Welcome Parents of The Class of 2017 Senior Parents Night Welcome Parents of The Class of 2017

Senior privileges All seniors will have the opportunity to enjoy many Senior Privileges throughout their Senior year. However, they must meet the following requirements in order to participate in any Senior Privileges, and they will forfeit any monies that were paid if they violate the requirements.   Senior privilege requirements are: The student must have no more than 1 (one) Level Two discipline referral. The student must be passing all classes. The student must have no more than 5 (five) unexcused absences.

Getting Ready to Graduate Graduation fees -- $120 – this amount covers cap and gown, diploma, cover, and miscellaneous graduation expenses Payment options : 1. Check or money order to a senior sponsor (after) 2. Pay online at www.gabalfour.com (Select Villa Rica High School and follow directions.) ***You may pay dues at any time from now until March 31 online. It’s very important for students to pay their dues by March 31 in order to avoid a late fee, the possibility of a gown that doesn’t fit, or the possibility that a gown might not arrive in time for the ceremony.

Announcements, Jackets, and More Please remember that the $120 graduation fee covers expenses associated with the graduation ceremony. That fee does not include announcements, rings, jackets, or other great senior accessories that Balfour offers. If you wish to purchase announcements or other senior items, please visit gabalfour.com for more information and for payment.

Senior Fees vs. Junior Dues Parents and students alike are often confused regarding the difference between money paid during junior year and senior dues. “Junior dues” are really “Prom Dues”. If students pay “prom dues” as a junior, they are entitled to attend prom as a junior and as a senior. If students do not pay “prom dues” during their junior year, they may pay them as seniors in order to attend senior prom. Check with Ms. Bryant or Ms. Sterrett to pay. “Senior fees” are paid during the senior year, and again this money covers graduation expenses.

Graduation Tickets Graduation tickets will be distributed to students at one time. Students will receive an allotment of 10 tickets for graduation; if this amount is insufficient, parents and students can go to UWG the day of graduation and get additional tickets from Will Call. One ticket per person in line. First Come, first serve until extra tickets are depleted. Tickets will not be given out until final graduation practice.

Graduation Day VRHS graduation: May 18, 2017—UWG Coliseum 7 p.m. (Seniors must report by 4 p.m. Practice: May 15-18 (times TBA) If students are late for practice or fail to attend, they will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony.

High School Requirements Guidance Quick Facts: CORE classes: 4 units of English (must include 1 unit of American Literature and 9th grade Literature) 4 units of mathematics 3 units of social science (must include World History, U.S. History and American Government/Economics) 4 units of science (must include Physical Science/Physics, Biology, Chemistry/Environmental/Earth and 1 other) 8 additional units that include: ½ unit of health, ½ unit of personal fitness, 3 Pathway Completion units, 4 elective units.

Senior letters Letters specifying remaining graduation requirements provided by counselors. Students must sign and return; a copy of the document will be given to the student and a copy will be retained in the counselor’s office. Deviations from the planned coursework will interfere with the student’s ability to graduate. Failing required classes will result in not graduating

Pass your classes Grade reports will be issued on the following dates: October 13 November 17 January 5 February 7 March 9 April 20 Check progress on Infinite Campus—parent portal and student portal

Diploma information Verify correct spelling of your name and Social Security number with form sent from your counselor. This form will come in the mail in November. Names for diplomas must be spelled exactly as they appear on the Social Security card. Turn in a copy of student’s Social Security card ASAP. (If the verification is not returned with corrections, the school is not responsible for replacement diploma.) Social security number must be accurate for ANY financial aid consideration.

Seals for diplomas Seals are awarded for pathway completion— Carroll County has one seal for pathway completion There are many and varied pathways within differing categories. Broad categories are: Business Modern Language Fine Arts Academic Georgia awards a General High School Diploma (there is no college prep or tech prep seal)

Honor graduates Villa Rica Honor Graduates must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher (this is not rounded) Carroll County Scholar Graduates must have an unweighted cumulative CORE GPA of 3.5 or higher

Getting Ready for Postsecondary Education GAFutures.org—Information about every aspect of high school, college, and career planning College Admissions Tests: SAT www.collegeboard.org ACT www.actstudent.org TCSG schools require Compass (offered at the college campus) Transcripts: Written release in guidance office and $2 fee for mailed transcript. Final transcripts will be mailed and must be requested and paid in advance.

Postsecondary cont. Athletes—register for NCAA at www.eligibilitycenter.org Register for NAIA at www.naia.org For athletes, it is very important to check requirements of college and sports affiliation. Each have specific requirements that must be met. Don’t forget to send your test scores and transcript to NCAA and NAIA.

Freshman index Used by Georgia colleges for entrance readiness. Freshman Index Requirement is calculated using Core GPA (unweighted) FI=500 x core GPA +SAT CR + SAT Math OR FI =500 x core GPA + (ACT composite x 42) + 88

Helpful resources GAFutures.org Colgate College Counseling 770-773-5021 FAFSA Information Nights (usually in February at UWG, WGTC TBA) Kaplan Test Prep 1800-KAP-TEST College Board.org ACT.org Khanacademy.org

HOPE Program in Georgia HOPE Scholarship—3.0 in core classes* and completed GSFAPPS (available on GAFutures); 4 rigor units Zell Miller Scholarship—3.7 in core classes*, 1200 SAT (CR and M) or 26 ACT composite and completed GSFAPPS (available on GAFutures); 4 rigor units HOPE Grant—available to all students seeking technical certificate or diploma at TCSG schools: must complete GSFAPPS *Core classes include all classes taken within the areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language

Financial Aid FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) is available after October 1, 2016 for the 2017-2018 school year. Parent tax information is required from 2015 tax year Scholarship search engines: www.fastweb.com, www.cappex.com, www.meritaid.com, www.scholarships.com Apply for institution specific scholarships through the college

FAFSA CHANGES Attending college (School Year) Can submit FAFSA Tax Info Year July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017 January 1, 2016–June 30, 2017 2015 July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018 October 1, 2016–June 30, 2018 2015 July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019 October 1, 2017–June 30, 2019 2016 July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020 October 1, 2018–June 30, 2020 2017

Move on when ready The MOWR program covers all forms of dual enrollment—core and technical Free to students (some classes may have separate lab fees) Can be online or on college campus—can be one class or all day (all day participation excludes student from VAL/SAL consideration) Requires application to college, meeting requirements of college program, meeting deadlines, and parent/counselor permission Ms. Brown is the high school MOWR coordinator

Questions? Q and A Contact info-- Counselors: Carrie Olinger (A-L) and Barbara Brown (M-Z) Senior sponsors: Steve Bilski and Christina Tidaback Yearbook sponsor: Shayna Moses Carrie.olinger@carrollcountyschools.com Barbara.brown@carrollcountyschools.com Steve.bilski@carrollcountyschools.ocm Christina.tidaback@carrollcountyschools.com Shayna.moses@carrollcountyschools.com

Thanks Thank you for coming! Please pick up handouts as you go and let us know if we can help as you approach the milestone of High School Graduation! Class of 2017!