Job Readiness Workshop – if you are looking for a summer job attend the Job Readiness Workshop on Saturday March 13, 2010 at Cedar Street Baptist Church. The workshop will be held from 9-noon and is free and open to the public. Continental breakfast will be served at 8:30am and door prizes will be given away.
Register by March 10th by going to www.cedarstreebaptistchurch.com and return via email to JobReadinessSeminar@yahoo.com or by fax to 344-4325.

Varina High School 2010 Clash of the Careers MARCH 15TH– SAVE THE DATE – It’s that time again! Your future starts NOW. Don’t miss out on the Varina High School annual Career Day! It will be held on March 15th from 9-3pm. Over 20 vendors and 12 presenters will be present along with our very own HCPS CTE bus (the big red bus). Come prepared to meet employers, and work on building your resume at our resource center. Students who dress to impress will receive extra credit in the math and English class! We are looking forward to another successful career day!

CTE Expo – The “Super Bowl” of career information – Sponsored by Henrico County Public Schools

When: May 15th – 9-12:30pm
Where:
Hermitage High School
8301 Hungary Spring Road
Henrico, VA 23228

This will be a fun filled day in which students will have the opportunity to develop an educational plan that will help them meet their career objectives. Displays will be set up from all schools highlighting CTE programs and the business partnerships. Don’t be left on the sidelines wondering what you will do with your future!

5TH Annual Teen Jobs Symposium: Free event for teens 14-19. Saturday April 17 8-1:00pm, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Parham Road Campus).

Future Veterinarians: Veterinary Medical Career Fair & Information Sessions. The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges proudly presents the 6th annual Veterinary Medical Career Information Sessions. This FREE premier event is for any high school student with an interest in the veterinary medical profession. The event will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2010 2:00 – 5:00pm at Westin Alexandria, 400 Courthouse Sq. Alexandria, VA 22314. Visit www.aavmc.org/DVM for additional information and updates or contact diversitymatters@aavmc.org.

National Math and Science Initiative: The National Math and Science Initiative encourages our students to challenge themselves in the classroom and better prepare themselves for college and life after college. “Education is a tremendously important lever for ensuring competitiveness and prosperity in the age of globalization. Recent economic studies show that high skills lead to better wages, more equitable distributions of income, and substantial gains in economic productivity.”

VASS, Virginia Advanced Study Strategies understands this and so do the educators at Varina High School. The Advanced Placement grant not only offers our students the opportunity to challenge themselves in the classroom but it motivates them to pursue higher dreams academically and succeed in achieving those dreams.

For more information please contact your child’s school counselor at 226-8709 and look below for AP exam dates and prep sessions.

AP Exam Dates and Time

AP exams test prep session: AP (Advanced Placement) Exams are just around the corner. The time to begin preparing is NOW. To assist our students in preparation for their exams there will be test prep sessions in the areas of math, science and English. Please look below for dates and locations:

Math sessions:
February 20 – Deep Run High School
March 27 – Hermitage High School
April 24 – Deep Run High School

English sessions:
March 6 – Deep Run High School

**Additional tutoring for AP English 12 will be offered 8-8:30am and 4-4:30pm on Thursdays in room E-9

Science sessions:
January 23 – Varina High School
April 17 – Hermitage High School
May 8 – TBD

GRASP on Saturdays: Parents are you unable to meet with your Mrs. Fluker, our GRASP Advisor during the week? GRASP Advisors will be available to help you complete your FAFSA and answer any other college financial aid questions on four Saturdays this winter from 11:00am-3:00pm. Location: Richmond Public Main Library, 101 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA 23219. Call 646-2551 to reserve your appointment time now!

February 20
February 27
March 6
March 13

Employment opportunity: Henrico Police Communications Officer: If you are 18 years of age and are planning to obtain your high school diploma or GED this year, this may be the employment opportunity for you! With a competitive salary, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and tuition reimbursement you could be the next communications officer. Come by the School Counseling office for more information.

Financial Aid Assistance – SUPER SATURDAY: Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA) is hosting a FREE event for students and parents who are seeking funding for college on February 13 beginning at 10:00am at Henrico High School. One-on-one assistance in completing the federal financial aid form, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be offered. In addition to offering assistance in completing the FAFSA on-line, two financial aid workshops will also be held focusing on the financial aid process. A $100 book scholarship will be awarded to one student who attends! Please plan to attend!

• Henrico High School
  302 Azalea Avenue
  Henrico VA
  10-2pm
  Site Coordinator: LaToya Draper (lkdraper@henrico.k12.va.us)
  Linda Woodley (lindawoodley@schev.edu)
  

2010-2011 Scheduling timeline: Now is the time to begin thinking about course selection for the 2010-2011 school year. School Counselors have visited English classrooms and have reviewed the HCPS Planning Guide and the course selection process. It is very important for parents and students to attend the upcoming events as they will assist you in selecting the appropriate courses for next year.

February 4

• Curriculum Fair – 5:30pm – 7:30pm (auditorium)
  • All RISING 9TH GRADE students and parents are asked to attend a brief presentation in the auditorium at 5:30pm prior to attending the curriculum fair in the cafeteria. All current 9th, 10th and 11th grade students and parents can go directly to the curriculum fair beginning at 5:30pm.
• AP Panel - 6:00pm (auditorium)
  • All students and parents who have questions regarding Advanced Placement classes i.e. rigor of an AP course, characteristics of a successful AP student, summer reading, etc. please plan to attend this event. You are sure to get all of your questions answered.

SENIORS: College application deadlines are fast approaching. You must be proactive - plan early to get your application complete and ask for recommendations and transcripts ahead of time. Two week requirement for teacher and counselor recommendation! In addition don’t forget to celebrate your acceptance(s) to college. Come by the School Counseling department with your acceptance letter and get a star on the Red Carpet – Wall of Fame!

VCU Pipeline Programs - Programs of interest to high school students:

• Project ACEe: a program sponsored by the VCU School of Medicine to expose students to the medical field.  This program is conducted through a series of workshop during the student's spring semester.  The application is currently open for the month of November.  Current students in grades 11 and 12 are eligible to apply.  
• Dental Career Exploration: a program sponsored by the VCU School of Dentistry for high school students that are interested in exploring a career in dentistry.  The program is conducted during the summer.  The application for this program is scheduled to open November 15th and students in grades 10, 11, and 12 are eligible to apply.
• VCU Acceleration: For incoming VCU Freshmen students only!  High school seniors who will be attending VCU in the fall of 2010 are eligible to apply for this program.  The VCU Acceleration Program accepts 38 students each year into this program.  The students come to VCU for 4 weeks before their first semester of their freshman year and receive preparatory courses in math and science, and also take tours and hear presentations from representatives from the various health science schools and departments at VCU.  These 38 students live together during their freshman year, receiving services from the pre-health advising office, and take certain courses together.  The application for the VCU Acceleration Program is scheduled to open November 15, 2009.

Teen Strike Out: Get involved in your community!

Small Group Counseling opportunities: Group counseling services are provided to all students who need assistance in the following areas:  Grief and Loss, Career Preparedness, Relationships, Friendship/Self Esteem and Anger Management. For more information please contact your School Counselor today!

Scholarship and Financial Aid Information

Scholarship and Financial Aid Information: Congratulations to the Class of 2009 for receiving over $1.4 million dollars in scholarship money. Class of 2010, check the website and visit the College and Career Center located in the School Counseling office for scholarship newsletters and applications.  Let’s see if the Class of 2010 can exceed  the $1.4 mark in scholarship money! Apply today!!

Don’t forget to report all scholarship money earnings to Ms. Woodward in the school counseling office. Any money that a senior is awarded should be reported so all students who received scholarship money can be recognized in the month of May at the Senior Awards Ceremony. This includes money that you may not be accepting but were still offered! Bring a copy of the award letter to your counselor or Ms. Woodward once you have received it and congratulations on a job well done!

Students who are awarded scholarship money should report it to Ms. Woodward so it can be recorded. We also want to recognize these students at the end of the year!

G.R.A.S.P (GReat Aspirations Scholarship Program, Inc.)

To better assist students and parents with the financial aid and scholarship process Mrs. Fluker, or Great Aspirations Scholarship Program, Inc. (GRASP) representative, is available every Wednesday by appointment, in the School Counseling office.  Preparing for college is a two step process; the college application process as well as the financial aid process.  Fortunately our GRASP representative is here to help and give valuable information that will make the transition from high school to college a smooth one financially. 

Parents and students are encouraged to schedule an appointment to get your financial aid questions answered.  The sign up sheet is located in the School Counseling office.

Mrs. Fluker’s first day will be Wednesday October 7th. Please sign up for an appointment in the school counseling office.

For more information regarding GRASP go to www.GRASP4Virginia.com

College Information
Be proactive not reactive in securing your educational success!