AHS Guidance Newsletter
What's going on this month...
MARCH AHS Dates and Deadlines
March 3 Financial Aid Night at AHS, 5:30 p.m.
March 3 SAT-Late Registration Deadline for March 14th Test
March 5 & 6 COMPASS Exam for Early College Fall 2015 Candidates
March 9 9th Grade IGP Conferences begin
March 13 ACT-Registration deadline for April 18th test
March 30- April 2 Pre-Advisement Meetings for Early College Fall 2015 Candidates
March 2015 March Holidays and Events Across America
- Mar 01 Peace Corps Day
- Mar 01 World Compliment Day
- Mar 02 NEA's Read Across America Day
- Mar 03 National Anthem Day
- Mar 04 National Grammar Day
- Mar 05 World Book Day
- Mar 06 Employee Appreciation Day
- Mar 08 Daylight Savings Time begins (move your clocks forward one hour)
- Mar 09 Get Over it Day
- Mar 11 Johnny Appleseed Day
- Mar 14 National Pi Day
- Mar 17 St. Patrick's Day
- Mar 18 American Chocolate Week
- Mar 19 Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
- Mar 19 National Chocolate Caramel Day
- Mar 20 First Day of Spring
- Mar 20 Phases of the Moon - New Moon
- Mar 27 Phases of the Moon - First Quarter
- Mar 28 Brother and Sister Day
Applying for Scholarships
Financial Aid Night
Completing the FAFSA® (or Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the first step toward getting federal aid for college, career school, or graduate school. Completing the FAFSA is free and quick. It gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college.
At this workshop you will actually fill out your FAFSA.
The FAFSA asks for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, when you filed taxes or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the FAFSA:
· Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA!)
· Your parents’ Social Security numbers
· Your driver’s license number
· Your Alien Registration number, if you are not a U.S. citizen
· 2014 Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for your parents if you are a dependent student:
· IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
· Foreign tax return and/or
· Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federal States of Micronesia, or Palau
· Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents
· Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets
If you don’t fill out the FAFSA, you could be missing out on a lot of financial aid! We’ve heard a number of reasons students think they shouldn’t complete the FAFSA. Here are a few:
· “I (or my parents) make too much money, so I won’t qualify for aid.”
· “Only students with good grades get financial aid.”
· “The FAFSA is too hard to fill out.”
· “I’m too old to qualify for financial aid.”
The reality is, EVERYONE should fill out the FAFSA!
Tuesday, Mar 3, 2015, 05:30 PM
Airport High School, Media Center
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.
UPCOMING TEST DATES
SAT Test
The next SAT Test Date is: Saturday, March 14th
You can still register for this test date, if you are willing to pay a late fee.
The quickest and easiest way to register for the SAT is online at:
http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/
ACT Test
The next ACT Test Date is: Saturday, April 18th
Registration Deadline: March 13th
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"
AHS School Counselors
Ms. Marsi McAlister (Last Names A-C)
Ms. Julie Stanton (Last Names D-K)
Ms. Judi Bledsoe (Last Names L-Q)
Ms. Rebekah McBride (Last Names R-Z)
February 2015
February is Black History Month
February 1, National Freedom Day
February 2nd, Groundhog Day
February 4th Tu Bishvat/Tu B'Shevat (Jewish holiday) and Rosa Parks Day
February 6th National Wear Red Day
February 12th Lincoln's Birthday
February 14th Valentine's Day
February 15th Susan B Anthony's Birthday
February 16th National Holiday Presidents' Day & Washington's Birthday
February 17th Mardi Gras
February 18th Ash Wednesday (Christian)
February19th Chinese New Year
Early College FALL 2015 PARENT INFORMATION MEETING
The goal of the AHS Early College program is to bridge the gap and close the pipeline to post secondary school for students. Many of today's jobs require a two year degree or certification. Our goal is to support our students through the process of college while still in high school. Ultimately, we want our students to have the opportunity to earn an Associate’s degree from Midlands Technical College while they earn their high school diploma. (Tuition for 2 courses after Lottery Tuition Assistance was between $550.00 and $600.00 for Spring 2015. We do not know the exact fees for Fall 2015 at this time.)
Students must meet all requirements for admission to Midlands Technical College to participate in EARLY COLLEGE. This includes receiving passing scores on the COMPASS writing, reading, and math assessments.
For more information about EARLY COLLEGE and details about the application process go to the Airport High School Website and click on Early College.
http://ahs.lex2.org/guidance/earlycollege
Application Deadline for Fall 2015 is Friday, February 27th.
Sunday, Feb 22, 2015, 03:30 PM
Airport High School Auditorium
January 2015
We hope everyone had a very happy holiday break! Many high school students begin their new year with a resolution or two. Many of them chose academic goals such as, raising their GPA or grade in a particular course. Read below for a few other suggestions you might want to consider.
Suggestions for 2015 resolutions...
Get Organized: Not being able to find your "stuff" is a big time waster. Unorganized students spend precious time searching for papers, files, notes, passwords, etc. They often forget and miss meetings or arrive late. They have so many details floating through their minds, that focusing on the present task is difficult. STOP and take time to get organized. Organize your notes, backpack and study space, etc. Use digital technology when possible, to save time and space.
Organize your study space: Your study space is critical to your ability to study effectively. It should be comfortable, free of distractions, well lit, and have supplies and files nearby. Take time to get organized. Plan a specific time each day to study and stick to it.
Manage your time: Managing time is a big challenge. With so much to do and so little time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Don't let stress and deadlines take over your life. Managing yourself is essential to success. Use a calendar system (daily, weekly, monthly...). Create "to do" lists. Schedule some time (even if it is just 20 minutes) to work on school work each day (while the material is fresh in your mind). Be flexible, allowing time for interruptions and distractions. When you are interrupted by others or "seemingly" urgent tasks, ask yourself, "What is the most important thing that I need to do right now?" Use your answer to plan your time and get back on track.
SAT "Question of the Day"
Mathematics > Standard Multiple Choice
Top of Form
Read the following SAT test question and then choose the best answer.
A machine can insert letters in envelopes at the rate of 120 per minute. Another machine can stamp the envelopes at the rate of 3 per second. How many such stamping machines are needed to keep up with 18 inserting machines of this kind?
A. 12
B. 16
C. 20
D. 22
E. 24
Hint: First change minute to seconds so that the ratios are both in envelopes per second. Then find out how many envelopes per second are filled by inserting machines. Let be the number of stamping machines, working at the rate of envelopes per second, needed to stamp that number of envelopes. Since the stamping machines have to stamp the same number of envelopes per second that the inserting machines put letters in, it will be possible to write an equation and solve for .
The correct answer is A. 12
ACT "Question of the Day"
Science Question
Passage II
The Sun's path from sunrise to sunset varies with the time of year. A student performed the following experiments on three clear, sunny days at three- or four-month intervals throughout the course of a year to study the path of the Sun through the sky.
Experiment 1
At a chosen Northern Hemisphere location, the student placed a stick vertically into the ground so that 1 meter of its length was left above ground. The student knew that the length of the shadow was related to the height of the Sun above the horizon and that the shadow would point away from the direction of the Sun. The length in meters (m) and direction of the shadow cast by the stick were measured one hour after sunrise (Shadow A), at mid-morning (B), at noon (C), at mid-afternoon (D), and one hour before sunset (E) on each of the three days. The direction of each shadow was determined by placing a magnetic compass at the base of the stick and aligning the north arrow with the north mark on the compass. The direction of each shadow was then determined by a comparison with the compass face markings. The results are recorded in Table 1.
Experiment 2
If the experiments were repeated after pounding the stick farther into the ground so that only 0.5 m was exposed, how would this affect the shadow lengths?
A. They would be twice as long as those in the original experiments.
B. They would be one-and-one-half times as long as those in the original experiments.
C. They would be one-half as long as those in the original experiments.
D. They would be one-fourth as long as those in the original experiments.
Answer:
A. They would be twice as long as those in the original experiments.
Incorrect! If half as much stick was exposed above ground compared to the original experiments, the shadows would be half as long as the shadows in the original experiments. It would take a length of stick twice as long exposed above ground for the shadow to be twice as long.
B. They would be one-and-one-half times as long as those in the original experiments.
Incorrect! The shadows would be half as long. It would take a length of stick one-and-one-half times as long exposed above ground for the shadow to be one-and-one-half times as long.
C. They would be one-half as long as those in the original experiments.
Correct! According to the experiments, the length of stick exposed above ground was related to the lengths of shadows measured.
D. They would be one-fourth as long as those in the original experiments.
Incorrect! The shadows would be half as long. It would require a length of stick one-fourth as long exposed above ground for the shadow to be one-fourth as long.