Connections Newsletter

Beginning in Fall 2024, students who attend public institutions and have family incomes of $90,000 or less are eligible for a complete reimbursement of any out-of-pocket tuition and fees paid for their education. The program expands on individual institutional promise programs and extends financial support to middle-income Colorado residents.

Colorado Free Application Days

From Tuesday, Oct. 15 through Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, all 32 public colleges and universities in Colorado and several private institutions will waive their application fees, making it free for anyone to apply.

ONLY THE APPLICATION needs to be submitted on those dates, following these directions. You DO NOT need a transcript or letter yet!!!

Seniors should check the REQUIREMENTS of the colleges before requesting letters of recommendation from teachers. The recommendation deadlines follow the application deadline NOT Free Application Days.

Transcripts are requested in Naviance AFTER the application is submitted.

Senior Essay/Cover Letter/Personal Statement/Interview Post Chat

Last week, MS. Peters was in the lecture hall with seniors using the admin’s new senior schedule plan. During our class, seniors circled roles and identities they identified with most. Then, they spent about 10 minutes brainstorming how they chose those roles and how/where they play those roles in life or would like to play them, in life. Here are some other brainstorming tips.

So often, sitting down to write an ESSAY is a roadblock. Instead, take time to consider who you are, what matters to you, and what you hope will matter in your future. Your goal for your essay, personal statement, interview, or cover letter is to give the reader a SNAPSHOT of who you are or what matters to you. Here are some basic tips.

Letter of Recommendations

If you have a November 15th deadline for a college or scholarship application, you will need to complete these four steps by November 1 for teachers and October 25 for Connections.

1. Ask the letter writer in person
2. Update your resume in Naviance
3. Complete the Letter of Rec/Form Profile in Naviance
4. Add the request into Naviance (this permits us to release information and you the opportunity to clarify what you need in the letter

We work while you work so your application does not need to be completed by these dates, only by the app deadline. Stop by Connections if you need any help with these steps.

This week, juniors completed the Clifton Strengths Explorer, identifying their top 3 (out of 10) Strengths Themes. From their results, they explored related career pathways and reviewed action items to build on their strengths. Note: these are also great answers to the typical interview question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” Here is a workbook to explore your teen as you continue to affirm their strengths.

Part two of our lesson was describing the attributes of a college and considering what options were most important to them. There are no “this is best for everyone” answers; we all want something different. Here is a workbook that can help your family discuss different college attributes. Where to go for education or training will be different for each student. Throughout the rest of the year, we will continue to review career options and explore how and where to pursue those options.

Last week in their history class, sophomores set an academic goal using WOOP - Wish, Outcome, Obstacle(s), and Plan. What do you hope for, what would be the result of attaining that wish, what could get in the way, and how do you get around the obstacle to the result? Talk with your teen about their goals. Remember, you have access to goals and inventory results in Naviance. We also worked on Resumes. Encourage your teen to keep track of activities starting the SUMMER AFTER 8th grade and add to their resumes with as much detail as possible (Qualify and Quantify). Writing down “teddy bear drive with NHS” does not give as many details as “organized teddy bear drive with 10 other students, collected 250 teddy bears to distribute to fire stations in our community” which tells a much better story.

Skills, by definition, are the expertise, talent, and understanding needed to do a job or task. Freshmen who are in Mr. Perry’s world history class this semester completed a short inventory in Naviance named Achieveworks Skills. Our goal was to recognize skills critical in the work world that can be built over time - conscientiousness, creativity, critical thinking, leadership, and social-emotional skills. When viewing these skills and recommendations for growth, the results highlight how skills can be built over time, and which employment and career opportunities have similar skills. As job postings are adapting to a skills-based hiring practice, we want to prepare students to speak to and demonstrate their skills. To try a similar inventory, click here.

We are excited to continue our Career Talk series this week with TCA parent JP Arnold on Thursday, October 24 at 8:40 in Room 1104. Arnold is a decorated retired U.S. Army Major and Public Affairs Officer, spent part of his career in computers and information technology, and is now a marketing and business development manager. This talk will appeal to students interested in computers, marketing, business, or the military. Sign up in Naviance for a pass. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events in Connections

Tuesday, Oct 15 to Thursday, Oct 17: Colorado Free Application Days

Tuesday, October 22, 9:35: University of Northern Colorado

Tuesday, October 22, 11:25: Drake University

Wednesday, October 23, 12:20: Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Thursday, October 23, 10:30: Mandatory Senior Flex – Financial Aid/Scholarships

Thursday, October 24, 8:40: Career Talk: JP Arnold – Computers/Public Relations,

Marketing & Business Development

Thursday, October 24, 1:15: Regis University

Friday, October 25, 10:30: BINGO

The next SAT testing date is November 2, 2024. Register by October 18, 2024.

Additional test dates: November 2 and December 7, 2024; March 8, 2025

Schoolhouse offers free SAT Turing Bootcamp.

The next ACT testing date is December 14, 2024. Register by November 8, 2024.

Additional test dates: December 14, 2024 and February 8, 2025

Katina Dahl, Advisor - Freshmen, Sophomore, AP, PSAT/NMSQT

Jodi Hoffman, Office Manager - College & Career Visits, Community Service

Email: tcavisits@asd20.org
Website: tcatitans.org
Location: 975 Stout Road, Colorado Springs, CO
Phone: 719-484-0091 1104