Junior Parent Meeting

Junior Parent Meeting Preparing for Senior Year

What direction are you headed? • Workforce • Military • Technical Programs • College

Workforce • Department of Workforce Development • http://www.in.gov/dwd/ • Transition Resources Corporation • http://www.telamon.org/ • Indiana Career Connect • https://www.indianacareerconnect.com/ • WorkOne • http://www.in.gov/dwd/WorkOne/

Workforce • Gather information and put together in resume format • Have someone proofread resume • When filling out application • Return by deadline • Fill application out with pen and best handwriting or typed • When interviewing • Be punctual • Dress nicely • Know something about the job and have in mind the positives you can offer your potential employer

Thinking Military? • Almost every month a recruiter from various branches of the military are in doing a lunchroom setup • Visit dates are put in the announcements • If interested, stop by their table and talk with them • Gather information without making a signed commitment • Contact information for the various recruiting branches in Kokomo: http://www.yellowpages.com/kokomo-in/armed-forces-recruiting

What are colleges looking at? • The rigor of your academic coursework • Including courses you are taking senior year • Grades /Overall GPA • Most colleges recalculate the GPA using core academics only • Class Rank • Standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) • First senior report card • Study all senior grades on final transcript after a student has been admitted to see if they still should be admitted-they can rescind your admission offer based on poor senior year performance or a discrepancy in classes based on what was initially submitted by student • The quality of writing in your essay (if one is required) • Recommendations • Uniqueness • Extracurricular activities, special interests, aptitudes, recognitions/awards

College Selection • Find a strong correlation between…- your academic record and – admission requirements- your intellectual interests and – the degree programs available- your personality and – the college setting. You accomplish this by doing research and by asking questions. There are many places waiting for you and will be a “good fit” for you. There are over 2,300 colleges and 1,700 community colleges in the United States. So,

College Selection – Things to Consider • Majors/Minors Offered • Public vs. Private • Population • Males/Females/Ratio? • Size • Small (<2,000) • Medium (2,000-15,000) • Large (>15,000) • No Preference • Location • Cost to the family • Housing • Athletics • Activities and special programs • “Gut” feeling

College Selection • Excellent websites to focus in on and prepare for college: www.collegeboard.org Click the box for Students www.learnmoreindiana.org www.TripToCollege.org www.DriveOfYourLife.org

Career Exploration • ASVAB • Career Exploration Tool • Offered to students at the beginning of 2014-2015 school year • Results include an individualized access code and password that will help students explore careers specific to their abilities and interests

College Visits • Start looking NOW! • Many colleges will have summer tours students can take and not miss school • Make an appointment with a College Admissions Counselor • Get college visit paper from Guidance Office or Mrs. Zartman in the attendance office prior to going on college visit • This form is to be filled out by the college representative and brought back by the student and given to Mrs. Zartman • It takes the college visit paper AND a parent/guardian calling into the attendance office for the absence to be excused • Seniors get two college visits that do not appear on record • Juniors get one college visit that does not appear on record • Students may take additional visits, they will just appear as excused absences

Technical/Trade School • Look into school to see if SAT/ACT is required • Most technical/trade schools will not require it or have their own placement test that you can take for free • Planning to transfer? • Make sure that credits you receive from the technical/trade school will transfer to another school • Take a visit to the college you intend to transfer to and have a transfer plan made out by that school

Applying to Colleges • Make sure you apply early and pay close attention to deadlines • Many colleges have merit-based scholarships available to students just by applying by a date and having certain qualifications (Ex. GPA, Test Scores) • IUK • Ivy Tech • Transcripts • All colleges will need a student’s transcript to make an admission decision • The transcript form is called varying names depending on what college a student is applying to • Counselor Recommendation Page/Form • Counselor Page/Form • Counselor Signature Form • Transcript Release • Record Release • Even if the student applies for college online, the counselor form must be printed off and brought into the guidance office to be mailed in

Transcript Release Steps to getting transcript sent: Print Form Fill out student information section in nice handwriting with pen! Bring form to Guidance Office Mrs. Adams will fill out the counselor section and send it to admissions office along with a copy of the student’s most recent transcript

College Application Fee Waivers • If student qualifies for and uses a fee waiver for the SAT/ACT, then the student can get up to four college application fee waivers • 21st Century Scholar • Free/Reduced Lunch • Many colleges will ask if you qualify and automatically waive the fee but it varies between colleges • Some colleges waive their application fee for all students just by choosing to apply online • Make sure you look into each college’s application fee and decide what is the cheapest way to apply

CollegeGo Week • Late September (Example September 23-27, 2013) • Many colleges waive their application fees • Link to colleges that waived application fees this past year as well as a direct link to all Indiana Colleges applications with deadlines (Based on applications for the 2014 college year) • http://www.in.gov/collegegoweek/2471.htm • It is not guaranteed that this will be the same list that waives application fees for next year’s CollegeGo Week, however, if you see colleges that have waived their fee in the past, it is financially worth waiting until late September to see if they will waive the fee again—especially if the college is a back-up option

SAT and ACT • You must take the SAT or ACT if you are planning to attend college • Register online at: • ACT Plus Writing Test: www.act.org • SAT Reasoning Test: www.collegeboard.org • Testing facilities available for a specific test date are online at the above web sites • Students do not have to take both tests; they can elect to, but it is not required • It’s proven that taking the test more than once does lead to improved test scores • SAT/ACT scores can be mixed and matched to pull the best scores between each particular exam (Example: The best SAT scores can be matched together and the best ACT scores can be matched together but you cannot put the best ACT and SAT scores together) • Choosing between the two tests • SAT: Student should at least be through Algebra II • Test has more math • ACT: Better for students that math is not their best subject • It does have math, just not as much as SAT • Breaks scores into social science areas where the SAT does not

SAT and ACT • Lewis Cass High School Code (also called the CEEB Code) is 152100 • Important that this gets put on when signing up to take the test, otherwise we will not receive your scores to put on your high school transcript • Students receive four free colleges to send scores as long as they choose the schools BEFORE the test date!! • Require scores be sent directly from testing agency: • Purdue (1230) • NCAA Clearinghouse (9999) • NAIA (9876) • Indiana University-Bloomington (1324) • If you have already taken the SAT or ACT and did not send it to one that requires it directly from testing agency, you must go back into student’s collegeboard account and pay to have the test scores sent • IMPORTANT FACT: If you are a 21st Century Scholar or are on free or reduced lunch you qualify for 2 free ACT and 2 free SAT fee waivers. • Band competitions conflict with many test dates in the fall. All college bound students are encouraged to test at least once before the start of their senior year, but because of the band conflicts this is especially true for band students.

SAT/ACT testing dates left this year SAT ACT

SAT Dates – Next Year • Not released at this time • Check at collegeboard.org for 14-15 dates

ACT Dates – Next Year Test Dates • September 13, 2014 • October 25, 2014 • December 13, 2014 • February 7, 2015 • April 18, 2015 • June 13, 2015

SAT/ACT Practice Information SAT: • http://professionals.collegeboard.com/k-12/prepare/srp/free • Ivy Tech – SAT Prep Courses • PSAT Results – Lays out a study plan specific to student ACT: • http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/index.html

FAFSA • Free Application for Federal Student Aid • Allows students to become eligible for financial aid such as grants, loans, and work-study • To receive the most financial aid, FAFSA must be completed. It is not available until after January 1, 2015 and must be completed by the deadline in early March (Example: March 10, 2014) • We will have a help session in January or February • Based on taxes from previous year • You can put estimates in, but you will have to go back and put in exact amounts. The earlier you fill it out, the better! • ***Important: Make sure you go to fafsa.gov to fill out for FAFSA form. You should NOT have to pay to file your FAFSA.***

PIN Registration for Electronic Signature of FAFSA • Web site: www.pin.ed.gov • Sign FAFSA electronically • Can request PIN before January 1, 2015 • May be used by students and parents throughout aid process, including subsequent school years so it is important to keep it someplace you can refer back • The same parent pin number will be used for all children

Types of Financial Aid • Grants – gift aid, generally based on need • Scholarships – gift aid, generally based on academic achievement, volunteer efforts, or special talent • Loans – must be repaid • Work-study – employment, student earns money to help with educational expenses

Scholarship Tips • Scholarships sent to the Guidance Office are compiled and added to the Guidance Web Page under the scholarship tab • Some scholarship applications are available in the fall, however the majority of local scholarships are released 2nd semester • Cass County Community Foundation (CCCF) will come in December to have a mandatory meeting that all seniors must attend in order to apply for any scholarships listed with the CCCF • Pay close attention to deadlines and always type or neatly handwrite applications

Scholarship Tips • Hundreds of other scholarship applications (which do not come directly to Cass) can be secured through various companies, clubs, organizations, or churches. The internet is often a good way to find out about such scholarships. • You should never have to pay for scholarship information. • Some scholarships are awarded directly from the college after the student is accepted and has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This occurs in the spring (April / May). • Most libraries have a number of books about financial aid, including scholarship guides.

Scholarship Tips • Look into large national scholarships such as Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Gates Millennium, Intel Science, Coca-Cola, and Robert Byrd • Organizations of all types and sizes sponsor scholarships • Many large companies offer scholarships or tuition programs for children of employees (Tyson, Haynes International) • Employers like fast food chains, department stores, and supermarkets often give scholarships • Awards can also be given in relation to student employment

Scholarship Web Sites • www.collegeboard.com/paying • www.fastweb.com • www.scholarshipamerica.org/students.php • www.meritaid.com • www.finaid.org • www.scholarhships.com • www.findtuition.com • www.scholarshipshispanicfund.org • www.gocollege.com • http://www.cappex.com/scholarships • http://www.imagine-america.org/ • http://www.studentscholarships.org/ • http://collegeprowler.com/scholarships/state/indiana/

College Athletics • You must register with the proper organization depending on what level of college sports you are interested in playing • NCAA (9999) • Division I & II • www.ncaaeligibilitycenter.org • NAIA (9876) • Division III • www.playnaia.org • Remember to sign up for the NCAA or NAIA before sending SAT or ACT scores electronically with 4-digit code • Once you get everything set up on either web site, you will need to check your student’s completed high school courses with the approved course list for Lewis Cass on the web site as well as their GPA. • Once you have your student registered, there should be a transcript release form that is given to me to mail along with the transcript

Requesting Transcripts andLetters of Recommendation • Transcript needed for scholarships: • Come to guidance office write name and how many transcripts you need on clipboard • It is easier to copy five transcripts for you one time then one transcript for you five different times, so please try and think ahead when requesting transcripts • Please allow at least two days to get transcripts to you • Letter of Recommendation: • Bring paper with your name, clubs, sports, activities, volunteer efforts, offices held, how many years participated in each area, etc. • Write date in which you need the letter completed by on the top of the paper as well as how many copies you need • Please give me at least one week to get a letter of recommendation to you--Apply the same courtesy for any recommendation you ask of someone

In your folder - Transcript • You are receiving the 1st page of what is sent to colleges—2nd page contains PSAT, SAT, ACT, and ECA test scores as well as attendance • Check over courses, credits, GPA, rank • General and Core 40 - 42 credits • Academic Honors and Technical Honors - 47 credits • Drop below “C-” for AH or TH on semester grade, student must retake that class for a higher grade, otherwise Core 40

Dual Credit • If your child has been in a class in which they have earned dual credit: • They now have a high school transcript and an Ivy Tech College transcript • Once your student has determined the college of their choice, you will need to contact Ivy Tech and have their college transcript sent to that college • A college cannot award credit from a LC transcript only

In your folder – Course Requests • Review requests for next year • Course titles and descriptions are available on web site • New courses are being added—dual credit courses are denoted • Changes need to be made in Guidance Office as soon as possible • Career center deadline has passed, however, there has been one extension: Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO)/Entrepreneurship & New Ventures • If interested in obtaining more information, see me after the presentation—Application deadline is April 18

Short on Credits?Need to Raise a Grade? • Summer courses at Lewis Cass • Indiana Virtual Academy • www.indva.org • Free Summer Online Courses • Final is taken at Lewis Cass approximately 2 weeks before students return from summer vacation • Students may take up to 2 courses • Also a good way to raise a semester grade that may have dropped below a C- for an Academic and Technical Honors Diploma • BYU Independent Study • http://is.byu.edu/site/ • Online Courses-One year to complete • Approximately $132 + any required textbooks • Final is taken at Lewis Cass • Final exam must be finished and mailed in no later than May 1 so that the school is able to get the course grade result prior to graduation

ECA Retake Windows • English 10 – May 5-May 14 • Algebra I – May 12-May 21 • Must take and pass this test in order to graduate • Waiver option in the spring of senior year—but not a guarantee

Frequently Asked Questions • Contact: Teri Lohninglohningt@sescschools.net • Caps and Gowns (Cost included in textbook fees) • Graduation Announcement/Invitation Questions • Contact: Grace Scott scottg@sescschools.net • Senior Yearbook Pictures • Contact: Justin Densborn densbornd@sescschools.net • Open house invitations made in the LCK Print Shop

Future Reference Today’s PowerPoint presentation and documents can all be found on the school’s web site at www.sesc.k12.in.us under the Guidance Department 10th -12th Grade tab Heather Adams Guidance Counselor Grades 10-12 adamsh@sescschools.net 574-626-2511 ext. 5105

Junior Parent Meeting