September 2011 Senior Newsletter

 

Welcome Back Seniors! You are already well underway with your senior year and many exciting times are ahead. We want you to know that we will be working hard to help you with your college or career preparations. Each month a newsletter will be posted on the Ash Grove R-IV School District website, as well as made available to you in seminar. It will include many scholarship opportunities, information about colleges, ACT dates and many other notices for seniors. If you have any questions about anything in the newsletters please stop by the office.

 

ACT Dates:

Test Date                                            Registration Deadline

September 10, 2011                            (was August 12th)

October 22, 2011                                September 16, 2011

December 10, 2011                             November 4, 2011

 

The Ash Grove High School Code is 260-090. You can stop by the office for a packet or sign up online at actstudent.org.  Our teachers will be hosting a workshop for those students that are taking the ACT September test on Thursday, September 8th.

Mrs. Keith – 1st block, Mr. Gravelin -11:05 – 11:30, and Mr. Whittington – 4th block. Sign up in the counselor’s office to attend. 

 

Fee Waivers for ACT / SAT

Students who can’t afford the registration fee for the ACT or SAT may be eligible for a Fee Waiver. Pick up the needed forms in Ms. Nicholson’s office.

 

Campus  Visits:

Each senior gets 1 campus visit day for Missouri colleges or 2 days for out of state colleges. Students can pick up an attendance clearance form to request a campus visit in the office. This form must be signed by a parent, each teacher for the classes you will miss, and Mrs. Nicholson. Then the day will be excused. Official visits should be set up with college representatives so that appointments can be made for tours, meetings with professors, coaches, and other pertinent people on campus. If you need help scheduling your campus visit, come by the office. Great dates to schedule a visit are days that we are out of school but the colleges are in session. This year these dates are Friday, September 2nd, Monday, September 5th, Thursday, October 20th and Friday, October 21st.

 

College Recruiters:

Each year several admission representatives from different colleges set up meetings here at school with students. Upon arrival of the representative, we will make the announcement calling students to the counselor’s outer office.  The following dates have been set so far:

Tuesday, September 15th         Southwest Baptist University             Courtney Tallant

Thursday, Septemeber 29th     Missouri State University                   Emily Trammel

Tuesday, September 18th         Missouri University of Science and Tech.      Matt

 

Scholarship Opportunities:

Fastweb.com – is an internet source of local, national, and college-specific scholarships. It specializes in personalized scholarship matching, college searches and comparisons, tools and tips to help you pay for college, plus jobs and internships as you launch into your new career. To get started, visit www.fastweb.com and set up a personal account. If you need help registering for this, please come by the counselor’s office.

 

ACT is sponsoring a video contest to encourage high school juniors and seniors to use their creativity to share their reasons for taking the ACT. The student with the winning video will receive a $5,000 scholarship to the college of his or her choice. Second and third place winners will receive $2,500 and $1,000 respectively. Seven other finalists will each receive a $500 scholarship. For more information visit actstudent.org/videocontest. Video entries of three minutes or less will be accepted until September 11, 2011.

 

The Horatio Alger Association – seeks to assist students who have:  demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity, strength of character, financial need, a good academic record, commitment to pursue a college education, and a desire to contribute to society. There are eligibility requirements to be considered for National Scholarships and Horatio Alger State Scholarships that can be found at www.horatioalger.org/scholarships. The application is also available online at that website. The association has Collegiate Partners who will match any scholarship awarded by the Horatio Alger Association.

 

Missouri University of Science and Technology – Chancellor’s Scholarship

If you are in the upper 10% of your class, with a GPA of at least 3.75 and an ACT of 30 or better, you can apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship at Missouri University of Science and Technology. An essay and a campus visit are additional requirements. The deadline is November 1, 2011.

 

Daughters of the American Revolution – The DAR National Society offers multiple scholarships to students showing dedication to the pursuit of degrees in diverse disciplines including history, law, nursing, and education. To apply for these visit www.dar.org/natsociety/edout_scholar.cfm.

 

Reminders:

College of the Ozarks – in Point Lookout, MO has a very competitive admissions program. If you are interested in attending C of O, it is very important that you apply early. Visit www.cofo.edu to apply.

 

College Fair at the K

Join the Kansas City Royals and over 15 colleges and universities for the first annual College Fair at the K. The event will take place on September 17th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Diamond Club. Meet with recruiters from Kansas State, University of Iowa, Columbia College, Baker University, NW Missouri State, UMKC, and others. To attend this event, please purchase tickets through the following link: www.royals.com/collegefair. Each ticket purchased will allow students to bring one parent to the college fair at no additional charge.

 

Washington University in St. Louis – is hosting an admissions information session on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm at the Doubletree Hotel 2431 N. Glenstone Avenue Springfield, MO. For more information call 417-831-3131. 

 

 

Financial Aid Information

 

Here is some basic information on how to obtain federal financial aid. There will be workshops starting in January at several different sites in Southwest Missouri. Those will be posted when the dates are released. We will also host a couple of financial aid workshops here at Ash Grove in the computer lab where Ms. Chavez and Ms. Nicholson will sit down with you and help you file the FAFSA.

 

WWW.FAFSA.ED.GOV – is the web site to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

 

Start Here: Apply for financial aid! You must complete and submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for federal student aid for college or career school and for most state and institutional aid. The quickest way to apply is online using FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

 

Go Further: Financial aid offices use information from the FAFSA to determine if you are eligible to receive federal student aid, grants, loans, and work-study programs.  So be sure to fill out a FAFSA even if you think you won’t qualify.

 

Get A PIN: Before beginning the FAFSA, you should apply for a U.S. Department of Education personal identification number (PIN) at www.pin.ed.gov. The PIN will allow you to sign your FAFSA electronically and to correct your processed FAFSA information online.  After you receive the PIN assigned to you, we recommend you change it to something easy to remember.  Don’t share your PIN with anyone! If you are providing parent information on the FAFSA, one of your parents must also sign your application. To sign electronically, your parent must apply for his or her own PIN.

 

Gather the Information Required To Apply:

·         Your Social Security number and your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are providing parent information.

·         Your driver’s license number if you have one

·         Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen

·         Federal tax information or tax returns, including W-2 information, for yourself, for your spouse if you are married, and for your parents if you are providing parent information, using income records for the year prior to the academic year for which you are applying.

·         Records of untaxed income, such as Social Security benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and veterans benefits, for yourself (and for your parents if you are providing parent information)

 

Be Aware of Deadlines: You may have to meet application deadlines, depending on your college and where you live.  State and school deadlines are usually earlier than federal deadlines.

 

Use the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet: Your college or high school might have a copy of the Worksheet, or you can print one from www.fafsa.ed.gov. This Worksheet is optional, but it will help you collect the information you need to fill our your FAFSA online.

 

Complete Your Application At www.FAFSA.ED.GOV: Enter all necessary information. If you need help, there are help links on each page of the online application.

 

Submit Your Application: After you submit your application, make sure you receive a confirmation number.  This number tells you your application has been successfully submitted. Keep this confirmation number for your records.

 

Follow Up on Your FAFSA: Your application will be processed and you will receive an e-mail with a link to your Student Aid Report (SAR). If you did not provide an e-mail address, you will receive your SAR by mail. You should review your SAR for any necessary corrections or updates. If you do not hear from us within three weeks, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and select: “Check the Status of a Submitted FAFSA.”

 

Online: “Help” buttons on every page of the online application will take you to additional help. You can also click the “Live Help” button to chat with a customer service representative directly online between the hours of 8 am and midnight Eastern time.

 

By Phone: For help toll-free between the hours of 8 am and midnight Eastern time, call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 1-800-730-8913 (TTY) for the hearing impaired.

 

In Person: Talk with your high school counselor or contact the financial aid office at your college or career school.

 

Information: Go to the online version of Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid at www.studentaid.ed.gov/guide. This guide covers financial aid topics from preparing for college to repaying student loans.