Hello December!

The first semester has flown by! We hope you can take time this break to rest and recharge.

We are thankful for each of our families, and wish you a blessed Christmas and Holiday Season!

As always, if we can be of help in any way, please reach out!

Our team wants to send a HUGE thank you to the AISD AdvoCats! Their partnership is invaluable, and we are grateful for all you do for our AISD students and families. What a blessing you are to each of us!

Info Expo will take place at AHS on December 2nd. The Academic Planning guide and course selection website will be shared at that time so students and families can work together to create their course selections for the 25-26 school year.

Counselors will be available during FLEX to answer any questions students may have about course selection.

Counselors will be meeting individually with students for course selection meetings on the following dates:

MMS 8th graders: December 10 and 11

AMS 8th graders: December 12 and 13

AHS 9th graders: January 21-24

AHS 10th graders: January 27-29

AHS 11th graders: February 3-7

Courses will be verified after Spring Break. All course change requests will be due by the last day of school, May 22, 2025.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to ahscounselors@aledoisd.org

If your student took the ASVAB earlier this year, they will be tagged to come to an info session on December 12 to review their scores. An ASVAB administrator is coming in to help the students interpret their scores and discuss next steps!

https://tafb.wufoo.com/forms/z1hcj2gw1fqa9gt/

Class of 2025,

Seniors are required, by the state of Texas, to complete the FAFSA (or TAFSA) as a graduation requirement. The application opens on December 1st, and applying early is the best chance at starting the process to receive available funds. Students (age 18+) or their parents can opt-out of this requirement by completing the FAFSA Waiver. Either the FAFSA completion or the FAFSA waiver have to be turned in to your counselor for your student to walk at graduation.

Follow the steps below to prepare for these upcoming opportunities.

FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID can be awarded by the government and by the institution of higher learning that you attend. The amount of financial aid offered is based on the need and can come in the form of grants or loans. The FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) can be filled out starting December 1, 2024. We have linked some resources below:

• Learn How Financial Aid Works
• Overview of Financial Aid Video
• Use the FAFSA4Caster to estimate your eligibility
• Types of Financial Aid Video
• Sign up for your FSA ID number (for both students and parents; used to “sign” documents electronically).
• How to create a FSA ID video.
• Start your FAFSA Application.
• Need step-by-step help working through your FAFSA application? Use this guide from Nitro.
• 
  

Students will submit their completion or waiver by completing this form:

AHS Class of 2025 FAFSA Completion

You will upload proof of your completion to the form. This is the only way we will track your FAFSA graduation requirement. We will not be able to accept paper copies of the form, it must be submitted via this link for tracking purposes.

Students not completing the form by May 23 will not be able to walk at graduation.

If you have additional questions about FAFSA or the college application process, you can reach out to the financial aid department at your respective school or check out our College & Career Website.

If you are graduating in December 2024 (Early Grad) you MUST complete this before you will be eligible for graduation!

Thank you to those of you who were able to join us November 11th for our Coffee with the Counselors event.

We hope you found the information useful, and learned from the presentation and our wonderful student panel!

If you were unable to join us, you can find a recording of the presentation at this link or below.

We hope you will make plans to join us at the next event as we share information from Workforce Solutions- on the DFW Job Outlook & Helping your student find their career path February 6 @ 10 AM.

How to Make a College List

4 of More Hours of Screen Time Linked to More Anxiety and Depression in Teens

Master Time Management for Success

How to Handle Conflicting College Admissions Opinions

How Does a College Admissions Waitlist Work?

10 College Majors with the Highest Salaries for Graduates

Just for Juniors (and their parents) is a night you won't want to miss! Save the date and make a plan to join us for all things post-secondary planning!

We are excited to share an introduction to a free financial aid resource called Going Merry. Here’s how Going Merry can assist you this year.

1. Local and National Scholarships - Get matched to personalized scholarships by filling out your profile. The more complete, the better the matches will be.

2. Smart Planner - See your academic journey in one place. Track and explore upcoming milestones to stay up-to-date.

3. FAFSA and CSS Profile Support - Going Merry’s financial aid specialists are just one email away (financialaid@goingmerry.com).

4. College Cost Comparisons - Learn how to understand your financial aid award letters and compare letters side-by-side to make the best financial decision.

5. Financial Aid Appeal Letter Generator - Create and submit a formal request for a school to reconsider its decision regarding your financial aid package.

Let Going Merry help you maximize your college aid and see why 2 million+ students use Going Merry! Sign up for your free student account today.

Going Merry has thousands of national, regional, and local scholarships. There are also opportunities for every grade level, from freshmen to seniors.

You can also download the Going Merry mobile app (and sign up that way) on iOS or Android.

Here are some reasons why we recommend Going Merry above other scholarship sites:

• Scholarship bundles: You can apply to multiple scholarships using one application and the same essay prompt.

• Vetted scholarships: The Going Merry team periodically reviews every scholarship listing, to ensure the scholarship program is still active and the information is correct.

• Personal matching: Once signed up, you’ll answer a few questions to fill out a basic profile, and then get matched to scholarships that fit your background, academics, interests, etc.

• Clear organization: You can shortlist favorites and get deadline reminders about them. All drafts and applications are saved, and you’ll get updates on the scholarships you’ve applied to.

• Direct, auto-filled applications: You can apply to many scholarships directly on the site (with forms helpfully pre-filled).

If you, as the parent, want to also sign up just to browse around and recommend specific scholarships to your child, you can sign up for a student account yourself. Here’s what Going Merry recommends in that case:

• Use your name and email to sign up, but fill out the initial questions and your Profile based on your child--so put their class year, school, GPA, SAT/ACT scores, ethnicity, extracurriculars, etc. This allows you to see a “Matched scholarships” list with scholarships your child is eligible for.

• Primarily, we recommend parents browse the scholarships list and then note (and pass on) any scholarships they think their children should apply for. So if you see a scholarship your child should apply for, you can send them a link to it by copying the public link, which is a button on the right side. (You can access this “public link” URL without being logged in.)

• If your child wants to apply, they should create their own Going Merry account linked to their email address. They will also be able to upload documents, copy and paste essays, request recommendation letters, etc. using their account.

Happy applying – and good luck winning, as these students did!

The AHS College and Career Readiness website is a great resource for students and families who are taking the steps for post-secondary planning!

Check it out HERE!

Major Clarity is a great resource and is also where you will request transcripts and letters of recommendation.

Major Clarity Resources

• Career Exploration
• Post-Secondary Exploration
• Portfolio
• Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation (12th grade only)
• Connecting Your Common Application (12th grade only)
• Common Application Evaluator (12th grade only)

The FAFSA will be releasing in December of 2024. Check out this article for things to know!

How to Handle the Delay in the Release of the FAFSA Form

How To Find Grants To Pay For College

Strategies to Bridge the Gap Between Financial Aid and College Costs

19 Questions College Financial Aid Officers Wish Parents Would Ask

How to Prepare for the Compressed FAFSA Timeline

Want to visit a college, but can’t make it in person? Check out these virtual tour options!

https://campustours.com/

https://www.thecollegetour.com/tour-colleges/

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/virtual-tours

Check out My Texas Future for more college and career planning information! It's a great site that also has direct admissions information for 25+ schools in Texas!

https://www.mytexasfuture.org/

Follow us on Instagram and X (twitter) and like our Facebook page (Aledo High School Counseling Department) for all things AHS Counseling and even some Bearcat fun! We will share upcoming dates, important information, and show you a look at AHS/DNG through our eyes.

Lindsay Fuller, Lead Counselor Grades 9-12 Last Names A-B lfuller@aledoisd.org

Maggie Alexander, Counselor Grades 9-12 Last Names C-Go malexander@aledoisd.org

Mandy Fernihough, Counselor Grades 9-12 Last Names Gr-Ma mfernihough@aledoisd.org

Annie Walker, Counselor Grades 9-12 Last Names Mc-R awalker@aledoisd.org

Tricia Hackfeld, Counselor Grades 9-12 Last Names S-Z thackfeld@aledoisd.org

Email: AHScounselors@aledoisd.org
Website: https://ahs.aledoisd.org/staff/counselors

Location: 1000 Bailey Ranch Road, Aledo, TX, USA
Phone: 817-441-8711
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063129766467&mibextid=2JQ9oc
Twitter: @AledoHSCouns