • You can register online at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net • You can check your eligibility requirements at this website and learn which classes you will need to have before high school graduation.

28. Community Service Creditand Learn & Serve • Ms. Joyce Lorenzen handles both the Community Volunteer credit and the Learn & Serve credit. • If you have any questions, you can contact Ms. Lorenzen in room S203.

29. Volunteer Opportunities • Youth to Youth • Red Ribbon Week

30. Stevens Academy • The Stevens Academy is offered to our high school and eighth grade students and their parents/guardians.  • The Stevens Academy offers presentations on various topics pertaining to student growth and development, career exploration, and post-high school planning. • Dinner is provided. The whole evening is free of charge. Date To Be Announced

31. Post-High Planning Day • Post-High Planning Day will be at the Civic Center on Thursday, October 22, 2009. • Over fifty in-state and out-of-state post-secondary schools will be represented at this event. • More information will be handed out to you in your US Government classes. • This is a good time to get college and scholarship applications. • Parents are encouraged to attend!

32. College/Military Recruiters • Students are encouraged to visit with the college and military recruiters who schedule visits to our school. • Recruiters are located in the Stevens High School Guidance Conference Room or in the Main Entrance Hall. • This is an excused school activity. • Scheduled visits from College and Military Recruiters are posted in the Guidance office and announced in the student bulletin.

33. College/Career Center In the Guidance Office you will find: • Computers for use in college planning, scholarship searches, ACT/SAT test registration, etc. • College Handbooks, Two Year Schools • Scholarship Board & File • Financial Aid Information (in January) • Majors & Minors Resource Book • Career Resource Books • Test Preparation Books • School catalogs from all other the nation and abroad -filed by state or region. • Career Cruising username and password info.

34. Scholarship Information For scholarship information, please check the following: • The scholarship board and file located in the Guidance Office • The Stevens High School Scholarship Listserv • Please Note: Scholarships are not included in the daily announcements.

35. Stevens Scholarship Listserv Sign up for the Stevens Scholarship Listserv at: ww.k12.sd.us/Listserv/StevensScholarships Join this list and receive announcements of scholarships as they are received by the SHS Guidance Department.

36. Career Cruising • This is a comprehensive WEB-BASED Career program available to our students and parents. • It can perform college and scholarship searches based on your career interests; there is also an ACT test prep component. • See your counselor or Marcia Geyer, Registrar, for the website and your username and password. • You or your parent can access it from home!

37. Financial Aid Night • Most students need some assistance in financing their post-secondary education. • Your counselors will host a Financial Aid Workshop for you and your parents on January 12.

38. Announcements/Newsletters Guidance information and news of student opportunities are announced through • the student bulletin. • a Guidance Newsletter sent home with the Principal’s Parent Newsletter every month. • special newsletters, as needed.

39. South Dakota Board of Regents Scholar Curriculum www.sdbor.edu • 4 English • 4 Math (Algebra 1 and higher) • 4 Science (including Biology and Chemistry or Physics) • 3 Social Studies • 2 of the same Foreign Language • 1 Fine Art • ½ Computer

40. SD Opportunity Scholarship • Requires a 24 ACT, or • A combined Math & verbal SAT score of 1070. • No Pass/Fail or Test Out grade on the transcript for required core classes • No core class grade below a C • 3.0 GPA (unweighted) • $5000 Scholarship over 4 years • Must attend a SD Post-Secondary School

41. Senior Autobiographical Sketch • We are asked to fill out numerous counselor evaluations for college applications. • In order to do to a good job for you, we need information about YOU! • Your English teachers will give you instructions for completing your autobiographical sketch.

42. Autobiographical Sketch-continued • Return the completed assignment as per your English teacher’s instructions. • Keep a copy for your own file. • Include it with your resume and give to whomever you ask to write recommendations for you.

43. The End! When in doubt about planning for life after high school, make an appointment to see your counselor/advisor. We can help! • Lori Storm – A – G • Kerri Stover – H – N • Kim Elder – O – Z • Kathryn Sosa – A – Z (Gifted Ed)