Pre-College Programs - Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math & Science NEWSFLASH – FEBRUARY 22, 2013 IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS Important Dates February 23 March 2 March 9 March 15 March 16 March 30 April 13 April 27 May 4 May 31 June 16-July 26 1:45 p.m., Honors Mentorship Program Meeting 1:00 p.m., VMH 1202 – G.P.S. – Getting Through the College Application Process Safely Study Abroad Applications/Deposit Deadline 9:00-11:00 a.m., LFK 2205 – Mandatory Parent Meeting Pre-College Programs’ Office Moves to Cole Student Activities Building UMD Spring Break/Saturday Academy Closed PGCPS/MCPS Spring Break/Saturday Academy Closed Honors Mentorship Program Meeting Digital Cultures Honors Mentorship Program Field Trip Maryland Day/Honors Mentorship Presentation Last Day of Saturday Academy Senior Graduation Ceremony Parent Service Deadline: 20 Hours of Service or Program Participation Fee Due UB/UBMS Summer Residential Program For a complete list of Saturday Academy dates, visit www.precollege.umd.edu. INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: Pre-College Programs follows the inclement weather policy of the University of Maryland. Therefore, if the forecast calls for snow or other severe weather conditions, check your local news station to find out if UMD College Park is closed. UMD closures will also be announced on www.umd.edu and 301-405-SNOW (7669). If UMD is closed or there is a delayed opening for the campus on a Saturday that we are scheduled to hold classes, Saturday Academy is cancelled. If UMD College Park is open on time, Saturday Academy will follow a regular schedule. In This Newsflash College Application Workshop Feb 23 – Students & Parents Welcome! Honors Mentorship Spring Workshop, Feb 23, 1:45-4:00 Academic Course Registration 2013-14 SGA Shirt Sale: Order Forms Due This Saturday! Study Abroad in Puerto Rico! Applications/Deposit Due Mar 2 Pre-College Programs’ Office Moves to Cole March 15 Seniors: Senior Clearance, Graduation & Senior Trip Seniors: Free FAFSA Assistance @ MC Germantown, Thursday Feb 28 Parents: Mandatory Meeting, Mar 9 Parent Association: Get Involved & Earn Service Hours Senior Timeline: What should seniors be doing in February? Junior Timeline: What should juniors be doing in February? College Application Workshop Feb 23: The LIFT program is hosting a free workshop on Saturday, February 23, 1:00 p.m.. Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math & Science students and parents are welcome to attend! G.P.S. – Getting Through the College Application Process Safely Date: Time: Location: Saturday, February 23, 2013 1:00 p.m. Van Munching Hall, Room 1202 Main office telephone – 301-405-6776 www.precollege.umd.edu 1 Juniors and parents of juniors are strongly encouraged to attend. However, this workshop is open to students & parents of all grade levels. To register, email your name, grade, and high school to lift@umd.edu. Honors Mentorship Spring Workshop, Feb 23, 1:45-4:00: ALL students and parents are invited to attend. Come have lunch and see workshops about environmental justice while exploring the Honors Mentorship Program. Location: Nyumburu Cultural Center, Multipurpose Room. SGA Shirt Sale: Order Forms Due This Saturday!! Place an order and get your own personalized shirt! Order forms available at www.precollege.umd.edu. Study Abroad in Puerto Rico! Applications/Deposit Due Mar 2: Eligible students must have completed a summer residential session. The application is available at www.precollege.umd.edu. For more information, contact Ms. Rizzo, UB Counselor, at erizzo1@umd.edu. Pre-College Programs’ Office Moves to Cole March 15: Cole Student Activities Building will be the new home of Pre-College Programs beginning next month! Our move will take place on Friday, March 15. Assistance is needed to prepare for our big move! If you are interested in earning parent service hours by assisting with our move, please contact Ms. Segura, Program Support Committee Chair, at seguraj@sec.gov. Seniors: Senior Clearance, Graduation & Senior Trip: Graduation is right around the corner! Listed below are some important dates; please mark your calendars. Important Dates for Seniors & Parents May 18 Deadline for Senior Clearance May 31 Senior Graduation Ceremony June 6-9 (tentative) Senior Trip to New York City On Feb 9, Pre-College Programs staff held a meeting with seniors to discuss senior clearance and to provide updates on senior activities. If you were unable to attend the Feb 9 senior meeting, please contact your counselor to find out what you missed. Seniors: Free FAFSA Assistance @ MC Germantown, Thursday, Feb 28! College Goal Sunday is a statewide volunteer program that provides free information and assistance to students and families who are applying for financial aid for post secondary education. College Goal Sunday will be held on the following date: Date Thursday, Feb 28 Time 4pm-6pm Location Montgomery College, Germantown Spanish-speaking personnel will be available. For more information and to register for this event, visit http://collegegoalsundaymd.org/ Main office telephone – 301-405-6776 www.precollege.umd.edu 2 Mandatory Parent Meeting March 9, 2013, 9:00-11:00 a.m. LeFrak Hall, Room 2205 Refreshments will be served! Useful information will be shared by committee representatives! Training on our visit to the Hill after the meeting! All parents are required to attend! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Maduka @ 301-773-2629 or chykemaduka@msn.com. Parent Association Get Involved & Earn Service Hours The Parent Association has developed four committees for the 2012-2013 academic year. Each committee needs parent support; even if you cannot attend every committee meeting, your assistance can be utilized. The majority of parent service opportunities will be available through the committees. Parent service hours will be earned through committee-sponsored activities and monitored by the chairs of each committee. Each week, the Program Support Committee will record service hours on a master list. For more information about each committee and ways you can get involved, contact the individuals listed below: Communication, Advocacy Mr. C. Maduka 301.773.2629 chykemaduka@msn.com & Education The Communication, Advocacy, and Education committee works hard to make sure parents are informed and that parents have the opportunity to advocate for our programs. For more information on plans for 2013, contact Mr. Maduka. Fundraising Ms. L. Miles 240.765.8862 lmiles@students.pgcc.edu Interested in helping to raise money for student services & scholarships? Contact Ms. Miles to find out what the fundraising committee is working on for 2013. Program Support Ms. J. Segura 202.744.0503 seguraj@sec.gov Committee There are many ways parents can support our program, such as hall monitoring, clerical support, internship research, and preparing for our senior graduation. Ms. Segura has a list of various projects, and she is looking for parents to assist. For more details, see announcements below. Any parent seeking to earn service hours by monitoring halls on Saturdays should contact Mrs. Danielle Gillon on Thursday nights from 6pm to 8pm at 240-505-7705 or email her at gillon_g5@verizon.net . Please remember all hall monitor volunteers must arrive at LeFrak Hall, Room 2205 by 8:50 a.m. The Program Support Committee seeks parent volunteers! Volunteers are needed for the following assignments: Assistance with Office/Administrative Support - Each Friday from 11:00 AM - 4PM (1-2 parents) - Parents can report to the office and complete work request items or help with general office duties. Picture Taking – 1-2 parents are needed to help with taking photos of students, then printing and forwarding those photos to the counselors. Parents will check-in with the counselors to get a list of students who need to get their pictures taken for the files. Packing Up - 4-6 parents are needed to help with packing and preparing for our office move which is scheduled for Friday, March 15. Main office telephone – 301-405-6776 www.precollege.umd.edu 3 Parents are needed in the weeks leading up to the move date, as well as during select days after the move. Internship Program – 2-3 parents are needed to serve on the Internship Development Committee. This committee will meet weekly to assist with setting up the Internship Program for students. Parents will work with program staff. We also need 2-3 parents to serve on the Internship Selection Committee to help review internship applications, place students at internship sites, and assist with the evaluation of the internship placements. Most of this work will be done in February/March. County-Wide Meeting - Staff members are organizing a county-wide meeting to discuss best practices from each of our target schools. We will be inviting school representatives, county officials, campus staff, and program staff. This meeting will take place in April and we are looking for 4-6 parents to help coordinate it or volunteer on the day of the event. Parents who represent our target schools are preferred. Meetings will begin in February. Graduation Program Committee - 4-6 parents are needed to help coordinate the May 31 senior graduation ceremony. This will include activities such as distributing invitations, organizing cap and gowns, volunteering for set-up and clean-up. Meetings will begin in March and held twice per month. When possible, committee meetings will be done by phone and on some Saturdays. The committees will be led by Mrs. Foster Ahmed, Associate Director, or another Pre-College Programs’ staff member. There are opportunities for 20-28 parents and this does not include hall monitoring. Please contact Ms. Joyce Segura at 202-744-0503 or email at seguraj@sec.gov on Thursday nights 7-9pm to sign up for volunteer assignments. If you call and get a voice mail recording, please leave a message. Scholarship Ms. V. Rich 202-321-0535 precollegeprogramcash@yahoo.com The scholarship committee is researching various scholarships for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, and they have exciting plans to help support graduating seniors next semester. To get involved, contact Ms. Rich. Senior Timeline: What should seniors be doing in February? The FAFSA is now available! Have your parents filed their taxes? If not, encourage your parents to do this ASAP. If there is a delay completing the 2012 1040 tax return, the FAFSA can be filed with estimated tax information to avoid missing state and institutional deadlines. For more information on the FAFSA, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov. For information about College Goal Sunday (free events where students/parents can get professional assistance to file the FAFSA), visit www.collegegoalsundaymd.org. Watch the mail for “early action” or “priority” results. If you receive acceptances, YAY! Be sure to read materials thoroughly and note the deadline for confirmation and deposit. If you receive rejection letters, do not take it personally. Re-evaluate your college list, and maintain a positive attitude about your college prospects. Talk with your parents and discuss your college goals with your UB/UBMS counselor who can help you look at other options. Continue to search and apply for scholarships. Avoid catching the very contagious illness called SENIORITIS! Stay focused as you begin your final semester of high school! Junior Timeline: What should juniors be doing in February? Begin second semester with a positive attitude and solid work habits. Seek assistance with challenging courses. Remember, the grades that you earn this year will be the last set of grades reported on the transcript that is submitted with your college application. Make this semester count! Continue researching colleges. Also, research scholarships that you are (or will be) eligible to apply to. The more information you find now, the better prepared you will be for senior year. Begin thinking about summer plans. The Pre-College Programs’ summer residential program will help you prepare for college by allowing you time and guidance to work on college applications. Summer employment, internships, and/or community service work are also great ways to spend your last summer of high school. Main office telephone – 301-405-6776 www.precollege.umd.edu 4 Main office telephone – 301-405-6776 www.precollege.umd.edu 5