Student Support Services Newsletter
JANUARY 2023
Interested in PSEO next year?
Attend the Earn College Credit at Fridley High School Information Night
Extended Day – Credit Recovery
If you are a sophomore who is 16 years old or a junior or senior and need credit recovery, please schedule an appointment to see your dean. Credit recovery is offered at the high school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Credit recovery is required for any student who fails a required course for graduation.
If you are currently enrolled in credit recovery, please continue attending on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The deadline to complete credit recovery is in mid-May.
Course Changes for 2nd Semester
When students request courses during the registration process in February, they agree to pursue the chosen courses to completion. Since schedule changes have a serious impact on class sizes, teacher assignments and overall master schedule, they need to be kept to a minimum.
Please use the following list below as a guide to schedule corrections:
- The student does not have the prerequisite(s)
- The student failed the class
- There is an obvious error (two classes at the same time)
- To add a class that is needed to graduate
- The schedule is unbalanced
Schedule changes will not be made for:
- Request a specific teacher
- Request a specific trimester
- Change lunch periods
- Have a class with a friend
- Leave to attend non-school sanctioned occupational activity
You might also notice a slight change in your students' schedule since the beginning of the year. We do, at times, move student schedules to balance class size within a semester and between semesters. We appreciate your understanding on this matter.
Wallin Scholarship
Parents of Seniors: The Wallin Scholarship application is now live. There is a 4 year program which offers up to 16K over four years. The 2 year program application opens this spring.
Graduating senior (class of 2023) from a partner school
Minimum 3.0 GPA (unweighted)
Demonstrated financial need
Enrolled in Fall 2023 in an accredited, 4-year, public or private (not-for-profit) institution in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or any Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the nation
Go to wallinpartners.org to apply, see Mr. Cummings or Mr. Kiefer for details.
College Visits!
Questions? Please reach out to an academic dean for more information. We highly encourage students to visit colleges as they start to think about post-secondary options.
ACT Test Information for juniors and seniors
In the past, it has been recommended that students who plan on attending a four-year college or university take the ACT exam in the spring of their junior year. As of today, two-thirds of the colleges/universities in the United States are test-optional for admissions. This means that an ACT score is no longer required for admission at those colleges. This is a permanent change at some colleges and a temporary change for some colleges for students applying fall 2022. With that being said, there may still be some advantages to submitting an ACT score.
Here are some things to consider:
Does the college/university use ACT scores for scholarship or honors consideration?
Are you a good standardized test taker?
Is your ACT score a good reflection of your academic ability and potential?
If the answer is yes to any of those questions, you may want to submit an ACT score regardless of test optional admissions. Register to take the ACT at www.actstudent.org
To see if a college/university is test optional, check the individual college website or www.fairtest.org for a list of test optional colleges.ACT Exams:
Fridley High School will NOT offer the ACT this fall. Stay tuned for more information as we offer the ACT later in the spring. Students are always welcome to take the ACT outside of the assigned district testing day. The ACT test does have a fee ranging from $50-$67. Fee waivers are available in the SSS office for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Please see your dean with questions.
Upcoming ACT tests/registration deadlines:
Test: February 11 Deadline: January 6
Test: April 15 Deadline: March 10
Letters of Recommendations - 12th graders
Students may need letters of recommendation for some college applications or for scholarships. Typically, recommenders may be teachers (current or former), employers, coaches, or other adults who can highlight the leadership and/or academic qualities of the student. Students are asked to fill out the Letter of Recommendation Form and give the completed form to the recommender. The form can be found outside of the SSS office or linked here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-VZIJoeDaaF3M_XYKWYKawndBKIgK479EhGnbM_BQy4/copy
If the application requires a school counselor, please use the academic dean to complete that portion.
Things for students to remember:
- Talk to the recommender early! 2 weeks is generally a good minimum amount of time for a recommender to complete a well-written letter.
Give recommenders the exact details—What/who is the letter for? When is it due? How is the letter submitted?
Always ask the recommender permission to use them as a recommender on an application. Ask in person, if possible. Email is generally acceptable as well.
Use recommenders who will be able to highlight positives.
It’s ok for a recommender to say no. They may not have the time to devote to a letter right now.