Welcome Seniors and Parents January 30 2019 Work

Welcome Seniors and Parents January 30, 2019

Work. Keys – What is it? • ACT Work. Keys assessments are the cornerstone of ACT workforce solutions. The assessments measure foundational skills required for success in the workplace, and help measure the workplace skills that can affect job performance. Work. Keys assessments are: • Relevant—Work. Keys assessments are developed to solve actual workplace problems. Unlike other assessments, they don’t simply give an indication of reading and writing competency. Instead, they measure a range of hard and soft skills relevant to any occupation, at any level, and across industries. • Recognized—Successful completion of Work. Keys core assessments can lead to earning an ACT Work. Keys National Career Readiness Certificate (ACT Work. Keys NCRC)—a credential that verifies the skills found to be most essential across industries and occupations. Tens of thousands of employers recognize the value of the NCRC, and many recommend the credential to candidates.

Workkeys – Why is it Important? • Individuals who successfully complete three Work. Keys assessments -Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents - earn the Work. Keys National Career Readiness Certificate® (Work. Keys. NCRC), a valuable credential for students and job seekers seeking to verify foundational workplace skills. ACT Work. Keys also offers additional assessments to measure interests, values, and behaviors that can lead to greater job satisfaction.

Work. Keys • Northside High School students who have a completer in CTE courses will take the Work. Keys assessment during the window of April 8 th through the 12 th. • Students identified as having this completer are working on Plato assignments to prepare for the upcoming assessment. • Assignments are due weekly with an average of 60 or higher along with adequate time logged.

College Information • The college search • It is very important for seniors to research colleges, community colleges, or jobs they think they might be interested in pursuing. Narrow college choices to three to five and make campus visits or job site visits to get a true feel of what it is like to actually be there. Seniors should come to the guidance office and familiarize themselves with all the resources that are available here at school. Informational files are maintained for senior use. If seniors are not able to visit a campus in person, most colleges and universities offer websites that have virtual tours. An excellent resource that can be accessed for campus information on North Carolina colleges and universities is CFNC. org.

The application process After narrowing college choices to three, four, or five, the application process should begin. Most colleges and universities prefer online application. Applications, whether online or on paper, should be filled out as soon as possible in the senior year. Many colleges in North Carolina prefer that students apply with the Common Application. These colleges include: Appalachian State University NC State University Barton College Queens University Catawba College Salem College Davidson College St. Andrews University Duke University UNC Asheville East Carolina University UNC Chapel Hill Gardner Webb University UNC Charlotte Guilford College UNC Greensboro High Point University UNC Wilmington Johnson & Wales University Wake Forest University Meredith College Warren Wilson College North Carolina A & T State University Seniors can enter the requested information once and then send the completed application to multiple schools. The website to access the Common Application is www. commonapp. org.

CFNC is also an excellent website on which seniors can complete and send online application to many of the other two or four year colleges in North Carolina. As with the Common Application, all the necessary educational, personal, and extra-curricular data in CFNC is entered and saved. Through the CFNC website, the application will be sent to as many North Carolina colleges as one chooses. Seniors just identify the colleges they want to receive the application. Of course, students will still have to submit the application fees to the college(s). Beware of application deadlines!! Some colleges have final deadlines as early as January. All colleges will require a high school transcript. When seniors are ready to send a transcript, they come to guidance and fill out a transcript request. Transcripts are usually mailed to the requested college or university the same day the request is made. In some cases, colleges like to email their own transcript request directly to the high school. In this case, use janice. barbee@onslow. k 12. nc. us as the email address to which the college can send the request. If letters of recommendation are required as part of the application process, seniors should let teachers know in advance if they will be asking them to write a letter on the student's behalf. The senior packet contains information that will assist seniors in getting the best recommendations possible.

College admission tests Most four year colleges require applicants to take the SAT or ACT. It is strongly recommended that students take the ACT or SAT once in the spring of the junior year and once in the fall of the senior year. Taking it additional times is not always necessary unless there is a wide range between the two test scores. Students have the option of taking it as many times as they like. The colleges will combine the best subtest scores. Some colleges use the writing score (essay test) for admissions purposes and some do not. Seniors should check with the colleges they are considering to see which is the case. The cost for the SAT is currently $47. 50 if you do not take the essay portion and $64. 50 if you take the essay portion. The ACT costs $46. 00 without the writing test and $62. 50 if you include the writing test. If a student gets free or reduced lunch, she/he can get a fee waiver and take either test for free. Eligible students may get 2 fee waivers. For each SAT waiver that is used, students will receive 4 college application fee waivers. Students should be sure to register for the correct test—the regular SAT, not the SAT Subject Tests. If the student was in a North Carolina high school in the spring of your junior year, they have already taken the ACT. This score may also be used for the college application process. A copy of the ACT score report is included in the senior packet if the student took the spring test. Be sure to send the highest test scored, whether it be SAT or ACT.

Financial aid and scholarships Colleges award financial aid to students who can demonstrate that they and their parents need help in financing the costs of college. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the main means of applying for financial aid. With this one form, you can apply for any federal monies that the college has to award. The FAFSA requires families to make an accurate and complete analysis of income, assets, and needs. FAFSA worksheets can be accessed online. Information from the prior year’s tax return in required in order to accurately complete the worksheet. Anyone who would like individual help completing the FAFSA is invited to visit Coastal Carolina Community College's financial aid office, regardless of the colleges the student is considering. A flyer with all the needed information is included in the senior packet. Once the financial aid office at the chosen college(s) has received the federal government analysis of the FAFSA, they can determine if the student ais eligible for monetary assistance. The senior packet includes a list of the many local scholarships for which students can apply. These scholarships are available to seniors entering both 2 and 4 year colleges. As information comes in, detailed announcements about these scholarships are continually posted on the scholarship bulletin board in the commons area near the guidance office. The actual scholarship applications are filed alphabetically in the guidance office and are easily accessible to students by simply going in and helping themselves. Let someone in guidance know if there are no more applications in the file for a particular scholarship for which you wish to apply. We keep extra copies and will replenish the file as the applications are used.

Other information Seniors should prepare an in-depth resume that includes all of the extra-curricular activities they have done since beginning high school. Students should include all volunteer work, church work, clubs they have joined, offices they have held, sports they have played, musical events they have taken part in, scouting events, internships, jobs, and anything else they may have done outside the classroom. Remember –good academic preparation, along with extracurricular activities, will help one get into the right college. Most colleges look for reasons to admit students, not reject them. Students should give them reasons to be chosen by telling them the best things about themselves, including academic achievements, skills, talents, and all kinds of life experiences that make them special and unique.

Graduation • • All school fees need to be paid prior to Graduation. Required to attend Graduation practice to walk Formal occasion Maintain behavior to include at practice June 15, 2019 at 10 a. m. Rain location will be NSH gym Students will receive 10 tickets. If location is changed to inside the gym due to weather, students will receive 4 tickets.

Project Graduation • June 15, 2019 at NHS from 7: 00 pm-4: 00 am (Students must arrive on time and may not leave before 4: 00 am) • Looking for volunteers to help with planning, set up, clean up and more.

Senior Remind Information

Fees • All school fees need to be paid prior Prom and Graduation. • See Ms. Veasel, NHS Media Coordinator, to reconcile accounts

Prom 2019: Casino Royale • • • Saturday June 1, 2019 7: 00 -11: 00 PM at the Jacksonville Country Club Ticket Prices for April- Single: $40 Couple: $70 Ticket Prices for May- Single: $45 Couple: $80 Guest forms will need to be completed and turned in no later than Tuesday May 29, 2019. All guests must be approved by administration before tickets may be purchased.

Upcoming Events • Wilmington Ice House Skating Trip – Friday February 15, 2019 • Bus will leave after the last final exam. $3 & permission slip due to Mrs. Susa ASAP! • Bring money for admission, skate rental & food the day of! Recommend $20! • Busch Gardens Trip – Saturday March 30, 2019 • $135 Includes Charter Bus, Entrance, & Food/Drink Every Hour • Reserve your spot! Deadline is Thursday February 28 th! • Prom – Saturday June 1, 2019 7: 00 -11: 00 PM at Jacksonville Country Club • Senior Week – May 28 th through May 31 st *Theme Days TBA

Thank you.