I hope your families enjoyed the holiday break and you are settling nicely into your classes this semester.

JUNIORS

Counselor Course Request Meetings

Starting, January 17th, on a designated day for each class, Counselors will be meeting with students individually during US History to review course requests for the following school year. For additional information, please review the course selection page.

Start or continue your College/Career Search!

Many students start to focus their energy on searching for colleges and an intended career path.

• Utilize the features of Maia Learning
• See a folder of helpful videos
• Explore the University Search feature (click on Universities)
• Take the Interest Profiler (click on Character)

Visiting Colleges On-Campus

Now is a good time to map out your college visits and get on college campuses if you have not already. Spring break week is a great time to visit colleges since we are not in school, but many colleges are in full session that week. To schedule an on-campus visit, schedule on the college's admission website.

SAT/ACT Test and Study Resources

For all juniors, WTHS has registered our students for the SAT on April 13, 2023 at the Almond Campus. It is an official SAT and graduation requirement. We do advise students to take both an official or practice ACT and SAT for college admissions to see which test reflects a higher overall score. Then plan to take your preferred test at least twice to see where your score progresses.

There is no guarantee colleges will maintain test-optional admissions as many institutions have with the Class of 2023. Most colleges will not confirm their test admissions policies for the next admissions cycle until later this spring or summer. For a list of those participating in test optional admissions currently for this school year, visit www.fairtest.org.

For additional information, see below for a list of free tips, click HERE for a resource folder or view the presentation with Compass Test Prep in December, 2022. For suggestions about test prep resources view suggestions HERE posted to our website.

Taking a Practice ACT or SAT Test

*The Grayslake Area Public Library is hosting a free, full-length virtual practice ACT or SAT on February 4th. A link will be emailed to all registrants prior to event. To register, click HERE. Participants are not required to be a library card holder.

**The Warren Newport library is hosting a free, practice ACT on March 4th in collaboration with Huntington Learning. Click HERE for more information and to register. Registration opens February 18th.

SENIORS:

Here we go! Your last semester of high school is upon us....aaaaahhhhhh!!!!

Graduation

The countdown to graduation on Sunday, May 21st, 2023 has started! Click HERE for information regarding graduation.

Action Items after being admitted

• Many students feel in a holding pattern right now. Many have applied, some have been accepted (Congratulations!), while others are waiting for an admissions decision.
• Continue to check the college's application portals where you applied and once accepted, pay close attention to additional scholarship opportunities and next steps.
• I would caution to make sure you receive your financial aid award letters from each school before cutting ties with any school you are not interested in . I know, they are sending you TONS of emails and communication and their institution's next steps to enroll. But you don't want to commit to any college (i.e. pay a housing deposit, enrollment deposit, etc...) until you are FOR SURE that is the school you would like to enroll at.
• Once you receive the financial aid award letter, it will break down the costs of attendance from how much scholarship, grant, work-study and loan options they are offering to finance your college education.
• This ISAC Financial Aid Comparison tool will be helpful when comparing the award letters. As always, we as counselors or the financial aid offices at the specific institutions will be helpful in answering questions you may have. You may also want to reference the financial aid FAQ Document
  
• This Next Steps FAQ or this article will be helpful in answering your initial questions.

Blue Devil Seniors Instagram

Seniors! We need your help to honor you for our National Declaration Day festivities! When you are ready to commit or finalize your plans for after high school, send a DM @bluedevilseniors or email Mrs. McGahan cmcgahan@wths.net with your first & last name, photo, intended college & major or career plan, or other plans you have after high school. We look forward to celebrating you!

Scholarships

Scholarship season is upon us! We will continually be adding more scholarships in Maia Learning (Financial Plan --> Local Scholarships), so check often! Save the date for our annual iHeart Scholarships Workshop for senior students on Friday, February 10th during the "A" portion of all lunch periods (p. 3a-6a). We will discuss our local scholarships available to Warren students and the process of how to apply/receive.

Other suggestions for scholarships include the colleges you have been admitted to for their university specific scholarships, employers, community organizations, places to eat/shop and national websites like www.goingmerry.com, www.cappex.com. Think like this...if you take 1 hour to apply for a $500 scholarship, that is like earning $500/hour! These national scholarships are often stackable with your university specific financial aid, so apply for as many as you can!

For BOTH Juniors and Seniors:

ASVAB Optional Career Assessment

WTHS is hosting a paper-pencil ASVAB test for interested students on Saturday, January 28th at the Almond Campus at 9am. Space is limited, so please sign-up in Student Services by January 25th. See below for additional information.

Have a great week!

Mrs. McGahan, Post-Secondary Counselor

Illinois Tech will be hosting an informational webinar about IIT's NROTC Prep Program. It will take place on January 25th from 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM CST. Please click here to register for this event.

This spring, the deadline for applications to the NROTC Preparatory Program is March 1st. Students selected for the NPP Scholarship will receive one year’s tuition paid by the University. If the student earns a 2.8 GPA or above and performs well during this prep year, they will automatically be granted a 4-Year NROTC Scholarship by the U.S. Navy. The NPP program is only for students who want to serve in the Navy after graduation, and is not available for students interested in serving in the Marine Corps.

More information about the program, to include instructions for application, can be found here on IIT's website.

Class meet in-person on:

Sat 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Jan 28, 2023 to Mar 04, 2023
or

Sat 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Mar 11, 2023 to Apr 22, 2023

For more information and to register, click HERE.

We look forward to hosting a series of speakers to expose students to a variety of careers and industries. See upcoming speakers below and sign-up in Maia Learning to attend if you're interested in learning more. By attending, students can expect to gain knowledge about the industry and jobs available within. Information shared by the speakers may include: job history, job outlook, responsibilities, required training/education and practical advice and tips. Students must be passing the class of the event, are expected to talk to their teacher prior for make-up work and attend class if they have an assessment, presentation or project due that period. The absence will be excused as long as they registered by the end of the school day prior. Some of these presentations will be virtual and others in-person but all will be held in the College & Career Center. Students are to report there at the beginning of the period and stay for the duration. If the presentation conflicts with your lunch period, students are allowed to eat during the presentation.

Plumber

Industry: Skilled Trades
Thursday, 1/26 | 6th Period in CCC
To sign-up click on Events in Maia Learning, Actions --> Attend

• This would be a good presentation for you to attend if you like to learn on the job, work with different people in a variety of locations while helping others. It is a specialized job that is always needed in our economy! The Local 130 Plumber Apprenticeship Application is open now until February 17th! Seniors in high school can apply and start learning & earning right after high school! Come hear from a veteran, industry professional more about these opportunities!

For previous info and opportunities shared, visit newsletters below.

• Click here to reference the December 4, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the November 20, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the November 4, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the October 23, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the October 9, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the September 25, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the September 11, 2022 issue
• Click here to reference the August 30, 2022 issue