The Student Services team is excited to share with you our monthly newsletters for the 2022-2023 academic year! As we continue to look for ways to share important information with our Viking Family, we hope that this newsletter assists you throughout the school year. Our school counselors and social workers look forward to bringing you the latest and greatest from graduation information to college and career highlights. Any questions on what you find here? Please see our contact information at the bottom!

Attention Seniors! As applications for most colleges opened on August 1st, we are officially in College Application Season. Not only is this an exciting time for many of you, this is the beginning of the next phase of your journey. This process can seem daunting at first, but fear not - your school counselors are here to help! A few reminders...

• Senior Fall Meetings are now beginning - look out for a pass from your counselor. Counselors meet with all seniors individually, so please be patient as we will see all of you!
• You will receive a packet with helpful hints, tricks, and much more. Remember, students/parents are responsible for deadlines on applications, scholarships, NCAA requirements, and your individual college's requirements.
• Make sure to thoroughly research each of your prospective colleges' requirements - all schools are different.
• Don't wait until the last minute to request transcripts, recommendation letters, or submitting any application materials - deadline for most is November 1st, so you should aim to have all items submitted 2 weeks prior to this date
• High school graduation comes first! Remember to review your graduation requirements, make sure you are on track, and keep your grades up. Colleges will eventually see your final transcripts.
• Make sure to watch all video links/steps to the Common App & Naviance parts of your application from your counselor. Many of your questions can be answered by first reviewing these important items.
• Don't forget scholarships! You can start applying for national scholarships now on Naviance, but most local scholarships will open at the end of January.
• Breathe and take one step at a time. This process has a lot of steps and one could easily be missed if you are rushing. As always, never hesitate to ask questions!

InvestEd will be at VHS in the auditorium to present on various forms of financial aid for college. This is a FREE event! InvestEd will be available to answer questions about scholarships, loans, grants, and the FAFSA.

Attention Seniors! Applications for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship are now in your Naviance account under "Scholarship Search". Your responses must be typed, and all materials must be printed and turned in person to Student Services by September 12th at 3pm. Late applications and email submissions will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please reach out to your counselor. Please read below the following announcement from the Porter County Community Foundation:

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"The Porter County Community Foundation has announced the continuation of Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. Applications are now available on Naviance. This scholarship provides for full tuition and required fees plus $900 per year for books to any public or private college or university in the State of Indiana. Responses must be typed, and all materials must be printed and turned in person to Student Services by September 12th at 3pm. Late applications and email submissions will not be accepted. If you have questions, please contact your School Counselor or the Porter County Community Foundation at (219) 465-0294. Good luck to all applicants!"

A school social worker or counselor can do many things to support your student and your family. Our ultimate goal is to remove barriers so that your child can access their education and learn to the best of their abilities. We work closely with our other professional educator colleagues to remain focused on the growth of the whole child. Here are a few examples of how we may be able to help.

• assistance with school supplies
• student social/emotional support
• services for youth experiencing homelessness
• behavioral support
  
• crisis intervention
• classroom skill building
• linking families to community resources and assistance programs
• building supportive relationships with students

Please know that the Valparaiso Community Schools social services team is here to support you. Now, as much as ever, it is critical that each of us attend to the social, emotional, and physical well being of the children in our care. As we collaborate in that endeavor, we would like to share the following resources with you. Click below for the link.

https://www.in.gov/doe/students/graduation-pathways/

https://www.in.gov/doe/files/core-40-and-honors-diploma-summary-class-2016-updated-june-2018.pdf

VHS SCHOOL COUNSELORS

(A - CU) Mr. Dan McKibben - dmckibben@valpo.k12.in.us

(CV - HOL) Mrs. Jessica Kus - jkus@valpo.k12.in.us

(HOM - MILK) Mrs. Sarah Deakin - sdeakin@valpo.k12.in.us

(MILL - SCHV) Mrs. Tori McCaleb - tMcCaleb@valpo.k12.in.us

(SCHW - Z) Mrs. Kari Owney - kowney@valpo.k12.in.us

(V.A.L.E. Students) Ms. Gordana Sormaz - gsormaz@valpo.k12.in.us

VHS SOCIAL WORKERS

(A-L) Ms. Natalie Miller - nmiller@valpo.k12.in.us

(M-Z) Mrs. Jody Kristoff - jkristoff@valpo.k12.in.us