AHS Guidance Newsletter
What's going on this month...
May AHS Dates and Deadlines
May 20 SC Virtual Program Registration
ExamsLast Day of School
Graduation
Important Events in May 2015
May 5 National Teacher's Day
May 10 Mother's Day
May 16 Armed Forces day
May 25 Memorial Day
VirtualSC Summer School - Registration begins: May (you must be approved by your AHS School Counselor to participate)
VirtualSC is a FREE state-sponsored program serving students currently attending a public school in South Carolina in grades 9-12 and Adult Education Programs.
VirtualSC is not a Lexington 2 or Airport High School Program. You must follow all dates, rules and guidelines for Virtual SC when participating in their programs.
Go to the following link for more details and/or to register for summer school:
https://virtualsc.org phone: 803-734-8039
- Registration Dates
May 20th-June 3rd for students in grades 11-12th
May 27th-June 3rd for students in grades 7-10th
To register for courses please log into your VirtualSC Dashboard and select the classes you wish to take. Remember counselor approval must be completed within 72hrs after you request the course!
- Classes Begin
June 10th, 2015 and will be open for access at 8:00 a.m.
On the first day of class log into your VirtualSC Dashboard, and click on the Moodle icon. This will take you to your VirtualSC classroom where you can begin working in your class. Your course will be available to you 24/7. Remember, you must start working within the first 5 days of class or you will be removed from the course.
- Last Day to Drop Without Penalty
July 7th, 2015
Are you overloaded, overwhelmed, or just find that the online environment is not for you? It’s okay, you can drop your course without any penalty any time before the drop period ends. To drop a course please complete the Drop Request Form. Just remember, if you choose to drop your course any time after the first 20 days, you will receive a WF (61) for the course.
- Last Day of Class
August 7, 2015
Make sure you have completed all of your assignments by the last day of class! Also make sure you know when and where you will take your final exam.
- Final Exams
August 10-11, 2015
You have almost completed your course and now it is time to take your final exam. This exam must be proctored by licensed teacher, not related to the student, so make sure you contact your school to find out the specifics of when they will be proctoring your exam.
PLEASE NOTE: Students must contact their sponsor school and/or counselor to confirm specific details for the exam date, time and location. Some schools and districts have specialized procedures, or may be testing a few days early.
- Final Grades Posted
August 12th, 2015
VirtualSC has a Student Services Team that can answer your questions regarding enrollment, registration, and all student-related issues Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Students may contact Student Services by:
1. Using the Live Chat feature through our Help Center.
2. Contacting our office at 803-734-8039 and selecting the following option:
- Students with last name A-G, contact Bernie Velasquez
- Students with last name H-O, contact Courtney Howard
- Students with last name P-Z, contact Sena Nickles
Register for the SAT and ACT online...
SAT Test
The quickest and easiest way to register for the SAT is online at:
http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/
ACT Test
The quickest and easiest way to register for the ACT is online at:
SAT "Question of the Day"
http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day
ACT "Question of the Day"
Applying for Scholarships
SENIORS
- Make sure you’ve had your SAT and/or ACT test scores sent to colleges that require them.
- Confirm that your letters of recommendation have been received by colleges.
- Complete and submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
- If you submitted the FAFSA, you should receive the Student Aid Report (SAR). Carefully look it over for accuracy. Errors can cost you thousands of dollars.C
- Contact colleges that didn't send you a confirmation receipt for your application.
- Don't put off applying to schools with rolling admissions or late deadlines -- the available spaces can fill up.
- Talk to your school about registering for AP exams.
- Keep your grades high. Colleges can revoke offers of admission if your grades take a nosedive senior year.
- Some acceptance letters may arrive. Compare financial aid offers and visit campus before making a decision.
- Don't panic; many decisions are not mailed out until April and some in May.
- Continue applying for appropriate scholarships.
- Continue to check the AHS Guidance Webpage for SCHOLARSHIPS.
JUNIORS
- Make sure to apply for NCAA/NAIA if you hope to play college sports (must be completed before the end of your junior year for 2016 graduates and beyond).
- Come up with a preliminary list of colleges that you want to consider.
- Explore the websites of the colleges that interest you to learn about admissions requirements.
- Prepare to take the ACT at Airport High School in April.
- Register to take the SAT on May 2nd.
- Check the AHS Guidance Webpage for Summer Opportunities.
- Students hoping to play sports in college must register for NCAA. Go to Guidance Webpage for information and link.
SOPHOMORES
- Discuss your career and college plans with your parents.
- Get familiar with the college admissions process so you'll know what to expect before college.
- Find ways to start preparing for the SAT or SAT with your friends.
- Make sure you are taking the courses you need both to graduate and prepare for your future goals.
- Sophomores hoping to play sports in college must register for NCAA before the end of the school year. Go to Guidance Webpage for information and link.
- Check the AHS Guidance Webpage for Summer Opportunities.
FRESHMEN
- Hold your Freshman IGP Conference.
- Discuss what you can do today to plan for college.
- Get a jump on college prep by choosing a challenging schedule for next school year.
- Become a well-rounded student by getting involved in extra-curricular activities.
- Look through the 2015-16 Course Catalog on the AHS Guidance Webpage.
AHS School Counselors
Ms. Marsi McAlister (Last Names A-C) mmcalister@lex2.org
Ms. Julie Stanton (Last Names D-K) jstanton@lex2.org
Ms. Judi Bledsoe (Last Names L-Q) jbledsoe@lex2.org
Ms. Rebekah McBride (Last Names R-Z) rmcbride@lex2.org
Contact your school counselor by email or by going to the AHS Guidance webpage and clicking "Make Appointment."
ANONYMOUS ALERTS Go to the AHS Website and click on "Anonymous Alerts."
ANONYMOUS ALERTS helps you to improve school safety.
Be proactive, help yourself and others...report bullying or sensitive issues quickly and anonymously...
Bullying-Repeated negative behavior by one or more people towards another.
Depression-When someone experiences intense sadness, feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness that continues over a period of time. The person may have a medical condition and may need counseling or other medical help.
Harassment-When someone continues to say or do things in ways that are intented to disturb or upset another person, even when they have been asked to stop.
Cyberbullying-The use of technology (the Internet, social networking, texts, etc.) to bully or harass someone.
Other sensitive or urgent issues: dating violence, drug or alcohol use, threats against the school, weapons on campus, etc.
Students or parents can use Anonymous Alerts to anonymously report these issues to school officials so that they can be addressed.
Go to the AHS home webpage and click on Anonymous Alerts.