GCA Counseling Newsletter
April 2017
C.A.N.D.Y. - April Edition
9th Grade Parent Night
When: Tuesday, April 11th at 6:30pm
Where: http://tinyurl.com/FourC-Cafe
Parent Night Recordings
10th Grade Parent Night: Click Here
11th Grade Parent Night: Click Here
12th Grade Parent Night:Click Here
Four C Café
Where you can Forsee your Future: A GCA College and Career Counseling Center
A place where students can go to talk to counselors and learn about college/career planning. Some other activities include:
Guidance lessons, College Visits/College Fairs, Entrance Exam Seminars, Study Skills, Career Readiness, Career Profile Assessments, Move On When Ready Guidance , Technical School, Application Assistance, Scholarship and Financial Aid Assistance.
When is the Four C Café? Thursdays @ 10am
Where is the Four C Café? Click Here
What’s coming up in the Four C Café?
April 13th: Test Taking Skills
April 20th: Social Media and Cyberbullying
April 27th: Career Guidance
What if I missed it? Please click here for recordings.
Shout Outs
Jasmin Johnson : A little over two years ago, she started her Gold Award journey. She came up with a plan to do a STEM garden at East side Elementary. As a result, she impacted over 600 students, their parents, and 15 teachers. She is pleased to say that because of her hard work for her project she was selected by Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta for the Helen Eidson book Scholarship. She is beyond happy and thrilled to have such an opportunity.
Nataya Taylor: Has been accepted into both Kennesaw State University and Georgia State!
Clara Brashear: Is currently in 10th grade, and taking classes through the MOWR program. Last year, in ninth grade, she went to Gwinnett Tech part time. This year, she was accepted into Georgia State University full-time as a dual enrolled student. She has also been named as a semi finalist for the governors honors program. She enjoyed the interview process at Berry college and hopes that she will qualify to attend the governors honors program this summer.
Luca Kolodzey: Is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist and USA Biology Olympiad Semi-finalist
Mary Kate Billings: Will be graduating from Georgia Highlands College on May 13th with my Associate's Degree. She has been selected to be a student on the All-Georgia Academic Team through Phi Theta Kappa. She was also selected by Coca-Cola to be a student scholar of their very own national All-Academic Team. This national recognition has also earned her a $1,000 scholarship.
Collin Durant: Has been accepted to Reinhardt University beginning Summer 2017!
He will be traveling with Reinhardt University, May 21, 2017 to Costa Rica on a Biology Study Abroad trip.
Mercedes Jackson: Has recently been accepted to two of her top four colleges, Shorter University (in Rome, GA) and Spring Arbor University (in Michigan). She has accepted scholar scholarships from both. Both colleges are offering me $4,000 per year.
Congratulations on your awesome achievement! The counseling department is so proud of both!
Junior Transition
Juniors, join the counseling team for the upcoming Junior Transition sessions to get tips on how to successfully transition to your senior year and gather information about post-secondary options. All sessions are held at 3 pm.
April 18th - Navigating the Scholarship Search
May 16th - What to Expect My Senior Year
Classroom Link: http://tinyurl.com/FourC-Cafe
K12 National College and Career Workshops
Have you thought about life after high school? Have you considered the careers that you might be interested in and whether or not you want, or will need, to attend college? There is a lot to think about to get ready: where to go, what to study, how to apply, how to pay or it, and more.
It’s never too early —or too late— to explore your options!
K12 will be hosting two live workshop sessions each month through the end of the 2016–2017 school year for students to talk about college and career prep topics.
Upcoming Session Details
April 21st - College Social Life
April 28th - Learning to Live Like a College Student and Taking Charge of Finances
All sessions are held at
1PM ET | Noon CT | 11AM MT | 10AM PT
Click Here To Join A Live Session on The Day & Time Listed Above
Have you missed a previous session?
Click to watch the session recordings below:
1.PSAT, SAT, ACT Testing - Why They matter & Tips and Tricks
2. PSAT, SAT, ACT - Planning & Prep
3. Goal Planning
4. Finding Scholarships & A Parents Role in College Admissions
5. Insider Information to Financial Aid
6.FAFSA
7.GRIT - Giving Extra Effort and Determination
8. Choosing a Major & Finding the Right College
Save the Date
EOC's are the week of May 1st-5th.
The GADOE has Study/Resource Guides that are intended to serve as a resource for parents and students. They contain practice questions and learning activities for each content area. The standards identified in the Study/Resource Guides address a sampling of the state-mandated content standards. Please click here to view.
Spring Probe Fairs 2017
What is Probe?
Probe is an annual program of college fairs and guidance counselor workshops that are held throughout the state of Georgia. The program is managed by the Georgia Education Articulation Committee (GEAC), whose sole mission is to disseminate information and stimulate interest in post-secondary education for students in Georgia. Hundreds of colleges from across the nation attend Probe each year to reach thousands of Georgia high school juniors and seniors.
Please click here to view Probe Fair dates
FAFSA
Why should I fill out the FAFSA®? 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.”
If you think any of these statements apply to you, then you should read Myths About Financial Aid. The reality is, EVERYONE who's getting ready to go to college or career school should fill out the FAFSA!
When do I fill out the FAFSA? For the 2017–18 year, you can apply between Oct. 1, 2016, and June 30, 2018.
Can I get an early estimate of my aid? You sure can! If you’re not ready to file a FAFSA, you can use FAFSA4caster to estimate your federal student aid.
How do I fill out the FAFSA®? There are several ways to file:
- Online at fafsa.gov is faster and easier than using paper.
- If you need a paper FAFSA, you can
- download a PDF FAFSA or
- order a print-out of the PDF FAFSA by calling 1-877-4-ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827).
- Ask the financial aid office at your college or career school if you can file it there. Some schools will use special software to submit your FAFSA for you.
Need some tips on filling out the FAFSA? Click here.
What happens after I fill out the FAFSA? Applying isn’t the last step; your FAFSA has to be processed, and then you get an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which your college or career school uses to figure out how much aid you can get. Find out more about what happens after you fill out the FAFSA, including how aid is calculated and when and how your aid will be paid out.
SAT/ACT Info
Khan Academy Live: SAT, a series of three free online SAT classes from Khan Academy. Click below to view the recordings. The classes will covered important concepts and tips for the SAT, and will offered students the opportunity to chat 1:1 with experts from College Board and Khan Academy.
Khan Academy Live: SAT Math Recording Click Here
Khan Academy Live: SAT Reading Recording Click Here
Khan Academy Live: SAT Writing Recording Click Here
Scholarship Listing
Click Here for Scholarship Listing. *Note- Although this list contains great opportunities, please be aware that this is not a comprehensive list of all scholarship opportunities available to you. It is up to your to research other scholarship options through a variety of resources, including: scholarship search engines, Colleges and Universities, place of employment, and community organizations.
For additional scholarship information, please visit the GCA website at http://www.gacyber.org/uploads/1/0/2/0/10208267/gca_scholarship_bulletin_04.01.17.pdf
Move on When Ready
Dual Enrollment/MOWR Specialists:
Ginger Reid (A-L)
Kayla Sims (M-Z)
Tim Melvin (MOWR Coordinator)
MOWR Information sessions are held every Friday at 10am. Click Here to attend. For more information on MOWR Click Here.
Graduation Information
For More information about 2017 Graduation Click Here
Graduation is June 3rd
Share your news with the Counselors
Counselor Spotlight
Ms. Nailah Obijiofor - 10th-12th Grade Counselor (PB-Re)
WAR EAGLE
My name is Nailah Obijiofor and this is my 3rd year here at GCA. Previous to becoming a school counselor, I was a mental health counselor at a private agency as well as a social worker for the state of Georgia. I am a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor and a National Board Certified Counselor. I am a graduate of Tuskegee University and Auburn University. I love to travel, experience new cultures andTaco Tuesday is my favorite day of the week! I love what I do and it brings me great joy to be a counselor here and GCA!
Email: nobijiofor@gacyer.org
Website: http://www.gacyber.org/hs-counseling.html
Phone: 404-334-4790 1072
Mrs. Wendy Salter- 10th-12th Grade Counselor (Rf-Sm)
Wendy Powell Salter is a licensed professional counselor and a school counselor with twelve years’ experience in public schools. A wife and mother of two daughters, Ms. Salter is from a long line of farmers and she and her family live on a farm that has been in her family for five generations. They tend a garden and raise rabbits as well as silkie bantam chickens. Ms. Salter has published several children’s books and has been a member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators since 2012.
Email: wsalter@gacyber.org
Website: http://www.gacyber.org/hs-counseling.html
Phone: 404-334-4790 2112
Mrs. Cassie Burkhalter- 10th-12th Grade Counselor (Sn-V)
Hi my name is Cassie Burkhalter. I have been a school counselor for 10 years and this is my 4th year as a GCA Counselor. I received both my Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree from Georgia Southern University (Go Eagles!!). I am married and we have two boys, ages 4 and 2. In my free time I like to spend time with my family OUTSIDE! I am thrilled to be a GCA Counselor!
Email: cburkhalter@gacyber.org
Website: http://www.gacyber.org/hs-counseling.html
Phone: 404-334-4790 624
Mrs. Amy Morgan - 10th-12th Grade Counselor (W-Z)
I’m Amy Morgan and I work with students 10th-12th grade, last names starting with W-Z. Before I came to GCA, I was a school counselor in Brick and Mortar schools- 5 years in high school (Bartow County) and then 7 years in elementary school (Rome City). I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Berry College and my Master’s degree in school counseling from Georgia State University. My family and I live in Kingston, Georgia where we enjoy spending time playing outside with our many animals.
I love working with my GCA families and my fellow GCA counselors!
Email: amorgan@gacyber.org
Website: http://www.gacyber.org/hs-counseling.html
Phone: 404-334-4790 690