December 2015 CHSD117 Sequoit Signal Greetings Sequoits, As we enter the final stretch of this semester, I would like to extend our warmest and most sincere holiday wishes to all of our students, parents, guardians and community members. This time of the year allows us to reflect on all that we are thankful for. I hope you find the time to share some quality time with family and friends. I thank you for your commitment and support in making ACHS a safe place for our students to thrive and find their passion in life. I look forward to a wonderful second semester. May 2016 bring you all of the best and please make sure to stay safe! Warmest regards, Omar J. Rodriguez Assistant Principal-Student Services CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS Wednesday, December 2-Sequoit Pride, 7:00 pm Monday, December 7-Late Start Tuesday, December 8-ASVAB Interpretation Tuesday, December 8-Financial Aid Night Thursday, December 10-YMAD, 6:45 am Thursday, December 10-Holiday Concert 5:00 pm Thursday, December 10-BOE Meeting at ACHS, 6:30 pm Thursday, December 10-Holiday Concert, 7:00 pm Monday, December 14 NO LATE START Wednesday, December 16-Final Exams Thursday, December 17-Final Exams Friday, December 18-Final Exams Friday, December 18 End of Semester 1 Monday, December 21-Friday January 1 NO SCHOOL W T
What Sequoits Are Doing! Math The 2015 ACHS Math Fair was a huge success with over 150 students from our feeder schools attending. Math Fair is coordinated by Mr. Chris Stanich and Mr. Andrew Benton who visited some of the feeder schools to help promote the evening. Games were created by students in our Math 1 Honors, Math 2 Honors and Math 3 Honors classes. In some instances, students were given math standards from grades 4, 5 or 6 to focus their games on. Students from grades 4 thru 6 participated in the games and earned various amounts of math money depending on their success. At the end of the evening, students were able to exchange the money for prizes that were purchased with the assistance of Sequoit Pride. It was an exciting evening that parents and students look forward to every year. English December in the English department is short, but always interesting. Freshmen who paid for their ticket and brought back a permission slip will be seeing a live professional performance of Romeo & Juliet on December 4. English 1, 2, and 3 classes will be taking their final exam essay test the week of December 7. Sophomores are on the 9th, juniors take it on the 10th, and freshmen on the 11th. Seniors in a Literature class will take their essay on final exam days the next week. Multiple choice exams will be on finals days December 16-18. The English department wishes everyone a healthy and happy holiday season and new year. Looking to give the perfect holiday gift your Sequoit will cherish forever? Order a 2016 yearbook today! Any online order received by December 15thwill receive a gift certificate that you can give your Sequoit for the holidays. Order online with a credit card at jostensyearbooks.com. The 2016 Sequoia is $40. If you have any questions, please email yearbook adviser Sarah Ogborn- (sarah.ogborn@chsd117.org). Page 2
What Sequoits Are Doing! Parent University: Financial Aid Night On Tuesday, December 8, ACHS will host our annual Financial Aid Night, beginning at 7:00 PM in the Auditorium. In an effort to provide our families with accurate information, ACHS has once again partnered with expert staff from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) for the evening's program. An ISAC representative will be onsite to provide an in-depth presentation regarding the financial aid process, followed by a question-andanswer forum. Although this program is intended for current juniors and seniors, all families are welcome. Please feel free to contact your student's counselor for further information. Parent University: FAFSA Completion Night On January 6th, 2016 ACHS will host the second night of our twopart Financial Aid series. All are welcome, including those who were unable to make the first workshop. This hands-on workshop will allow graduating seniors and their parents/guardians, an opportunity to complete or review their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) documentation. Counselors and members of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will be on hand to provide direction and feedback on the completion of the form. Prior to attending the workshop, please make sure to have your Federal Student Aid PIN number on hand. The PIN is necessary to complete the FAFSA form; you can obtain your PIN at the following web address www.pin.ed.gov. The official 2014-15 FAFSA application is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The evening's program is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM in the ILC (Information Learning Center); we look forward to seeing you. Page 3
Tidbits of Information ISAC Resources FSA ID Webinars are offered throughout the year to help students, parents, and professionals become familiar with this new process. The next webinar is on December 20th, please register at http://fsaregistration.ed.gov/d/hrqg8y You Visit: (http://www.youvisit.com/colleges) provides students with the opportunity to do virtual campus tours. Great option for students who are looking at schools out of state. University of the People: (http://uopeople.edu/) is the world s first non-profit, tuition free, accredited online university. This school is an amazing option for students who cannot access traditional forms of education or financial aid. College Greenlight- (www.collegegreenlight.com/isac) is an amazing website for scholarships that has partnered with ISAC to offer ad-free access through this personal link. College Greenlight specializes in first-generation and lowincome students scholarships, and their database is updated with new options weekly. Undocumented Student s Guide to College (http://icirr.oth/sites/default/files/student%20guide%202015.pdf.) Don t let students feel that their chance for education is over! This document was recently updated to include information about the FSA ID and other changes in Financial Aid. The FAFSA dates have changed for the 2016-2017 school year! Learn more here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/ about/announcements/fafsa-changes SCHOLARSHIPS! # FortonFleek (http://dormbedding.com/fortonfleekchallenge/) Build a fort out of sheets and blankets for a chance to win $1,000. Deadline-December 4. Coupons.com (http://coupons.com/thegoodstuff/scholarship/) Students must fill out a survey consisting of 5 questions for a chance to win $5,000. Deadline-December 31 Don t Text and Drive (http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/dont-text-and-drive-scholarship) (140-Character essay) about the dangers and risks involved with texting and driving. Page 4
Tidbits Of Information Applying for Financial Aid 1. Go to www.pin.ed.gov and register for a pin number. This will allow you to electronically sign your FAFSA. 2. **The student and one of the parents must get a pin number before filing the FAFSA. You will need your 2015 income tax return information in order to file accurately. **You can file using your 2014 income tax return information, but you ll have to do corrections when you ve completed filing your 2015 return. 3. When you re ready, fill out the 2016-2017 FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Helpful Tips You can t apply for financial aid for the 2016-2017 school year until January 1, 2016. Apply as early as possible, preferably before February 1. The money does run out! Send the FAFSA to every school that you sent an application to. Check to see if the schools you applied to have their own separate financial aid application. If they do, fill that out, also. Double-check the FAFSA before you click Submit. Financial Aid Night will be held on December 8, 2015 at 7:00 pm at ACHS.
Final Exam Schedule