Connections Newsletter

So much happening on April 2!

• Wednesday, April 2, 9:35 AM: Career Talk - Engineering Careers. Sign up in Naviance. If your teen is interested in an engineering career, they should join us for an in-depth dive into Engineering Majors and Careers; sign up for this Career Chat in Naviance. (All grades welcome.)

• Wednesday, April 2: We have a special night for you and your families!

• 5:30 - 6:30 PM: Rising Senior Family Night (Juniors and families) This event will include an overview of the senior year, including planning and goals for after TCA graduation. We will highlight tools to research careers and colleges and discover multiple pathways to success. We schedule this event, so you and your teens have the tools to prepare over the summer for their senior year.

• 6:35 - 8:00 PM: CU Boulder Engineering Partnership Programs Information Session, Auditorium. After the Rising Senior presentation, the team from the Engineering Partnership Program at Western CO University, Colorado Mesa, and CU Boulder will discuss engineering majors and highlight the state partnership. (Open to TCA and the community)

• Tuesday, April 15, 9:00-10:30 AM: Junior Admissions Case Studies Session. This event, hosted by the Regional Officers of Admissions of The Rockies (ROAR) admission officers, will walk students through the process that admissions reps use while reviewing applications. We will flip the conversation and allow students to advocate for their student’s application. Knowing the decision process can help seniors create a stronger college application. Case Studies is a not to be missed event! We will be in the Black Box theatre from 9:00-10:30 during the 9th grade testing morning. Juniors will be released to Commons for lunch (no HS access) and then attend the afternoon class schedule.

Please stop by and talk with Ms. Peters, or send an email to petersj@asd20.org if you took the March 8th SAT.

Community Service for seniors is due Friday, March 21. As a reminder, all students must complete 40 hours of community service and write four 350-word reflection papers. 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 these Helpful Hints or stop by Connections.

More colleges are extending their application deadlines. If you haven’t applied but want to, go to the admissions page of the college website to find out if your school is offering an extension. As an example, Colorado School of Mines has extended their application deadline to April 18, and applications are free.

Last week, we explored the importance of considering PURPOSE when planning for life after TCA. So often, we do not take the time to reflect on who we are and what our why is. Sure, “what” and “where” are important processes, but without the “why” and “who” our next steps might not be fulfilling. I appreciate the Simon Sinek quote, “Because a true sense of purpose is deeply emotional, it serves as a compass to guide us to act in a way completely consistent with our values and beliefs. Purpose does not need to involve calculations or numbers. Purpose is about the quality of life. Purpose is human, not economic.”.

We transitioned to some process by highlighting the self-discovery inventories students have already completed and the resources available for career exploration. In addition to Naviance, we returned to O*Net Online, My Colorado Journey tools, Apprenticeships.gov, and Colorado Apprenticeships.

Be sure to add the dates at the top of this newsletter to your family calendars. Events start right after spring break!!

We recently spent time in history class considering a new way to think about career exploration. Choosing a specific job title does not consider the options students might not know about or the reality that job titles and tasks are changing over time. Thinking about challenges allows them to see opportunities. Challenges are a great way to answer the stress-inducing (yet well-meaning) question “What do you want to be when you grow up.” In other words, for example, I have not exactly chosen a specific career, but I know I want to help people reach their potential, prepare future leaders, and communicate ideas and emotions. Please talk with your sophomore about the challenges they chose to consider. We will have one more time in the classroom together as they head toward their junior year!

At TCA

Monday, March 17, 12:20: UCCS

Wednesday, March 19, 12:20: Western Colorado University

Wednesday, March 19, 1:15: Colorado Mesa University

Thursday, March 20, 9:35: Career Talk – Joseph Miller, Physical Therapy

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

Wednesday, April 2, 9:35-10:25: Career Talk – Engineering Careers

Wednesday, April 2, 10:30-10:55: Mandatory Sophomore Flex – Choosing a College Panel

Wednesday, April 2, 5:30-8:00: Rising Senior Family Night/Engineering Panel

Thursday, April 3, 8:40: Career Talk – James Fradette, Lawyer

Tuesday, April 15, 9:00-10:30: Junior Admissions Case Studies Session

Wednesday, April 30, 8:30-10:30: Fire Station/Careers Field Trip

In the Community

March 21: Young Adult Job Fairs

Saturday, March 29, 10:00-12:00: SCAD Admissions Event, Denver

Thursday, April 3, 5:00-7:00: CU Boulder Engineering Partnership Programs Information Session, The Vanguard School, 1605 S. Corona Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Monday, August 11, 7:00-9:00: Colleges That Change Lives College Fair, Denver

Virtual

Tuesday, April 8, 6:00-7:00: Cracking the Code: Financial Aid Offers Experts will offer guidance to help you interpret your financial aid packages

Thursday, April 10, 4:00: TeenLife LIVE Summer Opportunities Virtual Fair

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.

CCHS/CR Volunteerism/Community Service Scholarship Sixteen $1,500 scholarships will be awarded to students who are passionate about volunteerism and community service. Apply by March 22.

Do you know an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled charter school teacher? Nominate them to be the next Colorado Teacher of the Year! Nominations due by March 17.

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.

University of Michigan – Joy of Coding online summer course

Other Opportunities

The State Youth Council works to promote and advise the Colorado Workforce Development Council on efforts to create multiple pathways to economic and career success for Colorado’s youth. They are currently recruiting new voting members. Apply here.

CMU has a major search that gives additional information about each option. These are not all majors but at least 200 to help you know what majors there may be available.

The College Cost Transparency Initiative was started to improve the clarity, accuracy, and understanding of student financial aid offers by producing a set of guiding principles and minimal standards to be used when communicating aid offers. Over 360 institutions have joined the initiative.

What is an Internship and why are they important? 8 out of 10 employers said internships provided the best ROI as a recruiting Strategy.

What’s behind the projected construction employment growth from 2023 to 2033? This Beyond the Numbers article explores construction employment growth trends resulting from the expansion of renewable energy, the increasing need for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and an expanding electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.

Test-optional, test-required, test-flexible... feeling lost yet? 🤔 You're not alone! College admission testing is definitely a hot topic. To help clear things up, I've (Ms. Peters) compiled a basic overview of the questions our families ask me most often. As a college advisor, I dive deeper with my students, but this document is designed to be helpful for all. Take a look!

What to Expect with ACT Online Testing Familiarize yourself with the ACT's new look and feel by trying a few sample questions as well as a full-length practice test in the new format. Get to know the platform and exactly what to expect on test day. (Chrome browser is best, Safari is not recommended.)

The next SAT testing date is May 3, 2025. Register by April 18, 2025.

Additional test dates: June 7, 2025

Schoolhouse offers free SAT Tutoring Bootcamp

March2Success offers free online SAT, ACT and ASVAB test prep

More test prep resources available on our Connections page

SAT and ACT free hour strategy session/online courses

ACT & SAT Fee Waivers

The next ACT testing date is April 5, 2025. Register by March 16, 2025.

Additional test dates: June 14 and July 12, 2025

Find out what is changing on the ACT in 2025 here.

Joanna Peters, Director - Junior, Senior

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