MAP Deadline Set for December 22nd

For a student to receive MAP grant money, the FAFSA needs to be submitted before December 22nd. If it's submitted on the 22nd, it will be in 'suspense.' Your FAFSA should be filled out today if you have not done so!

Co-op and Work-Based Learning - What Are They?

There are two programs available to the students which take them out of the building and give them some hand-on experience, co-op and work-based learning. Both are extremely beneficial programs. Any interested student should see their counselor as soon as possible.

Co-op Program

What is Co-op?

- Work half the day, go to school half the day
- Student has the opportunity to try out a career that interests him or her.
- Student earns money!!

Requirements
- Must be a senior.
- Must have 2 possible career areas
- Good attendance

Parent Scheduling Presentation

What a great turnout last night for the Guidance Department presentation on scheduling. Geared for future freshman and sophomores parents, the presentation covered a wide array of topics regarding scheduling. Topics covered included selection of classes, choosing a balanced schedule, which classes are required, options for the future, along with others.

Feel free to take a look at the presentation. Obviously we went into more depth about each slide but at least this will give you an idea about what was discussed. Parent Scheduling Presentation

Junior Class Planning Your Future Meeting

The Guidance Department met with the junior class this morning to share with them information about the upcoming year and a half. Students were encouraged to take control of their future by beginning the planning process, if they have not done so already.  Options covered with the students included continuing education, military, and full-time employment.

Included in the meeting this morning...

* a short video produced by the state of Iowa which really does a nice job explaining the whole concept of college and what "college" means. The video will reference the state of Iowa at the end. We played the first 2:30 for the students.

* an Off to College Guide which includes a timeline of things to do during junior year.

To view the slides covered in the presentation, click on the link in the Counseling Presentation section to the right.

Scholarships for Low-Income, High-Performing Students

This website provides links to scholarships available to students who have overcome financial difficulties in their families. These scholarships reward students who have excelled academically,
despite financial hardship.

Scholarship List

Registration Meeting Dates Set

Meetings for next year's class registration are as follows:

• Dec. 5th - Juniors
• Dec. 6th - Sophomores 
• Dec. 7th - Freshmen

All meetings will take place during extended homeroom in the auditorium.

ICC Offers Six Online Courses for HS Students

Illinois Central College has released the list of six classes that they will be offering this spring for current high school students. The classes are college level courses and students will earn college credit. The classes will be 14 week long beginning January 31st.

Any student wishing to take an online class should see their counselor for more info.

The classes being offered are as follows:
ENG 110    Composition I
ENG 111    Composition II
PSY 110     Introduction to Psychology
SOC 110     Introduction to Sociology
HLTH 121    Medical Terminology
BUS 110     Introduction to Business

Parent Workshop - Depression and Suicide

Last night, the Guidance Department hosted a parent workshop on depression and suicide. We wanted to give all parents and students an opportunity to view the presentation. Although this presentation is an overview of what was discussed, it should provide parents and students with a great starting point when learning more about the topic.

Feel free to contact the Guidance Department with any questions or concerns that you might have.

Voice of Democracy Contest - Deadline nears

Deadline is Nov 1st for submission into the Voice of Democracy contest. It is open to all IVC students. Get those essays done this weekend! $500 to the winner, $200 for second place.

HOW TO FOR AUDIO...
On your Chromebook, the following four apps/extensions have been unlocked for audio recording.
    Simple Audio Recorder - extension that allows you to click ONE button to start and stop. Doesn't get easier. File is saved as a .wav file.
    Voice Recorder
    Mic Note
    Talk and Comment
Save the file onto a thumb drive or CD.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE TURNED IN...
    Audio File either on thumb drive or CD
    Printed essay of what what said
    Entry Form (available in Guidance Office)

Turn all entries in to Mr. Kosinski

New Club - Random Acts

IVC will be starting a new club, Random Acts. The goal of Random Acts is to spread awesomeness one person at a time.  No exact structure has been determined because we have not had our first meeting yet, but the focus of the club will be to do Random Acts of Kindness throughout the Central Illinois area.

First meeting: Tuesday, October 25th (1st HR)
Location: Auditorium

Open to all students and faculty

Senior Retreat - Coming Up Soon

We are pretty excited about the upcoming senior retreat.  Nearly 50 students have picked up registration sheets. The retreat will take place Nov. 2-5 at Eagle Crest Camp in Washburn.

Some neat facts about the retreat...

-- The retreat is four days in length and nearly 100% led by a group of six seniors.

-- This is the 23th retreat. Over 700 students have attended the retreat over the past eleven years.

-- Ms. Laura Davis, one of the counselors, will be attending as an adult leader.  She was a retreatant on the very first retreat eleven years ago. How cool is that!?!

-- LaMoille High School will be joining us again on retreat. They have attended retreat in the past and it has been neat to see the connection made between the two schools..

Please see one of the counselors for a registration sheet.  The sheets are due by Thursday, October 20th. See any counselor with questions.

Upcoming Parent Workshops

Restorative Justice

Wednesday, October 19th

IVC Library
6:30

IVC has recently turned to an alternative to the typical punish / suspend method of discipline that has been historically used in schools. Mrs. Bridgette Lynch and Officer Tim Podobinski will explain what that program entails at IVC High School.

FAFSA Workshop

Thursday, October 20th

IVC Library
6:30

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid will need to be completed by all students looking for financial aid and the process has changed a bit. This workshop will walk students and parents through the FAFSA process.

Parchment - What is going on?

We have been experiencing some problems with Parchment Transcript Exchange. For roughly two weeks, everything was working perfectly. Things went a bit crazy after that. Some of the students are being charged a fee, some are not. It has been a bit of a mess.  Here is as much as we know:

1) No IVC student should have to pay. The service is free.
2) Parchment is working to fix the problem. Apparently it is not just our school.
3) If a student has been charged by Parchment, he or she will receive a refund.
4) Students should try Parchment to see if they can order a transcript without being charged a fee.
5) If there is a fee, students should come see their counselor and request a transcript to be sent. We will send those transcripts out via US mail until problem is fixed.

Sorry for the inconvenience.  It has been a bit frustrating for all. Thanks.

UPDATE: Parchment should now be working. Please notify us if it tries to charge a fee.

8 Steps to Filling Out the FAFSA

The FAFSA Application opens up in just a few days. Although our FAFSA night is not until October 20th, students and parents may choose to start the process on October 1st. To help students and parents out with the process, we wanted to share an article that caught our attention.

8 Steps to Filling Out the FAFSA

Fall Open House- OSF School of Nursing

November 5th, 2016           
9 am- Noon 

Attention all seniors interested in a healthcare career. There is an open house at OSF- School of Nursing. We highly encourage each of our students to attend open houses to gather as much information as possible about post-secondary options.

Please see your guidance counselor if you have any questions!

Nurse for a Day

Nurse for a Day
Thursday, October 27th
OSF College of Nursing
Open to 10th-12th graders - Limit of 5 per school

Nurse for a Day gives interested students a great opportunity to learn what it takes to be a nurse. The day is a combination of hands on experiences and discussions with current nurses and nursing students.

We are limited to bringing only 5 students so interested students must see their counselor as soon as possible. The spots will fill pretty quickly.

There is no charge. Students will meet at school. Transportation will be provided by IVC.

Financial Aid Presentation

Over 50 people attended last night's financial aid presentation. For those not in attendance, Mikalynn Waddell spoke on the differences, both positive and negative, between grants, scholarships, and loans. The presentation can be found under the Guidance Presentations on the right hand side of the page or by clicking here.

Golden Apple Scholarship for Education Majors

The Gold Apple Scholarship is available for any senior who is hoping to study in the education field. Students can trade up to $23,000 of tuition support for beginning their career in a high - need school. More information on this scholarship program can be found at www.goldenapple.org with the application found here.

Off to College Meeting Condensed to 10 Minutes

On Friday, the counseling department sponsored an Off to College Breakfast for parents. We spent about an hour or so covering the college exploration and application process. This video is a condensed 10 minute version of that meeting. It will not answer all of your questions but hopefully be a good starting point.

On Wednesday, September 21st, the counseling department will be hosting a financial aid night in the IVC library. A representative from ISAC (Illinois Student Assistance Commission) will be speaking and cover a lot of the items touched on toward the end of the video.

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