MHHS Student Services
December 2023 Newsletter
Please review this newsletter for information important to all students, and information specifically for high school Juniors and Seniors.
SECOND SEMESTER SCHEDULES
Students - please login to Infinite Campus and check your second semester schedule before the semester begins on January 22nd. Many schedules were changed recently for a variety of reasons, so it is very possible that your S2 schedule is not the same as it was at the start of the school year.
Second semester begins January 22, 2024. The master schedule was created and student schedules were generated based on student course requests from last spring. Because of that, there is little room for changes to student schedules. However, we understand that there may be circumstances in which a schedule change would be beneficial for some students. In these situations, students have the option of scheduling an appointment with their Counselor to discuss their S2 schedule and request a change.
Students are encouraged to schedule a virtual or in person appointment to see their Counselor BEFORE January 22nd so their schedule is correct at the start of the semester. After the start of the new semester, schedule changes are only allowed the first three days of class, so being proactive is important. Please click on the link for your counselor below to access their appointment calendar or email them to schedule time to meet. When you are on the calendar, click on a time that works for you and click save to reserve an appointment. You will be sent a confirmation email with the meeting date and time. Keep in mind the S1 Finals Week schedule (linked here) when scheduling appointments on January 17, 18, 19.
COURSE REGISTRATION 2024-2025
Beginning after Winter Break, students will start the process of choosing classes for the 2024-25 school year. During their regularly scheduled Advisory on January 2nd, students will have an overview of course registration and view department offerings through a slide presentation. On January 9th during Advisory, the course selection process will begin. Students will receive access to the course description handbook, registration forms and refresher information about how to enter course requests in the Infinite Campus Portal. The deadline for course registration for the 2024-25 school year is February 2nd, 2024.
TESTING INFORMATION
Advanced Placement Testing
The AP exam registration and fee collection process is complete. Exam registration was completed during your regularly scheduled AP class with your AP teacher and fees were paid via Infinite Campus. If your exam decision has changed, please contact Ms. Kittleson to cancel your exam order. The College Board will be charging a $40 per exam cancellation fee this school year. Here is updated information from the College Board about AP exams and the exam schedule: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/exam-dates-and-fees
ACT
All Juniors will be taking the ACT with Writing here at MHHS on March 20, 2024. The ACT measures skills in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. These areas are tested because they include the major areas of instruction in most high school and college programs. The results from the test will be used for admissions purposes next fall when you apply to prospective schools, including many programs at Madison College. Please visit www.actstudent.org to register for an additional ACT opportunity, if desired.
Register for the ACT Prep Course HERE!
Pre-ACT Secure
INFORMATION FOR CURRENT 11TH GRADE STUDENTS
Post-High School Planning
Researching careers and understanding the pathway to reach your post-high school goal is important, especially during your Junior year of high school. Think you are college bound? Here is a list of recommended actions to take this year:
- Login to XELLO (information about XELLO is later in this newsletter) to explore careers and save options that appeal to you.
- Use XELLO to research colleges that offer the program for your career goal.
- Explore campus websites and see what appeals to you.
- Tour college campuses and ask questions that are important to you (housing, tuition, job placement, extra-curricular opportunities, etc).
- Meet with College Representatives as they visit MHHS
- Prepare for the ACT (information on the ACT in this newsletter)
- Generate a list of colleges you are interested in attending so you are prepared to start applications the summer following Junior year.
Rotary Club of Madison Ethics Symposium
Current 11th grade students are invited to consider attending the 22nd Annual Rotary Ethics Symposium on February 9, 2024. The symposium is designed to engage students in discussions about ethical issues that occur in everyday life. High school juniors examine the importance of ethics and take part in decision-making exercises designed to prompt debate and introspection. Students examine how to recognize ethical issues and identify ethical standards by following the R-O-T-A-R-Y six-step framework for ethical decision making. Students from each Dane County High School are invited to apply for consideration to attend this event, and Mount Horeb High School has allotted space for 8 students. If you are interested, please pick up an application in the Student Services Office or contact Dr. Salerno for more information. Application deadline is January 11, 2024.
Badger Girls and Boys State
Every year various civic organizations sponsor several Delegate spots for Mount Horeb High School juniors to attend either Badger Girls State or Badger Boys State. Both Badger Boys State and Badger Girls State have intensive hands-on experience in citizenship and leadership. More information is available at www.badgerboysstate.com and https://www.alabgs.org/
Juniors with a 3.0 GPA or higher meet the academic criteria to be eligible to attend Badger Boys or Badger Girls State. Badger Boys State is scheduled for June 9-15, 2024 at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Badger Girls State is scheduled for June 16-21, 2024 at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. If your junior meets the academic criteria of a 3.0 GPA or higher and would like to be considered for one of the sponsored spots, please contact Sateash Kittleson by December 22, 2023. If we have more students interested than spots available, MHHS staff will determine the Delegates and Alternates for Mount Horeb. Interested students will be informed by the end of January regarding their Delegate/Alternate Status and the registration process.
INFORMATION FOR CURRENT 12TH GRADE STUDENTS
If you are considering college after high school and have not submitted an application yet, make an appointment to see your School Counselor soon so we can help you navigate the process.
Scholarships
The Mount Horeb community continues to generously support MHHS by offering several local scholarships to graduating seniors. Last year, over $60,000 was awarded to MHHS students from local scholarships alone! It is important that ALL students of the senior class take the time to read through the criteria for each local scholarship to see if they might qualify to be awarded some money. Scholarships may be awarded for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to:
Future Career Goals
Involvement in School and Community
Economic Hardship
Family Connection to Organization
Academic Achievement
Athletic or Club Participation
For the MHHS Local Scholarship Program, it is important to realize that there are two different types of local scholarships.
2. Standard Applications - Many of our local scholarships accept a standard application which helps to streamline the application process for seniors by allowing them to fill out one application to apply to several scholarships. Students will be able to review the criteria for each scholarship to determine which ones they qualify for and would like to apply. Students will submit applications to these scholarships in a MHHS Local Scholarship Google Classroom. Details about the standard application process and the join code for the classroom will be shared with seniors on January 2, 2024. Standard Applications will be due February 1st.
Scholarship Timeline
December 20 - Ms. Wineke will email all students of the Senior class the essay prompts for the standard scholarship application
January 2 - Senior Advisory lesson will inform students about the local scholarship application process
January 2 - Ms. Wineke will share the join code for the MHHS Local Scholarship google classroom that students must join in order to submit scholarship applications
February 1 - Standard Scholarship Applications are due (submitted to google classroom assignments) by 4pm
May 6 - Invitations to the MHHS Scholarship Ceremony will be mailed to all seniors who will be awarded a scholarship this year
May 22 - MHHS Scholarship Ceremony
FAFSA
Going to college can improve your earning potential - but the price of college can be intimidating. All seniors interested in continuing their education after high school graduation need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to qualify for grants, scholarships, work study jobs, and loans. The FAFSA is undergoing revisions and is anticipated to be available for completion by the end of December. In the meantime, students and their parent/guardian(s) are encouraged to set up their FSA IDs so they are prepared to complete and submit the FAFSA once it is available.
- To create an FSA ID, please go to this website.
- Visit this website to learn more about financial aid and to complete the FAFSA.
INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS
College and Career Planning
Silver Cord
You can find silver cord forms either on the Student Services bulletin board in the hallway, or stop in to Student Services to grab some or drop off completed hours forms.
Keep an eye out for silver cord opportunities being posted on the job board.
Find more information about the Silver Cord Program here.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Kyrie in Student Services.
Mental Health
You can find great mental health and counseling resources and supports on our District Student Services webpages: Mental Health Crisis Response and Mental Health and Wellness for Families or on our High School Student Services webpages.
CONNECT WITH YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR
Mrs. Kittleson - School Counselor, last names A-K
Mrs. Wineke - School Counselor, last names L-Z