Connections Newsletter

Does your college require a mid-year transcript? Check your college portals to see if they require it. If required, go to Naviance, then Manage Transcripts, and request it. As you requested the initial transcript, you are now clicking the mid-year transcript box. Come to Connections with any questions.

Filing the FAFSA is essential for accessing federal financial aid, including grants and work-study programs. Plus, many scholarships and state aid programs require a completed FAFSA. Don't miss out and maximize your opportunity by submitting your FAFSA before the February 15 priority deadline!

Last month a new Common App program launched called Direct Admissions; this is a proactive admissions process that offers college admission to qualified students before they apply. Offers are based on data – like GPA – that students have entered in their Common App. This is one of their efforts to simplify and streamline the admissions process. Students who receive direct admissions offers feel relieved and more confident because a college extended an offer based on their Common App responses. This offer lets students learn more about the college, decide if it’s a good fit, and then submit their Common App. Learn how it works here.

FAFSA Federal Student Aid has new resources for the 2025-26 FAFSA, including Pro Tips for Completing the FAFSA Form, Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel: FAFSA Videos, and FAFSA guides for non-English speakers. Most college FAFSA deadlines are February 15.

Letter of Recommendations If you have a February 15 deadline for a college or scholarship application, you will need to complete these four steps by January 31 for teachers and January 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 teacher request into Naviance (this permits us to release information and you the opportunity to clarify what you need in the letter. Fill out green form for Ms. Peters.

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.

Scholarship reminder: Some colleges automatically give you merit scholarships based on your GPA/test scores. Some colleges have a scholarship application that sends your information to multiple scholarships. Some colleges provide links to outside scholarships. Even though you have been admitted (congrats!), there are still more steps to go. Apply for the money. You don’t know if you don’t apply! Read your emails.

Juniors reviewed college terms this week. Here is a glossary of terms for your use or review. We also discussed the tool in Naviance called Match powered by Concourse. You’ll notice a similar program in our newsletter; Common App also has a tool for Direct Admission, but students do not create their Common App account until next year.

We discussed a trend in college admissions. This tool has been around for several years but has recently been integrated into our Naviance tool. Basically, it is a tool to flip the admission process called Direct Admissions.

Here is the basic information.

• Colleges review an anonymous version of your profile and send you genuine offers of admission. Colleges do not receive your personal information until you indicate interest in an offer.

• Offers include specific program options based on your academic interests and career goals.

• Students on the platform typically receive multiple admission offers with most offers including estimated scholarship awards.

Click to Learn more about Match powered by Concourse

Please discuss this opportunity with your teen as we are introducing Direct Admissions as an option for students. We, of course, will continue to teach students how to choose colleges (if that is their path) that are a good fit, emotionally, academically, socially, and financially. This does not replace the college search process; it broadens opportunities.

During a history Connections visit last week, sophomores completed their PWR Connect survey in Naviance to review previous self-discovery inventories. They were emailed a list of resources to explore as they strive to learn more about an area of interest for them. Each student is encouraged to save a tracking spreadsheet to their OneDrive to keep track of interesting things they find while exploring post-secondary options.

Career Cluster Post Chat

This week I visited freshmen in Mr. Perry’s world history classes and explained Connections during freshmen year is all about career exploration and self-discovery. Freshmen completed the Career Cluster Finder in Self Discovery to match their interests, strengths, and personal qualities with potential career areas or clusters. Students in World History first semester did the same thing back in the fall. Career Clusters are groupings of similar careers and a great starting point for future careers. If you would like to complete a similar inventory, click here. Students and parents can find follow-up curriculum lessons in Naviance by clicking Planner, then Curriculum. Lessons are available on a variety of helpful topics, including “My Career Clusters.”

Our Connections team will be in the classrooms over the next few weeks, working with students to create and/or modify their four-year plan for course registration. This lesson is not course registration; it is a rough draft that can be changed. Materials will come from Melinda Norman, Scheduler, on February 15 when course registration opens. As we discuss course planning, we prioritize focusing on student goals. What do they want after TCA? Yes, there are graduation requirements, but options also fit those requirements. Connections is the first step as we take students from what they need to learn for specific career pathways, training programs, or college admissions to what courses might be available. Please take the time to chat as a family before course registration.

At TCA

Tuesday, January 28, 1:15: Bethel College

Thursday, January 30, 8:40: Career Talk – Crystal Klausmeier, Social Work

Monday, March 10, 10:30: Mini-College Fair

Tuesday, April 1, 10:30: Gap Year Fair

Application Deadlines

Application Due: 2/15/25; Connections Rec Ltr Request: 1/25; Teacher Rec Ltr Request: 1/31

In the Community

Thursday, January 30, 5:00-7:00: UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science Open House,

Register here

Thursday, January 30, 6:00 - 8:00: Construction Trades Open House, Denver

Friday, February 7, 7:00-2:00: UNC Future Teacher Conference, Greeley. Spots fill quickly.

Saturday, March 8, 9:00-11:00: RMACAC Spring College Fair, Pine Creek HS

Saturday, March 9, 1:00-4:00: RMACAC Spring College Fair, Cherokee Trail HS

March 11, 13, 18, 21: Young Adult Job Fairs

Virtual

Thursday, February 20, 12:00-1:00: PPSC Virtual Behavioral Health Information Session

Thursday, February 20, 12:00-1:00: PPSC Virtual Physical Therapist Assistant Information Session

Scholarships play an important role in paying for college. There are many scholarships available for merit, leadership, community service, academics, athletics, many fields of study, and for students who demonstrate financial need. Here are some scholarship resources for juniors and seniors along with tips for winning college scholarships.

QuestBridge connects high-achieving juniors and seniors from low-income backgrounds with a thriving community and transformative educational, career, and life opportunities that help propel them to lives of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose.

Explore these links to learn more about each school’s summer programming. As a student, participating in a summer program is a great way to further explore your interests, get a taste of what it is like to be a college student, visit a college campus, and learn more about topics that interest you.

Colorado School of Mines - Summer Multicultural Engineering Training (SUMMET), one-week, residential STEM experience for rising seniors from underrepresented populations and those with financial need. Apply by February 28.

Savannah College of Art and Design – Rising Star pre-college program, Summer Seminars

Smith College – Summer pre-college programs

St. John’s College – Summer Academy

Syracuse University - Summer pre-college programs

UNC Asheville – Summer pre-college programs

University of California, Santa Barbara - Pre-college programs, Summer Research Academies

Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Summer pre-college summer program

What is an apprenticeship and do you have any examples? Are there scholarships? Yes and Yes!! Read here for more resources. Colorado offers a Registered Apprenticeship Program Directory to help you find apprenticeship opportunities.

Emmanuel College has launched a new Global & Public Health major to train the next generation of leaders facing immense health challenges, which live at the intersection of science, policy and environmental factors.

Early Acceptance Medical, Law School, Optometry Programs: Seniors can apply for these highly competitive programs. Early acceptance allows students to be accepted into a medical program without having to apply during their undergrad program and often start the medical program before completing their bachelor’s degree.

Paul Quinn is the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) that guarantees all its residential students paid employment via their Corporate Work Program. Every residential student receives a paid internship (on and off-campus), which reduces their dependency on student loans.

SAT fee waivers are available to low-income 11th- and 12th-grade students in the United States. A student is eligible if they enroll in or are eligible to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP), or their family's annual income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. Be sure to look at the current year's guidelines to verify.

The next SAT testing date is March 8, 2025. Register by February 21, 2025.

Additional test dates: May 3, 2025

Schoolhouse offers freeSAT Tutoring Bootcamp

March2Success offers free online SAT, ACT and ASVAB test prep

More test prep resources available on our Connections page

The next ACT testing date is April 13, 2025. Register by March 8, 2025.

Additional test dates: March 8, May 3, and June 7, 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/Connections
Location: 975 Stout Road, Colorado Springs, CO
Phone: 719-484-0091 1104