• Guidance Office News

    PHEAA will be conducting the following webinars.  The link to register is provided.

    Searching for Scholarships and Affording the Balance:  9/12 Tuesday at Noon & 9/28 Thursday at 6:30pm  There are many ways to pay for education, and one important step is to search and apply for Scholarships. More free money equals less borrowing. This presentation will review the types of options available, along with tips on applying. It will also offer samples of fun scholarship options to get you started. We’ll then review what to do about the balances that might be left over in order to make affordable higher education decisions. Join Linda Pacewicz and Daniel Wray from Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for an hour of detailed information on this topic.

     

    Financial Aid Timeline – know what to do when:  9/14 Thursday at Noon & 9/26 Tuesday at 6:30pm  Follow Linda Pacewicz and Dan Wray of Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) as they guide you along the exciting (and sometimes bumpy) road to an affordable higher education. The journey will begin before high school and end in the land of education loan repayment – or maybe even education loan forgiveness. One thing is for certain: it’s never too early to start preparing for a successful higher education experience. This 1 hour presentation will provide the starting points and web resources- for effective research before, during and after your student makes postsecondary decisions. Know what to expect and to plan for it is the key. Failing to plan, is planning to fail!

     

    PA 529 and PHEAA Discuss Options to Cover the Gap  9/14 Thursday 6:30pm  Please join Linda Pacewicz and Dan Wray of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and special guest Ryan Buxton of the Pennsylvania Treasury (PA529.com) for this extremely informative webinar. Learn how to plan for financial success as you seek a postsecondary education, with an extra emphasis on saving via a 529 plan. This webinar also briefly covers best practices (such as seeking grants and scholarships first), the primary methods of keeping school related debt to a minimum, and additional resources (such as school-based tuition payment plans). The webinar discusses private/ alternative loans as a last resort. Lots of info here. Don’t miss it!

     

    Register Here   or copy/paste:  https://www.pheaa.org/virtual

     

     

    Attention Parents Of Seniors-Our financial aid representative from PHEAA will be at the school (Mrs. Walker's room, directly  across from the high school main entrance) on Thursday, Sept 14th at 6:00pm to give a presentation on financial aid, preparing to complete the FAFSA, scholarships and grants. If you plan on attending,please email Mrs. Opfar so she knows how many informational packets to make.  If you can not make but would like an informational packet, please let her know. popfar@rockwoodschools.org   

    FAFSA Webinars- FAFSA Webinar

    Conemaugh Health System Open House- Saturday March 11th, 2023-For those students who are interested in the health field. Open House

    Military Service Academy Nights- Students who are interested in applying for any of the military academies, click on the following link for more information.All Military Service Academy

    Career in Coal Mining-Attention Juniors and Seniors who are interested in a career in the coal mining industry, please stop in the guidance office for more information.

    Attention Seniors- Scholarships are starting to roll in. Scholarships can be found on our website (look to the column on the left and in the guidance office in a folder on the counter). I encourage you to also use some of the general scholarship websites listed on the scholarship page.  I just uploaded a great article regarding scholarship displacement on the scholarship page. If you have any questions, please let me know.

    Conemaugh Career Day- Students who are interested in a career in the health field can stop in the guidance office and pick up an application for the Conemaugh Career Day which will be held at Conemaugh Memorial on Tuesday, April 25th 2023.  Criteria for this event is the student must be in 11th or 12th grade and be at least 16, have an interest in pursuing a career in the health field, has a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  This event is first come first serve, although the deadline for applications isn't until April 19th, 2023 I highly encourage sending the application/required documents in earlier.  Mrs. Opfar can scan and email the application and documents for submission.

    SOS Program- The Signs of Suicide program will be implemented in the 9th Grade Health classes. Please click the following link- SOS program, or visit our district's Facebook page to find out more information. Letters are also being sent home by the 9th-grade students. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Opfar in the Guidance office.  Students in Mr. Enos's Health class will receive the SOS program on Dec. 5th, 6th and 7th.  Students in Ms. Glessner's Health class will receive the SOS program on Dec. 13th, 14th and 15th.  If you do not want your child to sit in the program, please email Mrs. Opfar.  This is more of a lecture style program.

    ASVABs The ASVABs will be given at school on Thursday November 10th.  All 10th graders will take the test (scores can not be used for military purposes). Juniors and seniors who are interested in the military can sign up to take the test as well.

    The College Fair will be held at the Somerset County Technology Center on Thursday November 3rd.  Interested students need to sign up in the guidance office and return a permission slip.

    FAFSA Completion Night- Our PHEAA representative will be here on Thursday, Nov 3rd at 6:00pm in Room 117 to assist any parents/students in completing the FAFSA.  Please email Mrs. Opfar popfar@rockwoodschools.org or Shanda Pletcher sjplectcher@rockwoodschools.org if you plan on attending.

    Financial Aid Presentation- Our PHEAA representative will be at the school on Wednesday September 21, 2022 at 6pm, to meet with interested senior parents to go over financial aid, grants, scholarships, etc. If you plan on attending please contact the guidance office or email Mrs. Opfar popfar@rockwoodschools.org.  If you are unable to attend, our representative is holding a virtual presentation on September 28th, 2022 at 6pm. Register

     

    PSATs and SATs will be given at school on Wednesday October 12th.  All students enrolled in CP English 10 will take the PSAT, all students enrolled in CP English 11 will take the SAT. Other interested 10th, 11th and 12th graders can sign up in the guidance office by Sept 14th.  10th and 11th graders take the tests free of charge. 12th graders would need to pay the testing fee of $55.00.  

     

     

     7 Things to do on a College Visit:
    http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/the-college-visit-top-7-things-you-must-do/1796/
    How to stand out from the crowd when applying to college: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/5C9402DB7A29C6F48625770E0063901F?OpenDocument

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    SAT Article- How to Prepare!
    http://www.examiner.com/x-766-College-Admissions-Examiner~y2010m4d27-Taking-the-SAT-on-Saturday-Heres-how-to-prepare
    Please feel free to stop in the Guidance Office to get started on your College Career!!! We have applications and information for any school requested!