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

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.