CCR Update
St. Charles North - September 21st 2025
High School students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) in October of their Junior year. In April, NMSC identified the 50,000 students with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores to qualify for recognition. Out of this group, approximately 16,000 students were named Semifinalists and now have the opportunity to advance and become finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The other 34,000 high performers have been recognized as Commended Students for their exceptional academic promise.
Congratulations to the following North Stars for achieving these distinctions:
National Merit Semifinalists:
Christine Zoretic
National Merit Commended Students:
Chase Alhabshi
Nour El Houda Belhandouz
Neel Bhate
Luke Ejnik
Cooper Frolich
Arianna Halick
Amelia Koziol
Max Sansone
Riley Stitz
Isabelle Tanig
Emily Tidler
Parker Whitaker
D303 is conducting a Fall Testing Day on 10/1/25 using assessments from Horizon Education/Progress Learning. These assessments will allow all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors to experience an assessment that is aligned with the PreACT/ACT. These assessments will be administered online, so students will need to bring their charged Chromebooks. More details will be shared next week.
10/1/25 will be a non-attendance day for Seniors. Senior students are encouraged to use this day to complete college applications, make a college visit, apply for scholarships or participate in the Saint Charles Job Shadowing program.
The Juniors will also take the PSAT/NMSQT exam on 10/22/25 during the regular school day. The PSAT/NMSQT exam is a preliminary SAT that also opens the door to consideration for National Merit scholarships. This will be an online exam and students will need to bring their charged Chromebooks. More information will be shared in the next few weeks.
The U.S. Department of Education is beta testing the 2026–2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form before it goes live to the public by October 1. Through the month of September, any student can request to participate online. Students who are invited to participate will receive an email notification and can complete and submit the 2026–2027 FAFSA form.
This is an excellent opportunity for students and families to complete their FAFSA form ahead of schedule and move one step closer to accessing federal student aid.
Request access at StudentAid.gov/joinbeta
Counselors met with Freshmen students on 9/16 during their Biology classes to walk through what a transcript entails, what a class credit is and how it contributes to a student's GPA and graduation requirements, how to be successful in high school and how to access social, emotional, and academic support when needed!
If you missed the presentation or would like to revisit the information, please reach out to your counselor using their You Can Book Me link found on the CCR homepage.
Students: If you missed the SchooLinks Assembly on September 4th, please follow the directions provided in your student email account so you can begin exploring colleges and careers! If you have any questions, contact your Counselor.
Parent/Guardian emails have now been synced with SchooLinks--our new college and career readiness platform. Accounts will be active and ready for access beginning September 4th.
To get started, please review the resources below:
SchooLinks: Getting Started for Guardians
SchooLinks: Getting Started for Guardians (Spanish)
If you want to learn more about SchooLinks, please visit the SchooLinks page on our CCR website.
Our Counselors will be offering workshops in the LRC Courtyard A to assist our Seniors with their post-secondary planning for college, military, trades, etc. These workshops will run during lunch periods every Wednesday from September 10th until November 5th. Seniors are reminded to attend during a lunch period in their schedule.
Sign-up in SchooLinks:
Log in to your SchooLinks account (https://app.schoolinks.com/).
On the Student Dashboard, click on the Events section to see all upcoming college application workshops.
Click on the date and period of the workshop you want to attend, and then click on the Register for this Event button.
Counselors met with Seniors on 8/19 during their Social Studies classes to walk through the college application process and/or the next steps for their post-secondary plans. If you missed the presentation or would like to revisit the information, you can do so HERE.
During the months of September and October, each Senior will meet individually with their school counselor regarding their post-secondary plan. Seniors can start booking appointments with their counselor using their You Can Book Me link found on the CCR homepage.
Important information for students who are interested in taking an AP exam but are NOT enrolled in the corresponding AP course:
Students wishing to take any AP exams for classes in which they are not enrolled must register and pay for the exam no later than Friday, November 7. The fee is $100 per exam and is non-refundable. Registration forms are available here or in the College & Career Office. Once payment is received, you will receive a join code from Mrs. Gomez to complete your order.
Save The Date! Important CCR Upcoming Events
- 2026-2027 FAFSA Application is scheduled to open October 1st 2025
- ***UPDATED DATE*** Junior Jumpstart Night (formerly College Options for Juniors) will now be held on October 14th 2025 in the St. Charles North Auditorium from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
- Pathways Night (2 Year, Tech, Trades & Military Post-Secondary Options) - Compass Academy/Haines Center on October 29th 2025 from 6-8 p.m.
- Early College Credit Information Night at St. Charles North HS in the Auditorium on November 18th 2025 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
- FAFSA Completion Workshop on December 10th 2025 at St. Charles North HS from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
- Fox Valley College Fair on March 24th 2026 at St. Charles North HS from 5:30-8 p.m.
More details will be shared as we get closer to each event date.
Elgin Community College CCR Events!
Elgin Community College is offering a series of College & Career events for the fall and spring semesters. Session topics include The Start of College Decisions, Financial Aid 101, Early College Credit options, Professional Etiquette, Discovering Careers, Career Clusters & Opportunities, Successful Interviewing and more. All events are free and open to the public. Events will be held virtually over Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7 P.M. unless otherwise noted. For more information and meeting links, please visit https://elgin.edu/community/college-transitions/ccr/
Upcoming Events: Financial Foundations: Budgeting Basics That Work
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Location: Virtual
City of St. Charles Job Shadow Program
Have you ever thought about a career as an electric lineman, firefighter, police officer, lab technician, or in tree maintenance, or IT/Networking? These are all individuals, and many more, who are employed by the City of St. Charles.
The City of St. Charles is offering a career pathway job shadow program to St. Charles high school students interested in exploring a career in municipal government. You may schedule up to three different job shadow experiences per school year, during which you can explore work sites, ask questions, see demonstrations, and learn about education and certifications. Students will be responsible for transportation to and from the City. The date, time, and length of the job shadow will be scheduled outside of school hours directly with the City’s job shadow program coordinator. Please return your completed registration form to Ms. Gomez in the College & Career Office.
The Discovery Program exposes students to a broad range of activities designed to encourage their interest in healthcare careers. Program activities include tours, guest speakers, group discussion, and hands-on projects. Meetings are held once a month, most often on Saturday mornings from 9:00am-12:00pm. The NM Discovery West Chapter and the Greater DeKalb Chapter collaborate a lot, so meetings will be held at Central DuPage Hospital, Delnor Hospital, Kishwaukee Hospital, and various off-site NM locations. Please note, meeting dates, times, and topics are subject to change. Participants are responsible for their own transportation.
For information about the Discovery Program and how to apply.
The application deadline is 9/29/25.
For questions about the Discovery Program please email NMDiscoveryProgramWest@nm.org
The 2025 DuPage County Trade Apprenticeship Expo will be held on Thursday, November 6th, 2025 from 3:30pm – 6:30pm.
This annual event, sponsored by the DuPage County Building & Construction Trades Council and CISCO, offers opportunities to meet with various trade affiliates, their training directors, and instructors to learn more about each individual apprenticeship program.
VENUE: IBEW Local 701 Union Hall
28600 Bella Vista Parkway
Warrenville, IL 60555
The office of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is excited to announce that they are hosting a Military Service Academy Day on September 29th from 6 pm to 8 pm at 1701 Woodfield Rd, 3rd floor, Schaumburg, IL 60173.
Each year, Congressman Krishnamoorthi nominates several outstanding young men and women to the United States military service academies. The academies provide an excellent education and an exceptional opportunity to serve our country. Please join the Office of Congressman Krishnamoorthi to learn about the nomination process. Representatives from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy will be on site to share their perspectives on their academies and answer your questions.
If you are able to attend, please RSVP at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/service-academy-day-tickets-1657777139049?aff=oddtdtcreator
College Visit Sign-up in SchooLinks
Log in to your SchooLinks account (https://app.schoolinks.com/).
On the Student Dashboard, click on the School Events section to see all upcoming college visits.
Click on the name of the visit you want to attend, and then click on the Register for this Event button.
Before attending the visit, make sure you pick up a College Visit Pass from our College & Career Readiness Office. You will need to fill out the form and have your teacher sign it before attending the visit. You will also be responsible for making up any missed work when attending a college visit.
If you have a conflict with a college visit, please email Ms. Kathy McCoy at kathy.mccoy@d303.org for the college rep's contact information.
For Scheduled Virtual Visits: Click the link to enter the live virtual conference with a college rep. For the full listing go to the College Visit page on our CCR Website.
Upcoming Visits:
9/22/2025 North Central College
9/23/2025 Hawaii Pacific University
9/23/2025 University of Denver
9/23/2025 University of Kentucky
9/23/2025 Xavier University
9/24/2025 Elon University
9/24/2025 Elgin Community College
9/24/2025 Winona State University
9/24/2025 Illinois College
9/25/2025 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
9/25/2025 Lake Forest College
9/29/2025 University of Chicago
9/29/2025 Illinois Institute of Technology
9/30/2025 Beloit College
9/30/2025 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
10/2/2025 Bradley University
10/2/2025 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
10/3/2025 Lewis University
10/6/2025 Furman University
10/6/2025 Illinois Wesleyan University
10/6/2025 Suffolk University
10/6/2025 University of South Florida-Main Campus
10/6/2025 University of Utah
10/6/2025 University of Maine
10/7/2025 Saint Anthony College of Nursing
10/7/2025 Blackburn College
10/7/2025 Butler University
10/7/2025 University of Florida
10/8/2025 Illinois State University
10/14/2025 Saint Mary's College
10/14/2025 University of Nevada-Las Vegas
10/14/2025 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
10/14/2025 Luther College
10/14/2025 University of Dayton
10/14/2025 Loras College
10/15/2025 Knox College
10/15/2025 Washington University in St Louis
10/15/2025 DePaul University
10/15/2025 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
10/15/2025 Michigan State University
Information for local scholarships and select national scholarships is available in SchooLinks, the College and Career Office, and through the scholarship listing on the CCR website. This list will continue to be updated throughout the school year, so please check regularly!
