VSAC Financial Aid Night is scheduled for Thursday, October 6 from 6:30 PM 7:30 PM here at CVU. Senior and junior families are encouraged to attend.

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1 Direction Center CVU Newsletter September Seniors Welcome back to your last year of CVU! Congratulations! The Class of 2012 has come a long way, and we know you will be going much further. CVU s Direction Center is here to help you on your path. This fall will be full of activity as seniors contemplate their plans for next year. Whether your future plans include going to college, getting a job or maybe even taking a year off, it is very important that you meet with your House Counselor. This fall, the House Counselors will work individually with each senior to discuss his/her individual plans. Please encourage your student to stop in and sign up for an appointment today. Parents/Guardians are most welcome to join us. Please call for Helen Shepard to schedule an appointment for you. VSAC Financial Aid Night is scheduled for Thursday, October 6 from 6:30 PM 7:30 PM here at CVU. Senior and junior families are encouraged to attend. College Representative Visits are scheduled. Be sure to check the daily announcements for information on college representatives who will be visiting with students in the Direction Center. SAT and ACT deadlines approach quickly. College testing requirements vary widely so students should double check which tests are required by each college to which they will apply. Please make note of the dates below. Students register for the test directly with the testing companies through their websites (collegeboard.com for SAT and act.org for ACT) or by completing the registration packets which may be found in the Direction Center. Register early to ensure a spot in the testing location you prefer. CVU s CEEB (testing) code is Please remember that colleges require official test scores. Be sure to request that your scores be sent directly to the college by the testing company. SAT I & II Test Date Registration Deadline Late Deadline (extra fee required) Oct. 1 Sept. 9 Sept. 21 Nov. 5 Oct. 7 Oct. 21 Dec. 3 Nov. 8 Nov. 20 Jan. 28, 2012 Dec. 30 Jan. 13 March 10 Feb. 10 Feb. 24 May 5 April 6 April 20 June 2 May 8 May 22 ACT Test Date Registration Deadline Late Deadline (extra fee required) Oct. 22 Sept. 16 Sept. 30 Dec. 10 Nov. 4 Nov. 18 Feb. 11, 2012 Jan. 13 Jan. 20 April 14 March 9 March 23 June 9 May 4 May 18

2 Grad Challenge is your opportunity to create a personally meaningful learning experience. Your Advisor and MaryAnne Gatos, the Grad Challenge Coordinator, will be happy to help you decide on a topic, find resources, and get your project underway. All information about Grad Challenge is located on its home page under Instructional Support/ Graduation Challenge. Hard copies of the Grad Challenge Student Handbook are available in the Direction Center. Schedule of deadlines for Grad Challenge are: Oct 7 Letter of Intent and signed contract due Dec 9 Mid-Year Report signed by your Community Consultant Feb Sign up for presentation times March 9 Draft of Grad Challenge paper due to your Advisor April 2 Final copy of Grad Challenge paper due with signed Community Consultant Verification form. Learning hours are completed. Tangible Product completed. Signed Tangible Product Critique form April 3 and 4 Faculty Reading Days May 17 Tangible Product Fair May 18 Grad Challenge Presentation Day. Mark your calendars now for May 18 th, Grad Challenge Presentation Day. We all look forward to seeing and hearing about what you are learning. Juniors The college and future planning process kicks up a notch this year. Congratulations! The first step is for students to keep their academic focus strong. The second is to begin to identify the specific, individual criteria, which are personally important to students and parents. On October 12 th, all juniors will take the PSAT at no cost to the students. It s a great idea to take this nationally normed test even if Juniors are undecided about their long range educational goals. The advantages of taking the test are: Scores The scores are not released to any colleges. Scholarship eligibility This test is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Practice This test provides great practice for the SATs, which Juniors should plan to take in the Spring. Convenience The test is administered right here at CVU, in surroundings which most Juniors find comfortable and relaxing. The test will be given on a school day. Save Wednesday, October 12 from 8:15 AM Noon for the PSAT. This is the only time the test will be offered this year.

3 Second semester will be the kick off for the official Junior college program. Although it seems that 2013 is far away, we have already scheduled our popular Junior College Night. This program, open to both parents and students, offers valuable information from a panel of college admissions counselors. Mark your calendar for Thursday, January 12 at 6:00 PM. After this initial kickoff meeting, we would like to encourage students and parents to come in for an individual counselor conference. Sophomores PLAN, a nationally normed test, is taken nationwide by nearly one million students in preparation for the ACT College Test. We give this test to all sophomores because it provides useful academic and career interest information. The four sections of the exam are: English, Reading, Math, and Science Reasoning. Each sophomore will receive a report that identifies strengths and weaknesses, helps students explore career interests, and gives information about the preparation needed to achieve long term career goals. The test will be given on a school day. Save Wednesday, October 12 from 8:15 AM Noon for the PLAN. This is the only time the test will be offered this year. Freshmen Welcome to ninth grade! There are so many new opportunities here at CVU for our newest students that sometimes the biggest challenge is in learning to balance everything at once! This fall, ninth graders will be settling into classes, developing consistent homework habits, and study skills. Sometimes the academic transition into high school can be a challenge, so be sure to keep in touch with teachers and counselors to let us know what s needed. CVU Buddy Program The CVU Buddy Program matches high school students with elementary school students for the purpose of creating positive, one-on-one relationships. CVU Buddies go during a free block, twice a week, to spend time with younger buddies at their elementary school. Transportation is provided. For more information or to apply to the Buddy Program, see MaryAnne Gatos in the Direction Center. Interviews completed and applications due by September 9 th. Buddy Training on Wednesday, September 14 th, 6pm-8pm, in the Learning Center. DUO Internships DUO encourages student learning through involvement in our community both at CVU and beyond. Students who volunteer regularly may earn credit. Examples include assisting in IT, Media Services, the Art Department, a particular teacher, working at ECHO Center, in theatre at an elementary school, at a local recording studio, and many, many more. To discuss interests, opportunities and schedule see MaryAnne Gatos in the Direction Center. Shadow Program Shadowing gives a student a glimpse of a career. If you are able and interested in offering a shadow experience to a high school student, please contact MaryAnne Gatos at mgatos@cvuhs.org. A Shadow Day will be scheduled on a CVU half day.

4 CVU links with the Virtual High School Consortium CVU juniors and seniors now have access to virtual seats in the VHS Consortium. This nonprofit, global network includes over 500 high schools and enables students to consider 200 on-line courses. Now that CVU is a member school, students can pursue specific areas of interest with other students from around the globe. We have 25 spaces available each semester to supplement our CVU course offerings. Sound interesting? Students can check out the catalog at Spring registration will begin in November, Juniors and seniors are also encouraged to consider a January course. Call Jane Krasnow in the Direction Center for more information. Raising Aspirations Sophomores and Juniors: There s still time to join us in Raising Aspirations! This group meets once a week (Early Block) to focus on long-range goals for college and careers. Juniors meet on Thursday morning and our class will begin on September 22 nd. Sophomores meet on Mondays beginning September 19 th. Our goals are: To increase the number of students who pursue postsecondary education; To increase student knowledge of the opportunities available to them after high school; To increase students exposure to cultural opportunities; For students to develop a greater connection to the school and community; To provide parents with the information and assistance to support their child in planning for his/her future; and For students to develop an improved self-esteem and feel more confident in their ability to attain postsecondary pursuits. What do students get from the program? 1/2 credit for successful participation in the program; Intensive future planning support beginning in the fall of 10th grade year and continuing throughout senior year; Several visits to local colleges; An overnight trip to New England colleges junior year; A FREE course at CCV called Introduction to College Studies (during semester 2) ; The opportunity to take future classes at CCV after successful completion of the Introduction to College Studies course.; Academic monitoring; Community service opportunities; Job shadowing opportunities; Community resource visits students will visit community resource centers such as VSAC and the Department of Employment and Training ; and A GREAT TIME!!!. Call Jane Krasnow in the Direction Center for more details.

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