Counselor Corner

Texan Couseling Website

🎓 Senior Scoop

Senior Meetings Are Underway! 

Our counselors are continuing to meet with seniors this week and next. Our goal is to connect every senior with their Senior Checklist, helpful quick links to take home, and clear next steps as they plan for life after high school.

If we miss a senior because of an absence, a scheduling conflict, or because they do not have a Senior English class, we will send them a pass to meet with their counselor at another time soon.

☕ Coffee with the Counselor: Senior Edition:  September 30

Senior parents are invited to join us as we review the information shared during Senior Meetings, including graduation requirements, college and career planning, important deadlines, and helpful resources. More information and registration details are below.

💰 FAFSA Opens October 1!

 The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens October 1. We encourage all seniors planning to attend college, trade school, career/technical school, or another eligible postsecondary program to plan to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Completing the FAFSA is an important step in exploring eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial aid.

General FAFSA Steps:

1. Create or access your StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID).

2. Gather the information you need, including contributor information and financial/tax information.

3. Complete and submit the FAFSA with your required contributors.

4. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary after submitting.

5. Follow up with colleges/schools regarding financial aid offers and any additional requirements.

🔗 Visit our NHS Counseling website for FAFSA resources, helpful links, and additional information.

🎓 College & Career Corner

Know Your CCMR Status!

As we meet with seniors, we are reviewing their CCMR Tracker and helping them understand what they still need to complete for College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR).

Students don't have to wait until Senior year to be CCMR met. In fact, Juniors will need to be CCMR met to qualify for a Senior Release period their senior year. 

One opportunity available to many students is the TSI Assessment. For students who need to meet CCMR through TSI, we offer several opportunities to take the assessment right here on campus.

📅 TSI testing dates and registration information are available in the flyer below. If your senior is interested in attending college or another postsecondary program, encourage them to review their CCMR status and take advantage of available opportunities to complete their requirements.

❓ Counselor Q&A

Q: Can my student miss school for a college, trade school, or military visit?

A: Yes! We encourage our juniors and seniors to take advantage of opportunities to explore their options after high school. Students may receive up to two excused absences during their junior year and two during their senior year for qualifying college/school visits.

What counts as a qualifying visit?

• 🏫 Four-year colleges and universities

• 🎓 Community colleges

• 🛠️ Trade, technical, or career schools

• 🎖️ Military recruitment or enlistment visits

Students should plan ahead when possible and remember that one excused absence is allowed per visit. After the visit, the student must bring back documentation from the school or organization verifying the visit so the absence can be processed as excused.

These visits are a great way for students to learn more about programs, campus life, career pathways, admissions requirements, and what their future could look like after high school.

Scholarships, College Searches & a New Tool for Texas Students!

As we begin a new school year, we want to remind students and families about several FREE resources available to help students search for scholarships and plan for life after high school.

Looking for Scholarships?

Students can search for scholarship opportunities using:

• Naviance – Students can access Naviance through their NISD Student Portal. This is a great place to find local, regional, and national scholarship opportunities.

• College Board BigFuture – Search for scholarships, colleges, careers, and financial aid opportunities.

• MyTexasFuture – Texas' college and career planning website also includes scholarship and financial aid resources.

Our NISD Scholarship Spreadsheet is currently experiencing some technical difficulties, but don't let that stop your scholarship search! The majority of the opportunities we have shared through the spreadsheet can also be found in Naviance.

NEW: MyTexasFuture & Graduation

Texas has added a new graduation requirement involving MyTexasFuture, but this is one requirement that comes with some pretty great benefits!

Students can create a FREE MyTexasFuture profile and use the site to explore colleges, careers, financial aid, and scholarships.

Seniors can enter information such as their GPA and class schedule and receive a personalized list of participating Texas colleges and universities where they may qualify for automatic admission.

• Think about that for a moment: before submitting an application, a student may be able to see colleges where they already know they qualify for admission!

And there's another opportunity: Texas Free College Application Week is October 12–16. Seniors can use the information they discover through MyTexasFuture to help identify colleges and universities they may want to apply to—and submit applications to participating institutions during that week without an application fee.

What do seniors need to do for graduation?

To meet the new state graduation requirement, seniors will need to either:

• Create their MyTexasFuture profile and provide NISD with documentation showing completion, OR

• Complete the state's opt-out process, similar to the existing FAFSA graduation requirement.

The state provided districts with additional implementation information last week, so NISD is currently developing a simple submission process that will mirror our existing FAFSA process. We hope to have that available to seniors soon.

You do not need to wait! We encourage all students—not just seniors—to create a MyTexasFuture account now and begin exploring everything the site has to offer.

MyTexasFuture: https://www.mytexasfuture.org/

Between Naviance, BigFuture, and MyTexasFuture, students have access to thousands of scholarship opportunities and some fantastic tools to help answer one of the biggest questions they face:  What's next for me?

Start exploring today!

📚 NISD Test Prep Boot Camps: Prepare. Practice. Perform.

Are you preparing for the TSIA, SAT, ACT, or PSAT? NISD is offering FREE virtual Test Prep Boot Camps designed to help students build confidence, strengthen test-taking strategies, and prepare for success.

✅ Live virtual sessions

✅ Free workbook for students to keep

✅ Expert test-prep support

✅ Multiple dates available for some exams

Students can choose the date that works best for them—the content is the same for each boot camp for that test.

📅 TSIA | SAT | ACT | PSAT — See the attached flyer for specific dates, session details, and registration information.

👉 Register: tinyurl.com/TestPrepNISD

Be sure to take advantage of this FREE opportunity to prepare now and build confidence for what’s next!