Central High School Newsletter

Students and staff enjoyed the day at Skateville in Burnsville last Friday. An extremely fun, and nostalgic for staff, time.

This week, CHS hosted the Superintendent Advisory Council. Students from all secondary schools, school board members, and Superintendent Dr. Paul Peterson joined together to learn more about what Central is all about. We discussed what makes Central different and how we support our diverse students.

Fact Sheet for Schools and College Access Programs

Free financial aid events are available to Minnesota students and families via Zoom! The series, running four Tuesday evenings in January, will cover details on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the Minnesota Dream Act for undocumented students, how to search for scholarships, and understanding aid offers. Please let students in your community know about this opportunity. To access tools and materials to promote these events in your school or program, access our Ready Set FAFSA Promotional Toolkit.

What are the dates, topics and suggested audience?
All sessions are at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights and will last approximately 45-60 minutes. Participants can ask questions in the chat. Participants can attend any number of sessions (choose dates during registration). Suggested audience is 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students and their parent(s)/guardian(s).

• January 7: Apply for Financial Aid: FAFSA | 12th grade students who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens
• January 14: Apply for Financial Aid: MN Dream Act | 12th grade students who are undocumented
• January 21: Scholarship Search | 10-12th grade students
• January 28: Understand Your Aid Offer | 12th grade students

Who are the presenters?
Presenters are from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and ECMC The College Place.

Will this information be offered in other languages?
Yes! All sessions will have simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, Somali and Hmong. In addition, there will be financial aid professionals during each session who can answer questions in the chat in Spanish, Somali and Hmong if needed. Session recordings will also have audio options in all four languages.

How can students and families participate?
All sessions will be on Zoom, but space is limited. Students and families can register at the following link: bit.ly/RSFAFSA. Session materials and recordings will be posted on the same page after each event.

Is there a scholarship for students?
Students who attend any of the sessions or watch a session recording will be eligible to win a $1,000 scholarship (one entry per session attended) awarded by ECMC The College Place Minnesota.

What tools are available to help promote these events?
The Ready Set FAFSA Promotional Toolkit includes information about virtual financial aid events for school/program newsletters, email messages and social media posts to engage students and families. It includes:

• Ready-made graphics for school communications.
• Short blurbs for family communications to include in newsletters, emails, texts.
• A social media guide that includes several images to promote Ready Set FAFSA events with corresponding captions to share on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter accounts.

Who can I contact if I have questions?

• Beth Barsness, beth.barsness@state.mn.us | Minnesota Department of Education
• Libby Fahrenkamp, libby.fahrenkamp@state.mn.us | Minnesota Office of Higher Education
• Tara Pribnow, tpribnow@ecmc.org | ECMC The College Place Minnesota
• Mandy Schram, mschram@ecmc.org | ECMC The College Place Minnesota

CHS students finished their second week of their CNA course at South Central College. By the end of the program students will be able to take the state certification test to become a certified CNA!

Starting September 5, 2023, the state of Minnesota started to cover the cost of one breakfast meal and one lunch meal for every student. Due to this, many families have not seen the need to fill out the application for educational benefits form.

It is important that families continue to fill this form out each year. Our school receives additional funding when families qualify for these benefits. Additional funding means more materials more staff, and more resources to meet the needs of your students.

There are two ways to apply:

1. Print, fill out, and return this application to Central High School

2. You can also apply in the Infinite Campus Portal by clicking on the "More" tab and then the "Meal Benefits" tab.

Please consider filling out this application. Funds from these benefits support your child's education.

With winter just around the corner students are often in need of warmer clothing. CHS has jackets, hats, and gloves available for students. If your student is interested, direct them to our Social Worker, Kerrigan.

1/24 - Distance Learning Day, no in person school (Central High School Only)

1/24 - End of quarter 2

1/27 - Teacher Grading Day. No School

1/28 - First day of quarter 3

1/29 - Students choose quarter 3 Experiential Learning Class