Connections Weekly Newsletter

May 12, 2023

Class of 2023 - Advisor Skip Zickmund

Build a personal campus resources directory: Learn about the services available on your college campus and keep track of them here. It will serve as an important guide as you settle in on campus in the fall.


FINAL Transcripts: TCA, specifically the registrar, will send final transcripts to colleges in mid-June. Seniors, using Naviance, indicated the college where they wanted their final transcript to be sent. Requests for final transcripts can be made in Naviance through June. After June, requests must be made using the TCA website.

Class of 2024 - Advisor Skip Zickmund

How to Write a College Essay: Wondering how to get started on your college essays this summer? Read this step-by-step guide, which walks you through the process.


Free test prep: If you’re planning to test in late summer into the fall, take advantage of these resources:

Official SAT Practice Tests (College Board)

Khan Academy (SAT Free Official SAT Practice Tests | College Board)

Official ACT Practice Tests

ACT Academy

How to Improve Your ACT Score by 2 Points in 20 Minutes


How to Create a College List (with tracking spreadsheet): Keep making progress. Make sure you’re excited about all the schools on your list, not just the reaches. Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be is a great read.

CLASS OF 2025 - Advisor Joanna Peters

This year has been a blast watching you connect the dots for career exploration. As I mentioned in class, next Friday’s summer newsletter will have the list of resources we have explored throughout this year. Once you catch up on sleep, spend a little time checking out your results (Naviance>Self-Discovery), updating your resume (Naviance>About Me), and finishing your YouScience games. Happy exploring! See you in the fall!

CLASS OF 2026 - Advisor Joanna Peters

It’s been great exploring Naviance and introducing career exploration tools with you! Over the summer, remember to update your resume (in Naviance, under ABOUT ME) and complete any outstanding tasks. I look forward to working with you again in the fall. As we continue through your sophomore year, you’ll see how each lesson builds on the next. You’ll be ready for decision time!

Career & College Visits

Virtual

West Point Admissions is hosting a Facebook Live Information Brief on Monday, May 15 from 3-4pm. Find out how to apply, get your questions answered, cadet life and much more.


In the Community

The Regional Officers of Admission of the Rockies (ROAR) will be hosting nine events throughout the Front Range as part of their Summer College Search Series. Each event will feature a panel discussing the college search and application process followed by a college fair with almost 30 out-of-state colleges participating. The dates include:

Thursday, June 8th: 6:00p - 7:30p | Colorado Springs - Library 21c (1175 Chapel Hills Dr)

Friday, June 9th: 1:30p-3:00p | Lone Tree - Lone Tree Library (10055 Library Way)

Enrichment Opportunities

Interested in Event Planning as a future career? Consider this part-time, seasonal job as a Special Events Assistant.


NASA’S Universe of Learning is sponsoring a NASA's Astrophoto Challenge event May 15 - July 31. In this challenge, you will try your hand at processing images from NASA's space telescopes, or capture and process your own.


Clarkson University will be hosting Horizons, a weeklong, overnight summer camp experience for students to explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concepts in a fun and engaging atmosphere. Sessions are 7/9-14 and 7/16-21. Deadline to apply is June 15.


Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Check out Rocky Mountain Field Institute, dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of public lands in Southern Colorado.

Career Focus - Agriculture

If you are interested in a career in Agriculture, check out this video, Kate Greenberg and the Future of Agriculture as part of the CSU Spur of the Moment series. In this episode, Kate Greenberg is Colorado’s Commissioner of Agriculture, bringing to the role more than 12 years of work in agriculture spanning legislative advocacy to work directly in the field.

College Spotlight

RIT’s SHED–the Student Hall for Exploration and Development–is an idea supercollider, where students can accelerate their creative concepts and innovations in dedicated makerspaces and performing arts studios and theaters. Students will have free reign to create, imagine, and build through inspired learning, making, and performing.

Save The Date: PSAT/NMSQT Exam - Next Year

The PSAT/NMSQT Exam at TCA will be Thursday, October 5 from 8:00 -11:45am. This is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying exam for juniors and is a PSAT/NMSQT practice exam for sophomores. The payment and registration deadline is September 8. Note: this is on the Thursday morning of Parent/Teacher Conferences BEFORE Fall Break. It has historically been scheduled by College Board during Fall Break.


The 2023-24 PSAT/NMSQT exam will be digital. Currently, you can complete full-length practice tests.. Per College Board: PSAT/NMSQT practice tests will be available in Bluebook (the digital platform) starting in late spring 2023. At that time, you can Download the Bluebook App and Practice.

Connections Center (Career & College)

Joanna Peters, Director - 9th & 10th Grades, PSAT/NMSQT, Scholarships

Skip Zickmund, Assistant Director - 11th & 12th Grades, AP

Jodi Hoffman, Office Manager - Rep Visits, Community Service

975 Stout Road, Colorado Springs, CO tcavisits@asd20.org 719-484-0091 1104 tcatitans.org