February is CTE (Career and Technical Education) Month!
We are so fortunate to have MCST as our CTE partner!
If the Students of the Month are any indication, our kids are thriving!
And check out our kids that are going to the Maine SKILLS USA competition in Bangor March 15!
Tessa Byrnes - First Aid/CPR
Christy Christensen - Television Production
Hazel Crabtree - Outdoor Leadership
Ella Cushman - Health Knowledge Bowl
Max Ergas - EMT
Kayden Guimond - Auto Maintenance & Light Repair
Lydia Gurney - Health Occupation Professional Portfolio
Keira Kay - Extemporaneous Speaking
Zach Peacock - Computer Programming
Josie Pendleton - Health Knowledge Bowl
Ben Pike - Digital Cinema Production
Declan Rodgers - Computer Programming
Toby Van Hoewyk - Advertising Design
Eben Weislogel - Outdoor Leadership
Cordelia Williams - EMT
We have 89 applicants for next year as of this writing, and Ms. Tracy is furiously arranging interviews and shadows to get them set up to attend.
24-25 Year Course Request Process
Your course registration for next year is due on Friday (2/16)
By that point you should have:
Filled out your Course Request form
Obtained a parent signature
Obtained teacher signatures
Entered your requests into PowerSchool
Printed your confirmation screen in PowerSchool
Stapled said printout to your Course Request form
Handed it in to your Advisor or the School Counseling Department
And Now The FAFSA Follies… The Continuing Stoooory of A Hack That’s Gone To The Dogs!
If you are a regular reader, you are no doubt aware that my brain constantly fires up 80s synapses out of my conscious control. This morning it was the Muppet Show’s Veterinarian’s Hospital… Maybe “Pigs in Spaaaaace” next edition?
But I digress…
The FAFSA delay continues to have wide and varied impact across the postsecondary landscape. Concomitantly, colleges are inventing on-the-fly solutions to keep the extraordinarily time-dependent process moving forward.
The latest innovation comes from Wheaton College in Massachusetts (not the one in Illinois with the exact same name), a smaller (1,700) small liberal arts college (SLAC) that features an attainable admission percentage (at 80%, it is “lightly selective”) and is the alma mater of our beloved Mr. Paul.
Wheaton has developed an eponymous Financial Aid Estimate (FAE) form and process to provide families with–you guessed it–a more timely estimate of their likely financial aid package outside of the FAFSA process:
What to Know
FAFSA delays and new timeline: This year, the federal government streamlined the FAFSA to make it easier to complete. However, changes to the form have resulted in significant delays by the federal government, with the form only recently available to families. Further delays by the government were announced last week, with FAFSA data from students [who completed the form] likely not making its way to colleges until mid-March. This suggests that official aid awards from colleges across the U.S. may only start to get sent out as late as mid-April or later.
What We Recommend
FAE: The Fastest Way to Receive Aid Information: Whether or not they have submitted the FAFSA, if students would like to get aid information as soon as possible, specifically a detailed estimate of what we expect their official complete financial aid offer might look like, we encourage them to submit our simple and quick financial aid estimate form (FAE). Once the form is complete, we will review the information, and do our best to deliver an estimated financial aid offer letter as soon as possible. This will give your students more time to determine their likely real costs at Wheaton, ahead of deposit deadlines here and elsewhere.
For students who have already been admitted, we plan to deliver estimated financial aid letters within two weeks of form submission.*
Students who have applied Regular Decision can expect to receive estimated aid letters with their decision notifications (expected to be sent from Wheaton College between late February and mid-to-late March)
As a reminder, students should still submit the FAFSA, if they have not done so already. To be eligible to receive federal financial aid, a FAFSA is still required.
Not to be outdone, a missive from Wentworth Institute of Technology (the other COOP school in Boston, that you can actually get in to–90+% acceptance rate) arrived shortly after Wheaton’s:
Hi Piet,
Dare I mention the FAFSA? I am sure for high school counselors, it has become the bane of your existence this year. Here on the college side, we are working hard to give students as much information as we can.
To that end, Wentworth has provided every admitted student with an Estimated Offer Letter. These letters can be found in the student's email, on their application portal, or in hard copy form that was mailed home.
If you are in FAFSA limbo it might make sense to contact your schools and see if they too have a workaround that you can utilize.
AmeriCorps NCCC’s Summer of Service Program
Volunteer Maine (Maine Commissioner for Community Service) shares that AmeriCorps NCCC has announced that its “Summer of Service” program is returning this year. This shorter summer session returns with projects focused on climate mitigation, affordable housing, and the option to serve where the need is greatest.
Deploy to Aurora, Colo., or Vinton, Iowa, for three months of training and service. Program benefits include food, lodging, a modest living allowance, uniforms, and program-related travel expenses are all covered by AmeriCorps NCCC.
In addition, members will receive a post-service education award.
Explore Summer of Service opportunities here (PDF) or visit the AmeriCorps Summer of Service website.
For more information about volunteer opportunities in Maine visit Volunteer Maine’s website.
College Spy Webinar What Juniors Should Be Doing RIGHT NOW to Plan for College Admissions
We L-O-V-E the College Spy, not only because she is a former colleague but also because she gives away so much great content! Her upcoming (Thursday night) offering is super timely. If you are interested but unable to “attend” we recommend that you sign up anyway. She records her webinars and then distributes them to registrants after the fact.
“If there is anything I could tell the parents of teenagers right now, it would be this: It doesn’t matter.
It just doesn’t matter — none of it matters — if your kid isn’t healthy.”
7 Ways to Build a Partnership with Your Teen’s School and College Counselor
“A key ally in your teen’s high school journey is the school and, more specifically, your child’s college counselor. They are both valuable resources, providing guidance and support to ensure your teen’s success.”
A constructive, collaborative relationship with your kiddo’s school counselor goes a long way. At least for now… until we are replaced by AI…
“PowerSchool PowerBuddy™ is coming to PowerSchool! PowerSchool’s AI assistant is designed with our responsible AI principles and transcends traditional education practices by personalizing learning, engagement, and intentionality to create a meaningful and accelerated learning experience.
With their very own PowerBuddy, each student, parent, educator, and administrator will have safe and secure access to individualized guidance, information, and resources at their fingertips. PowerBuddy will help students receive the most optimal social, emotional, and academic support in a way never experienced before.
Join us to hear from Shivani Stumpf, PowerSchool’s Chief Product and Innovation Officer, to learn how PowerSchool’s AI-powered assistant, PowerBuddy, will:
Serve as a personalized guide for parents, students, teachers, and administrators
Provide seamless, tailored support to improve your efficiency and productivity
Foster enhanced communication, collaboration, and efficiency within your educational ecosystem”
Color me dubious