Guidance Gazette
June 2020
Congratulations Class of 2020!
RCS Guidance Summer Work Hours
The RCS High Guidance Department will be on summer break from June 19- August 3, 2020. However, we will continue to check emails, but response times may be delayed. If you have an urgent need, please contact the school at 336-597-0020 and someone will assist you.
Have a great summer, Bulldogs!
FAFSA FREENZY
It's FAFSA Frenzy Time - Join the Frenzy!
File your 2019-2020 FAFSA before June 30, if possible. CFNC is supporting the month-long event by providing Live Q&A Sessions. This could mean grants, scholarships, and access to low-cost loans.
College Planning in the Age of COVID19
With most colleges limiting on-campus visits, their websites have a wealth of tools and information you can access to explore their campus virtually. Other College Planning Resources you can use from home include:
- Virtual Tours of any of the 16 UNC System Universities: https://www.northcarolina.edu/our-17-campuses/virtual-reality-campus-tours.
- CFNC.org https://www1.cfnc.org/Plan/For_College/_default.aspx Resources on planning for college, exploring colleges, and paying for college
- ACT College Planning Resources: http://www.act.org/content/act/en/students-and-parents/college-planning-articles.html
- College Planning From Your Couch – a free E-book https://pages.act.org/prepare-for-college-from-your-couch.html?cid=email:marketo:counselor-newsletter-k12-b2c:dc_3030-internal-organic-050520-mr015755-ebook&utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo&utm_campaign=counselor-newsletter-k12-b2c&utm_content=dc_3030-internal-organic-050520-mr015755-ebook
- College Board’s Big Future https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org – information on exploring careers, finding colleges, and paying for college.
Is community college a practical option for your teenager?
According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) , community colleges enroll almost half of all undergraduates in the United States. That’s more than 13 million students!
Students choose community colleges for many reasons, such as:
- A need to work and go to school at the same time. Community colleges usually offer flexible schedules of classes.
- The cost. Typically, the cost of tuition and fees at a two-year community college is less than half the cost of a four-year college.
- A shorter route to employment. Many jobs do not require a four-year degree. Programs in many technical occupations offer students a two-year certificate and quick entry into work.
If your teen thinks community college could be a good fit for him, encourage him to schedule a meeting with a college counselor and ask about:
- The courses and programs the school offers.
- The cost to complete a program that interests him. Is financial aid available? Do they have a work-study program?
- Options for transferring to a four-year university. Where do most students from the community college enroll after they complete their first two years? What credits would transfer?
Reprinted with permission from the May 2020 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
Mrs. DeVillier's Testing Corner
- AP Exams - Congratulations to those of you who completed AP exams this spring under new, extraordinary circumstances. You were the pioneers as the College Board developed new means and new apps for students to take standardized tests at home. Your AP scores will be available online beginning July 17, 2020. Watch your email and your MyAP account for more information. And if you have not done so already, go into the profile section of your MyAP account to request where you would like your free score report sent. The deadline to do so is June 30, 2020. More information, including FAQs about AP Score Reports is available at https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/sending-scores/free-score-send.
- ACT and SAT Testing – Because so many testing centers had to close due to COVID 19, both the ACT and the College Board (the SAT) have added additional testing dates to their calendars. Visit ACT.org or SAT.org for more information and to register. Please be aware that with so many students’ original testing dates being canceled, available spots are likely to fill up quickly. So if you are planning on taking the ACT or SAT over the summer or early next fall, please register as soon as possible! See https://pages.collegeboard.org/sat-covid-19-updates for more information on COVID updates for the SAT. And visit https://www.act.org/content/act/en/covid-19.html for more COVID updates on the ACT.
- Special ACT Note For all Rising Juniors – the State is still planning to give the school-day ACT (for free) to all 11th graders next spring. The planned date is February 23, 2021 and the exam will be given on the RCS campus. This school year however, the school-day exam will NOT include the writing test. Scores can be used for college applications, saving you from having to register for and paying to take the ACT on a national testing day, but do check with the college of your choice to see if it will require the ACT writing exam. Look for more information to come after school starts.
- PSAT – at this time, RCS is still planning to give the PSAT on October 14, 2020. The exam is free for all 11th graders, and is open to any other students who would like to register, though the $17 PSAT fee will apply. Look for more information on registration once school starts. The PSAT is not only great practice for both the SAT and the ACT, but students who take it as 11th graders are then eligible for valuable scholarships. More information is available at: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10
- New UNC System Admission Guidelines – in light of the difficulty students may find in being able to register for standardized tests like the ACT or the SAT, and with the changes in grading systems because of COVID19 school closings, UNC System universities recently changed their minimum admission requirements. Student applicants must still take the either the ACT or the SAT and submit a valid score as part of their application. But the minimum requirement to be considered for admission has been changed to: at least a 2.5 weighted high school grade point average OR a minimum test score on either the ACT (19) or the SAT (1010.)
NC Governor’s School Cancelled for This Summer
New CFNC Helping You Pay for College Mini-Podcasts Webinars
Podcast 1— What Happens After You File the FAFSA?
Podcast 2— NC State Grants: Scholarships and Grants
Podcast 3—Making Changes on Your FAFSA
Use a school-year review to help your teen set new goals
As this academic year draws to a close, review the school year with your teen. This will give him a benchmark to use as he sets academic goals for next year.
Schedule time to sit down with your teen to discuss his views on his progress this past year:
- Did he do as well in his classes as he had hoped he would?
- Does he feel that his grades reflect what he learned?
- What was his favorite class and why?
- What was his least favorite class and why?
Then, ask your teen what he would like to improve. For example, would he like to strengthen his writing and earn a higher grade in English next year? Encourage him to come up with a list of goals he’d like to accomplish and have him write them down.
Next, work together to list steps your teen will have to take to reach each goal. Is there anything he can do now to work toward these goals? For example, he might take a writing class at a local community college over the summer to build his writing skills.
Whatever plan he comes up with, be sure to support him along the way. Knowing that you have high expectations—and that you believe in him—helps to motivate your teen to work hard so he can reach his goals.
Reprinted with permission from the May 2020 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.