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Whitefield Academy College Counseling Newsletter MARCH 2021

Upcoming Dates

Junior Parent Meeting, March 23rd 6:30 P.M. Zoom- As senior year is on the horizon, join us for some important information and updates on your student's College Application Experience. Join us on Zoom here.

Got Summer Plans?

Students can make excellent use of their free time by participating in Summer Enrichment Programs. One of our favorite suggestions of programs to consider are those hosted by Colleges. You can see all of the programs we are aware of in the Summer Programs folder under the Resources section of the College Counseling Resources Group on Schoology. Some of these programs have applications and deadlines that will come up over the next few months. Here are some examples of the things you can do with a Summer Enrichment Program

If you need help navigating any of these program applications, please let us know how we can help!

Class of 2021

Senior Updates

Hope and Zell Miller Scholarship Information

The preliminary HOPE transcript upload has been completed and includes grades through first semester of this year. If you log in to your gafutures.org student account (and we have your student’s SSN) you will be able to see your student's “HOPE” GPA. We’ve had a few questions about how to gain access to your student’s HOPE funds. Please refer to this link for more information: https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/hope-zell-miller-scholarships/hope-scholarship/application-procedure-and-deadline/

To qualify for the Zell Miller program, you will need to upload your student's SAT or ACT score. We cannot do this for you. More information on this process can be found here: https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/hope-zell-miller-scholarships/zell-miller-scholarship/

Jennifer Peterson, in the College Counseling office, is happy to answer any questions you may have, but the Ga Futures website is a great resource and has all of the information you may need. Use the GA Futures website as your first resource and let us know where we can help.

College Decision and Scholarship Reminder

As seniors continue to receive admission decisions from colleges, we encourage them to stop by our office to notify us of any updates. Students are able to pick up a sweet or salty treat while in our office as well as put a pin on the map to represent their acceptance! We will be collecting a detailed list of all scholarship and admission decision information later this month, but also enjoy hearing the decisions from the students in real time. Please encourage your student to stop by and provide us with any updates they may have!

Questions or Concerns

If you have any questions or concerns about your student's college admissions process, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Toliver for support. You and your students are our priority! If you have questions about an admissions decision your student received, the financial aid process, deciphering a financial aid package, next steps after admission, etc. please reach out via email, btoliver@whitefieldacademy.com, and we can find a time to speak on the phone or chat via Zoom if needed.

Class of 2022

Junior Updates

Hope Scholarship Information

The preliminary HOPE transcript upload has been completed. If your student has a Social Security Number (SSN) on file with Whitefield Academy, you will now be able to see your student’s “HOPE” GPA in their student account at gafutures.org. If you haven’t set up a Georgia Futures account, go ahead and set up a student account. You’ll need your student's SSN to do so.

If you are interested in knowing more about the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship programs, please go to gafutures.org. If we do not have your student’s SSN, you can share it with us using the Whitefield website via the Parent Portal. Just below the 4 squares on your home page is a place where you can provide us this information.

The next upload of transcripts will be in June.

Virtual College Fair

The Greater Atlanta Regional Network (GARN) is a group of nearly 50 College Admissions Professionals representing schools from all over the US. This group of College Reps is presenting a virtual college fair on March 18th from 6-8 P.M. See a list of colleges participating, as well as information on registering here.

College Counseling Video Series

In January, we met via zoom with each class to talk about upcoming dates as well as information relevant to their college process. We will share all of the details of our class meetings with parents through short videos that will be posted on Schoology throughout the spring. These videos will be topic based and you'll be able to watch and re-watch at a time that works well with your schedule! Check out the resources section of the College Counseling Resources - Parents Group on Schoology to see those videos!

Class of 2023

Sophomore Updates

Hope Scholarship Information

The preliminary HOPE transcript upload has been completed. If your student has a Social Security Number (SSN) on file with Whitefield Academy, you will now be able to see your student’s “HOPE” GPA in their student account at gafutures.org. If you haven’t set up a Georgia Futures account, go ahead and set up a student account. You’ll need your student's SSN to do so.

If you are interested in knowing more about the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship programs, please go to gafutures.org. If we do not have your student’s SSN, you can share it with us using the Whitefield website via the Parent Portal. Just below the 4 squares on your home page is a place where you can provide us this information.

The next upload of transcripts will be in June.

Virtual College Fair

The Greater Atlanta Regional Network (GARN) is a group of nearly 50 College Admissions Professionals representing schools from all over the US. This group of College Reps is presenting a virtual college fair on March 18th from 6-8 P.M. See a list of colleges participating, as well as information on registering here.

College Counseling Video Series

In January, we met via zoom with each class to talk about upcoming dates as well as information relevant to their college process. We will share all of the details of our class meetings with parents through short videos that will be posted on Schoology throughout the spring. These videos will be topic based and you'll be able to watch and re-watch at a time that works well with your schedule! Check out the resources section of the College Counseling Resources - Parents Group on Schoology to see those videos!

Parent Resources - Schoology

We hope you have been able to explore the College Counseling Parent Schoology group! Within this Schoology group, you will find information about the college application process, financial aid and scholarships, applying to college as a student athlete, and much more. If you're ever looking for more information, don't hesitate to reach out.

Further Exploration

Exploring Colleges

This past year has had it's challenges including limited opportunities to visit college campuses. However, a lot can be learned through a virtual campus visit or information session as well as Virtual College Fairs.

Here are some tips on making the most of virtual campus visits and information sessions.

  • Be open minded - Consider virtually visiting schools that you wouldn't have been able to visit in person, even in a "normal" year.
  • Do your research - Visit the college website and see if they have the programs your student is interested in. Make sure the school meets any criteria you and your student have for a school such as campus size or location.
  • Experience each school together - Some virtual programs are designed just for the student or parent but many are for both. Plan your "visits" together so you all have the same information and can debrief after a session

Virtual College Fairs are a great way to get a small amount of information about lots of different schools - in the same way you would as you wandered around a in-person college fair! Sign up for an upcoming Virtual College Fair here. Check out the upcoming a Performing Arts College Fair on March 16th.

Contact Us

If you have questions, be sure to reach out to one of us!

Mrs. Langella - jlangella@whitefieldacademy.com

Mrs. Peterson - jpeterson@whitefieldacademy.com

Mrs. Toliver - btoliver@whitefieldacademy.com

Created By
Bonnie Toliver
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