SAT Prep Class

The SAT is on April 5th, and IVC will be offering an SAT prep class beginning on Tuesday, February 28th after school from 2:45 - 4:15. A full schedule will be sent out later this week. Meeting dates are set for 2-3 days after school per week. Students will meet with teachers from the Math and English departments to review subject material and discuss test taking strategies for the SAT. The cost for the ENTIRE prep class is ONLY $20. Sign ups are now available in the Guidance office. Please call Mrs. Placher at 274-5481 with any questions.

Hidden in Plain Sight Display

Please stop by the Guidance Department display at Ghost Pride Night this Wednesday evening (6:00-8:00). Hidden in Plain Sight is an interactive exhibit that will provide parents with clues to help determine whether or not their child might be experimenting with alcohol or drugs. It is designed to help empower parents and give them tips on how to address the problem.

Within the bedroom are more than 25 warning signs of possible usage. Some of the signs are pretty obvious. Others are things you may have never even considered.

Join the Counseling Department for Hidden in Plain Sight!! You just might be surprised at what you learn.

Peoria Regional College Fair - March 2nd

Mark your calendars!!!

Bradley University

Thursday, March 2nd, 2017

Renaissance Coliseum

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

High school students and their families will have the opportunity to learn about nearly 100 colleges and universities during the 3rd annual Peoria Area Regional College Fair on Thursday, March 2 at the Renaissance Coliseum on the campus of Bradley University in Peoria. The fair will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and admission is free.

Bradley University, in collaboration with the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling and area high schools, presents this opportunity for students beginning their college search to speak with college and university representatives from around the country.

List of the colleges that will be attending the fair

Driving Directions

ICC Placement Test - March 13th

ICC Placement Test

Any student planning to attend ICC next fall is required to take the placement test in order to determine placement for Math and English classes.

Juniors planning to take classes at ICC as a senior next year must also take the test.

Any student who does not take the test on March 13th will need to drive to ICC and take the test after school  so it is to the students' advantage to take the test at IVC.

Exceptions: Check the picture above for the exceptions.

Click below for more info

A How-to Guide to Register for Freshman Year Classes

Planning a schedule for freshman year can be quite an intimidating process. Hopefully this blog post will help students and parents through the process. Registration sheets are due by Tuesday, February 21st to the student's grade school main office. Class selection should also be inputted into TeacherEase before Monday (for those students with access to TeacherEase.)

The front side of the registration sheet is the demographic portion. It is important that it be filled out completely since the information will be entered into the computer system.

Please click below for further instructions...

Reminder: ICC Honors Program - Deadline Feb 15th

ICC established an Honors Program to recognize those who exhibit academic excellence. Consisting of enriched forms of existing courses, Honors sections are based on active student participation through research assignments, in-depth class discussion, group projects and independent study. Students may also enhance leadership skills in community service activities. 

New List of Area Scholarships

We have added a list of over 20 area (and national) scholarships. There is a wide variety of criteria. Employer scholarships include HyVee, WalMart, Sam's Club, KFC, and McDonald's. There are scholarships for a number of different intended majors including: teaching, agriculture, engineering, nursing, technical schools, and more.  We will update the scholarships as they come across our desk. Many deadlines are approaching soon so check out the list. The list can be accessed with the link on the right side of this blog or by clicking here.

Note: This is not a list of the Local Scholarships that will be distributed to IVC students. That list will be released on Feb. 21st.

Job Shadowing for Juniors

Juniors: Is there a career you are interested in but want a more hands on experience to be sure? Are you debating between two potential career paths? Are you unsure of what you want to do? If you answered yes to any of these then job shadowing might be for you. Juniors are given the option of spending a day with someone in a field related to your potential future interest. This one day experience is a truly beneficial opportunity for you to get your questions answered about what it is like to work at a certain job. There is still time to turn in your application - see your counselor with any questions!

Colleges to Visit IVC

Juniors and Seniors: Don't forget to check out the college visit sign-ups in the Guidance department!! Next up - Eastern Illinois will be here Wednesday, February 1st and Truman State on Monday, February 6th. Check out the Guidance Calendar tab at the top left of our blog for an updated list.

Class Registration Schedule

The meetings with counselors regarding class registration has begun.  Below is a general time frame of when students will be seen. This is just a rough estimate of when students will be called to see their counselor.

To be Seniors  -  January 16 - January 27
To be Juniors  -  January 30 - February 10
To be Sophomores - February 13 - February 24
To be Freshmen - Meeting Feb 1&2, Sheets due Feb 20

Great College Exploration Website to Check Out

Big Future by The College Board - Oftentimes websites promise more than they deliver. That is not the case with this website. Big Futuire 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. It is a crazy site for any age high school student and parent. www.bigfuture.org

For a more detailed list of information on website, click below.

Local Scholarship Dates Announced

Each year, over $140,000 is given out in local scholarships. These scholarships range from $250 to $75,000.  Last year, there were 45 different scholarships awarded to graduating seniors.  With the growing cost of college, every penny helps.

Here is a breakdown of the upcoming dates...

Tuesday, February 21th  - Local Scholarship Meeting - Extended HR

Students will see a presentation on all of the available scholarships. They will also receive a handout which lists each scholarship.  That sheet will be posted on this blog on the 21st for all students and parents to view. Students must be the ones to pick up scholarship applications from Mrs. Placher. Parents may not pick up the applications for the student. Students must pick up their own scholarship applications.

Click below for the rest of the dates.

ICC Honors Program - Deadline for Fall Approaching

ICC established an Honors Program to recognize those who exhibit academic excellence. Consisting of enriched forms of existing courses, Honors sections are based on active student participation through research assignments, in-depth class discussion, group projects and independent study. Students may also enhance leadership skills in community service activities. 

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