Announcements
This page will include memos and announcements sent to students, families throughout each school year. Also, see Calendar Items page for upcoming events!
This was sent to senior families in September:
Dear Senior Parents:
(CC to Students)
College fit is complex and, for most families, one of the most important factors is financial fit. Students and families may not know until spring of senior year exactly what the net cost of college will look like because financial aid can offset the cost of attendance. To ensure your child is eligible for the most financial aid possible, be sure to work with them to fill out the FAFSA every year starting their senior year and continuing each year when your child is enrolled in college.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a FAFSA workshop hosted by college financial aid counselors, and I would strongly recommend you do the same because the FAFSA is being redesigned by the federal government this year. Even those who were previously familiar may need to learn some new information and lingo. One notable change that likely is just in this rollout year: the start date is later than usual (sometime in December rather than October). The FAFSA is an important step for all college bound seniors because it opens the door to financial aid and scholarships from colleges as well as many community based scholarships.
For more information, attend one of the upcoming virtual workshops with college financial aid professionals, offered every Wednesday this Fall, starting on September 20th. Also the same group hosts virtual scholarship workshops in November. I am attaching the fliers for the events, and also below is the link with registration and event info:
https://collegeiswithinreachhawaii.com/upcoming-events/
Fall Financial Aid Nights
November Scholarship Workshops
They also post recordings of these webinars to their website, but attending live allows you to participate in the Q and A.
Since FAFSA opens late (sometime in December 2023 for Fall 2024 enrollment), what can I do now?
In the near term, students and their parents can prepare by each creating a FAFSA account/ formerly called the FSA ID. Each student and contributor to the FAFSA (typically one parent), needs a unique FSA ID/ FAFSA account. Students should use their personal emails for the creation of this account since their school email will not be active after graduation and they will still need to access the FAFSA. If parents already have an FSA ID because of an older student in the household, they do not need to create a new one. However, each student also needs their own unique account with which to apply for financial aid each year.
For more info, and to create a FAFSA account (previously referred to as FSA ID), click create account on this website:
Why is FAFSA important? $$$
FAFSA is used so students may receive scholarships, grants, work study, and (as a last choice) student loans. Also, community-based scholarships may use the FAFSA to gauge financial need as one of many factors when distributing funds. Some examples of local scholarship applications that use the FAFSA:
Pauahi Foundation Scholarships (1 application, about 400 scholarships, most funds give preference to Native Hawaiians), Pauahi Foundation Scholarship application will open Dec 4, closes Jan 31 at 4 PM
https://pauahi.org/apply-for-a-scholarship
Hawaii Community Foundation Scholarship (HCF) is one scholarship application with about 200 scholarships. HCF opens December 12, closes Feb 29 at 4 PM. Not all funds require a FAFSA, but most do.
https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/grants-and-scholarships-for-community-causes-and-students
UH System Scholarships (1 application, 800 funds for use in UH system colleges)
https://www.hawaii.edu/tuition/scholarships/
UH System scholarship app opens October 1, closes March 1 at 4 PM.
All of these scholarship applications prefer to see first semester grades from senior year, so please get started early, but it is recommended that you wait until mid January to submit the applications because that is when mid year grades will be available.
Most colleges and scholarship programs use just the FAFSA to gauge financial need and eligibility for need based aid. However, some colleges and scholarship programs also require a second financial aid application called the CSS Profile For example, the KS Scholarships (need-based scholarships for college bound students of native Hawaiian descent) require the CSS Profile. The CSS profile is open much earlier than the FAFSA this year and is not subject to the federal revisions. The KS Scholarship application (also known as Na Ho’okama) opens October 1 and closes January 19th.
https://www.ksbe.edu/apply/financial-aid/college-scholarships
https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
To find out if your college or scholarship requires the CSS profile, refer to their website and list of colleges:
https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx
I will post updates to scholarship opportunities as I learn about them to my scholarships website and send timely reminders to students in the senior google classrooms.
Please let me know if you have any further questions as your child moves forward with college applications.
Memo re College Visits
Aloha Classes of 2024 & 2025!
I hope this finds you well. The school year is off to a great start. I am enjoying my time with 11th graders in College/ Career Guidance class, and with 12th grade students in 1:1 meetings.
We have several college admission representatives that are planning to visit our campus, many of them during the 11th grade College/ Career Guidance class. These are great opportunities to learn about college options. College visits are open to Assets students in 11th and 12th grades. These visits are usually held in Damon Hall, but other locations may be announced to students via email depending on the time and date.
Students- in order to attend a college visit, it is ideal to plan ahead. Ask your teacher for that period for permission and work to stay current in your classes. Then, bring a note from your teacher indicating that you have permission to attend on the day of the visit. They can also email me permission for you to attend Also, it helps if you register on Naviance (though it is not required) because it allows me to plan ahead and know how many people plan to attend. Parents, you are also welcome to attend when we have college admissions or career related visitors, but give me a heads up via email in advance in case there is a last minute change. Then, sign in at the main office prior to the visit to confirm the location.
To login to Naviance, go to this website:
https://student.naviance.com/assetssch
Students- it likely has been a while since you last logged in. Your username is your Assets email. I do not know your password, but you can reset it using the forgot password link. Parents and guardians- your username is your email you received this message on, and you can reset your password too. Tip: Don't guess if you are not sure of your password because it is very secure and you will get locked out after 3 failed attempts. This lockout lasts about 30 minutes, so if it does happen, you may wait it out, and reset your password later. I
You can also preview the upcoming visits once you login to Naviance Student by clicking on "what's new."
I am looking forward to connecting you with many college and career opportunities!
Other Calendar Items are posted to my website!
Welcome Back Memo
I am excited to continue to serve as College and Career Counselor at Assets, especially for this amazing class! My everlasting goal is to personalize the process of post-secondary transition planning. I work most closely with juniors and seniors through our required semester College/ Career Guidance course, and through 1:1 appointments with seniors. Students in the class of 2024 are eager to get started and are advocating effectively. Many have already met with me to jump start their postsecondary planning process, and others have scheduled their first meeting. Students may schedule meetings with me using the link posted to their homeroom Google Classrooms. If they have yet to schedule a meeting with me, please remind them to do so. Beyond the appointment times offered to seniors on my scheduling link, I have other times available for drop in or urgent help. For example, I do not teach a homeroom of my own and help students during homeroom, lunch break, and before or after school. This year, I teach periods 1, 2, and 3 and start appointments with seniors at about 11:30 AM.
For reminders regarding timelines for college applications, you may reference my website. https://sites.google.com/a/assets-school.net/college-and-career-corner/timelines
Also, Calendar Items are listed on my website. Please note that there are several Financial Aid workshops coming up on Wednesdays starting later in September. If you are planning to apply for college financial aid, I highly recommend you pick one of those Wednesdays to attend a financial aid virtual workshop since there are many changes to the FAFSA this year and these presentations are done by financial aid counselors. It was redesigned in an effort to simplify it. Notably, due to the changes and the timing of the rollout, the FAFSA for Fall 2024 enrollment does not open until December. For more information about financial aid workshops this fall, please visit this website:https://collegeiswithinreachhawaii.com/upcoming-events/
While deadlines are a student responsibility, I recognize the importance of clarifying the steps needed in applying to colleges and universities. A personalized application organizer document has been shared with your child in their senior Google Classroom. This is meant to provide the structure that they need to move fluidly through their college or other program application process. We use this document all year when students meet with me 1:1 or in small groups. Each student’s document gets more individualized as they add their own information and we delete what they do not need.
Please reach out to me anytime you have questions or concerns regarding college access or career planning for your student. I look forward to our continued partnership.
Sincerely, Ms. Farris James, M.Ed., College & Career Counselor, Teacher
Welcome to the 2023-24 School Year!
August 8, 2023- I hope you had a wonderful summer!
I am excited to continue to serve as College & Career Counselor and College/ Career Guidance Class Instructor at Assets School. I have worked at Assets School as a teacher since 2006, and have served in this capacity since Fall of 2008. I am originally from the Big Island of Hawaii and consider Oregon my other home state. In my free time, I like to go to the beach with my family, and I also serve the community in a volunteer capacity with the Hawaii Association for College Admissions Counseling. I am passionate about helping neurodiverse learners reach their full potential. My ongoing goal is to personalize the process of post-secondary transition planning. I work most closely with 11th and 12th grade students through our required semester College/ Career Guidance course that I teach, and through 1:1 appointments. In addition to this google site, College & Career Corner, Assets uses Naviance Student, a personalized college and career readiness platform, for postsecondary planning and application support. You can find that link on our website. Student Naviance accounts are linked to their Assets email: Student.naviance.com/assetssch
The pictures below are of UNLV (The University of Nevada, Las Vegas) at sunset in July. I took my first trip to Las Vegas at that time to attend and present at the NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) GWI, Guiding the Way to Inclusion Conference. I love to visit college campuses to get a real feel for a school as well as the surrounding community. The most surprising aspect of this campus- the number of beautiful plants and trees, making it feel like an oasis. UNLV is one of many universities that Assets graduates have attended and graduated from.