Counselor Connection
Monthly Newsletter from FHS Counseling Department
March's Newsletter
Only a couple weeks left for the third quarter! If your grades are in trouble, make sure you are seeing your teacher for any missing assignments or connecting with Mr. Crawford for some tutoring. Make sure to finish the quarter strong!
The Forest Counseling Department is publishing a monthly newsletter in order to communicate important information to students and parents. These newsletters will cover important information such as upcoming events, college and career information, available scholarships, and helpful updates.
Please be sure to follow our new Instagram and Twitter pages! The handle for both is Guidancewildcat.
Check out Guidance's Instagram!
Please remember, Forest High School has a twitter as well and our TV Production crew as a YouTube channel with a lot of helpful information. *You DO NOT need a Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube account in order to check these accounts out for information*
Important Upcoming Events
Please know that events are always subject to change based on current events and outside factors.
Prom Ticket Sales
When: March 27th
Where: The World Equestrian Center (Expo Center 1), Ocala
Time: 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Price: $110.00 (includes dinner)
Ticket Sales: Feb 18-March 12th online @ https://marionschools.revtrak.net/hs/fhs/fhs-prom/
Quadrant sign-ups: March 13-20th – check your email for links to sign up in a quadrant with your friends.
Dress Code Information: Attached below – read over carefully.
If you go to purchase a ticket and it states that it doesn’t recognize your name it is because you haven’t met the requirements which include GPA, OSS and/or PASS or owe a debt. Come see Mrs. Miller or email me at victoria.miller@marion.k12.fl.us to get clarification.
Thursday, Feb 18, 2021, 09:00 PM
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Spring Break
Monday, Mar 15, 2021, 08:30 AM
Forest High School - Ocala, Southeast Maricamp Road, Ocala, FL, USA
SAT School Day
Wednesday, Mar 24, 2021, 08:30 AM
Forest High School - Ocala, Southeast Maricamp Road, Ocala, FL, USA
End of 3rd Quarter
Thursday, Mar 25, 2021, 03:00 PM
Forest High School - Ocala, Southeast Maricamp Road, Ocala, FL, USA
Teacher Work Day
Friday, Mar 26, 2021, 08:30 AM
Forest High School - Ocala, Southeast Maricamp Road, Ocala, FL, USA
Prom at the World Equestrian Center
Saturday, Mar 27, 2021, 07:00 PM
World Equestrian Center, Northwest 80th Avenue, Ocala, FL, USA
Interested in Attending College of Central Florida (CF)?
Attend a Virtual Meeting
Check out the virtual meeting dates for CF in March if you are interested in dual enrollment or being a future CF Patriot. These virtual sessions will walk you through dual enrollment and admissions requirements as well as help you with applications. The dates and links to sign up can be found here: https://www.cf.edu/admissions/#events
Scheduling Information for Class of 2023
Important information was sent to your email recently from your counselor, Dr. Lyde!
Each one of you should have already seen the pre-recorded video presentation during your history class. The link to the presentation is below in case you missed it https://youtu.be/JLDE4iNP4kI . You may also visit the WCAT YouTube channel to view it.
The following forms are attached below:
- Blue 2021-2022 Junior Course Request Sheet
- Florida High School Graduation Requirements (Student Entering Grade Nine in 2019-2020 School Year)
- High School Graduation Requirements Checklist-Class of 2023
- College Planning: 10th Grade
It is very important that you review the course request sheet with your parents, fill it out completely, sign it and return it to me by email no later than Friday March 5, 2021. Please return only the blue course request sheet. Again, please send only the blue course request sheet back to me by email on or before the deadline. All other forms are yours to keep.
If you are unfamiliar with a course and need further description of the course-please go to the Forest High School website at http://www.marionschools.net/FHS to access the Curriculum Guide.
The high school graduation checklist is included below. It's a wonderful tool for you to use to help track your academic progress. It allows you to mark off your course completions and it also gives you a visual of your academic status so you will know where you are in meeting the state graduation requirements for earning your high school diploma.
Finally, should you decide not to return your blue course request sheet to me on or before the deadline (March 5), I will choose your elective courses for you.
Juniors Planning on Enrolling in College Upon Graduation-Please Read!
If you are interested in enrolling in college after graduation, you need to come up with your SAT and ACT testing plan now. It is important to look ahead and register for a test or two this year so you have the scores to apply in the fall. Make an appointment with Mrs. Thomas if you need advising on this plan. Below are the remaining dates for this year.
SAT:
Test Date: May 8th Registration Date: April 8th
Test Date: June 5th Registration Date: May 6th
ACT:
Test Date: April 17th Registration Date: March 12th
Test Date: June 12th Registration Date: May 7th
Test Date: July 17th Registration Date: June 18th
News from Media Specialist- Mrs. Pohlers!
Krispy Kreme doughnuts sales for Freshmen and Sophomores:
Freshmen class of 2024 on Wednesday March 3rd and Wednesday March 4th
Sophomore class of 2023 will be holding their sale on April 7th and April 8th.
Each class will be holding a Krispy Kreme donut sale. If you would like to support the class of 2024 and/or 2023, send money with your student on these days. Boxes are $8.00 each. Be sure to indicate if the box should make it home. Some boxes are emptied before the box makes it home. The donuts are delicious.
I you would like to support either class by buying certificates for donuts (allows the buyer to get donuts later and is $2.00 cheaper than getting them in person). You can send your student with an order to the FHS Library. The certificates are $8 each. There is a Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop next to UF, so the certificates would be outstanding for gator games or UF students. There is one in Daytona if your family goes there. There are many other locations.
Those who have contacts who are willing to buy larger amounts of donut boxes or have parents willing to get orders at work would help tremendously. For single orders under 12 boxes, arrangements for pickup would need to be made, but I will deliver any order if the buyer gets 12 or more boxes or if the location has collectively ordered 12 or more. For information, please email: Jennifer.pohlers@marion.k12.fl.us
April Events:
FHS first ever Fandom Fest will be taking place in April. Each day will represent a special fandom theme.
Days subject to change:
Video game day. Wear your video game t-shirt. After school, we will have a video game event.
Sci-Fi day. Wear your best sci-fi t-shirt.
Disney day. Wear your best Disney t-shirt.
Comics day. Wear your best comic book t-shirt.
Trivia Contest after school. Start forming your teams of three to compete in this fandom-filled event.
Movie Nite.
Costumes for a cause. This day students can wear costumes. There will be certificates given out to the best costumes and a prize for the best costume overall.
Library Books and Debt
Students should watch for textbook and library debt. This is especially true since the last school year ended abruptly, and many books were not returned. The longer books are held on to, the more likely they will get lost or thrown out. A reminder that students must pay debts before going to significant events and graduating. Students and parents can check to see if there is any debt by going to the program Destiny.
1) log in to the student portal.
2) Click on the tab at the bottom that says, Follett Destiny.
3) Click on Forest High and then click on login in the top righthand corner. The password is the same as the student username/password for school.
4) Click on the tab that says "My Info" and look for the section that says Debt.
Making Payments
*Please pay the school bookkeeper for textbooks (RM).
*You pay the library for library lost books/fines/printing fees (LM).
*You can pay us here at FHS for books from other schools. You can pay by cash/check. If it is more convenient, we can set it up to pay in skyward. You can make payments. You do not have to pay all at once.
Interested in Dual Enrollment?
Important Senior Information
Grad Bash Cancelled
Senior Class Meeting
Notify Ms. Moody!
*Any colleges you are accepted to!
*The college you decide to go to!
*Any scholarships earned!
*Your decision to enlist in the military and what branch!
*Full time employment gained for after college!
Cap/Gown and Herff Jones Information
If you need to purchase a cap, tassel or medallion, you may do so in May through Herff Jones. They are $10.00 each. Your honor stoles can be purchased in May as well for $20.00. All cords will be provided by the county as before free of charge.
Your senior supplies are trickling in and Herff Jones will set up a date to deliver them to you in March so be on the lookout from them and me on when that will be.
If you haven’t ordered a cap & gown yet you will need to do that ASAP as late fees are starting to get added. You can go to www.herffjones.com to order it today. Email Mrs. Miller at victoria.miller@marion.k12.fl.us if you have questions.
Transcript Request Procedure
State Scholarship Information for Seniors
Scholarship Resources
Click on the Buttons Below for 2 Resources to Help You Earn Scholarships!
Available Scholarships
Marion County Scholarship Directory
Public Education of Marion County Scholarships
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Scholarship
Amazing Foundation Scholarship
Visual Art Association of the Villages
CF Honors College Scholarship
Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship
Chad Pembroke Scholarship-Just for FHS Students!
SECO Scholarship
Dr. Martin Luther King Commemorative Scholarship
Altrusa International Scholarships
Jose Marti Challenge Grant Fund
Requirements:
• Submit a completed, error-free Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) by April 1, 2021 (available October 1, 2020). Applicants will be ranked by their application submission date, if necessary.
• Be of Spanish culture, born in or having a natural parent who was born in either Mexico or a Hispanic country of the Caribbean, Central or South America, regardless of race. Students of the following countries are not considered for an evaluation of this scholarship: Brazil, Spain and Haiti.
• Have earned, by the end of the seventh semester, a minimum unweighted cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale based on subjects credible toward a high school diploma for an undergraduate scholarship, or a 3.0 institutional cumulative GPA for undergraduate college work if applying for a graduate level scholarship. o A prospective undergraduate student must apply during senior year of high school and ensure that either the high school principal or designee certifies online the student’s 7th semester unweighted cumulative GPA to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) by a date established by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). o A prospective graduate student must ensure that an admissions office official at the postsecondary institution the applicant plans to attend certifies the student’s institutional cumulative GPA online to OSFA by a date established by FDOE.
• Demonstrate a minimum of $2,000 in financial need by timely completing and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in time to be processed error-free by the U.S. Department of Education on or before May 15, 2021.
Scholarship Search Engines
Fastweb Scholarship Search Engine: www.fastweb.com
Scholarships 360: scholarships360.org
Big Future Collegeboard Search: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
How To Contact your Counselor
9th Grade Counselor: Mr. Ecliff Telford Ecliff.telford@marion.k12.fl.us
10th Grade Counselor: Dr. Keyana Lyde Keyana.lyde@marion.k12.fl.us
11th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Shirley Thomas Shirley.thomas@marion.k12.fl.us
12th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Tracy Moody Tracy.moody@marion.k12.fl.us
ESE: Ms. Katherine West Katherine.west@marion.k12.fl.us