KMHS Guidance Office Newsletter
January Edition
Greetings
Happy New Year, KMHS Parents and Families! We hope all of you have been able to stay warm with these extremely cold temperatures lately.
As we welcome in 2014 we want to use this newsletter as a reminder for you and your students of some items coming up at the high school to be aware of. We hope you find this newsletter useful. As always, please call us if you have any questions.
Shelly Bielen, Kerri Snyder, and Karen Wetzstein
Course Registration for 2014-15
It’s that time already! Time for students in grades 9-11 to request classes for the 2014-15 school year. Grade level meetings will be held for students in grades 9-11 the week of February 3rd. See specific dates below. Students will be bringing registration forms home and registering online through their Infinite Campus portal account. Parents will need to review student course selections and sign off on the student registration forms prior to the students handing the forms in on (or before) the deadline of February 13, 2014.
Registration information will be available on the Guidance Office website starting the week of February 3rd.
2nd Quarter Report Cards
2nd Quarter Report Cards will be available for viewing on Infinite Campus starting Wednesday, January 29, 2014.
If you are a parent/legal guardian and have not yet accessed or signed up for IC, please contact Karen Wetzstein, Guidance Office Secretary, for your log-in information.
Important Dates & Upcoming Events
January 23rd
End of 2nd Quarter
January 24th/27th
No School- Teacher Workdays
February 4th
11th Grade Student Registration Meetings
February 6th
10th Grade Student Registration Meetings
February 7th
9th Grade Student Registration Meetings
February 10th
PSEO Information Night, 6:00pm,N. Gym
February 10th
8th Grade Parent Registration Information Night,
7:30pm, N. Gym
February 13th
9-11 Registration Forms Due to Advisory Teachers
Freshmen News - Class of 2017
The first half of the year has flown by! During 2nd quarter Ms. Snyder spoke with all 9th graders during their advisory about the importance of doing well during 9th grade. Being an active member of class, asking questions, staying organized, turning work in on time and studying are all keys to a successful high school career. The students also learned about their GPA and class rank and how that information will be important to them now and in the future. During 3rd quarter, Ms. Snyder will be doing career investigation with all 9th graders once again during advisory.
Even though it is only January, we will be turning our attention to next year and being a 10th grader! Registration information will be presented to all 9th graders during the first week of February. So make sure you look for that information coming home soon!
Finally the KM Class of 2017 has been chosen to be a part of a suicide prevention and education research study for the next four years. Parents must give their consent for their child to participate. More information will be forwarded to all parents directly in March. It is important and valuable research that will benefit all of our students.
Sophomore News - Class of 2016
The sophomores are currently receiving valuable information from the PLAN (pre-ACT) test they took in October. Ms. Snyder is meeting with small groups of students to review their scores and if students are interested, they will have an individual meeting with Ms. Snyder to talk specifically about their post high school plan. There will also be a 10th grade parent night to review the results. This meeting will be on March 3, 2014 @ 5:30 in the South Gym.
As soon as all the small group meetings are complete, we will be working in Advisory to learn about a valuable career and college planning tool called Family Connection-Naviance. This system will help you and your child make important decisions over the next 2 plus years!
Finally, 10th graders will be working with Mrs. Bielen, our 11th and 12th grade counselor, during the first week of February to discuss junior year registration. It’s hard to believe that their 10th grade year is already half way over!
Junior News - Class of 2015
In December, Mrs. Bielen spoke to all juniors for a classroom presentation on post-secondary options discussing full-time work, military, two-year college, and four-year college. All juniors received a book called, Options Beyond High School to assist them with research and further career and college exploration. If you haven’t seen this book make it a point to ask your son/daughter- it is quite helpful.
Mrs. Bielen also visited with juniors in advisory to reintroduce them to the web-based career and college site called Naviance-Family Connections. Juniors filled out a survey asking about their post-secondary plans. In addition, they received direction and tips on how to best navigate the Naviance-Family Connection website.
Mrs. Bielen will begin junior individual meetings in January and will go through May. These individual meetings last about 30-45 minutes each. Topics covered include reviewing graduation credits, grade point average/ranking, discussing registration options, college admission requirements, projected ACT scores, and career and college options.
In the spring Mrs. Bielen will also have juniors complete a career interest inventory on the Naviance-Family Connection website to help students explore career options. Juniors will also begin to create an activities resume.
If you haven’t spoken with your child about their plans for after graduation, we encourage you to do so soon.
Seniors - Class of 2014
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
- Check your eligibility for federal aid at http://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/basic-criteria
- Complete your tax return. If you complete your tax returns first, completing the FAFSA will be much easier. Plus, you won't have to correct the tax information later. Even if you are not required to file taxes you’ll still need to complete a FAFSA to get financial aid.
- Do a little research beforehand. Review the FAFSA tutorial called “7 Easy Steps to the FAFSA” available at www.finaid.ucsb.edu/FAFSASimplification/index.html
- Apply for a PIN prior to completing the FAFSA.With a PIN, you can electronically sign your application, make corrections to your submitted application, and review your processed application data on the web. http://www.pin.ed.gov. Each student and one parent need a PIN.
- Print a FAFSA on the Web worksheet. Write in your answers and gather your information so it's easier when you complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1314/pdf/fafsaws13c.pdf
- Determine the federal codes for the schools you'll enter on the FAFSA. You can also search for Federal School Codes from the FAFSA on the Web home page at www.fafsa.ed.gov by clicking School Code Search. Select the school year for which you are applying and select the state, then click Search. To narrow your search, you may enter the City and/or School Name..
- Complete and sign the FAFSA electronically. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. You'll need a PIN!
- If you need help, ASK! Contact the Financial Aid Office of the colleges your child is considering attending.
Financial Aid Meeting
Scholarships
All campuses offer scholarships for incoming freshmen.
Apply early for admission. Usually students must be admitted before being offered scholarships. Qualifications vary but primary consideration tends to focus on academic achievement and leadership. Other criteria may include community service, artistic talent, financial need, extracurricular activities, your major, and geography (for example, where you graduate from high school).
Do your homework:
- Research scholarships. Start with websites listed below. Many campuses link to online scholarship searches that you can use.
* Mncis.intocareers.org login: komets password: 204 click on “financial aid sort”
* Naviance/”How to Pay for College” students must use Naviance
* login/password. Students can log in from KMHS Guidance Office website.
- Applying for a scholarship my require any or all of the following: application, official high school transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, essay, letters of recommendation, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)-found at www.fafsa.gov, audition/portfolio, or something else. Note requirements and deadlines.
- Never pay someone to research scholarships for you, even if they “guarantee” results.
- Parents should check their employer for scholarship opportunities.
- Continue to check KMHS Scholarship Bulletin on our Guidance Office website (under scholarships) for current scholarships which range from national, state, and local scholarships.
- If you need further advice check out the scholarship powerpoint on the Guidance Office website under “parent presentations”. You’ll find some good tips/tricks on there.
Coming to Advisory for Seniors... "Mindset: Real World Safety" Program Kick-Off: Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 1-2PM
Real World Safety is a new leadership program being taught to all senior girls and boys consisting of bi-weekly learning sessions in advisory. The program will be introduced by the MINDSET instructors/creators, Larry & Anne Yatch, then facilitated by seniors’ advisory teachers. The Real World Safety curriculum addresses specific age appropriate issues such as personal responsibility, situational awareness, personal safety, and life transition. We are excited to be able to offer such important life skills to our seniors before they graduate and become more independent.
For more information about this program go to: mymindsetmatters.org
ACT Dates
April 12th Registration Deadline: March 7th (note: this is PROM)
June 14th Registration Deadline: May 9th
Juniors planning on applying to a four-year college are highly encouraged to sign up to take (a minimum of) one of the ACT test dates listed above.
Cost
ACT: $36.50
ACT + Writing: $52.50
KMHS School Code: 241-245 Use this code to complete your ACT registration
Important Dates for Seniors
January 1st
FAFSA Applications can begin!
February 13th
Financial Aid Meeting 6PM in High School Choir Room
March 4th
Senior Pictures due to Mrs. Enders for yearbook
March 25th -28th
Senior Survey, during Advisory
April 9th
Jostens handing out graduation announcements during advisory
April 12th
Junior/Senior Prom
April 15th/16th
Seniors follow 2-Hour Late Start Schedule due to 10-11 grade students taking MCA/GRAD tests
All Senior Dates can be found on the KMHS homepage in the blue box labeled, “Senior/Graduation Info”
Shelly Bielen
Email: s.bielen@komets.k12.mn.us
Website: www.komets.k12.mn.us
Phone: 507-634-2981
Kerri Snyder
Email: k.snyder@komets.k12.mn.us
Website: www.komets.k12.mn.us
Phone: 507-634-2981
Karen Wetzstein
Email: k.wetzstein@komets.k12.mn.us
Website: www.komets.k12.mn.us
Phone: 507-634-2981