Counselors’ Corner
October 2015
WELCOME TO FHS!
ACT Test Dates
Whether you are new to FHS or returning, we
welcome you! The FHS faculty and staff are off
to a great start, and it is important that students
get off to a good start as well. As a parent, you
can check your child’s achievement via parent
portal from any computer with internet access.
If you have lost your password or you need to
sign up, contact Mrs. DeAnne Nigus at 590-8108.
ACT test dates at Fulton High School are the
following dates for this school year:
Saturday, October 24th
Saturday, December 12th
Saturday, February 6th
Saturday, April 9th
Saturday, June 11th
You will be receiving the Counselor’s Corner
three times during the school year. You will
receive another one in late November and again
in April. We strongly recommend that both
students and parents READ IT! We will include
tips to help you succeed in high school and
information on upcoming events, college
planning, scholarships, financial aid and much
more.
If you need to talk with either Mr. Hudson, Ms.
Harris or Ms. Gastler for any reason, you can
contact us at (573)590-8108 or by email:
ehudson@fulton58.org, dharris@fulton58.org,
or hgastler@fulton58.org.
Please note that Mr. Hudson has Freshman,
Sophomores, and Juniors (M-Z). Ms. Harris has
Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors (A-L) and
Seniors. Ms. Gastler is here part-time and does
not have students directly assigned to her;
however, we are all here to help all students and
you can talk with any of us whenever needed.
Scholarship Information
Scholarship
information
and
other
announcements will be posted on the FHS
Guidance webpage and Facebook. Like us
on Facebook @ FHS Guidance. The webpage
and Facebook page are updated weekly.
Information is available in the Guidance Office.
Students
must
register
online
at
www.actstudent.org/start for each test.
ACT for All Juniors
On Tuesday, April 19, 2016, the State is paying
for all Juniors to take the ACT test at Fulton High
School. This test in April is required for all of our
Junior students. The ACT test dates mentioned
above are additional dates the ACT is offered at
FHS on a Saturday and are optional for a student
to take.
PARENT/STUDENT/TEACHER
CONFERENCES
Parent/student/teacher conferences will be held
at the end of six and twelve week grading terms
for each semester. Parents pick up progress
reports during these times and will have an
opportunity to visit with all teachers. The first
Parent/Student/Teacher
conference
is
Wednesday, October 7th from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Progress reports are given each term, but
semester grades which are given at the end of
each semester are the grades recorded on the
permanent record and the grades for which
credit is issued. Although parents can view their
child’s grades through Parent Portal, it is not the
same as visiting with the classroom teacher. We
encourage all parents and students to attend
conferences.
Our second Parent/Student/Teacher conference
will be held on Wednesday, November 11th from
3:30 to 7:00 p.m. Mark your calendars!
COLLEGE VISITS
The following colleges will be here to visit with
students on the following dates. Juniors and
Seniors can sign up in the Guidance Office.
University of Missouri – St. Louis on Wed. Oct.
21st at 10:15 am.
Missouri Western State University on Thurs. Oct.
22nd at 10:15 am.
Missouri State University on Mon. Oct. 26th at
10:15 am.
Missouri University of Science and Technology
on Mon. Oct. 26th at 10:15 am.
Southwest Baptist University on Wed. Nov. 4th at
10:15 am.
4-YEAR PLANS FOR FRESHMEN
Mr. Hudson, Ms. Harris and Ms. Gastler will be
meeting with freshmen towards the end of
January. Students will then bring the materials
home to discuss with parents. More information
will follow at a later date.
ASVAB
All Juniors took the ASVAB test on September
8th. This is a multiple-aptitude test battery, an
interest inventory and various career planning
tools designed to help students explore career
opportunities. Students will get their score
reports on October 2nd along with an ASVAB
booklet explaining the results.
Apply Missouri
This year, FHS Seniors will take part in Apply
Missouri from October 13-16. All seniors will be
participating in their classrooms discovering
information about colleges, financial aid, writing
a college application essay and applying to
colleges. For those students who have already
applied to colleges, time will be spent looking for
scholarship opportunities. Students who are not
looking at attending college, will be looking for
job opportunities and completing job
applications.
INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOPS
The FHS Guidance Office will host several
informational workshops for students and
parents throughout the school year. October
13th will be the College/Career Fair from 6:30
p.m. – 8:00 p.m. A College Planning Workshop
will be offered in the Library from 5:30 – 6:30
p.m. Additional information including a listing of
colleges/universities attending will be available
closer to the date of the College Fair. A Financial
Aid Workshop and FAFSA Frenzy will be offered
in February. We hope you will take advantage of
these educational opportunities.
PSAT
The PSAT will be given on Wednesday, October
14, 2015, to sophomores and juniors who pay by
Oct. 8th. The fee for this test is $18. The
Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National
Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It’s a
standardized test that provides firsthand
practice for the SAT®. It also gives you a chance
to enter NMSC scholarship programs (11th
graders) and gain access to college and career
planning tools.
The PSAT/NMSQT measures: critical reading
skills, math problem-solving skills, and writing
skills. You have developed these skills over many
years, both in and out of school. This test
doesn’t require you to recall specific facts from
your classes.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Interested in nursing? This career is expected
to grow 80% by 2020. Check out this website
to learn more about the nursing
field. RNtoBSN.org There are several links on
this page about different nursing degrees,
financial aid, and a quiz to see if you should
become a nurse.
Have you made a difference through volunteer
service? Apply now for the 2016 Prudential
Spirit of Community Award. Application is
available at http://spirit.prudential.com and is
due by November 3rd.
The Journey to College monthly reminder is an
electronic resource produced by the Missouri
Department of Higher Education and is packed
full of post-secondary tips directed toward
Missouri’s students and their parents. Subscribe
to
the
Monthly
Reminder
at
http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/reminders2.php
State Technical College of Missouri will have
their Open House on Friday, October 16th at the
Mexico campus and on Saturday, October 17th
at the Linn campus. Students and family
members will have the opportunity to visit the
campus, interact with students and faculty, and
see their equipment and facilities. Visit
www.statetechmo.edu/eaglepreview to access
event details and the online registration form.
Scholarships
Interested in Nuclear Engineering? We have
twelve scholarship opportunities available in the
Guidance Office for seniors. Stop by for further
information.
Interested in attending Washington University in
St. Louis? Visit with Mr. Hudson or Ms. Harris by
October 31st. You may qualify for the Danforth
Scholars Program Scholarship.
The Smart Choice Scholarship is sponsored by
KOMU and Columbia Honda. Each month until
May, Columbia Honda will award a high school
senior in Mid-Missouri who has made smart
academic and community choices a $1,000
scholarship.
Seniors may apply at
www.komu.com/pages/smartchoice.
Applications must be submitted by the 15th of
each month.
Planning on going to Mizzou? Applications
should be made by December 1st and the general
scholarship deadline is December 15th. Check
with Ms. Harris about scholarships available.
Need more scholarships? Check out
our
webpage
at
http://www.fulton58.org/vnews/dis
play.v/ART/51bf21288ceee or visit
our Facebook page at FHS Guidance.
These are updated weekly with
scholarship information.
A+ Information
All of the specifics are covered on the A+
Contract and A+ Citizenship Policy.
What is A+?
It is a program that is available to FHS
graduates because FHS is an “A+ School.” A+
is money from the Missouri government; the
money comes from Missouri taxes. A+ pays
for tuition (what you have to pay to attend a
school). A+ pays for fees (like computer fees,
health fees, recreation fees, charged by the
school). A+ does not pay for transportation,
room and board, supplies, and optional
books or program-related fees, such as tools.
What type of Schools will A+ pay for me to
attend?
Schools that are: Located in Missouri; Public
(funded with Missouri tax money); 2-year
community colleges, technical colleges, or
vocational/technical schools.
A+ does not pay for 4-year school or schools
out of state or private schools; many four
year schools offer a
completing A+.
scholarship for
How do I get the money? *
You do not have to have financial need
(anyone can qualify). You do not have to
earn A+ grades. You do not have to compete
with anyone. Basically, you just have to:
Sign up; Get an average of C+’s when all your
semester grades are averaged together. (2.5
GPA); Have an attendance rate of 95%;
Attend an A+ school for your last three years
before graduation; Stay out of trouble; Do 50
hours of tutoring; score a proficient or
higher on Algebra I End of Course Exam; if
you meet all of the eligibility requirements
except the end of course exam, you may
establish eligibility by achieving a qualifying
score on the COMPASS exam and Graduate.
*Please ask for a complete explanation from
the A+ Schools Program Coordinator.
Jody Troesser, Program Coordinator
Phone: 573/590-8118.