SENIOR PARENTS

The FAFSA (Free application for Federal Student Aid) WILL BE available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Forms should be completed and submitted as soon as possible after January 1, 2012. A worksheet you can use prior to completing the FAFSA on-line is available on that website.

CAUTION – you want the 2012-2013 FAFSA. It should be available
on or after January 1^st. There are imitations of FAFSA online that charge a fee and are scams. The FAFSA is a free service and you should only use the link above.

Profile forms for financial aid are required by many private colleges. The Profile is available on-line at www.collegeboard.com and may be completed at any time. Please check to see if the colleges you select require a profile form.

Senior parents interested in paying for financial aid services should contact Peter Laurenzo. Mr. Laurenzo is a certified financial planner who owns “College Aid Planning Associates”, located at 4 Executive Park Drive, Albany, NY 12203. His business phone is 435-9042.

The rush is on! Many seniors submitted college applications before break and all were in the mail to meet their deadlines. The next deadline we need to watch for is January 15, 2012. Any applications (college or scholarship) due on that date should be in the guidance office by Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

Please see that we get a copy of college acceptance/scholarship letters. We will be glad to photocopy them. Scholarships are listed in the graduation program in June but we require a copy for verification.

Senior parents frequently ask about the availability of scholarships for college. We want to make sure you are up to date with what is being presented to our seniors. Please go to cchstroy.org, click on guidance, click on senior newsletters. These are also posted in senior homerooms. Be sure to allow 4 or 5 days processing in the guidance office of any applications for colleges or scholarships.

New York State Higher Education Service Corporation, the state’s student financial aid agency has a very helpful website – www.hesc.org. Why not check it out.

NCAA Clearinghouse applications should be completed by all seniors who think they might play sports in college at a Division 1 or Division 2 school. This is done online at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. Please be sure to notify us so we can send a transcript now and a final transcript in June, 2012.

Report cards will be issued on  Friday, February 3, 2012. Please be mindful that grades for the second quarter close on Friday, January 27, 2012. Students should make every effort to keep current with their class and homework. The weeks following Christmas will pass quickly.

Students signed up for Regents examinations in January will receive a reminder from their counselor. Tutoring is required prior to a Regents exam retake.