Cougar Connection
Oakton HS Student Services Newsletter: March 2024
As we enter March, spring will be here soon. It's a good time of year for students to adjust their study habits and to finish third quarter strong. Spring break will be here in just three weeks. Take that time to enjoy the break and to return refreshed and energized for fourth quarter.
Student Services Highlights
Course Registration
Course registration is now complete for the 24-25 school year. Counselors were able to meet with each student in grades nine through eleven over the last two months. Both parents and students can review the course selections in SIS StudentVue and ParentVue under Course Requests.
Please note the course change requests are closed as of March 1. Students will have another opportunity to make changes in the future. We also cannot honor teacher requests.
Junior Curriculum
Counselors will meet with juniors in large group sessions April 15 - 19 to share information about post-secondary planning. Junior Parent Night will be scheduled for April with a date coming soon. Juniors will have the opportunity to meet individually with their counselors in late April through May.
Summer School Info
Summer Online Campus Information
Middle and high school students who meet the course prerequisites can take one online course. Students who have completed a high school math course may take an online campus math class. Middle school students who expunged a high school math or Spanish course or those wanting to recover a course credit may take the course again.
Registration for most classes begins January 16, 2024 and ends June 7, 2024.
Summer school info for the online campus is available here.
FCPS also offers enrichment summer options. Please check out the FCPS Summer Learning Opportunities site here.
Questions regarding Online Campus, Economics/Personal Finance, and Summer Learning can be directed to the appropriate student's counselor.
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance requires students to complete work without direct teacher support. Students will
- Access content for this course through FCPS Schoology.
- Read through 14 modules, complete 140 exit tickets, 14 module tests, and a final exam.
This course does not meet face-to-face. Students may only take this course as "Pass/Fail".
Registration and Dates
Registration opened January 8 and ends May 24
Class dates: June 14 - July 26, 2024
Tuition
- Full: $130
- Reduced Lunch: $65
- Free Lunch: $13
Please note that taking this course over the summer is completely optional. Oakton offers Honors Economics/Personal Finance and AP Macro/Micro Economics which fulfill the required class for graduation.
College and Career Center Updates
Additionally, there are several summer enrichment and part-time job opportunities advertised in Naviance and in the College and Career Center. Students are encouraged to use Naviance and stop by Room 1102 for more information.
FAFSA Updates
Senior families, it's not too late to complete the FAFSA. Here are helpful resources for the new FAFSA:
- Social Media
- https://studentaid.gov/notices/social
- YouTube – How to videos
- YouTube – Webinars
- Helpful Links
Upcoming Events
Northern Virginia Regional College Fair
The Office of Admissions at George Mason University invites your students to join us for the 37th annual Northern Virginia Regional College Fair (NVRCF)! Your students will have the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from more than 200 colleges and universities. This will be a great opportunity to get your students motivated and excited about their post-secondary plans while equipping them with the tools and information necessary to successfully navigate the college search and application process.
Northern Virginia Regional College Fair
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
George Mason University – Fairfax Campus
We are a StriveScan Fair. Please encourage students to pre-register for a barcode at https://app.strivescan.com/registration.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Parking is available, free of charge, in Parking Lots A and L, directly across from EagleBank Arena. To view a campus map, click here.
If you have any questions about this event, please email the Mason Admissions Events Team directly at admevent@gmu.edu.
Fairfax County Teen Job Fair Series
Looking for a job or volunteer opportunity? All students are invited to attend the 2024 Fairfax County Teen Job Fair Series and Career Building Workshops sponsored by Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity with FCPS kicking off Saturday, March 2nd from 11am to 1pm at Chantilly High School and on Saturday, March 9th at West Springfield High School from 11am to 1pm. At each fair, students will have the opportunity to engage with employers offering part-time, full-time, seasonal, and volunteer positions. During the fairs, students will also be able to attend career-building workshops like Resume Building and Interviewing 101. Most positions at the fair are geared toward students age 16+, but some opportunities for younger students may be available with parental consent. Registration is free here and at the fairs. For more information, or to register, please visit the Teen Job Fair webpage.
NOVA's E-Summer Program
We are excited to announce the return of NOVA’s E-Summer program! This program is sponsored by the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) and Dominion Energy and is designed to introduce students to STEM and the energy industry and is open to any rising high school juniors and seniors who meet qualifying GPA or test score requirements. Important program details, including a flier, can be found here. The application will open on Friday, March 1 and the deadline to register is Wednesday, May 1 at 5 PM EST.
NOVA Vision 2024
FCPS and NOVA are offering an opportunity for students with disabilities interested in attending NOVA to learn about available options. The orientation will include presentations from Accommodations and Accessibility Services and Counseling Services, a mock NOVA classroom experience for students, and a NOVA student panel with Q&A session.
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Annandale Campus
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/APmHVBU7bBko6Fvs8
Jumpstart2NOVA 2024
NOVA is pleased to announce the return of JumpStart2NOVA for summer 2024! This program is available to seniors graduating this spring and considering NOVA for the fall. Students may select one 3 or 4-credit approved course plus SDV 100. The application for JumpStart2NOVA is now open and closes at 5 pm on Friday, May 10, 2024. Courses begin on Monday, June 3, and end on Monday, August 12.
JumpStart2NOVA Information Sessions:
Wednesday, March 13 from 6 pm – 7 pm
Tuesday, April 30 from 6 pm – 7 pm
All classes will be offered through NOVA Online and run June 3 through August 12, 2024.
The application is now open and will close at 5PM on May 10, 2024. First-time NOVA students will need to apply to NOVA and create an account to request the course in nvcc.dualenroll.com. Current DE students can skip the NOVA application and go straight to nvcc.dualenroll.com, selecting term “JumpStart2NOVA 2024.” All students will be required to upload a current high school/home school transcript and qualifying test scores if they do not have a 3.0 GPA.
To learn more about JumpStart2NOVA, including course offerings, minimum qualifying scores, and details on how to apply, please visit http://www.nvcc.edu/jumpstart/.
Colleges that Change Lives Information Session and College Fair
When: Monday, March 11, 2024, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Where: Westin Washington D.C. Downtown
River Birch Ballroom
999 9th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
The program begins promptly at 7:00 pm with a 30-minute information session. The college fair follows immediately afterwards, lasting approximately 1.5 hours. Students, parents, and counselors are encouraged to register online in advance of the program.
CTCL programs are open to the public and free of charge. Attendees should register online in advance of the program.
For more information, including registration and the list of anticipated colleges, please visit the event website.
2024 Virtual Military Night
2024 Virtual Military Night
FCPS School Counseling Services is hosting a Virtual Military Night on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This event is designed for high school students and their families who are interested in learning more about the military pathways and opportunities. Enlistment, service academies and ROTC pathways will be represented. You will find additional information at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/event/2024-virtual-military-night .