Chattahoochee High School Senior Parent Night 2019 2020

Chattahoochee High School Senior Parent Night 2019 -2020

Counseling Department à Elizabeth Chilson à Curtisa Johnson A-Deo Der-Hei *Department Chair à Navina Vemuri Hen-Mc. D à Deborah Blount Mc. G-Sa à Tammy Jones Sc-Z à We also have other support staff in our counseling office who are instrumental in helping all students.

Stay Connected! Find us on Facebook and like our official page! https: //www. facebook. com/chattcougar Follow us on Twitter @Hooch. Happenings Counseling Blog: www. hoochcounselors. blogspot. com As always, you can locate information on the Chattahoochee Alma Mater school website: www. chattcougar. com. We also recommend that parents check the Parent Portal everyday.

Graduation Requirements Class of 2020 English Mathematics Science Social Studies Health/Personal Fitness World Language/Fine Arts/Career Tech Electives 4 credits 3 credits 0. 5 credit each 3 credits 4 credits 23 total credits Semester-Long Class= 0. 5 Credits; Year-Long Class= 1. 0 Credit World Language is not a graduation requirement, but 2 or 3 years of World Language credits may be required for college admission

Four Year Plan

Post Secondary Options GAP Year Military v Work v Local Recruiting v Travel/Missions • Air Force • https: //www. goaheadtours. com/ https: //www. airforce. com/find-a • https: //www. adventures. org/miss recruiter ion-trips/ • Army v Volunteer https: //www. goarmy. com/locate • www. peacecorps. gov a-recruiter. html • https: //www. volunteer. gov/ • Coast Guard - • https: //www. volunteermatch. org/ https: //www. gocoastguard. com/ about-us/find-recruiter Employment Opportunities and • Marine Corps - Apprenticeship Programs https: //rmi. marines. com/request • www. indeed. com information • www. dol. gov/apprenticeship • Navy - • https: //www. ziprecruiter. com/ https: //www. navy. com/local Are you interested in taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB)? ASVAB Testing will be offered at Chattahoochee on Dec 5, 2019. Please check the Eventbrite on the Counseling website under College Information-Registration.

What are Colleges looking for? Every college admissions process is different THERE IS “NO ONE SIZE FITS All” ADMISSIONS PROCESS Some colleges based on the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)’s State of College Admission (p. 16) consider these 4 main factors : • GPA/grades in Academic Courses More than 81% of all Colleges and Universities rated grades in Academic Courses as “considerably important. ” • SAT and/or ACT Test Scores and Rigor of Courses Admission test scores and strength of curriculum were also rated considerably important by more than half of colleges (52% and 51%), • Students’ Personal Qualities Personal qualities and interests of students, as well as more details regarding academic performance, were considered to be moderately important. https: //www. nacacnet. org/globalassets/documents/publi cations/research/2018_soca/soca 18. pdf

Some Colleges Use a Holistic Perspective • • College application essays Letters of recommendation Extracurricular activities Leadership roles Resumes, interviews, portfolios Demonstrated interest SAT subject tests

Grade Point Average • The high school GPA used for college admission is calculated by the postsecondary institution, NOT by the high school or Fulton County. Students should report the numeric average on the transcript for college applications. • Most use this scale and most only include academic/core courses: A = 4. 0, B = 3. 0, C = 2. 0, F = 0. 0 • Contact colleges to find how they calculate GPAs or visit their websites

Senior Year • What students should do… • Narrow down the list of schools to which they will apply • Should have taken at least one SAT or ACT test • Begin working on their applications • There is still time… • Don’t panic…just get started! • Research colleges – schedule visits to potential colleges, do research on the colleges’ websites, talk to alumni, etc. • Sign up for the next standardized test, if desired • Search for Scholarships

Chattahoochee College Visits at CHS • Students can register for college visits online at https: //www. eventbrite. com/o/chattahoochee-counseling-department 11137741233 • After registering online, students will receive an email with a pass to show to the teacher whose class they’ll be missing • On campus college visits: Students can register for a maximum of 7 on campus college visits per school year • Students should research the colleges prior to the visits and come prepared with questions for the representative • College visit dates are posted on the Counseling website, as well as outside the Counseling Office on a white board. • Off campus college visits - Students are allowed 6 pre-approved absences from school, which can be used for college visits or other purposes. You can pick up the Pre-approved form the attendance office.

SAT/ACT • To register and view upcoming test dates for the SAT visit www. collegeboard. org • To register and view upcoming test dates for the ACT visit www. actstudent. org • Test Prep information for the SAT/ACT can be found at: http: //school. fultonschools. org/hs/chattahoochee/Pages/Hooch-SATPrep. aspx • Standardized Tests • Students must request scores directly through the testing agencies: www. Collegeboard. com and www. ACT. org Chattahoochee does not have access to test scores and cannot send them to colleges

College and SAT/ACT Fee Waivers In the Counseling Office we have NACAC and SAT/ACT Fee Waivers. Students can also apply for the fee waiver through the Common Application. Eligibility Requirements: Ø Must be enrolled in or eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Ø Annual family income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. (Free and Reduced Lunch) Ø You are enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from lowincome families (e. g. , Federal TRIO programs such as Upward Bound). Ø Your family receives public assistance. Ø You live in federally subsidized public housing or a foster home, or are homeless. Ø You are a ward of the state or an orphan. If you meet these qualifications, please see Mrs. Butler in the Counseling Office.

College-Bound Student Athletes • If you are you planning on participating in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or II institution, you must register with the NCAA Initial. Eligibility Clearinghouse. • Prospective student athletes should: • Access the registration materials by visiting their website at www. ncaaclearinghouse. net • Submit the Parent Release Form to Karen Lange – Lange. K@fultonschools. org - in the Main Office prior to requesting your transcript through Parchment. • When taking the SAT/ACT, enter 9999 for scores to be sent to NCAA Clearinghouse. • Review the NCAA requirements as they might differ from graduation requirements!

Scholarship Information Counseling Department Website College & Career Center Employer Scholarships Professional and/or religious organizations, banks, and insurance companies • Financial Aid office at each individual college • • • Financial Aid Night is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 6: 30 pm in the Auditorium – You will learn about FAFSA, HOPE Grant and Zell Miller Scholarship, Zell Grant. • Online Search Engines: www. scholarship. com www. fastweb. com www. gacollege 411. com

College Application Process

Understand College Admission Options Early Decision- If you know a school is your first and only choice, you should consider Early Decision. • Early Decision is binding — if you are admitted, you must withdraw all other applications and enroll at that college. • Applications are generally due mid-fall (usually in early to mid-November). • Early Decision notifications are usually sent in December. • If a student is not admitted through Early Decision, they will likely be deferred to the Regular Decision applicant pool. • Does not offer you the option of comparing financial aid offers. Early Action • Ideal if you have identified a top choice, but still want to weigh your options. • If you are admitted, you are not obligated to attend. • Applications are generally due mid-fall. • You have until the spring to make your final decision. Regular Decision • The most common option for admission. • Regardless of when you submit your application, you will be notified by early April. • An ideal option for students who want to compare financial aid packages. Rolling Admission • Students are notified as colleges make decisions. • Decisions are usually sent out within four to ten weeks from the time the application is submitted.

How to Apply to College SAT scores Application AND/OR Application Fee or Fee Waiver College Admissions Office ACT scores Counselor Rec or Form *if required Transcript Teacher Rec or Form *if required

Steps to Take 1. Collect and review application(s) details • Look at each schools – admission requirements, test requirements, admission deadlines, priority deadlines for scholarship consideration, etc. • Start a calendar for deadlines 2. Write essays if needed and make sure to have them proofread 3. Submit application(s) online

Step 4 – Order/Sending Transcripts with Parchment

How to Order your Transcripts on Parchment Step 1: Register § Go to www. parchment. com and sign up § Complete the registration form. Once your account is created, skip the “profile” section and go directly to the Dashboard at the top of the screen to submit your transcript request. Under 18? Register with a parent. Step 2: Order/Request • Click “Transcripts” and select a destination • Indicate Chattahoochee High School when Parchment asks “What school did you attend? ” • Submit payment (if necessary) Step 3: Track • Click “Transcripts” • Click “Order History”

How to Apply to College SAT scores Application AND/OR Application Fee or Fee Waiver College Admissions Office ACT scores Counselor Rec or Form *if required Transcript Teacher Rec or Form *if required

Chattahoochee High School uses Google Classroom for Counselor Recommendations and Secondary Reports What is Google Classroom? Google Classroom is a free web service developed by Google for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way. The primary purpose of Google Classroom is to streamline the process of sharing files between educators and students. Every student has a Google classroom account which can be accessed through their FCS Launchpad. We use this platform to manage a portion of the college process that is required of all counselors. In order to access our individual classrooms students need to have their Counselor’s Google Classroom code.

Counselor’s Google Classroom Code Counselor à à à Elizabeth Chilson Curtisa Johnson Navina Vemuri Deborah Blount Tammy Jones Last Name Google Classroom Code A-Deo Der-Hei Hen-Mc. D Mc. G-Sa Sc-Z gb 3 djd kn 4 mnt xqaghy wndx 32 qeh 5 s 3 y Make sure to join the correct counselor’s Google Classroom Code to ensure timely processing of required documents

How to Request a Letter of Recommendation/ Secondary report Step 1: Go to your Google Classroom Account – Join a class – Put in your Counselors Google Classroom Code. (Make sure you are using your Fulton County Email address, not a personal email address). Step 2: Click Senior Profile - Please complete this information as thoroughly as possible. More information is better Step 3: Click Recommendation Request Form –Complete this form EACH time you need a recommendation. Make sure the following are complete prior to submitting: • Submit your application • Link has been sent to counselor from the college/scholarship • Senior Profile is uploaded. Step 4: Order Your Transcript on Parchment

Google Classroom

College Deadlines and School Holidays IMPORTANT: The Counseling Office requires at least 10 school days to process Transcript/ Recommendation requests. Keep this in mind especially when college/scholarship deadlines occur during or right after weekends, student holidays/teacher workdays, and holiday breaks - particularly Thanksgiving break & Winter break! Reminder of popular application deadlines for colleges: • October 15 th deadline – students must submit requests no later than September 27 th • November 1 st deadline – students must submit requests no later than October 18 th • December 1 st deadline – students must submit requests no later than November 11 th • January 1 st deadline – students must submit requests no later than December 6 th UGA and Georgia Tech have switched their Regular Admission deadlines to January 1 st ***These may seem like short timelines, but weekends, student holidays/teacher workdays, and holiday breaks do not count as school days. Counselors will not process or submit recommendations during those times, so get organized now and plan ahead!

Misc. Senior Info- Mid Year Report/Transcript A Mid-Year Report is a form submitted by your school counselor indicating your academic progress for the first half of your senior year. Along with the Mid-Year Report, your school counselor should submit a mid-year transcript. Ø Not all colleges require Mid Year Reports. Their Admissions website will specify. We do not automatically upload or process Midyear Reports. Ø Please do not request Mid Year Reports/Transcripts until the final grades are available – after January 13, 2020. Ø If a senior wants a Mid Year Transcript, they must request it via Parchment. com and make sure to indicate “Hold For Grades”, if requesting before Jan 13 th. Ø Some colleges may request a Mid Year Report or Transcript before our final 1 st semester grades are available. Colleges know that we are on different schedules and submitting them when they are available has not been a problem in the past for our students.

Questions Asked on MANY Applications § Total students in the class of 2020 = 430 § We do not report rank, percentile, or decile to students, parents, or colleges – only Valedictorian and Salutatorian are reported and after 1 st semester grades are posted § Your numeric average is weighted and on a 100 point scale § We offer 23 Honors classes and 32 AP classes

Things to Note: • It is not efficient to use Common App or Coalition if the student is only applying to one college, unless the college only uses that source. • Not all colleges utilize letters of recommendation. We will only submit a letter if the college requires it. • Letters of recommendation are only submitted directly to the institution. • Counselors do not manage teacher recommendations. Those requests must be sent directly to the teacher. • At the end of the year, seniors will complete a Final Checkout Form with the counseling office to tell us where to send a final transcript and complete an exit survey required by the county.

Honor Cords & HOPE GPA Ø Cumulative numeric averages for Honor Graduates are finalized at the end of 1 st semester. Honor cords are purchased in the Main Office in May. Ø Summa Cum Laude – 96. 0+ Ø Magna Cum Laude – 92. 0+ Ø Cum Laude – 88. 0+ Numeric averages do not round up, so an 87. 9999 will not earn you Cum Laude designation at graduation or an honor cord. Ø Preliminary HOPE GPAs should be available on your GAFutures account around mid-September. If you can’t see your preliminary HOPE GPA shortly after that, make sure your Social Security # is entered in your profile and that it is correct. GA Student Finance Commission does the official calculations of your HOPE GPA. Chattahoochee and your Counselors have nothing to do with HOPE GPA.

Hooch Apply to College Day We will be hosting our 6 th annual Hooch Apply to College Day on Tuesday, September 24 th from 8: 30 am to 2: 30 pm. Students can come in for assistance on: • Google Classroom help • Submitting college applications • Senior Profiles • Parchment • And more!

Questions? You may contact your student’s Counselor with any questions or concerns.