Junior Conferences.  Conferences are now being scheduled beginning Feb 22.  All junior parents/guardians should have received a letter by Feb 14.  What are these conferences all about? They are designed to focus on educational and career development by reviewing the following: 1. Current 5^th semester transcript, 2. Graduation requirements, 3. Course selection for senior year, 4. Tenth grade achievement test results and ACT planning, 5. Junior career interests and assessments, 6. Post-secondary plans, and 7. Career plans. 

Wisconsin Covenant Scholars.  Seniors who signed the pledge in 8th grade are now receiving information from the state explaining the verification process.  You aren't eligible for consideration if you don't have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA following the recently completed first semester.  Make sure you bring the required form to your counselor to verify your GPA.  Important note about the deadline for submission: In order for Senior Confirmation forms to meet the April 1 deadline, envelopes must be postmarked on or before March 31, 2012.  Any envelopes postmarked after March 31, 2012, will be considered late and will not be processed. 
 

College Goal Wisconsin.  College Goal Wisconsin is a national event that provides free information and assistance to families who are filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the federally required form for students seeking financial aid, such and grants and loans. Completing the FAFSA is the first and most important step in qualifying for aid.  In Wisconsin, College Goal Wisconsin will take place on February 18-19, 2012 at locations throughout the state.  Students should attend with a parent or guardian, if possible. They should bring specific materials. If parents are unable to attend, students may attend alone and bring these materials. Independent students may bring their own income and asset information.

PLAN (pre-ACT) test site.  Visit http://www.actstudent.org/plan/ for additional information after you have received your scores.

ACT/SAT Test Preparation.  Free test prep site at www.KnowHow2GOWisconsin.org.

ACT Student Site: Register online here for the ACT!  Use this link for information about the ACT test, including registration, information about scores, and college/career planning.

Do I need to take the ACT writing test?   Some schools require or recommend that you take the writing test if you plan to apply.  To check the requirements for individual schools, visit the following link:  http://www.actstudent.org/writing/index.html.

ACT test dates http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html

SAT Student Site: Register online for the SAT.  Plan and search for colleges and careers. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/index.html?student

SAT test schedule http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

College Preview Days.  Every campus in the UW-System sponsors  "Campus Preview Days".  These provide great opportunities to make formal visits to colleges that you are considering. For a complete listing of the dates and contact information, visit the UW-System Help website at http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/preparing/campustours.aspx

The Wisconsin Technical College System information for each campus can be accessed at http://www.witechcolleges.com.

Gateway Tech "High School Corner". Easy access for high school students to explore Gateway Technical College and it's many programs at http://www.gtc.edu/HSCorner.asp

Wisconsin Education Fairs. Offered around the state ach fall, allowing students and parents easy geographic access at numerous locations. http://wefs.org/

Apply online to UW-System universities at http://apply.wisconsin.edu.

Apply online to WI private 4-year colleges at https://secure.privatecollegezone.org/home.aspx

Wisconsin Technical College admissions at  http://www.witechcolleges.org/ 

The Common Application is an admission application that students may submit to any of 391 member schools.  See if your school is on the list at  https://www.commonapp.org

Attention Juniors & Seniors!  Sign up today for free scholarship database search services at www.fastweb.com and www.scholarships.com. 

Wisconsin Reciprocity Agreement. Pay Wisconsin tuition at Minnesota schools. The form is available in April at:  http://heab.state.wi.us/reciprocity

The Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) is a multi-state tuition reciprocity program, including the states of Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Go to http://www.mhec.org for specific details. 

UW-Madison scholarship website.  Visit http://scholarships.wisc.edu

WISCareers.  Big Foot subscribes to a comprehensive career planning and development website. You can access it at http://wiscareers.wisc.edu.  This site is available to students, their parents, and the staff of Big Foot.  Each student will need to create their own account on the website.  Contact Bob Sullivan at 394-4415 for the access code.

Youth Options.  The Youth Options program allows all public high school juniors and seniors who meet certain requirements to take post-secondary courses at a Wisconsin technical college or institution of higher education. The deadline for the fall semester is March 1 of the previous spring; October 1 is the deadline for the following spring semester. For more information on the state Youth Options program visit  http://dpi.wi.gov/youthoptions/index.html.  If you will be taking a class at UW-Whitewater, see UW-YO Requirements2011.pdf for specific registration information. For courses taken at Gateway, see http://www.gtc.edu/page.asp?q=467 and scroll to Youth Options at the bottom of the page.

Advanced Placement (AP) test schedule can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/cal/cal2.html