IRISH WEEKLY

Counselor's Corner

CCP Information Night

For any student interested in participating in the College Credit Plus Program (CCP Program), we will be hosting a CCP Information Night, presented by Kent State University, on:

Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 6 pm

St. Vincent – St. Mary High School (Room 256)

This meeting is REQUIRED for ALL students (and parents/guardians) who are planning on/interested in participating in CCP for the 2025-26 Academic Year.

The College Credit Plus (CCP) program offers an opportunity for students, who meet the requirements, to earn both high school and college credits at the same time and at no cost to the student/family. For more information, please visit https://education.ohio.gov/topics/ohio-education-options/college-credit-plus

UPCOMING AREA COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID INFO NIGHTS

Dec. 9, 2024 at STVM

St. Vincent-St. Mary High School will host a College Financial Aid Night, presented by the University of Akron, on December 9, 2024, at 6 pm in the LeBron James Arena for students and parents.

Financial aid experts from the University of Akron will provide information and answer questions about financial aid and completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Parents and guardians should attend this meeting to learn more about what information is required for the FAFSA, such as income and tax information. Filling out the FAFSA is an important step in the college enrollment process regardless of how you plan to finance your college education, since many scholarships require FAFSA form submission.

Jan. 11, 2025 at the University of Akron

The University of Akron will host a FAFSA Help Workshop on January 11, 2025, from 12-4 pm at the Office of Student Financial Aid in Simmons Hall, Room 204. You can receive help filling out your FAFSA at this event and DO NOT need to be attending The University of Akron in order to attend this Financial Aid "Help Session." Please see the University of Akron's Financial Aid webpage for more information, including what to bring to the workshop and to RSVP. Click here for The University of Akron's Financial Aid webpage

2025-26 FAFSA Information

(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE 2025–26 FAFSA® FORM

NEW: The 2025-26 FAFSA (the FAFSA that current seniors should complete) was released this week is now available.

Parents/guardians should complete the 2025-26 FAFSA form as soon as possible. Here are some steps to take to be prepared:

Create a StudentAid.gov account (if you don’t already have one).
Learn about the documents you may need to fill out the FAFSA form.
Determine your dependency status and whether your parent(s) or spouse will be required to contribute information on your FAFSA form.
If you’re a dependent student, use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on your form.

PSAT Scores are in!

Scores from the PSAT administered at St. Vincent-St. Mary on October 29 are now available for viewing. Students should log into their College Board accounts to view their scores.

ACT/SAT Testing

ACT

Get a Registration Reminder! Registration is only open for test dates through February 2025 (listed below). ACT registration for the April, June, and July test dates is expected to open in early December. Be sure to sign up to be notified when registration opens to secure your spot! Keep in mind that all juniors will take the ACT at school during the spring of 2025.

Upcoming Test Dates (National)

December 14, 2024

February 8, 2025

New ACT Options:

Get your Question & Answer Key for $9 Off in December! The December ACT comes with an exclusive opportunity for the best gift ever — ordering a copy of your answers along with the questions and correct answers from the test!

The Test Information Release (TIR) is only offered for three tests a year, and ordering it for December is the perfect way to prepare for building your Superscore in the spring.

Use promo code TIRGIFT to get $9 off the best tool in helping you understand and improve your scores.

This offer is only good until Friday, November 22 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

SAT

December 7, 2024 is the remaining 2024 date for the SAT.

Upcoming tests for 2025 are: March 8, 2025, May 3, 2025 and June 7, 2025.

Testing locations, registration deadlines and registration details available in links below.

SAT

ACT

SCHOLARSHIP Information

The counselors have been forwarding scholarship opportunities to the Class of 2025 via their school email. Students should check their email regularly for information, eligibility requirements and deadlines. Recent emails were sent about the following opportunities:

Beyond Expectations Barber College (deadline November 30, 2024)
The Breakfast Optimist and Noon Optimist Club of Akron Scholarship (deadline: January 31, 2025)
The Ohio JCI Senate Scholarships (deadline January 17, 2025)
The Yellow Tea Rose Foundation Scholarship (deadline March 31, 2025)

Please make sure that you are searching through your specific college websites/application portals (of colleges that you have specifically applied to) to find university and/or specific major/minor programs that offer scholarship opportunities since most of your scholarship monies will come from your specific colleges/universities (where you have already applied). Local scholarship opportunities will primarily come during the spring months.

StudentScholarships.Org is a great resource for external scholarships. Please click here for a list of scholarships currently accepting applications. Also, please click here to sign up for their newsletter.

Senior Information

Seniors should continue to visit Ms. Henry at her office during school hours for assistance with post-high school plans and for support with college applications. Parents may also reach Ms. Henry by emailing her at jhenry@stvm.com or calling (330) 253-9113 Ext. 136.

Seniors also should continue to check their school email for application information sent by the counselors. Please also check the scholarship section of Counselor's Corner as well as the application portals of the colleges to which they've applied or been accepted for valuable information.

Math Tutor

A math tutor is available at select times to assist students. Please see the LRC for details.

📝 🖊 writing TUTOR 🖊📝

The following email was sent to students from our English & Writing Tutor, Lauren Hill:

Dear Students,

As you begin Quarter 2, don't let your grade in English "fall." 🍂

You can sign up to visit the English & Writing tutor in room 238 by using this Google Form: https://forms.gle/5HvhGH2NsEEuSxWu5

This form will show available dates/times and must be completed prior to attending a session. *This form should be used to make a single request and may be submitted as many times as needed.

Tutoring may consist of help in any of the following areas:

Essay (outlining, graphic organizers, proofreading)
Content (re-teaching, grammar, assignments, notes, etc.)
Test/Quiz/Project (studying, practice tests, planning, etc.)

Save this email for your future English needs!

Meet The Counselors

Ms. Jessica Henry - College & Career Counselor

Ms. Henry has a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Akron and is a licensed School Counselor as well as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. She has worked at the high school level for her entire career in the education field and loves being able to help students navigate the college/career process and everything that comes after high school. Ways that Ms. Henry can help students includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Planning and pursuing post-high school plans, including college, job placement, armed forces or other opportunities.
Supporting the creation and management of Naviance and the Common Application accounts for college-bound students.
Reviewing transcripts and providing documentation necessary for college applications.
Notifying students about scholarship opportunities and providing support as necessary.
Notifying students of college visit opportunities and student programs.
Assisting students in identifying resources and meeting requirements needed to pursue post-secondary education, including ACT/SAT testing, essay development, letters of recommendation and other college requirements.
Assisting students in researching college options.
Guiding students through CCP (College Credit Plus) applications/guidelines/questions, etc.
Helping students with AP (Advanced Placement) information/guidance/questions, etc.
Helping student-athletes with NCAA Clearinghouse registration and questions.

Ms. Henry is extremely happy to be a part of the STVM Fighting Irish and has numerous family members that are alumni. Ms. Henry can be reached by email at jhenry@stvm.com or by phone at 330-253-9113 Ext. 136. Go Irish!

about The Health and Wellness Counselors

In our commitment to educating the whole person, the Health and Wellness Counselors at STVM support all students' social, emotional, and academic needs. They are available during the school day to meet with students individually or in groups and conduct classroom lessons.

Ways we can help include, but are not limited to:

Working with students to communicate with parents, teachers, and administrators.

Helping advocate for the individual needs of students and families and assist them in advocating for themselves.

Working with students to help assess abilities, interests, and achievements to help them make decisions about their future.

Providing professional assistance and support to a student or small group of students during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change, or other situations impeding student success.

Recognizing and responding to student mental health needs and assisting students and families seeking resources.

Sharing strategies that support student achievement with parents, teachers, other educators, and community organizations

Providing referrals for students and families to school or community resources for additional assistance and information.

Ms. Tara McCants (Serves families with last names A-L)

Tara has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in School Counseling, both from Walsh University. She has been working as a school counselor for 11 years, with the majority of that time being at a school in Washington, D.C. Tara is happy to be a part of the STVM family, and she is committed to creating a nurturing environment where every student feels valued and empowered. Tara can be reached by phone at 330-253-9113 ext 131 or by email at tmccants@stvm.com. Students fill out a request to meet with Ms. Tara using this link: Request to See Tara. She looks forward to a great year!

Mrs. Amy Gay (Serves families with last names M-Z)

Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Applied Conflict Management, a Master of Education in School Counseling, and an Educational Specialist Degree in Counseling, all from Kent State University. Amy has more than 12 years of experience working with youth and more than ten years of experience working in a school setting. Amy is very excited to start this journey at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School! She is passionate about her work to help students and their families and believes every student can become their best self. Amy strives to provide a calm, warm, and non-judgmental environment. If you have questions or need to contact Amy, you can call at (330) 253-9113. Ext. 182, email agay@stvm.com. Students can request to see Mrs. Gay by filling out this form: Request to see Amy (this is only for student use). Let's make it a wonderful year!