Attention Juniors: The PSAT/NMSQT is October 19th, 2016!!!!

                                                   

     The PSAT/NMSQT is a great way to preview and practice for the SAT. It will test the same skills and knowledge as the SAT — in a way that makes sense for your grade level. When you get your test results, connect your College Board and Khan Academy®accounts to get free personalized SAT study recommendations.

In addition, when you take the PSAT/NMSQT, you’re automatically screened for the National Merit® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships.

For more information, visit NMSC'swebsite or see the Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT or the Guide to the National Merit® Scholarship Program(for educators). The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is a cosponsor of the PSAT/NMSQT.

We will test on October 19th, 2016 at 8:00 am. We will test all juniors in preparation for the SAT in the spring. For the 2016 school year, there is no fee to take the test. We will be sending out more information in the upcoming weeks. Please talk to your child's guidance counselor for more details.

Lastly, please visit the following website for additional PSAT/NMSQT information:

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/k12-educators/psat-nmsqt-dates

Schools Visiting IVC

Throughout the school year, many schools will be visiting IVC. More schools are added every day.  In order to stay updated of which schools are visiting, check out the Guidance Calendar on the upper left portion of the homepage.

It is to the student's advantage to meet with the admission reps when they visit. Many schools actually keep track of how many times a student has met with them whether it be at a college fair, campus tour or school visit. Students can sign up for school visits in the Guidance Office.

Some upcoming school visits include:
Sept 21st - Licoln College
Sept 29th - Illinois College
Oct 11th - Truman State University, Michigan Tech, Blackburn College
Oct 12th - Eureka College
Oct 18th - Illinois State University
Oct 19th - U of I-Champaign, SIU-E, MacMurray College
Oct 26th - Monmouth College

Illinois PaCE: Postsecondary and Career Expectations

As part of Illinois' Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, the Illinois Board of Education outlined what a student should know at the end of each year of high school to help ensure readiness for life after high school. The IVC Guidance departments meets with students both as a class and on a 1-on-1 basis to discuss the career exploration process as well as post-secondary plans. Students are always encouraged to stop by to see their counselor with any questions.

By the end of 9th grade, a student should know:

• One or two career clusters for further exploration and development
• The relationship between high school coursework, attendance, and grades to post-secondary plans
• Importance of community service and extracurricular activities to post-secondary and career plans

By the end of 10th grade, a student should know:

$500 Up for Grabs to an IVC Student

One IVC student will walk away with $500 in this year's Voice of Democracy Contest sponsored by our local VFW. Students need to create a 3-5 minute oral essay on the topic "My Responsibility to America." The competition is open to all IVC students. Deadline is October 31st. Students should see their counselor for registration sheet and rules.

Topic: My Responsibility to America
Top Prize: $500
Second Prize: $200
Due Date: October 31st
For more details: Ask a Guidance Counselor

Basically students will need to write an essay and then transcribe it to an audio file. It is actually quite simple. The teachers at the high school use many different programs to save audio. Students should ask their English teacher if they are unsure what program to use.

Link to form

Off to College Breakfast

Don't forget to join the IVC Guidance Department for an Off to College Breakfast FRIDAY September 16th at 8:00 AM at the Chillicothe Public Library. Reservations not needed. Call IVC Guidance at 274-5481 with questions.

ICC College Night

ICC Announces 2016-17 Visit Days

What a great way to visit campus ICC campus and learn about different programs offered. Illinois Central College has released this year's Friday Campus Visit Days.

Reserve your spot online at http://icc.edu/admissions/campus-visits/

The full list of visit days is as follows:
Sept. 23 - Health Careers
Sept. 30 - Financial Aid (FAFSA)
Oct. 7 - Agriculture/Horticulture

Start the College Exploration Process Online

College exploration can be a daunting task. Many websites help bring that college exploration to your fingertips.  Here are a few sites that hopefully ease the process a bit.

U.S. News and World Report - Great starting spot for exploration process. Well known for their college rankings, U.S. News has great information about college. New rankings come out next week on September 13th. Check them out at www.usnews.com/education.

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) - We highlight ISAC in the college links on the right side of the blog because of what a great resource it is for students and parents. Contains a ton of information with regard to financial aid and scholarships.  Descriptions of different loans and grants available to students.  There is also help available for filling out FAFSA. www.isac.org

Big Future by The College Board - This website is so jam packed with information that you could spend days and days looking at valuable info. Categories include: Finding Colleges, Exploring Colleges, Paying for College, and Getting In. www.bigfuture.org

Reminder to ALL Seniors (Re: Parchment)

All seniors need to register with Parchment in order to have transcripts sent to any school or the NCAA. We will no longer be sending paper transcripts. Seniors have been emailed an invitation to their IVC email accounts.  All they need to do is click on the link and fill out registration.  The whole process takes about ten minutes.

2016-17 Parent Workshops

Parent College Breakfast

New Electronic Transcript Service

This year's seniors will be the first group to be able to access and fully utilize electronic transcript transmission. This will enable the students to request transcripts from any internet access even after graduation.  This service is provided by ISAC (Illinois Student Assistance Commission)  and totally FREE to Illinois schools and students.

So why go with electronic transmission? In addition to the flexibility of sending transcripts from any electronic device, Parchment enables students to keep a record of the transcripts sent.  Schools are able to transmit transcripts instantly without needing to use old fashioned paper copy through the mail.

All seniors were sent an invitation to register. They will not be able to send transcripts until they have registered with Parchment.  The whole process takes roughly ten minutes.

Clicking on the link to the upper right of this blog will take you to Parchment.

ACT Testing

 ATTENTION SENIORS!! If you have not yet taken the ACT, consider signing up for the next available test. The test is given on October 22nd with the deadline to register being September 16th. Testing location options include Dunlap High School, Illinois Central College, Bradley University, and Richwoods High School. More information can be found at www.actstudent.org.

Summer Service Trip Opportunity for Students

For the past five years, a group of IVC students and faculty have traveled up to Kewadin, MI for a week-long service on the Grand Traverse Reservation. The trip is open to any IVC student.  Over the past five years, the people on the reservation have become an extended family.  Any interested student stop by the guidance office for more information. There will be an informational meeting for all freshmen and sophomores in the auditorium on Wednesday.

The particulars of the trip are as follows:

IVC Senior Honors Night

We will be honoring seniors on Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30 in the IVC Auditorium.

Any student with a GPA above 3.25 should attend. Over $100,000 in scholarship will also be awarded. Students receiving an award or scholarship with a GPA below 3.25 will be contacted to let them know they need to attend.

Speak Up!!

We would like to wrap our suicide awareness week by encouraging you to speak up if you or someone you know is struggling. Whether it is talking to a trusted adult or calling an anonymous hotline, help is available to you. The previous few posts have given several resources that are available for several types of situations. These resources are there for one reason: to help individuals in their time of need.

In closing, we would like to leave with this final thought: Your individuality is a precious gift. Embrace your gift and share it with the world!

As a wise man once said, "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is Youer than You."
                                                               --- Dr. Seuss

Mental Health Resources

Reaching out to others and educating oneself are so critical when tackling mental health issues. In addition to the resources available at school, there are many websites that have had such a positive impact on the lives of teens and their families. Some of these issues are tremendously difficult to handle, it is so important that teens know that they are not handling them alone.

Some fantastic resources include:

Crisis Text Line
http://www.crisistextline.org/
Crisis Text Line provides free emotional support and information to teens in any type of crisis, including feeling suicidal. You can text with a trained specialist 24 hours a day. Text “CTL” or “LISTEN” to 741-741.

ReachOut.com
http://us.reachout.com/
This website provides information and support for teens and young adults struggling with mental health issues, including suicide. All the material is written by teens and young adults. There are fact sheets about depression and suicide, stories about dealing with suicide issues, information on how to get help for yourself and how to help a friend, and the ReachOut blog. You can also join a forum to connect with your peers for immediate support and information or use the text service ReachOut TXT to get help from trained volunteers.

Mental Health Awareness 

Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition. The following statistics focus on the teen population:

*20% of youth ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition

*11% of youth have a mood disorder

*10% of youth have a behavior or conduct disorder

*8% of youth have an anxiety disorder

In recent studies, it has shown that 50% of students age 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school. We surveyed our students at IVC in regards to suicide awareness, but also included a mental health piece. The following chart displays mental health issues our students have struggled with:

There are several warning signs. The following is a short list of signs you as a parent, a friend, a neighbor, a brother, or even a cousin can be aware of in case someone close to you is struggling:

*feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than 2 weeks (crying regularly, feeling fatigued, feeling unmotivated)

*trying to harm or kill oneself or making to do so

*out of control, risk taking behaviors that can cause harm to self or others

*sudden overwhelming fear for no reason sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort or fast breathing

*not eating , throwing up or using laxatives to lose weight; significant weight loss or gain

*severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships

*repeated use of drugs or alcohol

* drastic changes in behavior, personality, or sleeping habits (waking up early and actin agitated) 

Warning Signs of Suicide

The following short article was written by a doctor who specializes in the area of suicide. Although no one warning sign is an indicator, there is a strong likelihood that those teens contemplating suicide will display one or more of the following signs. While this is not a complete list of every warning sign, it is a fairly comprehensive list. 

The most important thing is to not ignore these signs if they are present. Contact a hospital or qualified individual to let them know what you have noticed.

Recognizing teen suicide warning signs  

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Suicide is alarmingly common. It is the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24.  While boys are more likely than girls to commit suicide, teens of both genders and all ages are at risk for suicide. It is especially tragic that the three leading causes of death in teens and young adults -- accident, homicide, and suicide -- all are preventable. Parents of teens should be aware of some of the warning signs of depression and suicide. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes the following signs that may signal that a depressed teen may be considering suicide:

• withdrawal from friends and family members
• trouble in romantic relationships
• difficulty getting along with others
• changes in the quality of schoolwork or lower grades
• rebellious behaviors
• unusual gift-giving or giving away own possessions
• appearing bored or distracted
• writing or drawing pictures about death
• running away from home
• changes in eating habits
• dramatic personality changes
• changes in appearance (for the worse)
• sleep disturbances
• drug or alcohol abuse
• talk of suicide, even in a joking way
• having a history of previous suicide attempts

IVC Suicide Awareness Week April 18-22

Next week, IVC Guidance Department will be hosting a suicide awareness week. The counselors and several students have come up with a variety of activities and information to help educate our school on the prevalence of suicide, the warning signs of suicide, and what to do when a friend is talking about suicide. The outline for the week is as follows:

Monday - Awareness Day
Tuesday - Warning Signs
Wednesday - Mental Health Day
Thursday - Where to Turn / Celebrate Individuality
Friday - Speak Up!!

We will be blogging each day about the different topics listed above, so check back for more information!

Illinois Central College Scholarships

Illinois Central College Educational Foundation offers more than 600 scholarships for all kinds of students. If you are applying to ICC for the Fall 2016 semester, go to icc.edu/scholarships to find scholarships that meet your needs. All applications are due April 1st.

Suspension on MAP Grants this Thursday

Only 54 IVC seniors have filled out their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Any seniors who have not completed their FAFSA are encouraged to do so before this Thursday. Below is the communication sent out by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is suspending the announcement of 2016-17 Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for applicants whose initial 2016-17 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is received by the Central Processing System (CPS) on or after Thursday, March 10, 2016.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Check out where IVC seniors are headed next year on the bulletin board across from the guidance office! Seniors: be sure to tell your counselor your after high school plans to get your name added to the board.