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This
page was
last updated:
February 4, 2010
GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING NEWSLETTER
February
2010 WE’VE MOVED! REGISTRATION FOR COURSES FOR 2010-2011 |
REGISTRATION FOR COURSES FOR 2010-2011
Students received their course selection sheets and Program of Studies booklets on Tuesday, February 2. Over the next few weeks students must choose their courses for next year and obtain teacher signatures for those courses which may require permission. If a student needs assistance, he/she should make an appointment with a guidance counselor as soon as possible. If a parent has questions, please contact a guidance counselor by phone or email. Contact information is on our webpage. The counselors are more than willing to answer any questions that students or parents may have regarding course selection.
Students must have their course selection sheet completed (including all necessary student, parent, and teacher signatures), the tuition preference form that was mailed with the most recent progress report (new this year), and the $400 non-refundable deposit ready to hand in on the following dates:
- Thursday, February 18, for Class of 2011 (current juniors)
- Tuesday, February 23, for Class of 2012 (current sophomores)
- Thursday, February 25, for Class of 2012 (current freshmen)
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HOW TO SIGN UP FOR AP EXAMS
Students who wish to take AP exams must sign up through their AP instructor by Wednesday, March 10. All students who are enrolled in upper level honors or AP courses that prepare students for AP exams will be given a copy of the 2010 AP (Advanced Placement) exam bulletin the second week of February. In late February, AP teachers will ask students to sign up for the AP exams that will take place from May 3--14.
- The cost for AP exams is $95 per test. This includes a slight surcharge above and beyond the test fee to pay for the proctors who will be supervising testing.
- The test fee will be collected by the classroom teacher during the week of April 5, immediately after students return from spring break.
- If a student orders a test now and cancels later this spring, he or she must pay a penalty fee of $15 because AP charges Saint Francis a penalty fee for each unused test. Students and parents should keep in mind that these tests are exceedingly difficult.
- Please note that students in AP courses are not required to take the exams in May. The exception is for students in AP Studio Art who MUST submit the portfolio. A student who chooses to take an AP exam should be performing very well in their honors or AP courses and performing well on standardized tests. Students should test their knowledge of AP material by practicing on sample test questions both inside and outside of class.
- Since AP teachers cannot always cover every topic that may be on an AP exam, students who want to perform well on AP exams usually have to do additional work on their own. Information on AP courses and exams questions is available at www.collegeboard.com.
- Senior students should check with their prospective colleges about their AP credit policies. This information can also be found on the College Board website. For further information, students should see Mrs. Rigney or the AP instructor.
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FAFSA FORMS AVAILABLE ONLINE
The FAFSA Federal College Financial Aid Form is available on the internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
- In order to use the web based form, you must first obtain a pin number by going to www.pin.ed.gov.
- You are advised to send in the form no later than February 15 in order to maximize your eligibility for financial aid.
- Do NOT wait until you do your taxes to complete the FAFSA. Parents may use estimated income and assets to initially complete the FAFSA and then correct the numbers on the Student Aid Report when you receive it.
- Keep in mind that even if you do not demonstrate financial need on the FAFSA, simply completing and submitting the form will qualify you for the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan.
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ST. FRANCIS TAKES PART IN NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS WEEK
(FEBRUARY 22 TO FEBRUARY 26)
As part of the National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 22 to February 26), which aims to motivate individuals who need help to get treatment and to raise public awareness about eating disorders, the Guidance and Counseling Department will offer confidential eating disorder screenings and informational meetings. If you are interested in more eating disorder information, a confidential screening or one of the support groups, please contact Mrs. Rupp at ext. 1104.
Eating disorders and problematic eating behaviors have become epidemic. Studies have shown that 1 in 5 adolescents engages at some point during their teenager years in disordered eating behaviors and nearly 7 million women in the US currently suffer from anorexia and bulimia. Most parents will not be faced with the enormous challenges of dealing with an anorexic or bulimic. Many, however, will face the challenges of children who have poor body images or eating problems like excessive dieting, skipping meals, bingeing one day and eating very little the next day or trying the latest diet fad. Disordered eating can be harmful to adolescents’ developing bodies and minds. Since early detection of an eating disorder can increase the likelihood of successful recovery, knowing the warning signs is important:
- In your interaction with your child you may notice one or more of the physical, behavioral and emotional signs of an eating disorder:
- Physical: weight loss or fluctuation in a short period of time; abdominal pain; feeling full; dry hair or skin; headaches.
- Behavioral: dieting or chaotic food intake; pretending to eat, throwing away food; extensive exercising; showing concern with food, weight or body size; wearing baggy clothes to hide a thin body; frequent trips to the bathroom.
- Emotional: complaints about being fat; sadness; perfectionist attitudes; not sharing one's feelings.
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Now is the time of year when both parents and students begin to wonder, “Now that we have applied to these colleges, how are we going to pay for this?” Such thoughts naturally lead to the pursuit of scholarships.
Obtaining college scholarships is not as easy as some would have us think. The best source of money for college is the college itself. Students should ask every college what merit scholarships are available. These scholarships can be highly competitive at some schools and not as hard to obtain at others. Some schools are now offering “leadership scholarships” for students who have shown a strong commitment to extra-curricular activities.
Students who are looking for corporate or community scholarships can access information on those awards through programs such as:
http://www.collegezone.com (for general financial aid information)
http://www.finaid.com (for general financial aid information)
Mrs. Rigney publishes a Weekly Bulletin of college and scholarship information which is posted on the Guidance webpage. This bulletin lists scholarships for which the Guidance Department has current applications. Students often have the best chance to earn a scholarship offered by a local organization since these scholarships have a smaller applicant pool. Some scholarships will be based on financial need; many will require that the student write an essay. Applying for scholarships does take time and organization.
Remember to avoid scholarship scams. Avoid scholarships or scholarship services that require an application fee. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! No agency or service can promise that you will obtain scholarships or financial aid.
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JUNIORS SHOULD START REGISTERING FOR SPRING ACT AND SAT TESTS
The dates for the 2010--2011 ACT and SAT tests are listed on the last page of the St. Francis High School Calendar. This same information is also on the Student Services/Guidance page of the school web-site. Use these sources as a future reference for upcoming test dates and registration deadlines. Juniors should plan to take the ACT or SAT at least two times from January of 2010 through June of 2010.
The registration deadline for the February test has already passed. However, if a student wishes to test on February 6, and has missed the registration deadline, he/she may test Standby. Any students, who wish to test using the Standby procedure, should see Mrs. Rigney as soon as possible. Students may not register online if they are testing Standby.
When registering for ACT and SAT tests, please keep in mind the following points.
- Students may use two different methods to register. They may go online to www.act.org for the ACT or to www.collegeboard.com for the SAT test.
- To register with the paper copy, students may pick up a registration packet from the large metal bookshelves in the Students Services hallway.
- St. Francis only administers the ACT on the April test date, but students may always take the exam at other high schools. If a student wants to test at St. Francis, he or she must register well in advance of the regular registration deadline and select St. Francis as the first choice for test centers. Students are not guaranteed their test center choices. Places are assigned on a first come, first served basis.
- When re-registering for a second test, students may do so by phone for a small charge or online for free.
- It is very important that the student include the St. Francis six digit high school code when completed test registration. Our high school code number is 144-383. If students do not include this code, St. Francis does not receive a record of the test score.
- We strongly recommend that a student plan to take both the ACT and the SAT and take each test more than once (preferably before the end of junior year). This ensures that the student will be likely to earn a score that best reflects his or her true ability. Colleges will use the higher score when making admissions decisions.
- Students should also be aware more and more colleges, including several Big Ten Schools, are requiring the new ACT Writing Assessment. Not all colleges require that students take the Writing Assessment; however, if even one college that the student will apply to requires the writing assessment, then the student will need to take it. Therefore, the Guidance and Counseling Department strongly recommends that all juniors take the Writing Assessment along with the ACT exam for all testing dates. The revised SAT includes a mandatory writing assessment. For details on the writing assessments and preparation materials, students should go to www.act.org or www.collegeboard.com.
- REMINDER: THE ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL CODE FOR ACT AND SAT TESTING IS: 144-383
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Special Accommodations for the ACT/ SAT
Parents of sophomore and junior level students are reminded to contact Ms. Sullivan ASAP at ext . 1108 if you have a child who might qualify for extended time or other accommodations on ACT and SAT testing. Guidelines for such requests are given below.
- ACT: Complete documentation needs to be ready and in our files in order to be sent into ACT early junior year. As the request for eligibility is sent to ACT, the student is required to register for the test (usually) in April.
- SAT: Complete documentation may be sent in to SAT as early as late freshman year or early sophomore year. The student is only requesting eligibility at this time and does not register for a specific test until junior year which is a different policy from ACT.
- DOCUMENTATION described below needs to be ON FILE AT ST. FRANCIS AS EARLY AS FRESHMAN YEAR.
- Mary Kay Sullivan will pull the information from this documentation in order to write and to send a parent approved Accommodations Plan to the individual’s teachers.
- Students should be looking ahead to have an appropriate written Accommodations Plan for college as well.
- For either ACT or SAT to consider students for accommodations, they must have DOCUMENTATION THAT MEETS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
CRITERIA:
- States the specific disability as diagnosed.
- Testing is current. (testing/re-evaluation in 8 th grade or freshman year is acceptable)
- Describes presenting problem and developmental history including current treatment.
- Describes the comprehensive assessments used to arrive at the diagnosis, such as psychoeducational testing, neuropsychological information, medical diagnoses, etc.
- Describes the adverse effect on learning and academic achievement as supported by the test results.
- Describes specific recommended accommodations for the classroom and provides a rationale explaining how these will address the functional limitations.
- Establishes the professional credentials of the evaluator.
- Students must also USE these accommodations throughout their four years in high school.
For complete protocol for documenting or for any other clarification, log on to www.act.org/aap/disab/policy.html and also www.collegeboard.com/disable/students.com or contact Mary Kay Sullivan x 1108.
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FAMILY CONNECTION PROVIDES COLLEGE PLANNING PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS
The Guidance and Counseling Department has made available a powerful tool for college planning called the Family Connection by Naviance. This web based program can be accessed from any computer, anywhere. The web address is:
http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton
A link to this site has been created on the list of Websites for College Information that is on the Guidance and Counseling Department webpage. To access the program, please do the following:
- In order to initially log into the program, students or parents must use a personally assigned registration code. Junior students have already received their codes, registered, and been trained in using the program. Parents may receive their access code by contacting Mrs. Ellis at ext. 1142 or lellis@sfhsnet.org. Once you receive your registration code, we strongly recommend that you complete the log-in process whereby you will enter your email address and create a new password.
- Each user must register with his or her personal email address.
- Parents and students cannot use the same email address.
- Once you complete that process, you will no longer need the registration code to access the program.
The Naviance Family Connection program allows students to maintain their own personal college planning site. You can complete a college search, build a resume, make a game plan for college, create a list of potential colleges, and track the application process.
If you have any questions or problems regarding the use of the program, please contact Trudy Rigney, College Counselor and Director of Guidance @ extension 1105.
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