Chattahoochee High School

Senior Parent Night 2017-2018

Counseling Department Elizabeth Chilson A-Dap

Curtisa Johnson Das-I*Department Chair

Allison Grandits J-Mi

Deborah Blount Mo-Sem

Tammy Jones Sen-Z

Nikki Lee Graduation Coach

Alicia McClung Social Worker

Rita Jensen Records Coordinator

Dana Cochran Professional Assistant

Suzie Orr Cluster Nurse

Wonna Kang Bilingual Community Liaison (Korean)

Solange Leonardo Bilingual Community Liaison (Spanish)

Administration

Principal – Mr. Tim Corrigan

Assistant Principals are also assigned to students based on the first letter of the student’s last name. Please take a moment to identify your student’s Assistant Principal.

A-E Mrs. Debra Bryant

F-L Mr. Garin Berry

M-R Mrs. Camille Christopher

S-Z Dr. Michael Todd

Assistant Administrator – Garrett Abelkop

Stay Connected!Find us on Facebook and like our official page! https://www.facebook.com/chattcougar

Follow us on Twitter @HoochHappenings

Counseling Blog: www.hoochcounselors.blogspot.com

As always, you can locate information on the school website: www.chattcougar.com. We also recommend parents check Home Access Center every day.

Review of Graduation Requirements

• Graduation Status Reports

• Sent home 1st semester of Junior year

• You can update your student’s graduation status report with the last report card and summer course(s), if applicable

• Use it as a tool to double-check enrollment in the appropriate courses necessary for graduation

• Senior Failure Letters

• Mailed home when the 6 and 12 week progress report are issued to students

Graduation RequirementsClass of 2017

English 4 credits

Mathematics 4 credits

Science 4 credits

Social Studies 3 credits

Health/Personal Fitness 0.5 credit each

World Language/Fine Arts/Career Tech 3 credits

Electives 4 credits

23 total credits

Semester-Long Class= 0.5 Credits; Year-Long Class= 1.0 Credit

Personal Fitness Waiver• Effective 2016-2017, a Senior must complete one of

the following by end of Fall 2017

• 1 season of any GHSA sport

• 1 season of Marching Band

• Students must fill out a Personal Fitness Waiver form and turn it into the Coach Hicks (Athletic Director) for GHSA Sports and to Mr. Garofalo for Marching Band

• It is not automatically applied because a student meet the requirements!

• Not retroactive

• Students do not earn credit/grade for course - they are still required to have 23 credits to graduate

What are Colleges looking for?According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)’s State of College Admission (p. 26) the 3 main factors colleges consider are:

1. GPA/grades in Academic Courses• More than 80% of all Colleges and Universities rated

grades in Academic Courses as “considerably important.”

2. SAT and/or ACT Test Scores• Over 50% of Colleges gave the highest rating [as being

the most important] to admission test scores.

3. Rigor of Courses• 64% of Colleges rated strength of curriculum as

“considerably important.”http://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/NACAC/2014SoCA_nxtbk/

• College application essays• Letters of recommendations• Extracurricular activities• Leadership roles• Resumes, interviews, portfolios• Demonstrated interest• SAT subject tests

Holistic Perspective

College 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

• 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 recalculate GPAs or visit their websites

FAFSA• Beginning October 1, 2017, the class of 2018 can begin

applying for the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• Students will be required to report income information from an earlier tax year. • Parents do not need to wait until they’ve filed taxes to submit the

FAFSA

• A student should list any schools they are considering applying to on the FAFSA to ensure the school your student attends receives your information• You can add additional schools in the future

• The FAFSA can serve as a student’s HOPE/Zell Miller application

• For more information: https://FAFSA.gov and http://blog.ed.gov/2015/12/7-steps-filling-out-fafsa/

HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship ProgramsEligible students receive financialassistance covering tuition and approved mandatory fees.

Qualifications:• Meet citizenship requirements • Be a legal resident of Georgia• Be a graduate of an eligible

high school• Males must be registered for the

selective service

Types of Scholarships:• HOPE• Zell Miller• HOPE/Zell Miller Grant

HOPE Scholarship Requirements• Must earn a 3.0 GPA in high school.

• The HOPE award amount varies for each school and is a percentage amount of the standard tuition charges from the previous year (view the chart on GAFutures to find award amounts – typically about 87%).

• Mandatory fees are included in the percentage covered

• Institutional fees are paid by the student

• Students’ preliminary HOPE GPA’s can be viewed on GAFutures as long as their Social Security # is added to their profile.

* HOPE Scholarship recipients must maintain a

3.0 GPA throughout college at various checkpoints.

Zell Miller Scholarship Requirements(1) Graduate as the valedictorian or salutatorian

- OR -

(2) Earn a 3.7 GPA in high school, AND either• Earn a 1200 combined score of Reading and Math

on a single administration of the SATor

• Earn a composite score of 26 on a single administration of the ACT by your graduation date.

At an eligible public postsecondary institution, 100% of the standard tuition charges (view chart on GAFuturesto find award amounts).

*Zell Miller Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.3 GPA throughout college at various checkpoints.

HOPE/Zell Miller Grade Point Average• HOPE/Zell Miller GPAs are calculated by the Georgia Student

Finance Commission • Preliminary HOPE GPAs are available on GAFutures in mid-

September• Final HOPE GPAs are released after graduation• Academic classes, plus those that count toward a 4th Science (ex.

Essentials of Healthcare), are included in the calculation • Middle School courses are not used in the calculation• Conversion:

• Remove all honors points from honors, AP, and College courses• Convert raw numeric grades to the 4.0 scale

90-100 = 4.0 80-89 = 3.0 70-79 = 2.0 0-69* = 0.0*(failing grades are included in calculation)

• Add 0.5 to only AP and College courses (up to a max of 4.0)• Divide by the total number of grades

• Students in the class of 2018 must earn 4.0 credits from a list of

rigorous classes designated by GA Student Finance

Commission in order to earn the HOPE or Zell Miller

Scholarship.

• For example: if a student completes 1.0 credit of GSE Algebra

2, 1.0 credit of Advanced Math Decision Making, 1.0 credit of

Chemistry, and 1.0 credit of Spanish 2, the student meets HOPE

Rigor Requirements according to GSFC:

https://apps.gsfc.org/main/publishing/pdf/2012/Course_List.pdf

2018

HOPE/Zell Miller Grant Programs• The HOPE Grant program is for students seeking certification

from a technical college or technical division, regardless of the student's high school grade point average.

• Full-time enrollment is not required.

• HOPE Grant award amount will cover a portion of a student's tuition (view chart on GAFutures to find award amounts).

• HOPE Grant recipients must maintain a 2.0 GPA at certain checkpoints, in order to maintain eligibility.

*Students may apply for the Zell Miller Grant if they earn a 3.5 GPA during their 1st semester at a technical college. The Zell Miller Grant will then reimburse them the difference in tuition between Hope Grant and Zell Miller Grant.

More HOPE Scholarship Program Info• GPAs are not rounded (2.9999 is not a 3.0)

• Missing or incorrect Social Security numbers and nicknames will delay HOPE funds

• Males must register with the Selective Service no later than 30 days before their 18th birthday. HOPE eligibility will be delayed until this requirement is met. Register at www.sss.gov.

• Apply for the HOPE: (1) by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) https://fafsa.ed.gov/, or (2) by completing the Georgia Student Financial Aid Application System (GSFAPPS) -www.gafutures.org

• Additional Information Contact GA Student Finance Commission (GSFC) at 770-724-9000 or www.gsfc.org

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 Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Auditorium

• Online Search Engines:www.scholarship.comwww.fastweb.com

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

Chattahoochee College Visits • 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 print. They will show it to the teacher whose class they’ll be missing

• Students can register for a maximum of 7 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 college visit and Counseling websites, as well as inside the Counseling 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

• SAT & ACT Fee Waivers for eligible students (ex. approved for free/reduced lunch) are located in the Counseling Office

• Test Prep information for the SAT/ACT can be found at: http://school.fultonschools.org/hs/chattahoochee/Pages/Hooch-SAT-Prep.aspx

Application Process

• Collect and review application(s) details

• Look for checklists for each school – test requirements, course requirements, priority deadlines for scholarship consideration, etc.

• Start a calendar for deadlines

• Complete Senior Profile sheet/update resume

• Write essays and make sure to have them proofread

• Submit application(s) online

Parchment

IMPORTANT: The Counseling Office will process all transcript and letter of recommendation requests within 10 school days. Be mindful of this when college/scholarship deadlines occur right before or after weekends and holidays! Ex. For October 15th deadlines, students must submit transcript and recommendation requests no later than September 28th.

• Most colleges prefer electronic transcripts because their Admissions Offices can process them faster, and therefore, application files can be processed faster!

• What if my college or scholarship doesn’t accept Parchment?

Please visit Mrs. Jensen in the Counseling Office if you need a paper copy of your transcript.

Supplemental Information• If teacher recommendations are required:

• Give teachers at least 10 school days’ notice • Be mindful of college/scholarship deadlines occurring right

before or after weekends or holidays!• Provide teacher with a copy of your Senior Profile • For paper recommendation letters, provide an addressed and

stamped envelope to teachers, accompanied by any forms required by the college

• For electronic recommendation letters, ask your teachers to be on the lookout for an email request

• 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-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 –

LangeK@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!

What is Available in the College & Career Center?

• College rep visits• Seminars • Scholarship lists• Summer opportunities• College & career information• SAT/ACT preparation and

information• Computers to research

colleges, careers, and scholarships online

Questions?

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