Your 12th Grader's Next Steps
Resources for College Career and Beyond - Class of 2024
Every Student. Every Day. Prepared for Success.
Guiding Your Senior
Use this newsletter to sit down with your child and talk through their next steps.
How do I support my child's social and emotional health?
12th graders are at a critical juncture in their lives, transitioning from high school to college or into the workforce, all while navigating complex social situations and personal challenges. Here are some things you can do as a parent or guardian to support your child.
Open Communication: Discuss senior year pressures, post-graduation plans, and the digital age's unique challenges.
Educate Yourself: Understand current social media trends and the importance of a positive digital footprint for college and job applications.
Set Boundaries: Guide them in balancing online presence and real-world responsibilities as they transition to adulthood.
Be a Role Model: Share experiences and highlight the importance of a balanced life.
Encourage Networking: Suggest events related to career or college interests to build real-world connections.
Respect Independence: Discuss online risks and benefits, emphasizing their growing autonomy and responsibilities.
Boost Self-Esteem: Validate their post-graduation choices, encouraging informed decisions.
Acknowledge Senior Year Pressures: Be supportive and understanding of the stresses tied to this pivotal year.
Promote Balance: Emphasize time management and self-care, especially as they prepare for post-high school transitions.
Foster Independence: Help them develop essential life skills for the next chapter, such as budgeting.
Prioritize Mental Health: Encourage open dialogue and seek professional help if needed.
Stay Informed Together: Attend college tours, workshops, and learn about resources for their next phase.
Guiding a 12th grader is about striking a balance between offering support and allowing them the freedom to grow and make decisions.
How do I support my child's goal of High School Graduation?
Students who plan to go to work directly after high school are encouraged to find internships or programs that offer on-the-job training and have room for growth. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is an excellent resource to help parents and guardians understand the changing landscape of careers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm
If your child is interested in investing time in education after high school, they may be concerned about the cost. Federal aid is available for students whose families qualify. You may be suprised at how much support is available for your child! Make sure to complete the FAFSA to find out!
What are my child's options after high school?
The most important thing for students and parents/guardians to do is stay in communication with teachers. Teachers see your child every day and are the key to supporting their progress in courses. Call or email your child's teacher if you have a question about a course or assignment.
Log into your student's Infinite Campus Portal with them and review their completed credits, current grades, and courses planned for 2nd semester. If you have any questions about their progress toward graduation, contact their assigned counselor.
How does my child decide?
Sit down with your child and review the assessments and assignments they have completed in their Naviance account. They can show you the careers and colleges they have marked as "favorites" as a way of starting conversations about their interests and needs. If there are assessments available that they haven't taken, encourage them to do so. Help them talk with family members and family friends about their career paths and what they wish they had done.
If your child has a certain career in mind, they can look it up to find out what preparation is required. If they do not have a career in mind, they can look into some general courses or work with their school counselor to find out more about their interests.
School Counseling Events
- Participate in Apply2College Week events, including completing college applications, reporting college applications, and creating FSA ID
- Participate in classroom lessons about their options and opportunities after high school
- Meet one-on-one with their assigned counselor to review credits, course planning, and post-secondary plans
- Choose an appointment time for parent/guardian and student to meet with EducationQuest
- Review scholarship opportunities with a counselor
- Complete online career interest assessments
- Participate in whole-class or small group college fairs, career speakers, or other events
- Speak to college, military, or career reps during lunch
Standardized Testing
The ACT and SAT are both standardized tests that high school students in the United States often take when applying to colleges and scholarships. These tests help colleges assess a student's readiness for college-level work.
Many colleges accept both ACT and SAT scores. It's a good idea to check the specific requirements of the colleges your child is interested in to see if they have a preference for one test over the other. All students in Nebraska take the ACT during spring of their 11th grade year at no cost.
Preparing for these tests can be helpful, and there are various resources available such as practice books, online courses, and tutoring services. Students can take the tests multiple times to improve their scores, and colleges generally consider the highest scores. Students who qualify for educational benefits can access up to two fee waivers for each test.
Remember, these tests are just one part of the college application process. Colleges also look at other factors like high school grades, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and personal essays to make their admissions decisions.
Federal Funding for College
Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to help pay for college or career school. Federal student aid covers such expenses as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other related expenses, such as a computer and dependent care. In addition, many states and colleges use your FAFSA information to determine your eligibility for state aid and school aid, and some private scholarship organizations use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their aid. The FAFSA asks for information about family finances, including tax returns (see full checklist here), so you will need to sit down with your student to complete it.
FAFSA Facts
- Both parent and student must create a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) prior to completing the FAFSA. This will serve as your FAFSA log-in. This takes 3-5 days to process.
- Submitting the FAFSA is the most important thing your child can do to access financial aid.
- The FAFSA is free—you should not pay anyone to prepare it for you.
- You need to submit a new FAFSA before each academic year in which you want to get aid. If you plan to apply for aid throughout college, you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA each year.
- Both parent and student will need to use their own permanent email address on the form, so you can use your FAFSA account for several years. Both should also use their legal name on all FAFSA and college application forms.
If you are not eligible to complete the FAFSA, you can use the Aid Estimator as an alternative for some scholarships and schools.
FAFSA Appointments and Events from EducationQuest
- Create or retrieve your StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID)
- Complete student and parent demographics
- Provide income and asset information
- Sign and submit the FAFSA
When: Weekly and monthly opportunities (English and Spanish)
Where: Online or at school
For an in-person session at school, see your child's counselor to set up a time. For an online event, go to https://www.educationquest.org/events/
FAFSA Help at MCC!
FAFSA Live Events: https://www.mccneb.edu/Prospective-Students/Tuition-Financial-Assistance/Financial-Aid/FAFSA-Assistance
For one-on-one appointments: https://calendly.com/fafsa-assistance-1
Scholarships
OPS Foundation Scholarships
The Omaha Public Schools Foundation provides dedicated private donors a way to support OPS students. Log into their portal to apply starting November 1. https://omahapublicschoolsfoundation.org/
Paper Online Tutoring can help with Scholarship and Application Essays!
For more help, see your child's assigned school counselor:
Benson School Counseling Department
Bryan School Counseling Department
Burke School Counseling Department
Central School Counseling Department
North School Counseling Department