I have a couple of resources that I want to share with the Kell community.  I have known about these for a little while now and have really been wanting to get the word out about what I’ve found.  There are so many things out there on the internet to help you find scholarships and these are two of my favorite.

The first is a podcast.  Before I tell you the podcast that I just love, I need to make sure you know what a podcast is.  A podcast is basically a downloadable radio-type program that you can listen to about a particular topic on your computer, IPod, or MP3 player.  I bet you didn’t know that there were literally hundreds of thousands (maybe more) of podcasts floating around the web??  Anyone who has an internet connection, a microphone, and something to say (whether informative, irrelevant, silly, or extremely important) can make one.  They are called “podcasts” as a combination of the words “IPod” and “broadcast.”  However, you do not need an IPod to listen to a podcast – your computer will do just fine.  I, personally, like to download them to my own IPod and listen to them if I happen to be somewhere and need to kill a little time or am driving somewhere in my car.  I’ve found lots of other relevant “education-type” podcasts, too - SAT Prep, college admissions, AP prep materials, grammer tips, foreign language tutorials, history lessons, etc.  There are podcasts that cover things like cooking lessons, skateboarding tips, new music, knitting news, YouTube videos, worldwide news, audiobooks, politics, sitcoms, and more.  If there’s something you’re interested in, there’s probably a podcast for that.

How do you find podcasts?  If you have ITunes, this is an easy way to search for and download podcasts and get continuous updates.  You can download ITunes for free at www.itunes.com and, again, you don’t need an IPod to have this program.  If you are totally confused, just come see me – I’ll give you a first-rate lesson on podcasts.  I personally have many.

Now, the particular podcast I am referring to is called the Financial Aid Podcast, and  you can just go to  http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/ to download each episode.  It is sponsored by the Student Loan Network, a provider of loans and other financial services.  The host is Christopher Penn, the CTO of this particular company.  On this 15-minute daily broadcast (didja know that there was that much information about financial aid??), he gives a multitude of information about financial aid news, scholarship updates, FAFSA tips, answers to listener questions, and, oh, so much more.  Just today (Tax day) he gave tips on filing your income taxes, an update on a new funding policy at Yale for their medical school, a scholarship update, and gave a tip on how to use Google to search for specific types of scholarships.  He even advertised that Dunkin Donuts is giving away a free donut with a coffee purchase today!  (Wish I had known that this morning on the way to work!  But, I digress).  On Fridays, he offers his Friday Freebies.  Lots, lots, lots of financial aid information.  And he does this, yes, every day.  He’s a financial aid freak.

The second resource is an electronic book written by the same above-named Christopher Penn.  You can find it at http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ebook/ and download it PDF style.  In this book, he shares his “secret” methods of searching for scholarships.  He also discusses the FAFSA, loans, financial aid offices, avoiding scams, etc, etc., etc.  I, personally, would love to put a copy into everyone of my juniors’ and seniors’ hands but I’m not sure that we have the monetary resources to print and give out that much paper. 

The website that the book is found on is also a scholarship search site, http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ (the same link w/ ebook removed…).  You can register for a financial aid newsletter and get even more info. 

Now, please realize that this company is out there to ultimately make money through their loan services and this is one of their avenues for getting their name out, but they do so by offering these awesome free resources.  Take advantage and get yourself some financial aid (and let me know what you think!!!)

Welcome back!  I hope that Spring Break was a relaxing and safe time off for everyone.    Now that we’ve rested and gotten refreshed, it’s the time to really buckle down and work hard to bring up any grades that might not be where you want them to be.  This is NOT the time to coast.  If you are failing a course, you need to speak with your teacher TODAY about what you need to do to improve.  If you haven’t been going to tutoring or getting help from someone, don’t expect that things will get better by just sheer desire.  I love the phrase that is so common in counseling – “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”  Basically, we can apply this thought in this way: if what you’ve been doing hasn’t worked,  you need to try something else. 

 You may even want to set up (or have your parents set up) a parent teacher conference.  To do this, just speak, or have your parents, contact that teacher and arrange a time.  If you have several teachers to coordinate, contact your counselor and we’ll set up a time for everyone to meet. 

Hopefully, this will help matters and you’ll sail into the summer with a stellar report card.  However, sometimes things just don’t go as hoped and there comes a need for credit recovery.  What should you do in this case??

The first option is summer school.  Some general information can be found on the Oakwood HS webpage.  We will be getting registration materials in the next week, so if there is a class that you need to make up or something you’d like to take to get ahead, come see your counselor for the information.  This year, SS will be at Walton and the dates will run from June 11 – July 9.  Cost is $300 for 1/2 credit and $600 for a full credit (not cheap, I know!  More motivation to pass those classes…).  I’ll post this info on the guidance webpage when we receive the materials and we’ll also be making announcements.

E-High School is another option.  If you want to make up math credits through E-High School, they are offering a longer session and registration is going on currently.  These classes begin in April and end in July.  All other classes will begin in late May after school is out and end in July.  Visit the E-High School webpage for more information and to sign up.  Please keep in mind that E-High School is best for those of you who are self-motivated and can dedicate yourselves to working hard every day without a teacher “making” you do the work.  Many students have all the best intentions and end up not succeeding because they fail to realize the dedication it takes to do well.  In all honesty, if you are a procrastinator, you would probably do better with summer school.

Lastly, I want to make you aware of a new credit-recovery program that is being offered by the state through Georgia Virtual High School.  The cost is $200 per half credit and it is a self-paced program that you do at home on your own computer.  The program is only available to students who have failed a course, so this might be a good option for some.  For more information, visit the GA Credit Recovery webpage.  To register, see your counselor.