Financial Aid Workshop

Introduction/Rationale Creating and hosting a financial aid workshop for 11th and 12th grade students and for parents should be considered for to inform students and parents of the options they have financially to make the transition to college financially viable. A financial aid workshop can help answer questions parents and students might have about attaining financial aid, grants, loans and how to use these resources when applying for colleges. The rationale for a financial aid workshop night is to give administer information to students and parents about financial aids, scholarships, loans, and grants and explain the requirements for commonly applied grants and scholarships. Another rationale for the financial aid workshop is to help students and parents make aware of scholarships available for special interest groups such as scholarships for ethnic minority groups and and special interests.

Introduction/Rationale By the end of the financial aid workshop, parents and students should have a better understanding the differences between scholarships, subsidized/unsubsidized loans, and grants that are offered to incoming college students. Parents and students will also be familiar with resources and websites that are available to parents and students that presents them with sources of many scholarship and grant options. Parents and students will also be able to navigate websites to access financial aid resources available to them.

Event Information When- Mid September during the Fall Semester so parents and students have proper time before applying for colleges. Who- Parents and Students are invited to attend and attain information and skills to learn about Financial Aid options and how to acquire financial aid. Where- The event will be held in the school common/cafeteria. Time- The session is a 2 hour session from 6 pm to 8 pm. Parents and students are to meet promptly.

Event Information How- Information will be mentioned in a PTA meeting a month prior to the financial aid workshop. Newsletters addressing information about the financial aid workshop will be mailed home to 11th and 12th grade students. An information post will also be posted on the school website as well as a reminder of the upcoming event. Content- School counselors will discuss financial aid scholarships, loans, grants to parents and students. Followed by Q & A.

Financial Aid Workshop Event Breakdown The event will start at 6 pm and students and parents will meet in the commons/cafeteria and will last for 2 hours. When everyone is present, the school counselor will present information about financial aid, how to access financial aid and how to apply for financial aid. The speaker will also discuss various types of aids available for students to increase parent/student awareness. This will roughly be 20-30 minutes. Afterwards, dinner will be provided to parents and students. This will be roughly 20 minutes.

Financial Aid Workshop Event Breakdown After dinner, parents and students will separate into different computer labs to get hands on experience on how to navigate different financial aid websites and what each website has to offer. This will be roughly 30 minutes. Parents an students will meet back in the commons and quick Q&A will be held so answer any questions about the workshop.

Collaborators Principal Teachers Administrators Budgeting Communication Planning Teachers Volunteers Administrators Regulators Local community businesses Translators Food

Considerations Since the school consists of various minority groups, this will be considered during the workshop to ensure that every student and parent is aware of the financial support that is available for minorities. Also partnering with the community to accommodate students and parents that may need sign language or a translator will be included during this workshop. Suggest to parents and students that have specific needs that were not addressed during the workshop to visit with a counselor going forward to understand how to assist them beyond the workshop.

Financial Resources www.gsfc.org https://fafsa.ed.gov/ www.studentaid.ed.gov/ Georgia Student Finance Commission - HOPE scholarship, loans & grants Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - online application  Federal student aid -- Funding for your education, loans and FAFSA online

Financial Resources www.collegescholarships.com www.salliemae.com www.collegeview.com National Scholarship Service Undergraduate student loans and online college planning  Find free scholarships, financial aid, career and minority information