St. Francis High School | College Preparatory

Do you have any unused eye glasses or sun glasses around the house? If so, donate your old eye glasses and sun glasses to a good cause. This year St. Francis High School will again collect old glasses for “Sight Night”. Volunteers will then repair and classify the collected eye glasses by prescription and hand deliver them to people in developing countries who need eye glasses but cannot afford them. Also, we are again inviting St. Francis students to collect old eyeglasses in their neighborhoods on Halloween while they are “trick-or-treating”. Please talk with your son and daughter about this opportunity to collect more than just candy this Halloween. Free Trick-or Treat collection kits and a drop-off box for old glasses will be available in the Guidance & Counseling Department. For more info, please contact Mrs. Rupp at extension 104 . Please drop off any eye glasses by the end of October.

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Several Parent Information Programs Scheduled for 2007-2008

Several guidance information programs for parents will be held this school year. On Tuesday, October 2, a dual program will be held in the Spartan Theater. Beginning at 6:30 PM , Mrs. Rigney will provide a brief overview of the key factors in College Admission and Selection and explain the major steps involved in the college application process. At 7:45 PM Susan Daly of the College Planners will discuss college financial aid and how families can obtain the maximum amount of financial aid for which they qualify . This program is appropriate for parents of students of all age levels. Don't wait until your child's senior year to learn the ins and outs of college selection and financial aid. Parents who are unable to attend the program may contact Mrs. Rigney for a copy of the St. Francis College Planning Guide or request information on the services provided by Susan Daly of the College Planners.

On Wednes day, October 17 , all sophomore students will be taking the PLAN test, a practice exam for the ACT. Parents will receive the PLAN test results in the mail. Mrs. Rigney will also meet with sophomores in their English classes to interpret test results.

On October 17 all juniors will take the PSAT test, a preliminary SAT and qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Following the PSAT, the juniors will also be taking the Strong Career Interest Inventory. Highly qualified sophomore students are also invited to take the PSAT test in lieu of the PLAN. This is most beneficial for sophomores who believe they may have the opportunity to score very well on the test as juniors and thereby earn standing as a National Merit Scholar. Because the PSAT is a challenging test that is designed for junior level students, sophomores who choose to take the PSAT should be strong test takers who usually score at the 85%ile or better on standardized tests. Sophomores who wish to take the PSAT will need to sign up for the test with Mrs. Rigney no later than Monday, September 24.

O n Thurs day, December 13 , parents of sophomores and juniors who took the PSAT may obtain the results of their sons' and daughters' tests by attending the parent information program at 6:30 PM in the Spartan Theater. The program will interpret PSAT test scores and will also include information on the ACT/ SAT tests and on the benefits of test prep programs. Mrs. Rigney will also meet with students in their English classes to provide test score information and interpretation directly to students. This meeting will take place after the parent program.

During February we will begin the process of registering students for courses for the 2008-2009 school year. As colleges continue to step up their course requirements, it is important that students carefully plan their high school program of studies. Parents who wish to help their children in course selection should attend the program scheduled for Thursday, January 31, 6:30 PM , in the Spartan Theater, on Course Selection Information. Parents of all students, freshmen through juniors, are encouraged to attend this program. Topics will include: typical high school courses required for admission by regional state universities, how to make a four year plan, and understanding course prerequisites.

Please note that all of the above programs are for parents only—students will receive the information during classroom presentations.

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Sophomores and Juniors set to take PLAN and PSAT Tests on Oct. 17 , 2007

On Wednesday, October 17, all sophomore students will be taking the PLAN ( practice ACT) test and all juniors will take the PSAT (practice SAT) test. Testing will take place from 7:40 AM until 11:15. Seniors will have a free day or college visit day on October 17 and the freshmen will be having their retreat.

Wednesday, October 17 is one of only two national test dates for the PSAT/NMSQT. St. Francis tests on the Wednesday rather than the Saturday test date so students do not have to worry about conflicts with athletic and work commitments. The PLAN test has been scheduled for the same date for convenience in test administration.

What are these tests and why do all of our students take them? The PSAT is the practice exam for the SAT college entrance exam which college bound juniors will take later in the spring. The PSAT is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students who score very well on this test may qualify for valuable college scholarship programs. Juniors who want to prepare for this test should consult the tips on the PSAT flyer distributed by Mrs. Rigney in junior English classes. Additional information is available on the College Board’s website, www.collegeboard.com.

Students who take the PSAT will not be required to complete the writing sample, which is a required part of the SAT exam. Along with the PSAT, juniors will also take the Strong Career Interest Inventory which can be used as a tool in career planning and choice of college major.

The PLAN test is a practice test for the ACT college entrance exam. The PLAN, which is specifically designed for sophomore students, is slightly shorter and easier than the real ACT. The PLAN also includes a career interest inventory, study skills assessment, and student needs assessment. The PLAN does not include the optional Writing Assessment that is now included with the ACT. Sophomore students have received flyers regarding PLAN testing in their sophomore English classes along with an ACT Practice test booklet. Students who wish to access practice questions may do so at www.act.org/plan. The results of the PLAN will be mailed to parents in November or December.

Sophomore students who normally score very high on standardized tests may opt to take the PSAT in lieu of the PLAN test on October 17. Students may choose this option in order to be better prepared for the junior year PSAT which can qualify the student for the National Merit Scholarship Program. (Only the junior year score qualifies for the scholarship program). Students who qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program typically score in the top 2% of the nation on the test. The PSAT will be more difficult than the PLAN since the PSAT is a junior level exam. Sophomore students who want to take the PSAT must sign up in their English classes no later than September 24. Sophomores who take the PSAT will not be able to take the PLAN. They must choose one or the other. If a sophomore takes the PSAT this year and scores extremely well, he or she will still have to take the test again next year.

No pre-registration is required by sophomores or juniors for these tests, except for sophomores who want to take the PSAT. All students are expected to take the tests and testing fees are covered by school tuition. Testing will begin promptly at 7:40 so students need to report to school no later than 7:30 AM. Since students will be dismissed at approximately 11:15 AM, they need to make alternate arrangements for transportation. No parking permits are required to park on campus on October 17 but students must be careful not to park in the numbererd, reserved faculty and staff parking places.

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Special Accommodations for the ACT/ SAT

Parents of sophomore and junior level students are reminded to contact Ms. Sullivan ASAP at ext. 108 if you have a child who might qualify for extended time or other accommodations on ACT and SAT testing. Guidelines for such requests are given below.

ACT: Complete documentation needs to be ready and in our files in order to be sent into ACT early junior year. As the request for eligibility is sent to ACT, the student is required to register for the test (usually) in April.
SAT: Complete documentation may be sent in to SAT as early as late freshman year or early sophomore year. The student is only requesting eligibility at this time and does not register for a specific test until junior year which is a different policy from ACT.
DOCUMENTATION described below needs to be ON FILE AT ST. FRANCIS AS EARLY AS FRESHMAN YEAR.
Mary Kay Sullivan will pull the information from this documentation in order to write and to send a parent approved Service Plan (accommodation plan) to the individual’s teachers.
Students should be looking ahead to have an appropriate written Service Plan for college as well.
For either ACT or SAT to consider students for accommodations, they must have DOCUMENTATION THAT MEETS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

States the specific disability as diagnosed.
Testing is current. (testing/re-evaluation in 8 th grade or freshman year is acceptable)
Describes presenting problem and developmental history including current treatment.
Describes the comprehensive assessments used to arrive at the diagnosis, such as psychoeducational testing, neuropsychological information, medical diagnoses, etc.
Describes the adverse effect on learning and academic achievement as supported by the test results.
Describes specific recommended accommodations for the classroom and provides a rationale explaining how these will address the functional limitations.
Establishes the professional credentials of the evaluator.
Students must also USE these accommodations throughout their four years in high school.

For complete protocol for documenting or for any other clarification, log on to www.act.org/aap/disab/policy.html and also www.collegeboard.com/disable/students.com or contact Mary Kay Sullivan x 108.

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Seniors need to start the college application process

Senior students should be in the process of completing their college searches and narrowing their lists of potential colleges to 5 or 6 schools. At least two of these schools can be "reach" schools (i.e. schools to which the student may not be admitted but which are "worth a try"). Two should be fairly good options even if they d o not guarantee admission for the student. Finally, at least two of the 6 schools should be "sure bets" (that is, affordable schools for which the student unquestionably meets admission criteria).

In late August, Mrs. Rigney met with seniors in their English classes to explain college application procedures and give them a copy of the St. Francis College Planning Guide. Once seniors have defined their lists of colleges, they should access the application through the college’s website. If the students plans to complete a paper application, he or she may obtain applications from the St. Francis Guidance and Counseling Office or the College Admission office. Applications can also be downloaded from the college admission web site. When completing applications, students should follow the directions contained in their hard copy of the College Planning Guide or on the College Planning Guide posted on the Guidance page of the St. Francis website. Seniors need to be aware of admission deadlines for certain schools. For example, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a deadline of November 10. Illinois State University , Northern Illinois University , and DePaul University have a priority consideration deadline of November 15. Students are wise to submit and mail all supporting documents well in advance of this deadline (around Nov. 1) to make sure that all materials are received on time. Marquette , St. Louis University , and many other private colleges have a priority deadline of December 1. Schools which offer an early notification or early decision option usually have deadlines of November 1 or November 15. Always check the college’s application information to determine the deadlines for posting or receiving application materials. Students planning to apply to large in-state or out-of-state universities should also complete applications by Thanksgiving at the latest to insure priority consideration for admission and housing availability. Furthermore, since colleges cannot make financial aid offers until the student is admitted, timely admission means better consideration for available financial aid from the college.

For more information on college planning, go to the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website.

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What you need to know about applying to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

As many students and parents are aware, the University of Illinois is extremely competitive for admissions. The College of Business has become even more competitive than in the past. Therefore, it is important that students complete the application correctly and on time. The student’s application must be received in the U of I admission office no later than November 10. Supporting documents, such as test scores and official transcripts, must be postmarked no later than November 10. To meet this deadline, students must submit the addressed envelope and transcript request form to Mrs. Rigney no later than November 5. The Guidance Office will not accept responsibility for application materials that are received (late) by U of I if they were not submitted to St. Francis by November 5. Please realize that the date that U of I indicates on the web for the receipt of the transcript is really the day they post that information, not the date it was actually received. For example, if U of I receives admission materials on November 8 but posts the students information on November 12, the materials are not considered late. They simply have thousands of application materials to process and upload and may confirm the receipt of materials after the deadline.

Because some majors are more competitive for admissions, it is very important that students ask to be considered for other related majors, including general curriculum, if they are not accepted to the major of their choice. Students must make this request at the time they complete the application (question 15). If they do not, and are denied admission, they may not make this request after denial of acceptance.

Students who are not admitted to their first choice of majors should not assume that they can transfer to a more competitive major right away. Transferring from a less competitive major to a more competitive major may take one and one half to two years and it may never happen if the student does not earn the required transfer grade point average. For example, students attempting to transfer into the College of Business will need at least a 3.5 grade point average and the completion of difficult course work that includes Calculus. Transfer admission for the available spots in the College of Business or Engineering will be extremely competitive.

Students should note that there are Business related majors in some of the other colleges within the university, other than the College of Business. Some examples are: Advertising in the College of Communications; Consumer Economics in the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences; Health Planning and Administration in the College of Allied Health; Policy, International Trade, and Development in the College of Agriculture; Food Industry and Business in the College of Agriculture; Sport Management in the College of Allied Health; Economics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and others. Students who are seriously interested in any of these areas may consider applying to these majors rather than the College of Business.

The University of Illinois at Urbana has specifically told counselors that they do not welcome letters of recommendation and will not read them. More is not better with U of I. Any special circumstances of which the students wants them to be aware must be explained by the student in the personal statement and professional statement. These essays are very important in the review process and will be read by the admission counselors. Students should work on these essays very carefully. Also, the information in the professional statement should correspond with the student’s designated choice of major. For example, if the student is applying to the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, the student’s professional statement should show his or her interest in a major that is included in that college’s program of studies.

All students who apply by the November 10 deadline will be able to view an admissions decision at 5 PM on December 14 on the U of I admissions website. No admission decisions will be posted or mailed prior to that date and time. The decision at that time will be either accept, deny, or deferred until the February 15 notification date. Students who apply later or are deferred for further review will receive admission decisions on February 15. Students who apply for art, dance, theater, or music will not receive an admissions decision until March 15.

U of I is now including a question on the application in regards to whether either of the student’s parents attended the U of I. Legacy will be considered in the process but it will not make up for significant academic criteria.

Ethnicity will be a factor if the student is from an underrepresented minority group such African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian.

Also, the U of I does not allow students to drop core courses at the semester from the senior schedule without approval from the university. Students who drop courses or move from honors courses to regular level courses at the mid-year point can risk having their acceptances retracted by U of I when the university receives the student’s final transcript in June. Because academic rigor of your senior schedule is a factor in the admissions decision, the U of I expects students to maintain enrollment in those courses and maintain solid academic performance in those courses throughout second semester of the senior year.

Students or parents who have additional questions about the U of I admission process should contact Mrs. Rigney or contact the U of I admissions office.

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How to Process a College Application

When a senior wants to process a college application there are several important steps that he or she must complete. For a complete explanation of these steps the student should consult The College Planning Guide which all seniors were given at the beginning of the school year. This information is also listed on the guidance and counseling page of the school website under College Planning Guide.

The steps are as follows if the student is completing a paper application:

First of all, if the student will need a letter of recommendation, he or she must contact Mrs. Rigney or the teacher at least three weeks prior to processing your application. For teacher recommendations, students should use the “Request for Teacher Recommendation Form” available on the St. Francis website and in the Student Services Office. Students must personally speak with the teacher and give him or her this form. The teacher will forward the completed letter to Mrs. Rigney.
Next, students should complete the application carefully and sign it in all required places. Attach any enclosures, personal statements, or essays. Make sure to carefully proofread any such essays or have them reviewed by an English instructor.
Attach a check for the application fee if one is required.
Place the application in an addressed envelope but do not seal the envelope. The student does not need to provide postage.
Pick up a transcript release form from the Student Services Office or download the form from our website. Complete this form using the correct address of the college. The first five transcript requests are free; after that, students must include $5.00. Check all items on the form’s checklist that apply to the application. Write any special instructions or deadlines on the transcript release form.
The student should then bring the packet of application materials to Mrs. Rigney. She will look it over, sign it if necessary, enclose any recommendation letters, and give it to the registrar who will enclose the transcript and place the application in the school mail. Both Mrs. Rigney and the registrar, Mrs. Henning, will keep a log of when the application was processed.

In the case of online applications, students should follow the above instructions regarding essays and recommendations. Students must always process a transcript release form with Mrs. Rigney to complete the online application. Some online applications also have a counselor signature page that must be completed by Mrs. Rigney (for example, ISU, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, DePaul, Marquette, Dayton, St. Louis University, and many others all require a counselor form). For online applications, follow instructions in # 1, 5, and 6 and provide an addressed envelope (regular letter sized envelope).

Many colleges will also require that official ACT or SAT scores be forwarded directly from the testing company. To have these sent, students should go to the ACT or College Board websites and make this request online. Unofficial ACT and SAT test score results are also posted on the student’s transcript. If a student wants a “lower” score to be removed from his or her record, the student must inform Mrs. Rigney before the transcript is mailed to colleges.

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Naviance Family Connection provides excellent support for College Planning at http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton

Students and parents are strongly encouraged to use the Naviance Family Connection college planning tool. St. Francis has licensing to use this web based program which provides assistance in all areas of the college search and application process. Current seniors were all shown how to use the program last December. Seniors should use the user names and passwords they created last December to log on. Current juniors and parents of current juniors and seniors were mailed access codes last winter, but if they have not yet created a user name and password and have lost the access code, they may contact Mrs. Ellis at ext. 142 to obtain the access code again. Mrs. Rigney will provide orientation to the program for current juniors later this fall. If underclassmen or their parents wish to use the program, they may obtain the access code by contacting Mrs. Ellis.

The Naviance program already has password protected student information loaded into the system. When a student or parent logs onto the student account, he or she can complete a college search, create a resume, formulate a list of potential colleges, and check the college visit calendar. By clicking on acceptance history, scattergrams (analysis/graphs), college match, and college compare, the student can compare his or her academic credentials to the college’s acceptance history for St. Francis students from the class of 2006 and 2007. Once the student has applied to a college, the student can use Family Connection to track if his or her transcript and recommendations were sent by St. Francis. The student can also update the program to show which colleges he or she has been accepted to.

The Naviance program has many other great features and is an indispensable tool in the college search and application process. If students or parents have questions or problems in using the program, contact Mrs. Rigney, College Counselor, at ext. 105.

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Use the SFHS Website for College Planning

Students and parents who are seeking information for college planning should go to the St. Francis High School website and click on the Guidance tab. From this site, you can access information that is helpful in the college planning and financial aid process. By clicking on websites for college information you can access a list which includes sites for completing a college search, registering for the ACT and SAT , investigating careers, and obtaining financial aid and scholarships. By clicking on dates and deadlines, you can check upcoming dates for ACT and SAT testing, college fairs, AP tests, and other important events. Check out the college planning guide for a step by step process to researching and applying to colleges. Click on the weekly guidance bulletin to find out about upcoming college information programs and recent scholarship offerings. From this site you can also access a list of corporate and community scholarships and a college comparison chart. Make http://www.sfhsnet.org/guidance /home.htm your first stop for college planning, testing, and scholarship information.

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College Fairs to be held October

If students were not able to attend the COD College Fair in September, they may want to attend the NACAC College Fair at Navy Pier in Chicago on Saturday, October 20 from 10 AM until 3 PM . Other area college fairs will be held at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove on October 1, 6— 8:30 PM and Elgin Community College on October 2, 6— 8:30 PM .

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Reinforcing Learning: Suggest your teen use the best learning style when studying

You may know that researchers have identified at least seven different kinds of intelligence, or ways a person learns best. Homework will go better for your teen if she uses her strengths.

Take a look at the strengths below and help your child determine the best way to study. If you’re teen has:

Strong language skills, suggest she read her work aloud to herself.
Strong math and logic skills, suggest she look for the “why?” in every assignment. Why did a character from history acts as he did? Was his reasoning sound?
Strong musical skills, suggest she study to music. She could even sing her work to herself.
Strong spatial skills, suggest she draw pictures and diagrams whenever possible. People with strong spatial skills are good at picturing things in their heads. They understand things by seeing them, either in real life or in their minds.
Strong movement skills, suggest she study while moving about the room, or change study spots often.
Strong people skills, suggest she get together with a group to study.
A desire to work independently, encourage her to think of extra-credit projects and suggest them to her teachers.

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Friday Progress Reports

Parents may request a bi-weekly Friday Progress Report if their son/daughter is in serious academic jeopardy. The student assumes the responsibility to contact each teacher on Friday and have the teacher complete the form. The parent and student share the responsibility of following through with a plan of action when improvement is needed.

We try to limit these reports to accommodate those students who most need this structure. We also encourage students and parents to communicate directly with teachers rather than relying only on the formal report. For parents, this can be done through voice mail and e-mail.

To limit the interruption of instructional time that teachers must use to complete these forms, students will only receive the Friday report every other week. To request a report or ask additional questions, contact Mrs. Ellis, Guidance and Counseling Administrative Assistant, ext. 142, who will inform the student’s Guidance Counselor.

In addition to checking on grades with Friday Progress Reports, check out the Academic Counseling link on our webpage for some study tips that your child can use. Some examples listed are general organization techniques, test taking strategies, note-taking skills, and creating a study schedule.

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Update on ACT and SAT testing

Deadlines are approaching for seniors who need to take or retake their ACT and SAT tests. Parents who wish to stay on top of ACT and SAT deadlines should check the last page of the St. Francis school calendar which was sent to all families in the summer mailing. All ACT and SAT test dates and registration deadlines are listed there. These dates are also listed on the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website. The next ACT this year will take place on October 27 with a late fee registration deadline of October 5. If necessary, seniors can also take the December 8 ACT.

The first SAT offered this fall will be held on October 6 with a registration deadline of September 14. If a student missed this deadline, he or she must attend the test using the standby procedure. The next SAT is November 3. Seniors may also take the December 1 SAT . Registration packets for all of these tests are available in the Guidance and Counseling Office or students may register online.

Junior students usually begin testing with the January or February test dates. Occasionally juniors test as early as the December ACT date. It is important that juniors plan ahead to avoid conflicts with spring sports and activities. Also, all juniors should plan on taking the ACT or SAT at least two times before the end of junior year.

Both ACT and SAT made changes to their testing programs which included the addition of a writing sample beginning with the test dates in spring of 2005. These changes have affected students in the Class of 2006 and beyond. For details on new ACT test content and requirements, students should pick up the booklet, Preparing for the ACT, which is available in the Student Services area. Students may also visit the testing company websites for more information.

ACT: www.act.org

SAT: www.collegeboard.com

The St. Francis High School Code is 144-383.

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Notify Counselors of Your Child’s Special Needs

If you are a parent of an incoming freshman or transfer student who has special needs or learning problems, we encourage you to contact your child’s counselor to discuss your child’s individual needs and determine what specific information you would like to have communicated to teachers.

If information on your child’s learning needs should have been forwarded from the child’s elementary school or junior high school, you may want to check with your child’s counselor to make sure this information was, in fact, sent to St. Francis. To explore this further, please contact Ms. Mary Kay Sullivan at ext. 108.

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