Cougar Connection

Happy February! As we begin the third quarter of the school year, it’s a great time to reflect on the progress made so far and set goals for the remainder of the year. Staying motivated can be a hardship as academic content can appear more intense. We encourage students to continue working with their teachers and to use their resources for academic support such as the Center.

Additionally, we continue to meet with students for course registration for the upcoming school year, and we’re here to help guide you through this important process. Be sure to stay tuned for updates and resources as we work together to make the best choices for each student’s academic journey.

We’re looking forward to a successful and productive month ahead!

Student Services will be submitting midyear transcripts to all colleges that have been requested thus far by February 13th. Students can check the status of their midyear transcript in their Common Application portal as well as in Naviance.

The purpose of the event was for new/transfer students to feel better connected to the school community and for students to build relationships with each other. Oakton Student Ambassadors have organized a game of Jeopardy, a scavenger hunt, and light refreshments.

This event is for junior students and their families to hear directly from college admissions representatives in a panel format.

Topics include:

• Starting the College Search and Finding the Right Fit
• Preparing for the College Application Process
• Understanding Key Aspects of College Applications

The zoom link will be emailed to junior families via eNotify "Oakton High School."

This event will be recorded and shared with junior families.

All Senior Service-Learning hours for Seniors must be submitted no later than April 25th at 3pm to guarantee they are approved for graduation accomplishments. Hours posted past the deadline will not be guaranteed to be counted toward awards and recognition for Seniors. Please submit all hours into X2VOL for approval no later than April 25th at 3pm.

To learn more about Senior awards and recognition for graduation click HERE. This includes all Service-Learning Recognitions for graduation and their requirements. Any questions regarding this information can be forwarded to Mrs. Kimberly Stewart, the Service Learning Liaison, at OHS at kastewart@fcps.edu

The mission of CPP is to close the opportunity gap by preparing students for college readiness and success. CPP’s goal is to ensure that students capable of completing a college preparatory path will: succeed in rigorous curriculum, actively participate in the school community, enroll in a four-year college or another post-secondary program, and become responsible participants and leaders of society.

Would you benefit from the following elements?

● Having a trusted adult at school to touch base with about academics and social-emotional wellbeing

● Organizing your time, materials, thoughts, and writing

● Getting and staying motivated to succeed in school

● Exploring colleges, careers, and a variety of pathways to postsecondary success

Do you fit into ONE or more of the following categories?

● First in your family to attend a four-year college in the U.S.

● Need financial support to attend college

● Current GPA of 2.5 or above

● Determined to go to college

● Willing to take some advanced courses and put in the necessary work

● Good attendance record

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the above, then CPP might be for you! You can find the application here: https://tinyurl.com/u2e3hme3

The application is only open to students using their FCPS G-Suite account.

All applications will be submitted ONLINE ONLY.

HIPS is a community awareness program designed to enlighten parents through a unique learning experience encompassing insights into trends and indicators of potentially risky behavior. This allows parents the opportunity to interact with police officers and various props.

If you are interested in attending on February 11, please register for the event using this link (https://bit.ly/hipsohs021125).

The presentation will be run by Fairfax County Police Department and our Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist for the Oakton and Madison Pyramids, Mr. Michael McNulty.

The event will take place in the Auditorium. Enter in Door 1 walk straight through Oakton Hall. The auditorium will be on your left across from the Main Gym.

The School Board student representative represents the interests of Fairfax County Public Schools students. The student representative is not a member of the School Board but serves in a nonvoting, advisory capacity. Students currently in grades 9, 10, and 11 are eligible to apply.

Watch this video to learn about the student representative experience from the current representative, Megan Sawant.

Application Information and Deadlines

To be considered for the election, students are required to provide:

• A written component, which is due Monday, February 24.
• A 30-second candidate video statement, which is due Wednesday, March 26. Candidates will be emailed a link to record their video on Monday, March 17.

Both application components are required to be considered for the election. Read more about the election process.

Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County Times Newspapers, Neighborhood and Community Services, DFS Public Assistance and Employment Services Division, along with businesses and community organizations, including our local chambers, have hosted very successful teen job fairs and career-building workshops for the past eight years. These events focused on students and young job seekers looking for a variety of employment opportunities; full time, after-school, seasonal positions, internship opportunities, and volunteer positions.

The fairs have provided thousands of teenagers the opportunity to get in front of employers and for our employers to find talented Fairfax County students to fill their positions. Even during the pandemic, we were able to host two virtual fairs that were very successful. Last year, we had over 1,500 students and roughly 100 businesses participate.

This year, we will once again bring our community two Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs and Career-Building Workshops which will run on two Saturdays in March. The fairs are open to all teens in Fairfax County looking for employment, volunteer opportunities, or tips on building their resume.

Student registration is free and open to all teens in Fairfax County.

Business registration is also free and open to any organization providing positions for students. Free table space and a complimentary table covering will be provided to registered businesses and organizations to advertise their available positions. Participating businesses must provide positions for students at the fair; soliciting without offering positions is not permitted.

The full list of participating businesses from last year's Teen Job Fair Series is available for viewing.

Saturday March 8th

All ninth through eleventh grade students will meet in a large group setting and individually with their counselor. During the large group meeting, students will review course options and goal setting. In individual meetings, counselors will review each student's academic plans, goals, and graduation requirements. It is important that students make thoughtful decisions with their course selections as they drive staffing and schedule changes may not be possible in the future.

Oakton's Academic Advising site is updated with the 2025-2026 school year information.

Oakton's website also has several links to course information: https://oaktonhs.fcps.edu/student-services/academic-advising-and-course-offerings

Students can make changes until March 5. After this date, course request changes will be closed until June. Then they will be made based on course and space availability.

Rising Seniors - Any junior who has yet to meet with their counselor is welcome to stop by their counselor's office or email to schedule a time. School counselors will reach out to any missed student.

Rising Juniors

January 30: Counselor Cougar Connect/Advisory Meeting

January 31 - February 14: Individual Counselor Meetings through World History II/AP World Classes

Rising Sophomores

February 18: Counselor Cougar Connect/Advisory Meeting

February 19 – March 5: Individual Counselor Meetings through World History I Classes

**Please note that these dates may be changed due to scheduling conflicts or weather-related days.

A high school academy is a center within an existing high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses that successfully integrate career and academic preparation.

Enrollments in the Academy elective course offerings will provide students with career and academic preparation for postsecondary education and career fields. Students enrolling in Academy elective courses will be provided with opportunities to participate in a variety of career experiences including shadowing, mentoring, and internships with local businesses.

To learn more info, students are encouraged to schedule a tour and visit the websites.

Chantilly Academy

Fairfax Fire Academy (Mandatory Student and Parent Interest Meeting): February 19 at 6:30pm

Falls Church Academy

Fairfax Academy - February 4 from 6:30-7:30pm

Marshall Academy

Deadline to register for on-time registration is March 6 (via Oakton counselor). Initial academy decisions will be released to students March 31.

Middle and high school students who meet the course prerequisites can take one online course. Students who have completed a high school math course may take an online campus math class. Middle school students who expunged a high school math or Spanish course or those wanting to recover a course credit may take the course again.

Registration is not open at this time. Please check the website for updated info.

When summer school info is available for online campus, it will be posted here.

FCPS also offers enrichment summer options, please check out the FCPS Summer Learning Opportunities site here.

Questions regarding Online Campus, Economics/Personal Finance, and Summer Learning can be directed to the appropriate student's counselor.

Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance requires students to complete work without direct teacher support. Students will

• Access content for this course through FCPS Schoology.
• Read through 14 modules, complete 140 exit tickets, 14 module tests, and a final exam.

This course does not meet face-to-face. Students may only take this course as "Pass/Fail".

Registration and Dates

Registration: Friday, January 17, 2025 - Friday, May 23, 2025

Course Dates: Monday, June 23 - Friday, July 25, 2025

Tuition

• Full: $130
• Reduced Lunch: $65
• Free Lunch: $13

Registration site

Please note that taking this course over the summer completely optional. Oakton offers Honors Economics/Personal Finance and AP Macro/Micro Economics which fulfill the required class for graduation.

Our NOVA representative will be coming to the Career Center (Rm. 1102) on the following dates:

2/10 – 10am – Information session & Financial Aid session

2/24 – 10am – Application Session

The ASVAB will be given at Oakton High School on March 20, 2025. The ASVAB test will begin at 8:30am and will take approximately 3 hours. There is no fee to take this test. Students should arrive by 8:10am to Oakton HS.

The ASVAB is required for military enlistment but is also a career exploration program that includes an aptitude test and interest assessment to help guide you with careers and jobs that might be of interest to you.

MHS students must pre-arrange this absence with the MHS Attendance Office. Students must provide their own transportation. Students should arrive to Oakton HS by 8:10am and sign in at the Main Office. Upon completion of the ASVAB, students should return to MHS and check in with the Attendance Office.

Online, free test ASVAB testing information is available online at www.asvabprogram.com

Link: ASVAB March 20, 2025 – Google Form

There is a ton of information and resources available about school specific and general scholarships in Naviance - Colleges - Scholarships & Money - Scholarship Search, that need to be taken advantage of. Do not let any of these opportunities go to waste and if there are any questions that you all have, do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. McClam and ask.

Students can also access scholarship information in the Class of 2025 and Student Services Schoology Pages.

25-26 FAFSA is Now Open

Attention senior families, the '25-'26 FAFSA is now open. All students and families who plan on attending post-secondary education next year are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Click here to begin the application: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Who should file the FAFSA?

United States citizens and eligible noncitizens should complete this form to apply for federal, state and institutional financial aid.

25-26 VASA Coming Soon

Virginia Alternative State Application (VASA)

The 2025-26 VASA application, to be completed by students planning to attend college during Fall 2025 and/or Spring 2026, will be released in late December 2024/early January 2025.

For more information, click here: https://www.levelupvirginia.org/finance/financial-aid/vasa-application

Who should file the VASA Application?

• Virginians who have certain nonimmigrant visas, are undocumented, have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or are otherwise ineligible to file a FAFSA.

  The VASA application only provides access to state financial aid and possibly institutional aid.

February 3-7 is National School Counselor Week, and we’re excited to take a moment to celebrate the work we do to support and guide our students. As counselors, our role is to help students navigate both their academic journeys and their personal growth, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of each student’s unique path.

This week is a reminder of the impact we can have in helping students feel supported, heard, and empowered to reach their full potential. We encourage everyone to take a moment to recognize and appreciate the counselors in their lives for all the ways they contribute to student success.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your academic and personal growth journey!