![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/Ah4tjO2DIIfEV1cg0c4ILg.29f3fe3b.jpg)
![Logo](https://cdn.smore.com/u/thumbs/58b2/thumb-1809070f4e762e7be3107abfc168c2d6.jpeg)
CRC Connection
April 2024
![CRC Connection April 2024](https://cdn.smore.com/u/c535/075ab5121113745aa69c49d4a9bdbe8f.jpg)
SENIORS
WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOUR CHILD TURNS 18 REGISTER NOW!
Target Audience: Parents/Guardians of Seniors and Juniors
Date: April 30, 2024
Time: 6:30-7:30 PM
Where: Zoom
When your child turns eighteen, they are considered legal adults. With this milestone comes some important changes for them, for you and for your family. Once your child becomes a legal adult, your rights to their financial, medical, and educational records are limited without the proper authorization in place. During an unexpected critical situation and without proper documents in place, a parent may find themselves unable to assist their young adult child.
Caren Naidoff and Alan Press from the Shire Law Group will be the presenters for this webinar. This presentation discusses the essential documents that should be put in place as well as other relevant topics related to your child becoming a legal adult.
Register below!
FAFSA UPDATE
In order to meet Illinois graduation requirements, seniors must complete ONE of the following:
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Application Despite the challenges facing many students and parents during the launch of the redesigned FAFSA, please try to complete it as soon as possible. Step by step video tutorials can be found here.
Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid - this allows undocumented students to qualify for Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants to attend eligible in-state colleges and universities, and career education programs.
Opt-out Form - if you opt-out of completing the FAFSA/Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, you must complete this Opt-out Form in order to graduate.
FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTERS
Financial aid awards are starting to arrive, and seniors and parents often struggle to decipher the different awards like grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships. If you filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), your financial aid package might include an offer for a mix of an academic merit-based scholarship(s), need-based grant(s), loan(s) and/or Federal Work-Study. Colleges will add up whatever total money you and your family will be offered and subtract that from the total cost of attendance. That difference will be the college’s offer for your out-of-pocket cost.
TIPS FROM YOUR CRC:
This article on How to Read Your Financial Aid Letter may be helpful, along with this sample financial aid award.
Make sure you understand the different kinds of federal loans: subsidized vs. unsubsidized, and Parent PLUS loans. Colleges often offer substantial PLUS loans to "fill the gap" between what your family can afford and their total cost of attendance--be cautious when considering a PLUS loan.
If you are offered work-study (a campus job), consider taking it!
Utilize ISAC's Financial Aid Award Comparison tool to determine your out-of-pocket cost at each college.
If appropriate, consider appealing for more financial assistance.
MANDATORY SENIOR CHECKOUT WITH COUNSELORS: MAY 1 - Lunch Periods
Seniors are required to meet with their counselor during their SCHEDULED LUNCH period on May 1st in the West Gym. Counselors will be available periods 3, 4, 5, and 6. If you do not have a lunch period during those times, contact your counselor to set up another time to meet.
Counselors will meet with each senior to verify the following tasks have been completed–if the tasks are complete, the meeting will not take long. These tasks are REQUIRED and if you don’t complete them, your graduation tickets will be put on hold until you do. (Note: You will need to be signed into your school email account to access the forms below):
TASK #1: ORDER YOUR FINAL TRANSCRIPT (If you haven't decided which school you are attending by May 1, mention this to your counselor when you meet)
TASK #2: UPDATE YOUR APPLICATION DATA IN SCOIR
When you log into Scoir, you will be prompted to update your outcomes for every college in your “Applied” column.
You can also indicate non-collegiate outcomes as well like joining the military, entering a trade-school, or taking a gap-year.
If you applied to colleges that are not appearing in your “applied” list, please add those by going to your “My Colleges” tab in Scoir.
If you were deferred to any school, you should mark that outcome and then you will be prompted to indicate if you were eventually admitted or denied admission.
For more details, you can see further instructions here.
TASK #3: FILL OUT THE SENIOR EXIT SURVEY
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship opportunities are still open for the Class of 2024--visit the D128 Scholarship Database for deadlines and application links. Scholarships awarded through the VHHS Scholarship Program will be announced at Honors Day on May 20.
JUNIORS
Class of 2025 College App & Essay Workshop
June 17, 9:00AM - 3:00PM at VHHS
The Class of 2025 is invited to our College App & Essay Workshop led by college admission counselors at VHHS. This all day workshop for VHHS Juniors will include an overview of the college application process, offer small group case studies of actual applications, provide discussion and guidance regarding Common App Essay prompts, assist in essay brainstorming, and offer essay writing time with optional one-on-one assistance from college representatives. Look for details and registration information soon!
Junior Workshop Series
The last workshop for Juniors, Session Three-College Essay Tips & Summer To-Do Lists, will be on April 22 (3rd & 5th Periods) and April 23 (4th & 6th Periods). For more information and to register, please visit our SPECIAL CRC WORKSHOPS FOR JUNIORS NEWSLETTER.
Checking in with the Class of 2025
- Juniors who would like to meet with Mrs. Bellito to talk about anything regarding their plans post-high school should use her online scheduler to book an appointment. Meetings should be scheduled during a free period (lunch or study hall), and parents/trusted adults are welcome to attend.
- CRC Class of 2025 Google Classroom: Make sure that you have joined our classroom (Class code 4ilknag). We post a lot of information related to college and career planning throughout the year.
- CRC Remind Group: Be sure you receive Remind messages from the CRC by joining our Remind Group. The code to join is @vhhscrc25. Stop by the CRC if you need any help with this.
- Scoir: This is one tool we have available for researching colleges and looking at historical admission data.
ALL GRADES
CAREER SPEAKER SERIES
Join us for our final Career Speaker Series session on Monday, April 22, during 6th Period in the Auditorium. Our two speakers, an Emergency Room Physician and the Director of First Institute (Med/Dental Tech and Massage Therapy Training Programs), will share their own education and career journeys and provide tips to help you in your career exploration. Sign up by April 19 to be eligible to attend.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2023-2024 VHHS CRC Programming Schedule
For the most up-to-date programming offered by the CRC, visit our Programming Schedule.
Summer Opportunities
Looking for a Summer Jobs, Internships or Programs?
Look no further than the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling, which provides a detailed listing of Summer Programs! Click on the button below to preview this comprehensive guide.
Check out the D128 list of Jobs, Internships, and Volunteer Opportunities
The LHS and VHHS CRC offices are pooling resources to give you a robust listing of jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities in our area. Check back often as we update the list regularly.