Senior Newsletter

Mrs. Debbie Pigg, Counselor

To: Seniors and Parents of the Class of 2008

From: Senior Counselor

Subject: Important Senior Information

Date: August 2007

Please keep this letter to refer to throughout the year. Start a folder and put copies of this newsletter, others to follow, and add college information that comes your way this year. There is a lot to keep track of this year, so organization will help “inoculate” you from the dreaded “Senioritis.” You don’t want it, and if you get it, at least put it off until May 30.

Seniors (and Senior Parents), get ready for one of the most rewarding years of your lives, one we hope you will look back fondly upon and even want to come back in a little over ten years for a high school reunion. But first things first. Senior year is usually stressful, fast-paced, full of things to do, places to go, and people to see, and it is also over all too quickly.

As senior counselor for the Class of 2008, let me say that I look forward to knowing you and your parents and helping you make this the best senior year possible. You are welcome to come to my office, call, or e-mail me. Let me know how I can help you. This is the first of many Senior Newsletters this year, but probably the only one that will be mailed home. Newsletters will be sent to your homeroom (2^nd period), posted in the room, and also permanently posted on the Bulletin Board in the Counselors’ Office. Extra copies will always be available for you near the Counselors’ secretary’s desk. Pick up your own copy and share it with your parents. Also check the Monterey website at www.lubbockisd.org/mhs. Click on “Counselors.” All of the newsletters will be posted there. Be sure to check out this website for other opportunities.

Get your email address on a new mailing list I will be building for this class. The best way is to e-mail me at dpigg@lubbockisd.org and request that your name or your parents’ names be added to the e-list. Whenever there is a new senior newsletter, you will receive an immediate copy by e-mail.

Newsletters will contain all information about scholarships that have come across my desk. Many of you are interested in scholarships, and reading the newsletters is the way to find out what is available through my office. Other important information will be there, such as tests required, important dates and deadlines, special college weekends, upcoming school events, things to watch for and maybe even things to watch out for.

Pay close attention to the announcements each day at the beginning of 2^nd/6^th periods. Please encourage your classmates to listen, too. Each day there is something on those morning announcements that could be life changing for someone. Don’t miss out or cause someone else to miss something of importance.

Please do not be lulled into believing that senior year is the year to “kick back.” Senior year is a fun year and will still be a fun year if you work hard in your classes, get involved fully in school life, and plan for your life after high school. Make this the year that you live up to your very best potential. You will be glad you did next year as you start college or your career.

*Senior Parent Meeting: Tuesday, September 11; Monterey Auditorium, 6:30 p.m. Parents, there is so much information overload this year, let’s get together and try to sort through it all. We will have a meeting to discuss what to expect of senior year, college applications, how to start the financial aid process, scholarship searches, required tests, and other important information. We will try to keep it to an hour. Your senior is also welcome to come.

Now for some important senior information:

*Dual Credit Students: have you taken care of your South Plains College dual credit enrollment? August 28 is the deadline to apply online for your college hours. All tuition payments are due by August 30. Remember that you do not receive any college credit unless you have actually enrolled online by semester for those hours. You must enroll for fall semester hours now and spring semester hours in November. South Plains College website is http://www.southplainscollege.edu/. Handouts are in the Counselors’ Office with additional information..

I. “Junior/Senior Handbook”—coming to your homeroom soon. This book is full of everything you and your parents need to know, including SAT/ACT/THEA test dates, all senior activity dates (graduation is Friday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m.!), career and military information, and scholarship information. These will be available at Monterey’s Open House on Goals Night, Monday, Sept. 17. Come by the table set up in front of the Counselors’ Office that night for your copy.

II. Important Tests

A. THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment, formerly the TASP) is REQUIRED of all students before they start classes in PUBLIC colleges and universities in the state of Texas, including college classes offered in high school as dual credit (our South Plains College dual credit classes). Registration materials are available in the Counselors’ Office from our secretary, Mrs. Jacque Brazell. Cost of the test is $29, which you will mail in with completed registration. Online registration is available at http://www.thea.nesinc.com/. Important exceptions: students do NOT have to take this test if they meet one of the following exemptions---an ACT composite score of 23 (19 minimum score on Eng./Math portions), or SAT composite score of 1070 (500 min. score on Verbal/Math portions), or TAKS scores of at least a 2200 on ELA with a 3 on writing, and 2200 on Math.

*Very important: ALL students, even those who are enrolled in South Plains College dual credit classes this year, MUST take the THEA before starting college classes after graduation. The only exceptions are the exemptions listed in the above paragraph.

Test Dates for 2007-2008: Fall semester offers only Oct. 13 (application deadline is Sept. 14). Spring dates are Feb. 23, (Jan. 25 deadline), April 19 (March 21 deadline), June 21 (May 23 deadline), and July 26 (June 27 deadline).

B. SAT’s and ACT’s. Students planning to attend college must take one or both of the two main college admissions tests. The SAT consists of Critical Reading, Math and Writing portions, each ranging from 200 to 800; scores are added for a composite score. The SAT fee this year is $41.50 and is mailed with completed registration materials. You may also register online at www.collegeboard.com .

SAT test dates are: Oct. 6 (Sept. 10 registration deadline), Nov. 3 (Oct. 2 deadline), Dec. 1 (Oct. 30 deadline), Jan. 26 (Dec. 26 deadline), March 1 (Jan. 29 deadline), May 3 (April 1 deadline), and June 7 (May 6 deadline).

The ACT is also widely accepted by colleges and has scores in four areas: Reading, English, Math and Science Reasoning. 36 is the maximum score on each section. The four scores make up a composite score, with 36 the highest score. The ACT costs $29. With the ACT, there is an optional Writing test. If you choose to take this test, add $14 to the $28 fee ($43). The site to register for ACT is www.actstudent.org. All registration materials can be found in the Counselors’ Office.

ACT test dates are: Sept. 15 (Aug. 10 deadline), Oct. 27 (Sept. 21 deadline), Dec. 8 (Nov. 2 deadline), Feb. 9 (Jan. 4 deadline), April 12 (March 7 deadline), and June 14 (May 9 deadline).

A chart listing all test dates can be found at the end of this newsletter, as well as the “Junior/Senior Handbook.”

III. SAT Review. There are several good review courses available, including the Reading Center, Kaplan, and Sylvan, ranging from the expensive to the inexpensive. Advantage Educational Programs offers an inexpensive prep program beginning this fall. Students may prepare for the SAT, ACT or both of these tests. Students may enroll in one course for $99 or both SAT and ACT courses for a reduced tuition of $175. Each 12-hour course meets for two hours, once each week for 6 weeks. Classes are after school, in the evenings, or on Saturdays. Visit the website at http://www.theadvantage.org/ or call 780-1626 or 1-800-521-3177. There are also free review tapes available for check-out in the Monterey library and some prep materials in the MHS Career Center. Check out the local bookstores, too, for some very good, inexpensive prep booklets for the tests, such as “The Princeton Review” and “Barron’s SAT Prep.” Don’t forget to spend some time in the free test prep booklets that SAT and ACT have available when you pick up registration materials in the Counselors’ Office.

IV. NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Student athletes must be registered to participate in Division I or Division II athletics in college. We no longer receive hard copy forms from Clearinghouse. The athlete must do registration online. Students complete the forms online, submit the registration fee, then print off a copy and bring it to our school registrar, Mrs. Alicia Trubisky, in the main office here at Monterey. Mrs. Trubisky will then submit your transcript.

V. College and Career Night. Plan to attend this great chance to visit with over 100 representatives from colleges, trade and technical schools, and all branches of the military. Students and their parents are invited to attend on Monday, Sept. 24 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Civic Center. There will also be Financial Aid session covering grants, loans, and academic scholarships in the Banquet Hall from 6 to 8 p.m.

VI. College Admission

A. Attend College and Career Night Sept. 24

B. When to apply: deadlines vary, so check the college catalog. We have a great book called “The College Handbook” that has addresses and information for colleges all over the U. S. A quick way to check is to go straight to your university’s website. Check your “Junior/Senior Handbook” for some internet addresses. A great website to get you to college websites is College Board’s at http://www.collegeboard.com/.

C. What to send to a college: a completed admissions application with application fee, a completed health form, housing application, transcript from Monterey (Mrs. Sherry Gipson in our main office has those), and any required recommendations. Texas public universities use a Common Application that will save you a lot of time, especially if to more than one university. These applications can be found online at http://www.applytexas.org/ .

D. Our Counselors’ Office has many college catalogs for your use, as well as other books and videos that could be of use to you. We also have a Senior File that contains college view books and applications to some colleges. Come by before or after school or during your free period to have a look. Also the Monterey

Library is a great source for information, with books, videos, and computer information.

VII. Scholarships and other Financial Aid

A. Credit by Exam is a “hidden” scholarship, which should be used by strong students. Consider trying to “test out” of college credit through SAT, ACT, SAT subject tests, CLEP tests or AP tests. Check your college catalog to see the exact credit by exam policy at your college, because policies vary. What Tech might honor, UT or SMU might not.

B. Use our dual credit courses that award high school and college credit. South Plains College has been wonderful to work with our students, affording them very inexpensive college credit. Current Monterey courses are Accounting, Art History, Biology AP, English 4, U.S. History AP, Art History, Spanish 3, Pre-Calculus, Intermediate Algebra, and Statistics.

C. Pay attention to the Senior Newsletters. Everything I hear about will be advertised this way. Learn to watch the newspaper and magazines for notice of special scholarships. Be alert.

D. Check with your employer, your parents’ employers, your church, and other organizations to which you belong. Ask if scholarships are available. Sometimes money is there, but just not announced unless a deserving student comes forth. There are scholarships based on special interests or talents, future career plans, or community activities. Many of these will be listed in “Compendium of Texas Colleges,” which will come in soon for you to check out from our secretary, Mrs. Brazell.

E. Keep your grades as high as you can. Also do your best on the ACT or SAT. Many scholarships start first with the grades, class rank (I will soon have your rank in my office), and test scores.

F. Get to know our LEARN counselor. MHS will have a counselor on campus each week available to help you and your parents with the complicated financial aid process. Mr. Lee St. Dennis will assist you in finding grants, low interest loans, and other help, as well as explaining the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Listen for announcements. Mr. St.Dennis plans to start his visits this month.

G. Don’t underestimate the value of combining several smaller scholarships. Many of the smaller scholarship opportunities will come second semester. Apply for everything for which you think you have a chance.

H. Realize that if you can make it through your freshman year, there may be many more scholarships available to you.

I. Apply to college. The largest scholarships are given from the actual institutions. They have their own scholarship applications and financial aid offices on their campus. Write to the financial aid office and ask if there are financial aid/scholarship bulletins for you.

J. Contact the particular department of the college you are attending for information (i.e. engineering, music, science, ag). Often specific areas have their own scholarships for students majoring in that field.

K. Keep your good reputation. You will need letters of recommendations, and we must tell the truth. Scholarship committees will want to know about your personal qualities, as well as academic qualities. Your citizenship and behavior in and out of school could make a difference. Also, give the person you are asking to write for you enough time to get the job done well. Let them know as soon as possible. Provide the person you have asked to recommend you with a stamped envelope and complete address of where and how you want your letter sent.

L. Parents, plan to file your income tax statements as soon after Dec. 31, 2005 as possible. Financial aid cannot be processed without parents’ income tax information from tax records. Try not to wait until April 15 because most of the grant money could be gone by then. Students can begin filing FAFSA forms on Jan. 1, 2008, not before that date. It is strongly recommended that FAFSA be filed online for quicker, more convenient processing. Go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

M. Check the walls outside the Counselors’ Office for offers, and check the board inside our office for newsletters. New posters are added throughout the year.

N. Consider summer school at a community college after graduation to earn less expensive credit. It is cheaper, and the classes are smaller.

O. Early graduation tuition scholarships to Texas schools:

· If the student graduates in less than 36 months (9-12), $2,000 (an additional $1,000 is awarded if the student also graduated with at least 15 hours of college credit).

· If the student graduates in more than 36 but less than 41 months (ex. January 2008), $500 (an additional $1,000 is awarded if the student also graduated with at least 30 hours of college credit).

· If the student graduated in more than 41 months but less than 46 months (ex. May 2008) and also has at least 30 hours of college credit, $1,000.

· Students must graduate with a Recommended or Distinguished transcript to qualify for these benefits.

P. Persistence pays off! Don’t give up.

VIII. SCHOLARSHIPS, so far

A. ROTC scholarships. Available from the Air Force, Army, and Navy/Marines. Full, four-year scholarships cover all tuition, costs, books, fees, plus a $150 per month allowance. Awarded on a competitive basis and include military commitment. Come by my office for more information.

The Air Force ROTC scholarship cycle for the Class of 2006 is now open. Interested applicants can go online and apply for the national scholarship that has an estimated minimum value of $55,000 with the highest award level of full tuition. The scholarships are merit based with minimum qualifications of 3.0 GPA and either an SAT of 1100 or an ACT of 24. Go to http://www.afrotc.com/ .

B. 2005-2006 Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest. The Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary sponsors a scholarship competition for 9^th through 12^th grade students. Students prepare a 3-5 minute essay and record the essay on audiotape. Details will be available soon.

C. Rhodes College of Memphis, Tennessee, offers three four-year scholarships to top students planning to attend Rhodes. If you are interested in applying for one of the Walter D. Bellingrath Scholarships, see me.

D. Washington and Lee University of Lexington, Virginia, has George Washington Honors Scholarships for high achieving students. .

E. Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. These awards identify and reward high school students solely on the basis of volunteer work in their communities. One high school and one middle school student from each state a are named state honorees and receives $1,000, a silver medallion, and an all- expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. If you have done important volunteer work and would like to compete for this award, see me. Monterey may submit one nominee for this award.

F. Career Colleges & Schools of Texas. Four $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to students planning to attend certain technical colleges. If this is your plan, see me or Mrs. Charlotte Sessom.

IX. Exit-level TAKS. Seniors needing a portion/portions of the TAKS will be tested on the following dates:

English/Lang. Arts Tues., Oct. 23

Math Wed., Oct. 24

Science Thurs., Oct. 25

Social Studies Friday, Oct. 26

X. Important Dates:

A. January Graduation—at Monterey on Thursday, January 10, 2008, 7:30 p.m. If you are planning to finish first semester and graduate in January, see me as soon as possible so we can order your diploma.

B. Advanced Placement tests (AP) at MHS, May 7-16, 2008

C. Senior Exams—Friday, May 23 (Monday holiday) and Tuesday, May 27, 2008

D. Senior Check-out—Thursday, May 29, 2008

E. Graduation! 8:00 p.m., Friday, May 30, United Spirit Arena

F. Summer Graduation—Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008

XI. Wired

There are some wonderful websites that can help students and parents during this busy, hectic, scary and exciting senior year. Check your Junior/Senior Handbook for some specific college sites, scholarship search sites (all legit!), and general information sites. For a head start, let me list a few helpful places:

A. College Board has a very helpful site with great connections for students wanting to explore colleges, college majors and careers. Students may also register for upcoming SAT’s here, as well as a personalized web-based resource designed to help students with college information. You can even download an easy-to-use, free mini-SAT and take a 68-question timed test with real SAT test questions. You then get a detailed analysis of your performance and a study plan. Go to http://www.collegeboard.com/ .

B. FastWeb is a very good source for scholarship information. FastWeb will ask you questions and match you up with scholarships that you might want to pursue. www.fastweb.com .

C. Another good site in the same category as FastWeb is http://www.wiredscholar.com/ . This site has a good college database, scholarship search, and helpful checklists on how to interview, complete applications, and apply for financial aid.

D. There’s no place like home! Don’t forget to frequently check out the Monterey website at www.lubbockisd.org/mhs .

E. College for Texans. This state site offers all sorts of essential information: preparing for college, paying for college (FAFSA, Texas Grant, etc.), career information, and the military. Go to http://www.collegefortexans.com/ .

Please let me know how I can help.

Mrs. Debbie Pigg, Senior Counselor

766-0679