November Upcoming Events and Reminders

Can you believe November is almost here? The year is flying by and we have a lot going on at CHHS. Here are a few reminders:

1. Thursday, October 30, Get2College will host a Financial Aid workshop for senior parents. It's not too late to sign up if you are interested in attending.

2. The deadline to pay senior dues is Friday. Dues are $40 and go toward the purchase of our Senior Gift and Field Day. We are hoping to have enough money to purchase a mustang statue similar to this.....

3. The deadline to register for the December ACT is November 7. This is the last ACT most colleges accept for scholarships-be sure to check with your institution for ACT deadlines.

4. Also, November 7 complete your Senior Ad. This can be done online through the Balfour website.

5. Graduate Services will return November 21 to collect orders for cap and gown. If you have any questions regarding your order or about any items from Grad  Services, please contact them directly at 601-898-7883. 

Finally, students, please remember to follow procedure when requesting transcripts and college visits. I have listed the procedures below for your reference.

Transcript Requests:

• Transcript Request form must be completed in order for a transcript to be sent. However, if your child is completing the Common Application or applying to the University of Memphis I receive an email and upload those online. 
• Transcript Requests forms should be filled out completely and signed by the student and the parent. 
• Forms should be turned in to the ORANGE folder behind Mrs. Cohea's desk.

College Visits:

• College Visit forms are in Mrs. Brown's office.
• Forms must be completed and turned in to Mrs. Case at least ONE WEEK prior to the visit.
• Grades, discipline, and attendance are taken into consideration when approving/denying college visits. 
• If you have questions about your visit, you will need to talk to Mrs. Case or Mrs. Brown prior to filling out a request. 

New Scholarship

National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT) and the Aspirations in Computing award

The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing offers both a national and 
local award competition to generate support and visibility for young 
women's participation in computing around the country. Each local award 
taps into the powerful network of NCWIT Alliance members: teams from 
academia, non-profit organizations, startups, and corporations come 
together to build a community of support for young women interested in 
computing.

More information may be found at 
http://www.aspirations.org/participate/high-school.

Applications will be accepted from September 15th - November 2nd, 2014. 
Make sure to apply for the Mississippi affiliate award as well as the 
national award.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:
Rian Walker
rw1021@msstate.edu

Updated Senior Information

We have survived the first term! Students will receive their report cards on Friday, so be on the look out! Also, keep the graduation requirements in mind. I am attaching a copy here to refresh your memory. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the student to make sure they have everything they need for graduation. If you have any questions I am happy to answer them. 

A few things to keep in mind for the coming weeks:
1. On October 21 at 10:30 am, Steve Douglas from Graduate Services will be at school to give seniors information about graduation supplies. He will return during lunch on October 28  to take orders-you will be required to pay your deposit at this time. If you need to set up a payment plan, Graduate Services will work with you. I will have more information after the meeting.

2. Get2College will be at CHHS on October 30 from 6-7 pm for a financial aid workshop. Students are welcome to attend but the information is geared toward parents. We had a lot of good feedback from this workshop last year and we are excited to provide this opportunity again. Please follow this link to sign up through VolunteerSpot (they will also automatically send you an email reminder two days prior to the event). There will only be one session but we may open the workshop up to junior parents if we have enough space. However, senior parents will have priority. 

3. The deadline for Senior Dues has been pushed back to the end of October. Please let me know if you have extenuating circumstances and need more time.

4. The deadline for Senior Yearbook Ads has also been extended to November 7. Mrs. Nobles is your contact for yearbook and senior ad information. All ads must be created online. Please follow the instructions below to create your ad:

• Visit balfour.com and find our school
• Select ad size
• Create an account (name, email and password)
• Enter student's first and last name, click Create New Ad
• Choose template
• Upload photos and design ad
• Click Add to Cart and Checkout-the ad is delivered to our yearbook staff

5. As you receive scholarship offers please bring a copy to the Guidance Office. Even if you are not planning to attend the school that still counts toward your personal scholarship total. We will announce all scholarship offers at Awards Night in May, however, we cannot announce scholarships if you do not turn them in to us! 

6. The deadline to register for the December ACT is November 7. This is the last ACT most schools accept for scholarships. 

Keep checking back for more updates and scholarships!
#RespectTheHill 

ACT Information

Several of you have inquired about the ACT. Here are some quick facts for you....

1. Students have to register online at actstudent.org. It will ask you to fill out a survey and select colleges to receive your scores. Students, please take the time to fill out this information accurately. This is something you should do, not your friend or your parent. 
2. Speaking of scores, colleges want your scores directly from ACT. You can select schools to receive your scores each time you take the ACT. If you do not have your scores sent to them at that time, you will have to pay a fee to send them to the school. If pays to use this free service!
3. Center Hill offers the ACT every time it is given. You will need to use our school code, 239-750 in order to test here.
4. We also have ACT Fee Waivers available for students receiving free or reduced lunch. You can use two during high school and they are only available for juniors and seniors. See Mrs. Brown for more information. 
5. According to ACT, you can hope to score your best during your junior year. By this time, you will have enough background in each area to perform well. 

Visit http://www.act.org/products/k-12-act-test/ for test prep and more information. 


A few other reminders....

1. Term classes end Thursday. Please make sure students are preparing for exams/mid-terms.
2. New term classes will begin on Friday. 
3. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, October 17. 
4. If your child has signed up for the PSAT, that test will be given on Wednesday, October 16. 

Financial Aid and Workshop Opportunities

It is almost Fall Break! Please help your students stay focused, I am already starting to see the ugly monster of senior-itis showing it's ugly head. We have a lot of year left! A few things as we head in to the weekend. 

1.Several of you have asked about financial aid, in particular FAFSA and MTAG. We have a parent workshop scheduled with Get2College for February 25 and 26. They will come to the school and help you fill out both federal and state financial aid applications. We have to wait until your 2014 tax returns are complete in order for you to file. You will receive more information on this workshop second semester.

2. Your students have asked about sending ACT scores to the schools they have applied. We list their scores on the transcript, however, these are not considered "official." The schools want the scores straight from ACT. Your student can log in to their ACT account and request the scores be sent to particular schools. There is a fee for this. 

3. The University of Memphis is offering a workshop "Making the Transition to College." This workshop is for students with learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and those on the Autism spectrum. The workshop is Monday, October 20 from 6:30-9:00 pm in the University Center, Fountain View Room, Third Floor. 

4. Several of your students have asked about Application Fee Waivers. These are available in my office for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Students need to check with the institution to make sure they accept the fee waivers. Most schools will accept them but some want the receipt from your ACT accounting showing you used a waiver for the ACT. Also, schools are not required to accept these-it is a courtesy offered by most institutions.

5. If your student is planning on attending Northwest Community College they do not need to send a transcript. Northwest only accepts final transcripts. We will send one for each student to Northwest at the end of the year. However, they do need to fill out an application and apply for housing.

Finally, please see the information below from University of Memphis

• #MEMbound: Follow us on social media to find out about the latest campus happenings and updates.

-       Instagram: _membound_

-       Twitter: @MEMbound

-       Facebook: facebook.com/MEMbound

 

• Campus Days for High School Seniors: Our two fall campus days are set for Saturday, October 4 and Saturday, November 8. Students can make reservations online athttp://www.memphis.edu/admissions/campus_day.php or by calling (901) 678-2169. 

 

• Campus Day at U of M Lambuth Campus: We will be hosting a Campus Day at our U of M Lambuth Campus in Jackson, TN on Saturday, November 1. Students can make reservations online athttp://www.memphis.edu/lambuth or by calling (731) 427-4725. Students interested in a small college experience with the affordability and advantages of a large research institution like the University of Memphis should consider U of M Lambuth!

 

• Merit-Based Scholarships: Our scholarship deadline remains December 1^st this year, and students can qualify with a minimum ACT score of 25 and GPA of 3.0. To be eligible for our merit-based scholarships, students must have applied and been admitted by the December 1^st deadline.  For full scholarship details visit the Scholarship web site.

 

• Emerging Leaders and First Scholars Scholarships: These scholarships require separate applications and have a deadline of February 1^st.  The Emerging Leaders scholarship is awarded to a limited number of students with demonstrated leadership backgrounds and interest in leadership development programs. A comprehensive application and interview is required, and the scholarship award is $5,500 per year. The First Scholars scholarship is awarded to a limited number of first-generation college students whose parents have no education beyond two years of college. A separate application and student’s FAFSA must be completed by February 1, and the scholarship award is $5,000 per year. Students receiving both the Emerging Leaders and First Scholars scholarships are required to live on campus in designated residence halls as freshmen.

 

• U of M is getting healthy with Midday Moves & Memphis Healthy U: Midday Moves is a fun, daily opportunity for students and faculty to get moving and exercise on our Alumni Mall. Memphis Healthy U is an initiative to encourage healthy eating on campus and ensures that nutritional information is provided for all meals available in our dining facilities. Together we are going to get fit!