CHS PTO Counseling Update February 7, 2023
· February 6-10 is National School Counseling Week. The Counseling Department will be using this opportunity to share what they do at CHS with students, staff, and parents through e-mail communication and social media!
· February 13-17 is Mental Wellness Week at CHS. The theme for the week is “A Flicker of Hope: Shining a Light on Mental Health, and the goal is to promote mental wellness by offering fun theme days and activities to reduce stress and promote positive coping skills. Check out the CHS Counseling Twitter feed @counselingatchs for more details!
· CHS Counselors are currently working with juniors and current 8th grade students to schedule their classes for 2023-24.
o 10-12 Counselors are meeting with juniors January 16 – February 15th for individual advising meetings. Juniors received an email message on 1/11/22 from their counselor with instructions for scheduling their advising meeting. Counselors will ultimately schedule a meeting for those who don’t request one.
o Monday, January 9th was Academic Transition Night for current 8th grade students. All 8th grade students were invited to join an 8th Grade Transition to CHS Canvas Course which provides detailed information about the scheduling process.
Helpful Resources for Students and Parents to Review:
1. CANVAS: The Scheduling module in the Counseling Canvas course will walk students through all the information needed to select their courses and prepare for their advising meeting. All current CHS students have been invited to join the Counseling Canvas course, and parents may view it as observers.
2. Program of Studies: The Carmel High School Program of Studies provides course descriptions for all CHS Departments. This is a great place to start to understand all of the course options available to CHS students. The Program of Studies for the upcoming year is posted in the CHS Counseling Canvas course and on the CHS website under Academics.
3. Videos: Learn about Indiana graduation requirements as well as the wide variety of programs available at CHS by viewing our “Exploring Graduation Pathways and Other Programs at CHS” virtual resource. This is posted in the Counseling Canvas course and includes short informational videos on topics such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Career & Technical Education (CTE) options, AVID, and more.
· Enrollment for Private School Students
Enrollment for 8th grade private school students will be on February 8th and 9th, 2023. Private schools will be providing CHS with contact information on students wanting to enroll. The Counseling office will reach out with additional information to private school parents this month.
· CHS Social Workers are working to support students in a number of ways, including:
o Meeting with students and families to provide support
o Connecting students and their families to community resources
o Coordinating with the PTO to provide food on the weekends for students through the Backpack Program.
o Organizing a mentoring program for identified students.
· All CHS Juniors will take the SAT on March 1st as part of the State of Indiana’s statewide testing accountability law. A message with details for the day and answers to commonly asked questions about the March SAT will be sent to all juniors and their parents in the coming week. Students in grades 9, 10, and 12 will have an E-Learning Day on March 1st.
· The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opened on October 1st! The deadline to complete the FAFSA in the State of Indiana is April 15th, however some colleges require that it be submitted earlier for financial aid and scholarship consideration. Families can get help with the FAFSA at College Goal Sunday on Sunday, February 26, 2023 from 2-4 p.m. This is a statewide FAFSA completion event held at numerous sites throughout the state, where financial aid experts will be present to assist families with completing the FAFSA. Learn more at www.collegegoalsunday.org
· Seniors and Senior parents are invited to attend After the FAFSA: Finalizing College Financial Aid on Thursday, March 9th at 6:30 p.m. in the CHS Community Room. This presentation by our partners at INvestEd Indiana will review how to understand what comes next after submitting the FAFSA, how to read financial aid notification letters and more!
· Local and private scholarship information are coming into the Counseling Office more frequently. Seniors can browse scholarship opportunities that they may wish to pursue in the Scholarship List located in their Naviance Student account. Scholarship information is updated frequently from November through April, and seniors are encouraged to check Naviance Student regularly. Specifically, the Carmel Education Foundation (CEF) offers over 100 local scholarships to CHS students. The CEF scholarship application is now open. The deadline to submit the CEF application is March 15th. Don’t forget to “follow” us on Twitter or Instagram for scholarship updates!
· Carmel Education Foundation Scholarships
The Carmel Education Foundation (CEF) provides financial scholarships to at least 80 CHS seniors each year, ranging in value from $500- $6,000. CEF scholarships can be used for expenses related to college, certification, or trade school.
CHS Seniors are invited to review the CEF scholarship materials available at https://www.ccs.k12.in.us/foundation/scholarships/application-process. Here, they will find a directory outlining all scholarships and their criteria, application instructions, and the application link, which is now open. Applicants will be asked to create a profile and respond to a series of questions in a common application format to determine which scholarships they are eligible for. Once their general application is submitted, they will be directed to a list of scholarships for which they will be considered and asked to provide any additional required information. Approximately half of the scholarships require a short essay, and the prompts are listed in the directory found on the CEF website.
The CEF application deadline is Wednesday, March 15th, at 5:00 p.m. All applicants will be contacted to verify their application content before they are notified of their application status on May 4, 2023. Scholarships will be presented at the CHS Community Scholarship Night on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. It is important to note that because CEF awards no more than one scholarship to a single student, they are truly spreading the wealth!
Questions about scholarship resources can be directed to your CHS Counselor or to Mrs. Stephan, College & Career Programming and Resources Coordinator at mstephan@ccs.k12.in.us
· Scholarship Confirmation Forms: Seniors report your scholarship awards!
If your student has earned a scholarship, please submit a copy of the official confirmation letter, including the amount, to Mrs. Melinda Stephan or Mrs. Leah Owens in the counseling center. Please submit only those confirmed college scholarships for the school the student will be attending. All monetary information will remain confidential. Submission of confirmations will enable your student to be recognized in the graduation program. The last day to submit scholarship confirmations for recognition is Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Due to coordination and printing deadlines, any awards received after this date may not be included for recognition in the graduation program. The scholarship confirmation form will be sent to senior parents in early February and will be available in the Counseling Canvas Course.
· Save the Date!
o Freshman/Sophomore College & Career Planning Night, February 16th, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Starts in the CHS Auditorium
o After the FAFSA: Finalizing Financial Aid (for Seniors/Families), March 9th, 6:30 p.m., CHS Community Room
o STEM Majors & Careers Fair, March 21st, 6:00-8:00 p.m., CHS Freshman Cafeteria
· CHS College Advisors, Mrs. Ann Boldt and Mr. Pettibone, are busy meeting with students and families who want assistance with the college search and career exploration process. Collectively, we have meet with over 950 students/parents since the school year started! Students in all grade levels are welcome to make an appointment. Students can request an appointment by completing an online request using the QR code below. Students can request that parents join these appointments when completing the request form.
· Reminder: Be sure to join the Counseling Department Canvas course! All CHS students have been invited to join the Counseling Department Canvas course, and once students accept the invitation, parents can join as observers. The Canvas course includes resources and information aimed at supporting our students’ academic, social-emotional, and career development needs.
· Don’t forget to use the following resources to learn more about the services and resources offered by the Counseling Department and the College & Career Resource Center (CCRC):
o Visit the Counseling Department Canvas Course to access a variety of resources
o Follow the CHS Counseling Department on Twitter @counselingatchs
o Follow the CCRC on Twitter @CHSCollege411 or Follow the CCRC on Instagram @chscollegecareer
