FMHS Counseling Department News

January 2024

January News

Welcome back! We hope you had a fantastic winter break!

Counselors will be scheduling IGP meetings with any juniors they have't met with yet.

Freshmen will receive an email with the link to schedule appointments beginning again on January 16.

You can find more information on the FMHS website and linked below in the specific grade level sections of the newsletter.

M4 began on 1/8. Report cards are now available in PowerSchool for the first semester.

Financial Aid 101 Session

Dr. Joseph Miller, VP of Enrollment Management and Marketing at Winthrop University, hosted a presentation on the basics of the college financial aid process. The recorded session can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@fmhscdf

Save the Date!

February 8, 2024 is the HBCU 2024 College Fair. Students should register by February 5. You can find more information at https://bit.ly/FMHSHBCU2024

ASVAB Scores

ASVAB scores are in! Please come to the Main Counseling Office between 9am-2pm to pick them up.

GRADE-LEVEL GOOGLE CLASSROOMS

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.

Class of 2027 wp2u2vw
Class of 2026 ouuapoi
Class of 2025 rgu5j4h
Class of 2024 txchjql

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

Start Strong in the Second Semester!

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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

IGP meetings are happening now! Click here for more information. Please make sure to complete your IGP elective survey prior to your meeting.
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 wp2u2vw. Please make sure students join to be notified of updates and important information from the counseling department!

10th Grade

10th Grade IGPs have finished. You can find the resources for the meetings on the FMHS school counseling website!
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 ouuapoi. Please make sure students join to be notified of updates and important information from the counseling department!

11th Grade

11th Grade IGP meetings are wrapping up for this school year. If you have additional questions, you can contact your counselor via email or stop by the main counseling office. The IGP information is 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 rgu5j4hi. 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

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 for qualifying students.
The counseling office will notify students that qualify for the Palmetto Fellows scholarship.
The counseling website and Naviance are also updated regularly with new scholarship opportunities we receive.

Google Classroom

The 12th Grade Google Classroom code is txchjql . 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. The website also has a link to a Google Classroom for students located here.
Club information is also available in the main commons area.

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 Mr. Young's website for lots of Career Resources!
Fort Mill HS is hosting a trip to Rock Hill’s HBCU College Fair in February. If you want to sign up, please click here.
January's Career of the Month is Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. You can find more here!
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

NAMI has provided a mental health resource guide for the community. You can find it here.

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.
In the spring, the Fort Mill Foundation scholarships will also open up. Seniors should check their email for more information!
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 main 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.

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

To access the tutoring, go to SC Discus, then click on Tutor.com. You will need the SC password for SC Discus, which can be found in your Google Classroom, outside both libraries, or ask library staff.

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.