CHS School Counseling Newsletter
September 2018
Meet Your School Counseling Staff!
Mr. Ryan Schuyler
rschuyler@ccps.us • School Counselor - Last names: A-Fo
Mr. Schuyler is originally from Arlington, VA. He is proud to be a product of Virginia's public schools and holds degrees from two of its universities - Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. In addition to his normal counseling duties, Mr. Schuyler coordinates the Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) programs at CHS, serves as a contact point for Virtual Virginia distance learning coursework, and coaches the cross country team. He believes it is always a great day to be a Cavalier.
Mrs. Melicer Jones
meljones@ccps.us • School Counselor - Last names: Mi-Sp
Mrs. Jones is originally from St. Croix, USVI. Before becoming a school counselor at CHS, she was an Elementary Education Teacher for 13 years. Some of her responsibilities include Academic Awards Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School Liaison, and SAT/ACT Testing Assistant. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters. She’s also a very active member of her church.
Mrs. Katina Minor
kminor@ccps.us • Counseling Secretary
Mrs. Katina Minor is a graduate of Caroline High School. She has been working for Caroline Public School System for over 15 years. Mrs. Minor's hobbies include shopping and watching sports.
Ms. Kayla Taylor
kataylor@ccps.us • College Adviser
Ms. Taylor is from Marion, VA, and is in her first year as a college adviser. She is a 2017 graduate of University of Virginia, where she studied education policy. Ms. Taylor can assist with financial aid, college applications, scholarships, SAT and ACT, and anything else related to college. In her spare time, she enjoys relaxing with her cat, listening to music, and spending time with family.
Ms. Mallory McMullin
mmcmullin@ccps.us • Counseling Director - Last names: St-Z
Ms. McMullin is originally from Richmond, Virginia. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where she completed field work at both the elementary and high school levels. In addition to being the Counseling Director, Ms. McMullin is CHS's Commonwealth Governor's School liaison. Ms. McMullin lives in Hanover County, Virginia with her playful beagle, Avery.
Mrs. Debbie Huntsinger
dhuntsinger@ccps.us • School Counselor - Last names: Fr-Me
Mrs. Huntsinger is originally from Caroline County, VA. She has a past work history of more than 20 years in counseling and education in the public school, community college, and four year college settings. Her responsibilities at CHS include College and Career Day, Scholarships, SOLs, and the Counseling Newsletter. In her spare time she enjoys snow skiing, hiking, motorcycling, and reading. She's looking forward to a great year!
Mrs. Lorrie Hummer
lhummer@ccps.us • Career Coach
Mrs. Hummer hails from New York, but has lived in many places in the United States. She is a graduate from both Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Mrs. Hummer has worked in many settings as a counselor, from hospitals to schools. She currently works at Germanna Community College as a college adviser and is the Career Coach for Caroline High School. In her spare time, Mrs Hummer likes to run, research her family tree, and hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family.
Mrs. Melissa Loving
mkough@ccps.us • Registrar
Melissa Kough-Loving is originally from Pennsylvania, however she has lived in the Fredericksburg/King George/Caroline area for over thirteen years. She has three children, two of which are in college and one at Caroline Middle School. She is currently a full-time student at Germanna Community College working on her Business Administration Degree. In her free time she enjoys reading, playing video games, board games, and watching TV with her son and husband. As part of her duties as Registrar, Mrs. Loving also provides fee waivers for the SAT and ACT.
Scholarships
- Hampton: October 15
- George Mason: November 1
- Virginia Commonwealth: November 15
- Mary Washington: Varies (some scholarships- November 15)
- James Madison: Varies (some scholarships- November 1)
- Radford: Varies (most need-based scholarships- December 1)
- Christopher Newport: December 15
*** This is NOT a full list! Be sure to check requirements for schools you are interested in.
Students may also choose to apply to scholarships through online resources such as fastweb.com, cappex.com, or College Board. Beware of scams: Scholarships should never offer money-back or guarantees, nor should they require your banking information or a fee!
Financial Aid
Important!
To receive financial aid- this includes scholarships, grants, and loans- from your college you will need to do the FAFSA every year that you plan to attend college! Check your college deadlines for the FAFSA, as this may impact your awards.
CHS will be hosting a financial aid workshop on October 23, 2018 at 5:30 PM. A financial aid representative from Germanna will be present to answer any questions about FAFSA.
Career Corner
- Solar photovoltaic installers: Average wage- $39,000 per year
- Wind turbine service technician: Average wage- $54,000 per year
- Home health aide: Average wage- $23,000 per year
- Personal care aide: Average wage- $23,000 per year
- Physician assistant: Average wage- $105,000 per year
Visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook at www.bls.gov/ooh.
Workplace Readiness
Skills are necessary to get a job and to keep a job. The workplace readiness skills identified as most critical are as follows and in the order as seen by employers as most important:
- Attitude
- Communication skills
- Planning and organizing
- Critical thinking
- Interpersonal skills
- Teamwork
- Professionalism
- Media Rules
Additional information on these workplace readiness skills may be found at the following link: https://www.conovercompany.com/downloads/top-8-most-important-soft-skills-for-workplace-readiness.pdf
Germanna Community College
Germanna - your journey to success in college, career, and life.
We are here to help you along the way, giving what you need to succeed both here and in the future. Our small class sizes allow our caring faculty to provide the personal attention you need. We help students one at a time, providing personal attention and support. We offer over 30 programs in transfer and career and technical areas of study at our Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania, Locust Grove Campus in Orange County, Culpeper Daniel Technology Center, Centers in Stafford County, Caroline County and Fredericksburg’s Central Park, and through online courses and extension sites throughout our region. We also offer workforce credentials and certifications to begin or advance your career.
See Mrs. Hummer for more information.
Sign up at Mrs. Minor's desk. Snacks provided.
September 27: Germanna visits CHS- 1:00pm
October 4: Richard Bland College visits CHS- 9:30am
October 6: SAT
Late registration open until September 26
** Students should bring admission ticket, photo ID, #2 pencils, and calculator on test day. khanacademy.org has useful videos and full length practice tests!
October 6: Infinite Scholars Program 10:00am-2:00pm 1500 East Main Street Richmond, VA
This is a college admission/scholarship fair hosted by Delta House Foundation, Inc. Onsite college admissions and scholarships will be available for qualified students.
For additional information: www.infinitescholar.org. Information will come through Remind and paper copies about this event are available in the Main Office.
October 10: College and Career Readiness Day
Underclassmen will participate in PSAT testing. Select upperclassmen will take the ASVAB. Seniors will hear information regarding graduation from Herff Jones and Mrs. Douglas.
October 16: Christopher Newport visits CHS- 9:00am
October 17: Virginia Tech visits CHS- 1:15pm
October 22: Longwood visits CHS- 10:00am
October 23: College Application Bootcamp- 3:00-5:30pm
Students participating in this event will learn all of the basics of the college application, including the essay. One-on-one help will be given while students work on applications. Sign up at Mrs. Minor's desk beginning October 1.
October 23: FAFSA Night- 5:30pm
A financial aid expert from Germanna Community College will visit CHS to review the basics of FAFSA and answer parent questions. Pizza will be provided at this event ONLY for students/families who stay for College Application Bootcamp AND FAFSA Night. Sign up at Mrs. Minor's desk beginning October 1.
October 26: Old Dominion University visits CHS- 1:30pm
*** Sign up for college visits here.
Remind App
College Information for Juniors: rmd.at/chscavs20
College Information for Seniors: rmd.at/chscavs19
Parents/Family: rmd.at/cavsfamily
Career Coach and GCC Information: rmd.at/gcc4u
Step 1: On your phone, open a web browser.
Step 2: Type in the appropriate link (shown above).
Step 3: You will be prompted to download the Remind mobile app.
*** If you do not have a smartphone, text @chscavs20, @chscavs19, @gcc4u or @cavsfamily to 81010 to enable text notifications. Text messages may also be sent to smartphone users who do not wish to use the app.
College and Career Office Hours
Mrs. Hummer (Career Coach) is in her office Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-3:00pm. Appointments are available before and after school, if needed.
Senior Profile
Senior Checklist
Checklist for Seniors
Four Year College Admissions
(for a printable copy, visit chscounseling.blogs.ccps.us)
_____ Sign-Up for the appropriate testing: SAT, SAT II, ACT
· CHS School Code: 471200
· SAT: www.collegeboard.org
· ACT: www.actstudent.org
_____ Application
· Once you have selected your colleges/universities, begin to search and write down the due dates of the application.
· Start your application process early! Most online applications will allow you to save your info and return later to finish it.
· Be prepared to submit your college essay with your application.
· Be prepared to pay the application fee before you submit your application (you will need a credit card to do this).
Note: Colleges have different dates for applications and for consideration of scholarships.
College Due Date
Reach: __________________________________________ ______________________
Good fit: ________________________________________ ______________________
Safety: __________________________________________ ______________________
_____ College Essay
· College essay topics vary from school to school. Be sure to check the online application to review the essay topic.
· Always edit your application before submitting!
· Consider letting someone (a teacher, a parent, etc.) edit your essay.
_____ Senior Profile Completed and Returned to Your School Counselor. To find the senior profile, go to chscounseling.blogs.ccps.us.
_____ Letters of Recommendation
· Ask your 2-3 recommenders (teachers/school counselors/coaches/club sponsors/etc) to write letters of recommendation for you. Give them at least two weeks to write your letter.
· Give that person a copy of your senior profile so they may be able to write a comprehensive recommendation.
_____ Transcript Request
· Complete a transcript request form available in the School Counseling Office and return the form to your School Counselor.
· Complete a Germanna Community College or Rappahannock Community College Transcript Request form if you have taken dual enrollment classes. The GCC and RCC forms can be found in the counseling office.
· Attach all papers to the transcript request form and turn them into your counselor.
*** Counselors need up to 2 weeks to process paperwork. Pace yourself and turn in paperwork in a timely manner to ensure transcripts are submitted before they are due. ***
_____ College Visits
· If possible, visit the schools you have applied to or plan to apply to. The college or university you choose will be your home for several years!
_____ NCAA Application
· If you are planning to play a sport in college, you must complete and submit the NCAA application found at www.eligibilitycenter.org.
_____ Financial Aid
· FAFSA.gov – Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Begin working on the application on October 1st.
· Attend the Financial Aid Workshop at CHS on September 26, 2017 at 6:00 pm in the CHS library.
_____ Scholarships
· Check the scholarship newsletter monthly (October – April) to see which scholarships you qualify for.
http://chscounseling.blogs.ccps.us/school-counseling-newsletter/
· Most scholarships will require you to submit an essay along with the application.
· Apply for any scholarships available through the scholarship newsletter and outside sources.
_____ College Acceptances and Scholarship Award Letters
· Bring a copy of all acceptance letters you receive to the School Counseling Office and notify your counselor of the college you are going to attend. A final transcript will be forwarded to that school after graduation.
· Your acceptance letters from a school will ask for you to confirm your intention to attend and will request a room deposit (if you plan to live on campus). Once you have chosen your school, return your confirmation form and room deposit before the schools deadline.