Important Dates at a Glance:

December 19th: End of 1st semester

January 7th,: Beginning of 2nd semester

January 12th: D20 Financial Aid Night, 6:30, Pine

Creek High School Auditorium

January 14th, Meet Your Teachers Night, 4:00

p.m., Education Administration Center

Nov/Dec 2012

Academy Online Counseling Academy School District 20

Important Dates 1

Homework—Key to Success

2

Volunteer 3

College Applications ICAP and Scholarships

4 5

Inside this issue:

Please visit the counseling website,

www.asd20.org/aohs/counseling

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

Example 1:“Handle each piece of paper only

once”. Instead of browsing through an assign-

ment 5 times and not “getting it”, ask the

teacher for help right away. You are wasting

time every time you look at that note remind-

ing you to do it later.

Example 2: Work during your PEAK efficien-

cy! Decide when you are most focused and

have the most energy; use your planner to

design your day/week to include one hour of

study for each class per day. Remember to

pencil in breaks and time for fun too.

THINK ABOUT THE BENEFITS

Completing one assignment gets you one

step closer to completing the class, completing

high school and being ready to move on to oth-

er adventures. You lessen your stress, learn

more and ultimately feel more confident about

the direction in which you are moving.

DON’T BE A PERFECTIONIST

Sometimes working an extra 3 hours on

something just causes frustration. Remember

there is no grade higher than an A… However,

don’t skip assignments. Concepts build on each

other and holes in the foundation soon make

the whole house unstable—you won’t know

what you are doing down the line.

FIND A SUITABLE STUDY PLACE

Set up your work environment in a quiet

place; don’t let distractions keep you from

focusing on what is important. You will find

yourself saving time and retaining more if you

are fully tuned in.

Students who are struggling

in a class are highly encouraged

to attend Computer Lab hours

at AOHS where they can work in

a quiet, less distracting

environment and have access to

highly qualified tutors.

Utilize email, phone calls,

study sessions and live computer

sessions with instructors!

HOMEWORK

Completion + Comprehension = Success

This last year, we have been presented with multiple opportunities to extend a hand to our neighbors and those in need across our country. Many of you have answered the call and have given generously of your time and talents. However, others have been left feeling that there is something they should be doing but not knowing where to start. Performing community service is not only the right thing to do, it is an opportunity for growth in so many ways. It is a chance to ac-quire relationship and leadership skills as well as oftentimes presents problem-solving exercises. It is also an opportunity to network and explore activities you think you might want to include in your future. So, the benefits of giving are as great for the donor as they are for the receiver. Many career opportunities are enhanced when the applicant has job or volunteer experience already. For those getting ready to move for-ward from high school to college or job opportunities, experience even at the volunteer level can be beneficial or even required. As well many scholarship opportunities are focused on students who are not only community leaders, but also community servants. The earlier you start, the more genuine and powerful is your statement of commitment to making a difference; freshman can begin now. The following link provides over 200 volunteer endeavors in Colorado Springs alone. Get involved—it not only makes you look good, but it feels good too and it models a pay-it-forward mentality that can change the world.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

WORKING FOR

OTHERS, WORKS

FOR YOU TOO!

1. Do your research—Don’t apply to EVERY college.

just spend time on the apps or schools you are

actually interested in. Don’t make spelling or

punctuation mistakes on your application. [Yes,

they really look at that.]

2. Stay organized – Different schools have

different deadlines, and different materials

required. Prepare, and stay ahead of these

deadlines!

3. Follow the DIRECTIONS—Give them what

they ask for. This helps you be efficient

and lets them know that you are paying

attention to details.

4. Tell your story. You are unique; however,

colleges only get to see who you are on

paper, so paint them the best and most

unique picture you can. Don’t repeat details,

i.e. recounting your GPA in your essay UNLESS

you can show something else about you with t

hat fact and then give additional examples to

back it up. Who can help you tell your story

and say something more/different about you

than has already been said.?

.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF

WHAT MAKES

1. Grades

2. Test Scores

3. Essays

4. Recommenda-

tions

5. Activities

6. Awards

7. Leadership

ICAP

By now every student has been

asked to get started on their

ICAP, Individual Career and Aca-

demic Plan. Students who wish

to take concurrent enrollment

classes as 11th and 12th grade

students must have an ICAP with

a 4 year plan of study included.

So far every student has been

asked to complete the Interest

Inventory, Career Cluster Survey

and the Work Values Sorter on

College in Colorado.

October-

February is peak

scholarship time.

Please visit :

www.asd20.org/

scholarshipt to see a list of

available scholarships

Juniors and seniors should be building their resumes and using their career inventory information to search for colleges or training programs that support these careers. They should also be as-sembling their personal portfolios which include letters of recom-mendations. A support resource is: www.collegeincolorado.org

Look for scholarships at: 1. Fastweb.com 2. Scholarship.com 3. Finaid.org 4. College websites 5. Anything you have an affilia-

tion with—bank, church, etc. 6. Local groups—elks, masons,

etc. 7. High-school counselor’s

website