MARCH  BULLETIN

All students should be settled in their second semester classes and should be thinking about all options open to them for the second half of this school year and for the summer.

Upcoming Test Dates – watch deadlines for registration! The earlier you sign up, the better the choice for test location.

Test        Test Date               Registration Deadline    Late Fee Deadlines   To Register

SAT        3/13/2010             expired                            expired                        www.collegeboard.com

ACT       4/10/2010             March 5, 2010                 March 6-19, 2010        www.actstudent.org

SAT        5/1/2010              March 25, 2010               April 8, 2010                www. collegeboard.com

SAT        6/5/2010              April 29, 2010                  May 13, 2010              www.collegeboard.com

ACT       6/12/2010              May 7, 2010                    May 8-21, 2010           www.actstudent.org

SAT Subject Tests  will be given on May 1 and June 5.

AP Exams will be given May 3-7 and May 10-14. Late sign-ups are May 1-5 in the AAC.
 

There will be a PFC sponsored Mock SAT on Saturday, April 17.   PFC is also sponsoring an SAT Bootcamp on April 24 and 25.  Contact Denise Daniel at (818) 991-4114 for information.

PFC is also sponsoring SAT Prep Classes in conjunction with Eureka Test Prep Services.  Session 2 will run Tues/Sat or Wed/Sat from 4/13-5/15. Check PFC e-mails and AHS website for more information and to register.

PFC is sponsoring the following workshops:

Tuesday, March 16: Parent Ed Night on the College Admissions Process - 7pm in the G Bldg
Wednesday, March 24 (Late Start Day): "How to develop your college list and research colleges" - 8am in room A1
Tuesday, April 20 (Late Start Day): "Finding a great match college and what to get done this summer before senior year starts" - 8am in room A1

Please RSVP to Penny Sylvester at ripley@earthlink.net if you would like to attend a workshop.

College Knowledge Night will be Thursday, March 25 at Oak Park High School, 899 N. Kanan Rd, at 6:30pm.  Wolfgang Puck is one of the sponsors for the evening and will be taking advance food orders for the evening.  The agenda and more information will be available on the AHS website on or about March 15. 

On March 22 and March 23 at support and lunch in the G Bldg., counselors will be holding a review workshop on course selection through Naviance.  Course selection information will be available on March 22 and students should have completed their enrollment in classes by March 29 for the 2010-2011 school year.

Moorpark High School will be having a College Fair on Monday, April 26, 7-9pm in the Moorpark High School Gym.  Agoura High School students are welcome to attend.

Parent drop ins for current students are scheduled for April 21 and May 26, both 3-6pm in the library.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) will be holding the following College Fairs in our general area:

Tuesday, April 27 6-9pm at the Pasadena Convention Center
Wednesday, April 28 9a-12p at the Pasadena Convention Center
Thursday, April 29 5:30p-8:30p at Seaside Park on the Ventura County Fairgrounds. 
For more information on these fairs, please go to the NACAC website at www.nacacnet.org.  Unlike at many college fairs that are staffed by volunteer alumni, NACAC fair booths are staffed by admissions representatives from inividual colleges.

The following information should be helpful for both students and parents. Information on this page, as well as on all of the College and Career Planning pages on AgouraHighSchool.net will be updated as necessary.  Please check back regularly to see if new information has been added.

The College and Career Center (CCC) is a great source for general information on test dates and college information for students at grade levels 9-12.  There are many wonderful resource books for students of all academic levels.  The CCC has many brochures and catalogs that colleges have sent us for your review.  There is information on scholarships, leadership programs, and summer programs.  Please come by during support, nutrition or lunch to use these wonderful resources.

In addition to this page, a separate e-mail will be sent to each student by grade level through the Naviance system with the following information. If you do not receive the e-mail, please go into Naviance and update your information with your current e-mail address.

Freshmen

Your grades are important!  Don’t believe rumors that freshman grades don’t count.  College applications require applicants to enter the classes and the grades from your freshman year.  Remember to do your homework and turn it in.  Homework not only helps by reinforcing what you’ve learned, but may also be an easy way to boost your grade.  Use Support period to get extra help from teachers. Take advantage of the many opportunities Agoura High School offers to help students without having to hire private tutors.  The Tutoring Center is open every Tuesday after school from 3:15pm-4:30pm in the Library for assistance with all subjects.  Math tutoring is available every day in room M-7 during Support, Lunch, and Period 6.

You will be selecting your courses for next year on Naviance in March.  There will be a presentation on how to enroll for classes through Naviance on March 22 and March 23 at support and lunch in the G building.

Sophomores

Don’t forget to keep up your grades!  If you need additional assistance with classwork, be sure to take advantage of the options Agoura High School has to offer you.  Teachers are available Monday – Friday during support in their classrooms.  Math tutoring is available Monday – Friday during Support, Lunch and Period 6 in room M-7.  The Tutoring Center is open every Tuesday in the Library 3:15pm-4:30pm for help with all subjects.
 

All sophomores will be using Naviance for course selection next month.  All accounts should already be set up.  Go into the Naviance program, which can be accessed through agourahighschool.net, and make sure your account is set up.  Unless you are a new student, you should have registered already and may just need to change your password if you can’t access your account.  If your account needs to be set up, please see Ms. Henry in the Registrar’s office. There will be a Naviance review during support and lunch in the G building on March 22 and 23. All sophomores will be going to the ROP computer lab during an English period to fill out their Personality Type and Career Surveys.  These are the first two surveys that are required for students to fill out prior to graduation.  Students should be filling out as much information as possible in the Naviance program to help you decide how you will plan your future.  Next year and senior year you will be filling out the college surveys – where you might want to apply, where you actually apply, and the results of your applications.

Now is the time to start thinking about your summer plans.  There are lots of options for fun, educational and rewarding experiences. The College and Career Center receives information regularly on summer program options.  Come by the CCC for information.  Many summer programs offer academic credit, community service credit and leadership seminar opportunities.  These programs do have deadlines and scholarships may be available.  Start your research soon so you don’t miss out on some valuable opportunities.

Juniors

 Now is a good time to start researching colleges.  Spring Break is a good time to visit colleges.  Many of the colleges are in session during the AHS break.  Schedule an appointment if possible to take a tour of the campus and meet with an admissions counselor.  By visiting different types of schools, you can narrow down the number of applications you will need to send out.  When deciding on a college, think about

• The size of the school, number of students, class size
• Location – in state/out-of-state, urban/rural
• Public/Private
• Costs/availability of financial assistance
• Climate – temperature can be a big factor
• Campus vs. City School – is there a main campus or is the school laid out across many city blocks
• Social make-up of the school
• Academic options – fields of study, graduate school affiliations
• Extracurricular Activities/Social options
• Commuter campus or do most students live on campus
• Housing availability

The best source of information for a specific college is the college’s website.  The AHS Naviance Program will assist you in finding colleges that suit your needs.  For help with California colleges, go to www.californiacolleges.edu.  There is a map in the College and Career Center showing the locations of most of the colleges around the country.
 

Don’t apply only to those schools that you think you have the best chance to get into.  Have some “reach” schools.  It is better to aim higher at the beginning, rather than regretting later on that you may have had a chance to attend a more “preferred” school of choice.

Many colleges are having their Open Houses soon.  Check individual college websites for more details.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) will be holding the following College Fairs in our general area:
April 27 6pm-9pm at the Pasadena Convention Center
April 28 9am-12pm at the Pasadena Convention Center
April 29 5:30pm-8:30pm at Seaside Park on the Ventura County Fairgrounds
Please check the NACAC website for more specific information - www.nacacnet.org

In the fall, attend the college visits in the CCC.  Many of the representatives who visit Agoura High School are the admissions representatives who will be reading your college applications.  They bring insightful information for students considering their schools.  Notification of these visits can be found on AgouraHighSchool.net, on Naviance, in the weekly school bulletin, in daily announcements, in PFC e-mails, and on the College and Career Center bulletin board.


If you plan on playing a sport in college, make sure you register with ncaaclearinghouse.net by the end of your junior year. 

You should be taking the ACT and/or SAT tests this year.  For test dates, check the College Planning Page on the AHS website.  To register and for more information, go to collegeboard.com for SAT information and actstudent.org for ACT information.

PFC is sponsorsing two college workshops that will be geared for juniors:

March 24 (Late Start Day) "How to develop your college list and research colleges" - 8am in room A1.

April 20 (Late Start Day) "Finding a great match college and what to get done this summer before senior year starts" - 8am in room A1.

The PFC will be offering a Mock SAT on April 17.  Call Denise Daniel at (818) 991-4114 for more information and to sign up.
 

For anyone requiring additional assistance with Naviance, there will be a course selection review on March 22 and 23 at support and lunch in the G building.
 

Now is the time to start thinking about your summer plans.  There are lots of options for fun, educational and rewarding experiences. The College and Career Center receives information regularly on summer program options.  Come by the CCC for information.  Many summer programs offer academic credit, community service credit and leadership seminar opportunities.  These programs do have deadlines and scholarships may be available.  Start your research soon so you don’t miss out on some valuable opportunities.

 Seniors

UC applicants and CSU applicants are anxiously awaiting for March 15 acceptance letters, along with those who applied to private and out-of-state schools.  Make sure you have checked all deadline requirements, including test score reports and mid-year transcripts.  Seniors planning on attending community college should watch for the priority filing dates at each college’s website.  Moorpark College will have their summer and fall information available on March 1.
 

As soon as possible,  please go onto Naviance and fill out all information regarding colleges you applied to.  Then, when you receive your acceptance letters, please go onto Naviance and fill out the appropriate information.  The Senior Survey will be available soon and must be filled out on Naviance no later than MAY 21.   The information regarding your plans is to be filled out by all students, whether you plan on attending a four-year college, community college, trade school or have other plans. It is not too late for Seniors to use Naviance to help achieve goals after graduation from high school.  If have forgotten your password and remember the e-mail address you used to create your account, you can change your password in Naviance.  If you do not remember the e-mail address you used, please come to the Counseling Office or the College and Career Center for your information.  If for any reason you do not have access to a computer, you may use the computers in the College and Career Center.