Catholic Central High School                                                                                                     Troy, NY 12182

Guidance Office News

Parent Newsletter

January 1, 2008

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, 2008.  A worksheet you can use prior to completing the FAFSA on-line is available  on that website.

CAREFUL – you want the 2008-2009 FAFSA.  It should be available
on or after January 1^st.

If your senior’s college requires the PROFILE,   forms are available online at www.collegeboard.com (click on “parent”, click on “pay for college”). Be certain you are on these official websites. There are many imitations.

In January and February 2008 the State University of New York  SUNY campuses will be offering financial aid workshops. This includes the University at Albany and Hudson Valley Community College.   Register online at http://www.suny.edu/studentevents or by calling 1-800-342-3811. 

The rush is on! Many seniors submitted college applications this week and all will be in the mail to meet their deadlines. The next deadline we need to watch for is January 15, 2008. Any applications (college or scholarship) due on that date should be in the guidance office by Friday, January 4, 2008

New York State Higher Education Service Corporation, the state’s student financial aid agency has a very helpful website – www.hesc.org.  Check it out.

NCAA Clearinghouse applications should be completed by all seniors who think they might play sports in college. This is done online at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. Watch for two forms that are printed out and brought to the guidance office to accompany the necessary transcripts.

A reminder to parents and students:  SAT preparation is available online.  The web site, www.collegeboard.com, offers an online course entitled “SAT Readiness Program.”   This website also offers a feature called “SAT Question of the Day”  which enables students to have SAT questions emailed to them every day.  These programs are reliable and are a great option for students who are unable to take a traditional classroom review course.

Report cards will be issued on  Tuesday, January 29, 2008.  Please be mindful that marks for the second quarter close on Tuesday,  January 22. 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.  If a student wishes to retake a regents exam and has not signed up, they should see their counselor immediately.

PSAT results have been given to all sophomores and juniors. Please make sure your student shares this information with you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the guidance office and speak with your student’s counselor (235-7100 x 2).