BCA September Newsletter
The vision of the Collegiate Academy at Blackman High School is to create a challenging learning environment with a rigorous course of study where students can become well-rounded scholars who fulfill their potential as they transition from high school to post-secondary opportunities.
Look At These Numbers!
- 82 Freshman
- 80 Sophomores
- 79 Juniors
- 64 Seniors
- 305 Total Enrollment
- 9 Dual Enrollment Courses, 213 Students
- 22 AP Courses
College Planning Night
Thursday, Sep 8, 2016, 06:00 PM
BHS Auditorium
BCA Pinning Ceremony
Thursday, Oct 13, 2016, 06:30 PM
BHS Auditorium
Speaker Series: September 9th
T-Shirt Design Competition
Save the Date for Field Trips!
Oct. 27th: Freshmen BCA Day at MTSU
Feb. 2nd: Sophomore BCA Day at MTSU
March 9th: Junior BCA Day at MTSU
*Each field trip will be from 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
JUNIORS & SENIORS: We will have a junior team building / senior celebration field trip in May. Details to come. You won't want to miss this!!
Essay Contest Winners
PSAT: October 19th
Report Extra-Curricular Activity Hours Online
Life Experience Opportunity for Seniors
BCA Courses
- Freshmen: Honors English I, Honors Biology, and Honors World History or AP Human Geography (must be enrolled in at least 2)
- Sophomores: Honors English II, Honors Algebra II or Advanced Honors Geometry, and Honors Chemistry (must be enrolled in at least 2)
- Juniors: AP English III, AP U.S. History or Dual Enrollment U.S. History, and Speech or Critical Thinking (These are recommendations but not required. Speech and critical thinking are highly recommended junior year before capstone.)
- Seniors: Speech or Critical Thinking (if not already taken) and Capstone
ACT Accomplishments
Our 21.1 composite for exiting seniors is above district (20.2) and state (19.9) and national (20.8) averages!
Exiting seniors: 4-year composite increase = 20.7, 20.9, 21.0, 21.1
- +.6 in English for 2016
- +.4 in Reading for 2016
Juniors: 3-year composite increase = 20.4, 20.8, 21.1
- +.5 in Reading for 2016
- +.7 in Math for 2016
- +.3 in Science for 2016
Collegiate Academy average for this year's seniors stands now at 28.13.
ACT Prep with Shmoop
Thanks to Rutherford County Schools, you now have access to Shmoop's premium resources. HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED:
- Go to http://schools.shmoop.com/login/rutherford-county/
- Log in OR Create New Student Account
- Enter Magic Word: NAVIGATE (all caps)
- Choose either ACT Exam Prep (under the Test Prep section) or ACT Crash Course (under the Courses section)
Need help? Contact Holly Hunter hunterh@rcschools.net.
Parent Resources for TNReady
BCA Teacher Council Hard At Work
Attendance Matters!
Do You Have News?
ATTENTION SENIORS
ACT Retake for Seniors
If your student took the ACT standardized test as a junior, he/she will have the opportunity to retake the ACT at no cost this fall. The ACT Senior Retake Opportunity will be Saturday, October 22, 2016. The deadline to register is Friday, September 16th.
National data indicate that retaking the ACT typically leads to a composite score improvement of 1–2 points. In Tennessee, data indicate that students who retake the ACT typically increase their score by 1–3 points. A few extra points on the ACT can mean acceptance into college(s), scholarship offer(s), and Hope Scholarship increase(s)! The vouchers were mailed home so be on the look out!
Here are some free practice websites:
A Message from MTSU Regarding Scholarship Deadlines
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Chancellor: 30 ACT (1320 SAT), 3.5 GPA, $5,000 a year
Presidential: 28 ACT or (1240 SAT), 3.5 GPA, $4,000 a year
True Blue: 26 ACT (1170 SAT), 3.5 GPA, $3,000 a year
Provost: 25 ACT (1130 SAT), 3.5 GPA, $2,000 a year
Middle Tennessee State University awards an array of guaranteed academic merit scholarship opportunities to first-time, incoming freshmen based on ACT scores and GPA. To be considered for a Freshman Guaranteed Scholarships, students must be a first-time incoming freshman who plans to enroll at MTSU in the Summer or Fall semester. And, we can’t stress this enough: You must have ALL of the following on file with the Admissions Office by Dec. 1 to be considered for a scholarship:
- Admission application to MTSU
- Application fee paid
- Qualifying official ACT and/or SAT test score (without the writing subscore / only ACT/SAT scores through the December test date are considered)
- Qualifying official sixth-semester high school transcript with cumulative GPA requirement
- Must be U.S. Citizen or permanent resident
- No separate scholarship application is required for guaranteed academic scholarships. Student will receive notification of the scholarship award offer by February.
If you apply and submit materials Dec. 1 and meet the appropriate academic criteria of one of our awards (see above chart), you will get a scholarship. If you don’t, you likely will not get one of these scholarships – no matter how great your credentials might be.
“It’s heartbreaking for us when we have terrific students with amazing credentials, who can’t get a scholarship at MTSU because they didn’t file by the Dec. 1 deadline,” said Andrew Oppmann, MTSU’s vice president for marketing and communications. “Whether MTSU is your destination university, or we are one of many options you are considering, we urge all qualified applicants to apply by Dec. 1,” Oppmann said. “Simply put, it’s money on the table and keeps your options open.” Oppmann said students who qualify must accept the scholarship by May 1.
The fine print:
- GPA and test scores on file with the Admissions Office at the time of the scholarship review will be used for awarding purposes. Typically, the 6th-semester cumulative GPA and ACT/SAT scores (without writing sub-scores) through the December test date will be used for scholarship considerations. Students taking a December test should include MTSU as a score recipient to ensure that scores arrive in time for scholarship consideration.
- We are happy to accept a weighted GPA if one is provided by the high school, but are unable to calculate a GPA other than what is provided on the official transcript. We will consider your highest test score (without writing sub-scores) on a single national or state test date.
- Unless noted, scholarships are granted for a maximum of 8 semesters. Scholarships are not available during the summer term.
- Recipients must meet GPA, enrollment, service (where applicable), and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements to maintain continuing eligibility. In general, students receiving most MTSU Academic Merit Scholarships must earn a 3.0 cumulative MTSU GPA as measured at the end of each fall/spring semester.
- In the event that MTSU offers multiple scholarships to a student, only one scholarship from the MTSU Financial Aid & Scholarship Office (including the Buchanan Fellowship) can be accepted. A student may receive a university scholarship in addition to a Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship.
- A student's total aid including scholarships cannot exceed his or her budgeted Cost of Attendance. For more information, email our MT One Stop at MTOneStop@mtsu.edu.
FAFSA: Available October 1st
Not only is October 1 the first day of the FAFSA completion, it is also TN Promise Scholarship Saturday. Most community colleges and TCATs across the state will be open on 10/1 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. local time to assist with the TN Promise application, and some institutions will be providing FAFSA completion assistance. Please contact your local community college or TCAT for more information.
Visit this link to learn more about the FAFSA changes: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/fafsa-changes.
BCA Contacts
Principal - Dr. Leisa Justus, justusl@rcschools.net, ext. 22901
Assistant Principal - Ken Reed, reedk@rcschools.net, ext. 22973
School Counselor - Christine Bryan, bryanc@rcschools.net. ext. 22906
Academics - Amber DeGeorge, degeorgea@rcschools.net, ext. 22909
Communications - Sara Lynn Clawson, clawsons@rcschools.net, ext. 22908
Grants - Andrea Holder, holdera@rcschools.net, ext. 22960
Extracurricular - Tim Pedigo, pedigot@rcschools.net, ext. 22720
Events - Hollye Dabney, dabneyh@rcschools.net, ext. 22738
Life Experience - Geneva Cook, cookg@rcschools.net, ext. 22942
Speaker Series - Brian Seadorf, seadorfb@rcschools.net, ext. 23036
Research - Rebecca Jones, jonesre@rcschools.net, ext. 22993