Connections Newsletter

Welcome to the new school year from our team here in Connections. As we say, Career, College, and More in Room 1104. Our team, Joanna Peters, Katina Dahl, and Jodi Hoffman support students during their final 4 years at TCA as they plan for life after graduation. In addition to our classroom visits each year, we provide students (9th-12th grades) with more than 100 opportunities to explore future options. Starting in 9th grade, these visits can introduce students to opportunities they might not have considered. Students can sign up for these opportunities by logging in to Naviance and scrolling through the WHAT’S NEW section of their homepage. To help families track upcoming events, we have created a Google calendar that you can import to your family calendar. More details are on our webpage, tcatitans.org/HSConnections.

TCA

Upcoming Events in Connections

August 28: First Day to Accept College Application Materials In Naviance

September 3, 6:00-8:00: Junior/Senior/Financial Aid Family Night

• 6:00-6:40 Junior Connections Family Night

• 6:45-7:10 Financial Aid (open to all grades)

• 7:15-8:00 Senior Connections Family Night

September 4, 6:00-7:00: Freshmen & Sophomore Connections Family Night

September 12: Construction Days Field Trip hosted by Connections. Deadline to register Sept. 5.

September 13: Deadline to Pay AP Exam(s) and Optional PSAT/NMSQT Exam in Infinite Campus.

September 23: Mini-College Fair - Flex

September 30: Mini-College Fair - Flex

October 10: Optional PSAT/NMSQT Exam. (Deadline to register by paying the optional fee in Infinite Campus is September 13) Sophomores and Juniors only

October 15-17: Colorado Free App Days

In the Community

September 12 - Southern Colorado Construction Career Days

September 23 - Christian College Fair

September 23 - Southern Colorado College Fair

September 29 - NACAC College Fair

On August 26 or 27, Ms. Peters will be in your class to walk you through the process of applying to colleges, including how to request transcripts, letters of recommendation, and school reports. The Connections team will begin accepting application material requests on August 28. If you are headed to college and have not visited or connected with our college reps, please make those connections soon. We are hearing from colleges the importance of “demonstrated interest” with comments such as:

“Please encourage your students to visit us either in-person or virtually”, or “To show demonstrated interest, students can interact with us during campus visits, virtual visits, school visits, college fairs, etc.”

Loving that your bulletin board says you are going to “(purple) crush” this year! Let’s do it! We will take what you have learned and teach you how to discover WHERE you can pursue those plans. See you in class next week! Families, with each classroom visit, we will share what we learned and what resources we used. If you have not registered your parent/guardian account in Naviance, look for the message coming soon from Jodi Hoffman, our Office Manager.

If you choose to take the optional PSAT/NMSQT exam on October 10 am, the deadline to pay is September 13. The $18 fee is payable in Infinite Campus OPTIONAL fees. For Sophomores, the PSAT/NMSQT is great practice for the SAT and preparation for the optional Junior year PSAT/NMSQT. Juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT and meet other program entry requirements can compete for recognition and scholarships conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Freshmen families, we look forward to working alongside you this year as freshmen explore interests and possibilities. Our Connections team began our curriculum during Freshmen Orientation.

Freshmen Checklist

Sophomore Checklist

Junior Checklist

Senior Checklist

Back-to-School Checklist

The AP Exam is REQUIRED for all AP courses. The fee for EACH exam is $99, payable in Infinite Campus fees. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify.

Save The Date: PSAT/NMSQT Exam - this October for Sophomores & Juniors

The PSAT/NMSQT Exam at TCA will be Thursday, October 10 from 8:00 -11:45, arrive by 7:45. This is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying exam for juniors and is a PSAT/NMSQT practice exam for sophomores. Register by paying the optional fee in Infinite Campus by the September 13 deadline. Note: this is on the Thursday morning of Parent/Teacher Conferences BEFORE Fall Break.

The Boettcher Foundation is hosting webinars on “Everything You Need to Know About Scholarships.” During these webinars, we will discuss how students can “ACE” their college and scholarship applications, including tips on how to help your applications stand out. You can register to attend one of the webinars by clicking on the date you wish to attend (please note that you only need to attend one, as the same information will be presented during each webinar)

• September 10th from 5-6pm

• September 26th from 12-1pm

• October 9th from 5-6pm

Colorado Promise: Two Free Years of College Expanded - Beginning in Fall 2024, students who attend public institutions and have family incomes of $90,000 or less are eligible for a complete reimbursement of any out-of-pocket tuition and fees paid for their education. The program expands on individual institutional promise programs and extends financial support to middle-income Colorado residents.

The University of Virginia offers the Jefferson Scholars Program and the Walentas Scholars Program. Both programs provide generous financial packages, enrichment opportunities, and access to the JSF network of Scholars, Fellows, alumni, and volunteers.

From Tuesday, Oct. 15 through Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, all 32 public colleges and universities in Colorado and several private institutions will waive their application fees, making it free for anyone to submit an application. Colorado Free App Days | Higher Education

You will need to click SUBMIT on one of these dates, following the directions from the college you are considering; more details to come.

Tulane University is hosting PreviewTU, a campus visit program for prospective seniors. A limited number of travel grants are available, deadline to apply is August 23.

Columbia University School of Engineering hosts a 3 day/2 night Engineering Preview at Columbia program, designed to serve students who may have had less formal exposure to engineering. This fully funded program is for students and one parent/guardian to learn more about Columbia Engineering, explore engineering opportunities in New York and participate in college admissions workshops. Deadline to apply is September 3.

Pomona College offers a virtual visitation program called Perspectives on Pomona (POP) for interested students. Deadline to apply is September 30.

The University of Michigan has three new options for prospective students applying for entry in fall 2025: Apply directly to the Ross School of Business, apply directly to the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy, and apply to the Bachelor of Science in Urban Technology

Our team supports every family. We strive to always be aware of opportunities as we advise our families. We want to partner with you and your teen. We have created a form to complete that WILL STAY CONFIDENTIAL in Connections.

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
Location: 975 Stout Road, Colorado Springs, CO
Phone: 719-484-0091 1104