Ap(PARENT)ly College Newsletter. October 24 issue.

apPARENTly
Community Parent & Student News You Can Use


October 24, 2013

http://a2community.org


*Added since last edition


 

CHS Dates and Events

Counseling News


Ann Arbor Public School Happenings   

Area Happenings


826Michigan


Neutral Zone


Join Together

Contact Us

Click on the Read More Button for all the specific information.  

CHS News

*Nominate A Great Teacher or Counselor
The State of Michigan Department of Education needs your help! Please help to identify and recognize Michigan's excellent teachers and the contributions they make to the success of the learning community. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is providing a nomination form that makes it easy for you and other Michigan citizens to tell a great teacher that her/his efforts are recognized and appreciated.  The Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY) Nomination Form is located at: www.michigan.gov/mtoy.  Just complete and submit. 
The online nomination window is open until November 4, 2013.
Each nominated teacher will receive a letter of recognition from the State Board of Education and Mike Flanagan, State Superintendent of Education, along with an invitation to apply for the position of 2014-2015 MTOY.  If selected for that hoomr, the MTOY will be the spokesperson for all Michigan teachers, will participate in monthly State Board of Education meetings, and will travel to three national events involving Teachers of the Year from across the country. 
Thank you for your assistance with these efforts to recognize excellent teachers and/or counselors!
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CHS Counseling News:

Sophomores/Juniors

1. Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest for girls, sponsored by Hollins University, $200, expense-paid poetry festival, publication www.hollins.edu/poetrycontest deadline: 11/15/2014

 

All Students


1. Marlboro College’s Beautiful Minds Scholarship (Minds.marlboro.edu)
2013 Prompt “Take a road less traveled. Make something that shares your journey.”
2013 Submission Deadline: Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 11:59pm

Eligibility: The challenge is open to all teens (14-19). You are welcome to work alone, but encouraged to work with up to two teammates.

What to Submit: 1) A record of your journey down any physical, imagined or metaphorical “road less traveled,” documented creatively in a digital format and 2) a cover letter that explains what you learned during the course of your journey.

How will we decide on the winners? Submissions will be judged by a panel of Marlboro College faculty, staff and students. Winning entries will have the following characteristics:

• High quality product (the “something that shares your journey”) that demonstrates effort and creativity
• Expression of original, critical and innovative thinking
• Demonstration of research and preparation

Winners will be notified January 15th. Top Prize $1000 and trip to Vermont!

*2. Community High Students:
Do You Want Volunteer Hours???
Exploring Possible Majors for College or What to do After High School???
Need something Which Will Look Good on Your College Application???
      My name is Ethan and I am the new Youth Director at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor.  We recently added a homework time to our after school program curriculum and need someone to help tutor ages 5-11 in all subjects.We run five days a week from 3:00-6:00 PM with a half hour of homework time between 4:15-4:45 PM.
You would also have the opportunity to work with children doing art projects, or playing games and outside.  You even have the option of staying until 6:00 PM if you wanted. This is an unpaid position and hours are flexible (ex. Ideally we would like someone for Tuesday’s and Thursdays).  It could also last the entire year. This is a great way to explore the field of working with children! Please contact me if you are interested as soon as possible at:
734-971-990    ext. 141 ethankrasnow@jccfed.org

 
*3. VFW Patriotic Essay Competition, allowing up to $30,000 scholarship, is due November 1. See John B. in Counseling for info. And application.
 

Seniors

*DAR Good Citizen’s Program honors good citizen and essay winner. Deadline is December 6. See John B. in Counseling for information.

 

Juniors & Seniors

*Greetings from the Michigan Club at Howard University! Howard University (HU) Michigan Club is comprised of students from the state of Michigan.  Our organization hosts social, community service, and informational events for our fellow Michiganders, as well as the greater HU community.  I would like to invite interested students (juniors and seniors) at your school to the thirteenth annual “Escape to the Capstone" Experience.  Our goal is to give these young men and women the opportunity to receive a firsthand experience at “The Mecca.” The trip will commence the morning ofWednesday, April 2, 2014, and end Sunday, April 6, 2014.  Students will simulate college life by residing in dormitories, attending classes, and touring Howard University’s campus as well as Washington, DC.

All high school seniors interested in receiving an invitation to the Escape to the Capstone program must apply and have been accepted to Howard University. PLEASE apply by Howard’s early action date of November 1st. Escape to the Capstone applications will be made available following their acceptance to the university. The Escape to the Capstone application for high school seniors must be completed andpostmarked by Sunday, February 9, 2014. As the deadline to apply to Howard University is February 15, 2014. 

For junior students, we are asking your counselor may nominate high achieving juniors in the top percentile of their class for our program. Once nominated, all juniors must submit a junior application, which is different from the senior application, in order to be considered for admission to the program. The Escape to the Capstone application for high school juniors must be completed and postmarked by Sunday, February 9 2014. 

Please feel free to direct any matters to Ciearra Jefferson or Elizabeth Jenkins athucapstonetrip@gmail.com . Escape to the Capstone Coordinator: Ciearra Jefferson (313)685-6178Co-Coordinator: Elizabeth Jenkins (313)520-0075

 

4. Visiting colleges or want to? Amtrak features 50% coupons for student and parents/guardians at: http://www.campusvisit.com/amtrak.htm

5. Greyhound offers 15% discount for students with their “Student Advantage Card.” Also gives up to 50% discount on stuff. http://www.studentadvantage.com/nextstep

 

CHS Women

*UM Sponsors Engineering Shadow Day!       My name is Shobhita Kramadhati, and I am the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) High School Outreach Officer at the University of Michigan. I am contacting you regarding our Shadow Day program which will be on from 6PM Sunday, Nov. 10th to 3PM Monday, Nov. 11th this Fall semester. Shadow Day is designed to give female high school students (grades 9-12), who are interested in science and engineering the opportunity to interact one-on-one with female college students studying engineering. The goal of this program is to give high school students a glimpse of a day in the life of an engineering student and to provide answers to any questions they may have about the field of engineering, or college life in general. Students will stay overnight with a current female engineering student, and will shadow them to their classes the next morning. The cost of this program is $7 including food and accommodation.

Interested students check out: http://www.swe.engin.umich.edu/shadowday. This is a popular program and spots will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.
Shobhita Kramadhati   SWE, High School Outreach  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
skramad@umich.edu  SWE Office: (734) 763-5027

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Colleges Visiting Community High This Week

10/24

The College of Charleston (SC) 9;30

The College of Wooster (OH) 11:15

 

Colleges Visiting Community High Next Week & Beyond

10/28

Fashion Institute Design Merchandising (CA) 11:15

Quest University (BC) 11:15

 

10/29

Skidmore College (NY) 8:00

St. Lawrence University (NY) 9:30

Beloit College (WI) 12:00

 

10/30

Northwestern University (IL) 9:30

Brandeis University  (MA) 11:15

Pomona College (CA) 1:45

 

10/31

Allegheny College (PA) 9:30

Grinnell College (IA) 11:15

Wellesley College (MA) 12:00

*Earlham College (IN) 1:45

 

11/4

Bard College (NY) 11:15

 

11/6 *Oberlin College (OH) 11:15

 

11/7

*Madonna College (MI) 9:30

Olivet College (MI) 11:16

*Univ. of Michigan-Flint 1:45

 

11/11

*Kettering University (MI) 11:15

 

College Programs

Western Michigan University Open House 11/1, 15, 12/6

Wellesley College Discover Day, 11/9 www.wellesley.edu/admission


University of Michigan-Flint Open House 11/9, 16 
Grand Valley State University Laker Visit Days, 10/25, 11/2  www.hvsu.edu/visit and click on “events (800) 748-0246

Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Days (Atlanta, GA) 1/11, 3/1, 4/12 scad.edu/scadday

McGill University, Montreal, CA, Open House, 10/27, 10-4  www.mcgill.ca/openhouse

National (art) Portfolio Day, 10/27, 10-4, College for Creative Studies, Detroit

Northern Michigan University Open House 11/2 www.nmich.edu

Lawrence Technological University (MI) Blue Devil Days  11/2, 12/7, 9:30-

Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Days (Savannah), GA) 11/2, 1/18, 2/15 4 /5scad.edu/scadday

Colgate University (NY) Multicultural Open House, 11/3-4  apply at:www.colgate.edu/openhouse

Mt. Holyoke College Focus on Diversity Weekend, 11/3-4, application in Counseling Office

Aquinas College (MI)  Open Houses, 11/5, Nursing and Math 11/15, Leadership 12/6, Athletics 1/25  aquinas.edu/you

Smith College Women of Distinction  11/8-10  apply at: www.smith.edu/admission/wod

Chapman University (CA) Discover Day 11/9  www.chapman.edu

Saginaw Valley State University Open House 11/9  www.svsu.edu

University of the South Multicultural Weekend  11/10-11, apply by October 1 at Sewanee.edu

University of Michigan Taubman Architecture Open House, 11/22, 1-7PM. Register at:taubmancollege.umich.edu/arch-openhouse

 

College News

*Common App glitches frustrate students, expose vulnerabilities in admissions systemEvy Mages/For The Washington Post –
 
A cascade of glitches in a major online college application program has frustrated prospective students across the country and prompted several universities to push back their fall deadlines, exposing vulnerabilities in the nation’s college admissions system.
More than 515 colleges and universities, including the entire Ivy League and public flagships such as the University of Virginia, use the Common Application to help choose their incoming classes. The program, which handles millions of applications annually, was retooled this year in an attempt to make an inherently stressful teenage ritual a little easier. But the fourth online version of the Common App, which
Software troubles and other technical difficulties have left students staring at frozen screens or led them to pay multiple fees for a single application. Others reported being shut out of their accounts entirely.
Arjun Iyer, 17, of Herndon, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, said he tried to log in about 10 times on the eve of a deadline to apply to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At one point, the computer told him that his user name and password didn’t exist.
“Of course I was freaking out a little bit,” he said.
Some counselors said they were having trouble uploading recommendations and other required documents.
“A lot of us are pulling our hair out,” said Marisha Wright, a counselor at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George’s County. Like many of her peers and students nationwide, Wright struggled last week to overcome technical difficulties in filing materials for UNC and Georgia Tech until those two schools extended early application deadlines.
Leaders of the Common App, a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, acknowledged shortcomings in serving students nationwide, but there was no estimate of the number of students who experienced problems.
“For many users, the new Common Application has not been a reliable service,” they said in a statement Friday, pledging improvement.
A key deadline looms Nov. 1 for students who are seeking early admission to many prestigious schools. Reports of Common App struggles led the University of Chicago and Columbia, Duke and Northwestern universities to extend their deadlines one week, to Nov. 8. Princeton University, a Common App user since 2004, announced it would give students a second option: an online form called the Universal College Application.
The lesser-known UCA is seeking to capi­tal­ize on the Common App’s stumbles.
“The conversation now is, we do need multiple vendors,” said Joshua Reiter, president of ApplicationsOnline, based in Baltimore, which runs the UCA. “There are alternatives.”
Common App officials say they are racing to troubleshoot their software and are confident it will meet challenges coming with application deadlines in November and January. Scott Anderson, senior director for policy for the Common App, said more than 229,000 applications had been filed successfully as of Friday, up 19 percent from the previous year’s total at that date.
Version 4 of the Common App replaced a six-year-old system that officials say had been showing its age. The new form is less cluttered and more interactive than its predecessor, helping students more easily track their applications. Bold, green check marks pop up as steps are completed. Minus the glitches, students like it.

“It’s an excellent way to manage college applications,” Iyer said. He eventually filed his application to UNC and plans to file others soon. But he panned the Common App’s customer service. There is no phone number to call for help. Queries must be submitted online. Troubleshooting guidance, Iyer said, was slow to appear on the Common App’s help and Facebook pages.

In some ways, the Common App is a victim of its own success. It started in 1975 as an association of 15 private colleges, including Carleton, Goucher and Vassar, that wanted to simplify the application process so students would not have to duplicate effort.

There were 191 member schools when the online Common App debuted in 1998. The number has rocketed in the past decade as schools across the country have moved toward digital systems and phased out paper. Public institutions were invited in 2001. To join, schools must commit to “holistic” admissions, which means they consider more than just grades and test scores.

In the last school year, 723,576 students sought college admission through the Common App. They sent in more than 3 million applications, more than four per student.

Nathan Myers of Gaithersburg found the experience of applying to UNC-Chapel Hill surreal.

Myers, 17, a senior at Quince Orchard High School in Montgomery County, logged into his Common App account Oct. 10, five days ahead of UNC’s early-action deadline. He had finished his application and was ready to submit it, but he couldn’t get the document to load.

For three more days, he tried various computers and various Internet browsers. Each time, the screen showed a “little dial spinning, for about 60 minutes,” Myers said.

His parents pitched in.

“We were taking shifts on watching the spinning wheel,” said his father, Lew Myers. “I would go in there and check it out. My wife would go in there and check it out. It was quite the journey.”

The breakthrough came Oct. 14: The document loaded. Nathan Myers paid his $80 fee and filed. Then, for a day, the payment didn’t register. “It kept asking me to pay again,” he said.

Common App officials say they are working to ensure that any students who overpay get refunds.

Until the glitches surfaced, one of the biggest debates over the revised Common App centered on its five essay prompts. Example: “Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?” This year, there is no longer an option for students to write about a “topic of your choice.”

Many schools in Maryland, Virginia and the District use the Common App. Notable exceptions are two large public universities in the Washington suburbs: the University of Maryland at College Park and George Mason University. Georgetown University is also a holdout.

Georgetown accepts applications through its own Web site or on paper. The Common App stopped using paper this year.

“Obviously, for everyone’s sake, we hope the Common App works since so many students are involved, virtually all for that matter,” said Charles Deacon, Georgetown dean of admissions. “It is unfortunate that they eliminated the paper option because it does leave them and the entire process totally vulnerable to some major collapse.”

About 35 percent of the 517 member colleges and universities use the Common App exclusively. For those schools, it could prove hard to come up with a Plan B if the system were to fail. Georgia Tech’s director of admission, Rick Clark, said the school expected start-up bumps when it joined this year. “Obviously, those have been more magnified than we would have hoped or expected,” Clark said.

But Clark said the simplicity of the Common App has driven up application numbers, drawing prospective students from markets far removed from the school’s regional base.

Nicole Welch, 17, a senior at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, said she thought the Common App was great until she tried to apply to Georgia Tech and UNC on Oct. 14 and was stymied over and over again. Finally, she set her alarm for 3:30 a.m. the next day. She woke up, signed on and — at last — filed. But Welch would hardly describe herself as a satisfied customer. “It does not feel like they succeeded in making it more user-friendly at all,” she said.


*Applying to College?  Time to Triple Check Your College Web Site

There’s been ample coverage of the start of the college application season, and some of the news is shaky. The new version of the Common Application has brought technological challenges to some students who want to apply.  Many of their college-bound friends saw the frustrations others were having, and decided to hold off on applying until the Common App kinks were worked out of the new system—but some haven’t been back. (Full disclosure:  I am a member of the Common Application Outreach Advisory Board.)

This response is causing some understandable concern among the colleges, institutions that really only work well when they have, well, students.  With the first round of application deadlines coming up for some colleges, many admissions offices are concerned they may be throwing a party students want to attend, but can’t get there because of a busted GPS.

Seeking to ease everyone’s stress, the colleges you’ve applied to may have changed their application rules since you last looked at their Web site.  It’s time for a review, paying close attention to these three key pieces of information:

Did they move their application deadline?  One of the simplest things colleges can do at this point is to give students a little more time to submit their applications. This gives students time to smooth out their Common App wrinkles, and it inspires students on the sidelines to get in the game, which now goes into overtime.

When you check this information, read it meticulously. Some colleges are extending the application deadline for everyone, but some are only giving more time for counselors and teachers to send in transcripts and letters of recommendation.  This kind of makes sense, since the grown-ups have to send information out for many applications to the same college, but a student only has one application to get in on time at that college.  Different deadlines are changing to different dates, and those announcements are coming out at different times.  Check early and often.

Did they move their response date?  Many colleges guarantee students a quick response if they apply early—for example, a college may encourage you to apply by November 1st by promising to give you an admissions decision by December 15th.

It’s easy to see why it would be harder for colleges to stick to that commitment if they are giving students more time to apply.  Some admissions offices may work weekends to catch up, but others just may be too far behind—especially if they have some of the same challenges getting Common Apps out of the system that gave students challenges to students putting the apps in.  Pay close attention to this change.  If you’re going to hear later rather than sooner, it could have a big impact on when you apply to other colleges.

Check Out the Web Site, Not Your Phone Dialing Skills  Seniors who have submitted applications may have many questions  for the college, and colleges want to answer them to ease your stress--without raising their stress in the process.  That’s why you check the Web site before you call.  This important information will be easy to find on the college’s admissions page, and there may even be an online help desk where you can submit questions.

This approach gives the admissions office a chance to focus on reading applications and sending out decisions, something everyone wants them to do.  If the Web can’t help you, there will be time to call—but put that thought on hold for now, and take a walk on the Web.  

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2013-14 Testing Dates and Deadlines


ACT
  The ACT Assessment Test assesses a high school student’s general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The multiple-choice tests cover four skill areas: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. The Writing Test, which is optional, measures skill in planning and writing a short essay. The ACT is generally taken by 11th Graders in the spring/summer of their Junior year of high school and by seniors retaking them to improve their scores. The ACT is also included as part of the Michigan Merit Examination (MME) and will be administered in school in March, 2012. http://www.actstudent.org

2013-14 Test Dates

Test Date                     Registration Deadline              (Late Fee Required)

October 26, 2013        September 27, 2013               September 28–October 11, 2013

December 14, 2013     November 8, 2013                 November 9–22, 2013

February 8, 2014         January 10, 2014                    January 11–24, 2014

April 12, 2014             March 7, 2014                         March 8–21, 2014

June 14, 2014              May 9, 2014                           May 10–23, 2014

 

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SAT
  The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills students need for academic success in college. The SAT is usually taken by 11th Graders in the spring of their Junior year in high school and retaken by seniors to improve their scores. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay. 

Test Dates                   Registration Deadlines         Regular Late (a fee applies)

November 2, 2013      October 3, 2013                      October 18, 2013

December 7, 2013       November 8, 2013                  November 22, 2013

January 25, 2014         December 27, 2013                 January 10, 2014

March 8, 2014             February 7, 2014                     February 21, 2014

May 3, 2014                April 4, 2014                          April 18, 2014

June 7, 2014                May 9, 2014                            May 23, 2014

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AAPS News

Reminder -  if you are an AAPS Parent - Please Update Your PowerSchool Login with the Single Sign On

This feature allows parents to see all student data for each child who attends AAPS with a single log-in instead of separate log-ins and passwords for each child. Instructions are available at http://pschool.aaps.k12.mi.us There is also a video instruction available at http://supportremcl.net/tutorials/parentcreatesaccount/

Online: news.a2schools.org, Twitter: @A2schools, Facebook: just search for "Ann Arbor Public Schools"

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Pioneer News from PI High (Pioneer High, that is)

For more information about Ann Arbor Pioneer, see:  http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/pioneer.home

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The Rat Rap (Huron High, that is!)

 “Official Site”: http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/huron.
 
 
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SkyHI (Skyline High, that is)
 
“Official Site: http://www.a2skyline.org/skyline.home/home
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Selective Service Information: For 17 and 18 year old men, federal law requires that you register with Selective Service within 30 days of your 18th birthday. When register, you stay eligible for federal student loans, federal job training and jobs. You may register at http://www.sss.gov or at the post office.

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Dawn Farm

The Dawn Farm Education series will present three programs in October 2013. We hope you’ll join us!
 
“Psychiatric Disorders in Chemically Dependent Individuals: Diagnostic and Treatment Considerations” will be presented on Tuesday October 29, 2013; 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm; by Patrick Gibbons, LMSW, DO; Adjunct Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at the University of Michigan; Medical Director of the WCHO Community Crisis Response Team; consultant with Pain Management Solutions in Ann Arbor; and Medical Director of Dawn Farm. This program will provide an overview of co-occurring addiction and psychiatric illness, including standard diagnostic criteria; individual considerations for determining the appropriate course of treatment; available psycho-social and pharmacologic treatment interventions; and the perspectives of both the person with addiction and the treatment provider on addiction and psychiatric illness.

 
All programs are presented in the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center auditorium at 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti.  All programs are FREE and open to all. No registration is required. Each program provides 1.5 free CE hours for addiction professionals approved by MCBAP and NAADAC.) A certificate to document attendance for CE or other purposes is provided on request.
 
You’re invited to attend, and we’ll be grateful for your help informing others!  Further details and directions can be accessed from Dawn Farm's Web site:http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. You can also contact us at the Farm: 734/485-8725, or info@dawnfarm.org.
 
 
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826 Michigan

We recently tallied up our 2012-13 facts and figures and came up with a number that knocked us flat: This past year, 826michigan's programs reached 2,701 students in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Detroit.

In the 2013-14 school year, we plan to take that number and send it through the roof with more programs in Detroit, with our brand-new tutoring lab at Beezy's Cafe on Washington Street, and (of course) with our classic field trips, creative writing workshops, and In-School Residencies.

But, as always, we need you. And this year we're asking for your help with our new fund, Ate 2 6.Ate 2 6 will support 826michigan's effort to provide healthy snacks for students in our after-school program (because everyone's brain works better with a little snack). A $10 donation to Ate 2 6 will fund one day of tutoring snacks; $40 sponsors one week.

Click here to learn more about Ate 2 6 and how you can donate to keep tutoring students full and focused.

 
 
 
 

TUTORING Drop-in tutoring does not need to be registered for, you just drop-in.Free tutoring is offered Mon. - Thurs. from 3:30 - 5:30 at 826's location of E. Liberty, behind the Robot Store. Student 8 - 18 may drop in any time to get help with any subject. Students must show up to drop-in tutoring with homework or other assignments in hand. Drop-in tutoring encourages smiling, feeling good about oneself, grades going up, enthusiasm toward learning, and positivity. The intention of drop-in tutoring is to mentor, listen to, and help students with their homework needs.
Contact  amy@826michigan.org
phone:734.761.3463
http://www.826michigan.org

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The Neutral Zone                                                                                      

The Neutral Zone is a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. Why would 3500 teens visit Neutral Zone in a month? Programs, programs, programs (and sometimes pizza – you just can’t go wrong with pizza!)

NZ Program Areas include:

Music & Technology
NZ holds weekend concerts and events for teens mostSaturday nights. Teens also create, record and promote their own musical projects using NZ’s equipment and expertise.

Education
 Neutral Zone works hard to level the playing field for all teens through free drop-in tutoring, one-on-one mentoring, and a college prep program featuring college visits, ACT/SAT preparation, coaching on applications, essay writing, and financial aid, and opportunities for scholarships.
Literary & Visual Arts.
Creative writers turn up the volume by writing original poetry and short stories, while photographers and videographers discover and explore their talents using state-of-the-art equipment in digital art classes.



Leadership
The Teen Advisory Council runs the show at Neutral Zone, while several different discussion groups offer young people an open, positive space to explore sensitive issues and just plain have fun together.
Drop-in
teens come to NZ daily to shoot pool, play ping pong, use the internet, do homework, grab something to eat, or just hang out with friends in a safe, supervised space. For gfrom Terreneral questions Contact, Lori Roddy, lori@neutral-zone.org, 734-214-9995




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Submissions:
Please submit your articles, news, or announcements  toboshoven@aaps.k12.mi.us. John B. Boshoven, Editor.