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This
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December 3, 2009
GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING NEWSLETTER
PSAT TEST RESULTS: PARENT INFORMATION PROGRAM SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 9TH.
Parents of sophomore and junior students who recently took the PSAT practice college entrance exams may receive test results for this program at an upcoming information program.
PSAT tests results will be available for parents at the December 9, 2009, program at 6:30 PM in the Kuhn Center. At that time Mrs. Rigney will interpret PSAT test results. She will also explain what parents need to know about planning for and registering for the ACT and SAT tests which their children will be taking in the winter and spring of this year. In addition, she will discuss the benefits of test prep courses. Parents of sophomore students who took the PSAT test should attend the PSAT program with parents of juniors.
Parents attending the program should enter the building through door # 12 or #19. If parents are unable to attend this program, their students will receive complete test results on Friday, December 11.
PLAN scores for sophomores were mailed to parents before Thanksgiving.
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SENIOR STUDENTS SHOULD COMPLETE THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK
Due to the high volume of applications that colleges will be receiving this year, senior students should attempt to process all of their college applications by early December. This will ensure that students meet most scholarship deadlines and avoid being wait-listed by those colleges that close the application process early.
If a student needs a counselor letter of recommendation sent with the application, the application must be submitted to Mrs. Rigney by December 7 to guarantee mailing before the holidays. All other applications that must be mailed before Christmas break must be submitted to the Guidance Office by December 10, 2009.
To request transcripts, students must submit a transcript release form, an addressed letter sized envelope, and (when required by the college) a counselor recommendation or signature form.
Over the Christmas holidays, students should take the time to write a short thank you note to the classroom teachers who wrote formal letters of recommendation for their college applications. Writing college letters of recommendation for students is a task that goes beyond the teacher’s normal duties of lesson planning and grading. It is a nice courtesy for students to take the time to thank the teachers for writing the letters on their behalf.
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SENIOR STUDENTS NEED TO HAVE AFFORDABLE COLLEGES ON THEIR APPLICATION LISTS
During this time of economic crisis, it is very important that senior students and parents have a heart to heart discussion regarding the realities of college costs. It is also important that every senior who is applying to college have some very affordable colleges on their application lists. This does not mean that students should not apply to expensive schools, but they should also target some in-state public universities and colleges that offer generous merit scholarship programs. Many families have lost money in their college savings plans. Some families may even need to be prepared for potential job losses or changes. In addition, families cannot be certain that the borrowing options that have been available in the past few years will exist for students this year. Federal or state sponsored loans should still be available, but there are caps to how much students can borrow through those programs. Families who were planning to take out private loans or home equity loans may find that those are not as readily available as in the past. Because many colleges have also lost money on their investments, some schools may not be as generous with financial aid as they previously were. Therefore, students need to have a Plan B in place in case their financial aid awards are not satisfactory or the financing options they were hoping for fall through. In addition, it is essential that families submit the FAFSA, free application for federal student aid, in January to ensure timely processing and planning for financial aid. Families should also work closely with the financial aid officers at their colleges to research all potential financial aid options.
Our public universities in Illinois are still a good value and offer the four year tuition guarantee which means that the student’s tuition will not increase over the four year attendance period. The University of Illinois at Urbana, Northern Illinois University and Illinois State University all had priority deadlines of November 15, but they are still accepting applications. If students like an urban university, the University of Illinois at Chicago is a great choice. The neighborhood surrounding UIC has changed dramatically in the past five years and now has an abundance of high quality housing, retail, and restaurant options. Eastern Illinois University recently added a multi-million dollar fine arts center for music, theater, and art and still has their text book rental program which dramatically reduces the costs of textbooks for students. Western Illinois has a four year guarantee on student housing if the student lives on campus and is one of the few universities that offers single dorm rooms for freshmen. The University of Illinois at Springfield offers a U of I degree in a smaller college setting. SIU Carbondale is set in the beautiful Shawnee National Forest region of Illinois and is only a train ride away on Amtrak. SIU Edwardsville near the St. Louis metropolitan region is the fastest growing public university in Illinois, and offers many brand new housing options and numerous high demand majors.
College of DuPage is still one of the best community colleges in the nation and offers a way for many students to keep their jobs in the area, save for the last two years of college, and possibly graduate from college with little or no significant debt.
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JUNIOR STUDENTS SHOULD BEGIN THE REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR ACT AND SAT TESTING
Junior students usually begin testing with the January or February test dates. All juniors should plan on taking the ACT or SAT at least two times before the end of junior year. It also is important that juniors plan ahead to avoid conflicts with spring sports and activities. Juniors should also always take the ACT with Writing since many schools require the writing portion of ACT for admission.
The final deadline to register for the February 7 ACT is January 15. The deadline for the January 23 SAT is December 30.For details on ACT test content and requirements, students should pick up the booklet, Preparing for the ACT, which is available in the Student Services area. Students may also visit the testing company websites for more information.
ACT: www.act.org
SAT: www.collegeboard.com
The St. Francis High School Code is 144-383. Students must use this code when registering for their ACT and SAT tests.
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NAVIANCE FAMILY CONNECTION PROGRAM PROVIDES A GREAT COLLEGE PLANNING TOOL AT
http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton
Students and parents are strongly encouraged to use the Naviance Family Connection college planning tool. St. Francis has a licensing agreement to use this web based program which provides assistance in all areas of the college search and application process. Current seniors were all shown how to use the program last December and again this September. Seniors should use the user names and passwords they created last December to log on. Current juniors were shown how to use the program in October. Parents of current juniors and seniors were mailed access codes last winter, but if they have not yet created a user name and password and have lost the access code, they may contact Mrs. Ellis at ext. 142 to obtain the access code again. If underclassmen or their parents wish to use the program, they may obtain the access code by contacting Mrs. Ellis.
The Naviance program already has password protected student information loaded into the system. When a student or parent logs onto the student account, he or she can complete a college search, create a resume, formulate a list of potential colleges, and check the college visit calendar. By clicking on acceptance history, scatter grams, college match, and college compare, the student can compare his or her academic credentials to the college’s acceptance history for St. Francis students from the class of 2006--2009. Once the student has applied to a college, the student can use Family Connection to track if his or her transcript and recommendations were sent by St. Francis.
The Naviance program has many other great features and is an indispensable tool in the college search and application process. If students or parents have questions or problems in using the program, contact Mrs. Rigney, College Counselor, at ext. 105.
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USE THE SFHS WEBSITE FOR COLLEGE PLANNING
Students and parents who are seeking information for college planning should go to the St. Francis High School website and click on the Guidance tab. From this site, you can access information that is helpful in the college planning and financial aid process. By clicking on ACT/ SAT dates, ACT/ SAT comparison chart , or ACT/ SAT Accommodations you can find a great deal of useful information on these college testing programs. By clicking on websites for college information you can access a list which includes sites for completing a college search, registering for the ACT and SAT , investigating careers, and obtaining financial aid and scholarships. By clicking on dates and deadlines, you can check upcoming dates for ACT and SAT testing, college fairs, AP tests, and other important events. Check out the college planning guide for a step by step process to researching and applying to colleges. Click on the weekly guidance bulletin to find out about upcoming college information programs and recent scholarship offerings. Make http://www.sfhsnet.org/top/studentsvcs/guid-home.htm
your first stop for college planning, testing, and scholarship information.
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REVOLUTION PREP OFFERS ON SITE ACT PREPARATION COURSE DURING THE WINTER
During this school year St. Francis will host an on-campus ACT preparation course that is offered by Revolution Prep. Revolution Prep is the leading test prep company in the state of California , surpassing Princeton Review and Kaplan in total enrollment. Revolution Prep has now expanded to other metropolitan areas, such as Atlanta , Washington D.C. , and Chicago . The rising success of Revolution Prep is attributed to their personal attention, strong instruction, attention to critical reading and problem solving, excellent web resources, and affordability. The course includes five full length practice tests. Because Revolution Prep believes that test preparation should be available to all students, they offer generous discounts to students who need scholarship assistance in order to take the course.
To make test preparation more convenient for our students, courses will be offered at St. Francis on Tuesdays 3 PM to 7 PM and Thursdays, 3 PM to 6 PM . The course leading up to the February ACT test will begin on December 8 and end on February 4. There will be two classes before final exams and the Christmas holidays, on December 8 and 10. Then the course will take a break and resume on January 7. The course costs $499. A mailing was sent to all juniors regarding the winter course. To register for the course or inquire about course scholarships, students should call (877) 738-7737 or go to www.revolutionprep.com.
St. Francis does not specifically endorse any particular test preparation program. There are many good options available to students, a number of which are listed on our Guidance webpage. St. Francis encourages students and parents to research several different programs and compare their philosophies, costs, and scheduling. Then select the one that is the best fit for the student.
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FAFSA FORMS WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE
The preferred method for completing the FAFSA, the Federal College Financial Aid Form, is to complete the form online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Paper copies of the FAFSA forms are no longer being sent to schools in bulk. A student who wishes to complete the FAFSA in paper form may download a PDF form at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov or www.FSAPubs.org. Students can access the PDF, complete the form on the computer or by hand, and mail it to the address provided for processing. Students may also obtain a paper copy by calling 1-800-4- FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
You may not submit the real FAFSA form, either by paper or on the internet, until January 1, 2010, but you are strongly advised to send it in during the month of January in order to maximize your eligibility for financial aid. You can use estimated income and assets for 2009 to complete the form in January and begin the evaluation process. You will be given the opportunity later on to update the information you originally submitted. 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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SENIORS: BEGIN THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS
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. Many 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.org (for general financial aid information)
Mrs. Rigney publishes a weekly college information and scholarship bulletin that homeroom teachers announce and post. This bulletin lists scholarships for which the Guidance Department has current applications. This bulletin is on the St. Francis Guidance website under the link for Weekly Bulletin. We are also in the process of including scholarship information on the Naviance Family Connection website. Just go to http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton. Students can login using their user name (email) and password. Parents who have not yet used the site can obtain their access codes by contacting Mrs. Lynn Ellis, Guidance Administrative Assistant, at ext. 142.
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PREPARING FOR SEMESTER EXAMS - HELPING KIDS WITH TEST ANXIETY
Feeling jitters is normal and even helps us focus our attention on the task at hand. However, many students feel such extreme anxiety that they have physical symptoms such as weakness in the knees, inability to sleep before the test and loss of the ability to concentrate. One reference to check is a book by Joseph Casbarro, PhD who wrote about anxiety’s impact on student performance in Test Anxiety and What You Can Do About It (National Professional Resources, 1-800-453-7461, www.nprinc.com).
- Encourage your child to see his/her counselor for some help for dealing with test anxiety.
- Teach your child that cramming is not allowed! Review on a DAILY basis.
- Teach him/her to think positively and to learn to relax.
- Teach your child to practice good study habits.
- Teach your child to compete with him - or herself.
- BEFORE EXAMS…
- Start now to organize notes , handouts, past tests, etc.
- Listen very carefully to clues teachers give you in class about what to study, what is important, etc.
- Set specific times each day to study for exams.
- Consider it a contest (you vs. test-maker.)
- Attend any tutoring sessions that teachers offer you.
- Studyeverything: your notes or any other handouts, past tests.
- Study in a way that suits your learning style : see, hear or get physically involved in what you are learning. (flash cards, charts, time lines, mind maps, outlines….)
- Look up any information that is still not clear.
- Get a good night’s sleep the night before an exam.
- ON the DAYS of EXAMS…
- Do not spend lots of time asking others what they studied or for information that you have already studied! Doing this will only make you more anxious.
- DURING EXAMS…
- Relax: Flex your muscles in your hands and feet. Hold for a count of 10. Relax. Close your eyes. Inhale and take a long deep breath. Let the breath out slowly.
- Forget other people around you.
- Tell yourself that you are prepared , you are confident and you are going to do your best.
- Look over whole test first to see how to budget your time.
- Read all directions carefully.
- Read each question twice before answering.
- Think before you write.
- Answer the questions exactly as they are written on the exam! Don’t tryto figure out what you think the teacher meant.
- Leave time to check your exam or essay before you turn it in – spelling? grammar? answer question fully? follow directions?
- AFTER EACH EXAM…
- Take a deep breath!
- Move on to the next exam.
- Repeat the advice above
Try to guess the questions – can you answer them?
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