Connections Newsletter

Senior Family Night

This is the year! Our goal is that every graduate has an achievable plan after graduation. We will start our year walking through the application process and then move into review of additional avenues available to students. We know that life does not follow a straight line, and we want graduates to engage with resources so they can pivot when plans change. Here is a copy of the resource list used during our presentation. And here is our ongoing Tips to save Tuition resource list.

For those of you who came early for our financial aid guest speaker, here is a link to her presentation and a great senior year financial aid checklist for you. Remember to keep reading the newsletter for ongoing updates about the FAFSA< CSS Profile and more!

Junior Family Night

Thank you for joining us as we talked through our junior year plan. As we mentioned in the session, here is a document that has the resources we covered…plus a few other topics. To review, our goal throughout the junior year is to combine the interests, goals, values and strengths of each student to a future pathway. We will walk students through the process of finding where they will need their future education or training to achieve their career goals. Here is a great video that outlines many pathways.

For those of you who stayed for the financial aid guest speaker, here is a link to her presentation, and a great student or parent checklist for the junior year.

Freshmen and Sophomore Family Night

Thank you for attending the Connections Freshmen and Sophomore Family Night on September 4. If you could not attend, here is a copy of the notes page distributed. I hope that by sharing the resources your teen will be engaging with during my visits to history and English classes, you will be able to support their career exploration. Although it seems early for 9th and 10th graders to have this discussion, our process is just exposure and awareness of opportunities. I highlighted Naviance, Raise.Me, and My Colorado Journey as some tools we will be using. Please encourage your teen to sign up and attend Career Chats, College Visits, College Fairs, Gap year visits, military visits, and more. If you cannot find your parent Naviance log-in code so you can see what we are doing in class, please email Jodi Hoffman tcavisits@asd20.org for access.

FAFSA Updates You will be receiving regular updates on the status of this year’s FAFSA. The FAFSA is the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid and once available, can be accessed here. This year’s graduates and families will complete the 2025-26 FAFSA form. It is not active yet. The good news is that they will have a soft launch (and who doesn’t do a soft launch on a new program? 😊) to work out any issues before the application opens on Dec. 1 (tentative date). More information here.

What does it mean if a college requests my SRAR (Self-Reported Academic Record)? The SSAR allows students to self-report courses and grades that have been completed or will be attempted (e.g., senior year courses in progress), for high school credit. Create your SSAR account here. These are the colleges and universities that participate. FAQs here. Note: Some colleges do not require an official transcript with the application and allow students to hand-enter their grades and courses. A final transcript will be required before matriculation.

If you are looking to meet the Early Action deadline, you can come to Connections and set up a meeting with Ms. Peters. While a teacher's letter of recommendation is optional, if you decide to ask a teacher for a letter, there is a process to follow. For deadlines of Oct. 15, submit a request to Connections by Sept 16, and Teacher by Sept 23. Here are the steps but you are welcome to come to Connections for assistance.

This week, sophomores completed the Career Key inventory in Naviance. This inventory highlights six personality types ranked by preference (Holland Code) and matches careers for each theme for further exploration. Throughout the year, sophomores learn skills to search beyond their current experience and career knowledge. This is a life skill that will help with, not only their first job but can help them pivot into other opportunities. We will revisit and continue the Career Key results discussion next time we meet. Parents and guardians can see the results of these inventories via the family Naviance log-in under Self-Discovery. Contact Jodi at tcavisits@asd20.org if you need her to resend your login to the email listed in Infinite Campus.

TCA

Upcoming Events in Connections

Monday, September 23: Mini-College Fair, Colleges Attending

Monday, September 30: Mini-College Fair, Colleges Attending

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

In the Community

Before you go to a fair, check out how to make the most of a college fair

September 19 from 10-1 – Pikes Peak Workforce Center Manufacturing Warehouse & Logistics Job Fair, Citizens Service Center, 1675 Garden of the Gods Road

September 23 - Christian College Fair

September 23 - Southern Colorado College Fair

September 29 - NACAC College Fair

October 2 – D20 College Fair

October 5 – Explore Johns Hopkins: Denver

Virtual

September 15 – NACAC Virtual College Fair List of exhibiting colleges and universities

If you have registered your student by paying for the optional fee BY END OF DAY TODAY (Friday, Sept. 13), your student will receive more information from Mrs. Dahl soon.

The AP Exam is REQUIRED for all AP courses. The fee for EACH exam is $99, payable in Infinite Campus fees, and is due BY THE END OF THE DAY TODAY (Friday, Sept. 13). Fee waivers are available for those who qualify.

All students must complete 40 hours of community service and write 4 (four) 350-word reflective papers by the end of the third quarter of their senior year. Hours and papers are logged in the Community Service (x2VOL) link found on the TCA Intranet page and under the Family tab on the TCA website if logging in from home. If you need help, refer to this Helpful Hints sheet or stop by Connections.

Ursinus College offers the Abele Scholars Program, a great fit for higher achieving students with demonstrated financial need. Learn more at these virtual sessions: Tuesday, October 15 for a Specialty Scholarship Virtual Lunch & Learn at 12:30 p.m. or Specialty Scholarship Virtual Happy Hour at 4:00 p.m.

At Earlham College all students are automatically considered for merit scholarships upon review of their application for admission that can range from $30,000 to $40,000 per year. An additional National Science Foundation funded scholarship for students who are Pell Eligible and who plan to pursue a degree in a STEM field is available, as well as several other discipline-specific scholarships.

Emory University meets 100 percent of financial need for first-degree, DACA, and undocumented undergraduate students.

At Oklahoma State University students interested in veterinary school can apply to secure their future spot in OSU's renowned College of Veterinary Medicine with the Early Admission Program. They are also hosting the following Future Freshmen Webinars:

• Major and Career Exploration | Sept. 19
  Understanding College Financial Aid | Oct. 17

• Study Abroad | Nov. 14

• Wellness | Dec. 12

The University of Nebraska - Lincoln will be hosting a Virtual Visit Week from September 24-26 where they will have webinars sessions for in- and out-of-state scholarships, financial aid and academic sessions with various colleges and the University Honors program.

Oberlin’s College of Arts and Sciences will be offering five new majors this fall: Business, Communication Studies, Data Science, Environmental Science, Financial Economics. Oberlin’s Conservatory of Music has just launched a Bachelor of Music program in Music Theater.

At the University of Arizona if you attended a regionally accredited high school and have a 3.0 unweighted GPA through your sixth semester in the core competency requirements, residents and non-residents are assured admission.

The University of Nebraska - Lincoln offers a Pre-Physician Assistant program for students interested in becoming a PA.

We are seeing changes to materials requested by colleges. Here is one example

Vanderbilt

Short Essay Change – This year, we ask both first-year and transfer applicants to complete a short answer essay of approximately 250 words based on the following prompt:
“Vanderbilt University’s motto, Crescere aude, is Latin for dare to grow. In your response, reflect on how one or more aspects of your identity, culture, or background has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt.”
This update provides students the opportunity to share how their experience connects to our Vanderbilt values and motto.

Glimpse InitialView Video – Applicants now have the optional opportunity to share a 60-90 second video to provide admissions officers a glimpse into who they are. We currently offer an optional video through InitialView for international students, and this will extend that opportunity to domestic applicants.

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