Wayland-Cohocton News and Notes
January 2021
Dear Families,
Things sure do change quickly around here. Just this past week the Governor's office released information that all sports would be allowed to resume (with local health department approval) on February 1st. We will begin working with the Steuben County DOH to identify the parameters that need to be in place to make this happen for our students. There will be more communication regarding this coming out shortly.
The current semester is ending on January 29th and the new semester starts on February 1st. With this transition, there are a few pieces of information that I wanted to share...
1) If students want to make changes in semester 2 electives, now is the time. There will be a 2 week add/drop period after the semester begins.
2) Remote learners: This is the last reminder to let our school counseling office know if you want to return to hybrid instruction for second semester. If you are remaining remote, materials pick up is taking place on January 28th.
3) After 2/1, if you choose to move to remote learning, you will be committing to this until the end of the year. Toggling back and forth will not be an option. Also, not all courses are offered remotely (ACE, Accelerated, and several elective courses) and may require some changes in schedules.
4) Attendance: when students are not physically present, they need to complete this google form. This has been in place all year but students need frequent reminders. This includes Wednesdays.
We appreciate your support as we continue to navigate our current situation. We all hope that brighter days are ahead. Thank you and please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Mr. Oliver
Health Education Student of the Month- Reagan Ferguson
PE Student of the Month- Wyatt Mastin
PE Student of the Month- Gabrielle Sick
PE Student of the Month- Job Theobald
Wayland-Cohocton High School
PE Student of the Month- Hannah Fairbrother
Financial Aid and Scholarships: What you need to know!
The purpose of financial aid is to remove financial barriers for families who cannot afford the cost of education beyond high school, and for those who can afford to pay for only part of it.
FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS:
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The FAFSA is the extensive application required to determine the eligibility for Grants, Loans and Work-Study. You can complete your FAFSA application online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The FAFSA can be completed anytime after October 1st of the student’s senior year. SUNY sponsors free sessions to students and parents who need assistance completing the FAFSA application each year through their Financial Aid Days. Another option if you need assistance is to contact the Financial Aid Department of a school you are applying to schedule an appointment. Your child’s school counselor can also be a resource to assist you in completing this process.
Parents and students must create a FSA ID before starting a FAFSA application. To create an FSA ID, please visit https://fsaid.ed.gov
After you have completed the FAFSA and your information has been processed, you will be notified of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This is what the federal government, using their formulas, determines to be the amount that the family (parent/student) should be able to contribute towards undergraduate education. The EFC remains constant whether you attend a low cost school or a very high cost school. Many colleges’ websites offer a cost calculator to estimate your EFC, thus giving you a rough estimate of attendance costs. A FAFSA estimator is also available at www.collegeboard.org
New York TAP: The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State. Depending on the academic year in which you begin study, an annual TAP award can be up to $5,165 (current for the 2020-21 school year). Because TAP is a grant, it does not have to be paid back. Students would complete this after completing the FAFSA.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
This term is used rather loosely to include athletic and talent-based monetary awards, but primarily scholarships are generated on the basis of academic merit. Generally, the higher the grades, the more likely a scholarship will be awarded.
Need-based scholarships are those that are awarded because a family may need financial assistance (though academic merit is always a factor). The need is usually determined from the information provided by students and parents on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Many scholarships awarded by colleges and universities are “automatic” in the sense that if you are accepted to the school and if you have a particular GPA and SAT/ACT score, you will receive a scholarship without further application or action. Most college’s award their larger scholarships on a competitive basis and those usually require an additional application, essays, and/or letters of recommendation.
Scholarships are also awarded by thousands of private foundations, religious organizations, and corporations. The best way to locate these scholarships is to use Naviance or a free web-based program such as www.fastweb.com or www.scholarships.com.
WCCS SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP PACKET
Students should complete the Senior Scholarship Packet that was handed out the week before December break if they want to be considered for local scholarships. Once students complete the packet, they can return it to the School Counseling Office and Mrs. Elliott will gather all of the highlighted applications for them to complete. There is a scholarship for everyone in the packet, students do not need to be going to college after graduation in order to qualify. The applications have different due dates throughout the Spring so encourage your child to pay close attention to the deadlines. Additional scholarships will become available throughout the school year and will be listed in Naviance and on our website. Students should check the list frequently to make sure they are aware of all scholarship opportunities. Local scholarships will be awarded at our Senior Award Ceremony in June. Please reach out to your child’s school counselor if you have any questions.
Wayland-Cohocton High School
Email: joliver@wccsk12.org
Website: www.wccsk12.org
Location: 2350 New York 63, Wayland, NY, USA
Phone: 585-728-2366