FMHS Counseling Department News

April 2025

April News

The warmer weather has been so welcome! We are very close to spring break and hope you have a restful and safe week!

Class of 2025 Information

Students received the order form for Graduation Cords on April 1. Students must be logged into their student FMSD mail account to access the form. The deadline to submit the form is April 11 and no orders will be considered after this date.

CTE Shuttle Class Applications

We are thrilled to offer three specialized shuttle programs for FMSD students in the 2025-2026 school year:

Automotive Technology – Located at NFHS
Cosmetology – Located at CRHS -- Current 10th Grade Only
Culinary Arts – Located at FMHS

Please check your email and Google Classroom for additional information. The applications are due by April 30, 2025.

FMSD Next Steps Career Fair & College Prep Camp

Next Steps Presentation

On March 27, FMHS and the School Improvement Council hosted a Next Steps Presentation for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade families. You can find the slides here.

Next Steps Career Fair

Is your senior exploring their post-high school plans? Mark your calendar for our upcoming Next Steps Career Fair on Tuesday, April 15 at 5:30 - 7 pm.

This event, held at Fort Mill High School, is open to students from all three high schools, as well as community members looking for their next opportunity. We'll have a variety of employers, educational opportunities and military recruiters on-site. A full listing of those currently registered to attend can be found here. We are continually inviting more participants and they will be added to the site above as they register.

College Prep Camp 2025 - Save the Date!
The three high schools in Fort Mill are planning a joint College Prep Camp on May 27th! More details will come soon, but please save the date in case you want to participate. Lunch will be included, and this will cost approximately $20 for the day.

25-26 School Year Dual Credit Information

USC-L Dual Enrollment Application

Students who plan on taking USCL Dual Enrollment courses at FMHS (ex. Gov/Econ, English, Spanish, French, Sociology/Criminal Justice, Modern & Forensic Chemistry) during the 2025-2026 school year (future Juniors and Seniors), need to apply to USCL no later than April 30, 2025. Please click here for additional instructions.

York Technical College

Students interested in taking classes through York Technical College have until May 5 to complete their applications. You will find the information in Google Classroom.

World Language Placement Exam

If you plan to take a Dual Credit World Language course next year, you must take and pass a placement exam if you haven't already. Directions will be posted in your Google Classrooms: Class of 2026 and Class of 2027. Testing will start March 5th in the Media Center. Students will sign up in Smart Pass for a FLEX exam session that works for their schedule.

Important Dates

April 9 Spring WIN Career Readiness Assessment - 11th Grade Students
April 16 Q4 Midterms
April 21-25 Spring Break
April 30 CTE Shuttle Course Applications Due
May 5-16 AP Exams

Counseling Department Google Classroom Codes

The counseling department has created Google Classrooms for each grade level. Please make sure that students have joined their appropriate Google Classroom and that they can invite parents so you can request email summaries of announcements in Google Classroom. Parents are not able to join Google Classroom directly, however, you can receive email notifications as you do for teachers' Google Classrooms. The codes are listed below. Please note these are new Google Classrooms with new codes for this school year.

Class of 2028 ylowozc
Class of 2027 wp2u2vw
Class of 2026 ouuapoi
Class of 2025 rgu5j4h

Don't forget to check our website for additional information and updates!

Start Strong in the Second Semester!

Evaluate how the first semester went. Think about whether there are any adjustments you need to make to be successful this semester.
Use a planner or agenda to keep track of your assignments, tests, quizzes, and extracurricular activities.
Take good notes in class.
Make use of before and after school live help time with your teachers.
Use the SC Discus free tutoring!
Make sure you use your study time wisely.

Grade Level Information

9th Grade

9th-grade IGP meetings are finished for the 2024-2025 school year. The IGP materials are located on the FMHS School Counseling website.
Don't forget to check out the Counseling Department website for helpful hints as you begin your freshman year!
The 9th Grade Google Classroom code is ylowozc. Please make sure students join to be notified of updates and important information from the counseling department!

10th Grade

10th-grade IGP meetings have finished for the 2024-2025 school year. The IGP materials are located here.
Don't forget to check out the Counseling Department website for helpful hints as you begin your sophomore year.
The 10th-grade Google Classroom code is wp2u2vw. Please make sure students join to be notified of updates and important information from the counseling department!

11th Grade

11th-grade IGP meetings have finished for the 2024-2025 school year. The IGP materials are located here.
Don't forget to check out the Counseling Department website for helpful hints as you begin your junior year!
The 11th-grade Google Classroom code is ouuapoi. Please make sure students join to be notified of updates and important information from the counseling department!

12th Grade

Senior IGP meetings have concluded for this school year. If you have additional questions, you can contact your counselor via email or stop by the main counseling office. Information from the IGP meetings can be found here.

Accessing Google Drive Information After Graduation

Students will lose access to Google Drive and school emails after they graduate. Please see the information here on how to save your files.

Transcripts

Seniors can request transcripts and letters of recommendation through Naviance. You can find instructions and video walkthroughs on the FMHS website.
Students using the Common App need to make sure they have linked the Common App to Naviance, as well as completed the FERPA portion of the application. FMHS staff cannot submit documents until that has been completed.
Students must complete the Request for a Letter of Recommendation before their teacher or counselor will write a letter for them.

Test Scores

ACT, SAT, and AP test scores must be sent to colleges directly from ACT or College Board. FMHS does not send test scores to colleges.
Click here for the ACT website.
Click here for the SAT website
When signing up to take a test you can request four of your scores to be sent to 4 colleges for free.
Any additional score reports you wish to have can be requested through your account with the test website. There is a fee to send additional score reports to colleges.

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Fort Mill Foundation Scholarships are now open! Click here for more information! The deadline is March 1, 2025.
College Board Opportunity Scholarships are available for juniors and seniors! Click here for more details!
After colleges receive test scores and final transcripts in June, they will award the Life or Hope scholarship to qualifying students.
The counseling office will notify students who qualify for the Palmetto Fellows scholarship.
The counseling scholarship portal is updated regularly with new scholarship opportunities we receive.

Google Classroom

The 12th-grade Google Classroom code is rgu5j4h. Please make sure students join to be notified of updates and important information from the counseling department!

Resources

Activities and Clubs

FMHS has multiple clubs available for our students! We hope you will get involved!

You can find club information in the weekly newsletter link on the main FMHS website.
Club information is also available in the main commons area and flyers are posted in the hallways.

College and Career Readiness

Meet Mr. Young

Mr. Young is our Career Development Facilitator. He is here to help you explore careers! Set up an appointment with him today! You can email him here.
Check out the FMHS Calendar for information on upcoming virtual college visits.
If you're looking for videos on Career and College Readiness, check out Mr. Young's YouTube Channel. This is the hub for previous sessions on college admissions, resume writing, athletic recruitment, and much more!

Work Based Learning Services with Ms. Brackett

Ms. Susan Brackett, the Work-Based Learning Coordinator, helps students in the Fort Mill School District high schools meet professionals doing the work they hope to do someday.

This should help them better plan their next move after high school ~ on-the-job training, 2-year or 4-year college, apprenticeship, or military.

She works with area businesses and community organizations to understand their workforce needs, training, and hiring practices.

Please click here to see Ms. Brackett's comprehensive website.

Community Resources--Mental Health Resource Guide

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has resources available for families. You can find information on the local chapter here.

Tutoring

FREE TUTORING INFORMATION

SC Discus has partnered with Tutor.com for all K-12 students! Students can access tutoring for

Math
English
Science
Social Studies
World Languages
AP/SAT/ACT test prep

TUTOR MATCHING SERVICE

Tutor Matching Service provides a tutoring search engine with college students or recent graduates providing tutoring in multiple subject areas. The link is here.

*Please note that these resources are for your reference and are not a recommendation by FMHS staff.

Naviance

Naviance is your go-to resource to help you in high school! When you log into Naviance, you can:

Complete career interest assessments
Search for colleges based on your career interests
Compare colleges and find your best fit
Check your GPA
Request transcripts be sent to your colleges
Request letters of recommendation from FMHS teachers to be sent to your colleges
Search for scholarships

You will find videos to walk you through how to log in to Naviance on YouTube! To log in click on Sign in with Clever and use your school email address and password.

Scholarships

Counselors will upload scholarship opportunities onto a spreadsheet that will be linked in Google Classroom.
The Fort Mill Foundation scholarships are currently open. Seniors should check Google Classroom. The deadline is March 1.
College Board has an Opportunity Scholarship that students can enter by completing tasks that are part of the college/career search process. Find more information here!
The Commission on Higher Education oversees the state Hope, Life, and Palmetto Fellows scholarships. Find more information here.

Testing--ACT/SAT

Students can sign up for the ACT on a national test date here.
Students can sign up for the SAT on a national test date here.
Please make sure to check that your testing site is still open prior to arriving at the test site. Some sites have had to cancel due to COVID. You may have to travel farther than normal for an available test site.
Students qualifying for Free/Reduced lunch can request a Fee Waiver in the counseling office.
If students have an IEP or 504 their accommodations must be requested and approved by College Board and/or ACT. Please make sure that you are registering early to ensure there is adequate time for staff to send in the information. ACT and College Board will still have to review and approve or deny the requests.