Summer School Opportunities

Students will have several opportunities to earn or regain

credit with the Helena schools this summer. Online courses

are available for students interested in enrolling in a new

course that they have not previously attempted. In addition,

both online and classroom experiences are available for students who need to regain

credit in classes that they have attempted and failed. All classes will be held on the

Helena High School campus.

For original, full semester credit, the following option is available:

Montana Digital Academy– Registration is now open, students must see their counselor to complete this

process. Deadline to register is June 3rd. Once registered students are assigned a password to access and com-

plete their coursework independently. Two sessions will be available: June 10-July 13, and July 14-Aug. 13.

This is an intense course of study designed to take at least 3 hours per day of work. Students may not take more

than 2 courses at a time. The maximum number of online credits that may count toward graduation are 2.5.

There are two options available for students who have failed a class and need to regain the credit.

Traditional summer school: Classes will be held June 22—July 21st for core subjects: English, Math, Sci-

ence, and History. Each class will meet for two hours a day. Attendance is mandatory. Registration will begin

in May. Contact the counseling center for more information.

Online credit recovery– Students can register in the counseling center . Deadline to register is June 20th.

Following registration, students will be assigned a password to log on to their course of study and complete the

work. Students must be self-disciplined. Estimated time to complete courses is between 20 and 60 hours. All

coursework must be completed by August 1st. Students will be required to go to the Helena High School com-

puter lab for at least one hour per day, five days per week. Attendance is mandatory and students are expected

to start on June 22nd.

**The cost for traditional summer school and credit recovery is approximately $90 per class.

Information on available courses and registration procedures will be available in May and can be found on the CHS

counseling homepage, http://chs.helenaschools.org or by calling the office at 324-2500. With the variety of op-

tions open to students, it is important that they conference with their counselor about which option would

give them the best opportunity for success.

Important Dates:

May 6 —Vigilante Parade

May 2-13—AP Testing

June 4— Graduation

June 6-8 Semester Tests

June 8—Last Day of School

Counseling News

“Helping you help your child find success.”

Attention Seniors

A postcard will be mailed home with instructions on how to report any scholarships that you

have won. Please contact us if your mailing address has changed. Any information you provide

will be included in the program for the Senior Awards Night on May 2nd. Only those scholarships reported

to us by April 22nd will be included!

Senior Awards Night

Monday, May 2nd

6:30 PM– CHS Auditorium

Attention Sophomore Parents

2016-2017 Juniors can register for October PSAT, starting in Sep-

tember. By taking the PSAT/NMSQT, you may qualify to enter the

competitions for prestigious scholarships and participate in recogni-

tion programs. Students may qualify for recognition in the National

Merit Scholarship Program based on their critical reading + mathemat-

ics + writing skills scores. In September (of their senior year), these

high scorers are notified through their schools that they have qualified

as either a Commended Student or Semifinalist.

ATTENTION Parents of Juniors!

Applications for Montana Boys and Girls State are still being accepted. For over 65 years this program has

taken the best of Montana’s youth and strengthened their leadership foundations. It has taught them important

lessons in leadership, citizenship, sportsmanship and helped to forge them into a truly effective future leaders

of Montana and the nation. This experience will also be a wonderful addition to your college/scholarship ap-

plications and resumes. Applications are available online at mtlegion.org.

Deadline to register for Girls State is April 4th, 2016.

**The Auxiliary will be conducting interviews after spring break so if you are interested, AP-

PLY NOW! There are only 7 slots available to CHS females. Slots may be filled prior to the

deadline so apply early!

Girls State will be held June 12—June 18th at Carroll College.

Cost for attendance is $300. The Auxiliary does have scholarships available.

Boys State Applications are due May 20th.

Boys State applications are prioritized by order turned in. Boys State will be held June 5 –10th at Carroll Col-

lege.

Participants will miss CHS finals week. Boys State delegates will be excused from school for finals week pro-

vided that all finals are made up.

Cost for attendance is $250. Boys State scholarships available from our American Legion Post.

Spring 2016

Dual Credit ~ 2016-2017

If you are planning to take a dual credit course next school year, dual credit forms are past

due. Please turn them into the counseling center asap! Last day to turn them in is April 29th.

For questions, please contact Mr. Robinson at 324-2493.

How to Decipher the Financial Aid Award Letter Hopefully by the time you are reading this all of your graduating seniors will have applied and been admitted to at least one

college or university and completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). While this may not be the case for

all students, please remind those remaining few that it’s never too late to apply for postsecondary education and financial

aid. The sooner they complete these steps, however, the better.

For those students who have been admitted to college and have completed the FAFSA, they should expect to see a financial

aid award letter from every school where they’ve been admitted provided that the school also received the students’ financial

aid information from the FAFSA. It is important to note, that if a student doesn’t fully complete the FAFSA or doesn’t indicate

they want FASFA information sent to specific colleges, they will not receive an award letter. Generally students who applied by

the FAFSA priority deadline of March 1st should expect to receive their award letters sometime in April. Some schools still

send hard copy letters, while other schools have gone exclusively to sending award letters electronically via email, so stu-

dents and parents need to be checking email regularly.

The following are some critical points to consider when reading the financial aid award letter:

Cost of Attendance (COA): All award letters will include the COA for the upcoming academic year. Be sure the COA in-

cludes tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation, and personal expenses. If it is unclear whether all of these ex-

penses are included, contact the financial aid office to clarify.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC): The award letter will also indicate the Expected Family Contribution. The EFC is the

amount the student and their family are expected to contribute towards their education based on the information used to

fill out the FAFSA. Keep in mind this money can come from parents, the student, and/or additional loans.

Grants: Grants are money that the student does not need to pay back. It is a good idea to accept all grants.

Work Study: It is also generally a good idea to accept all work study that is awarded, as many students will want to get an

on-campus job.

Loans: Students have the opportunity to accept or decline loans. Generally the fewer loans a student takes out, the bet-

ter. However if a student does decide to borrow money for college they should first accept Perkins loans, then Stafford

subsidized loans, then Stafford unsubsidized loans, and finally PLUS loans. PLUS loans are taken out by the parent who

must pass a credit check and will be responsible for repayment.

Students should be advised to accept their financial aid award (all or partial) to ALL of the schools to which they have been

admitted, as the acceptance is not binding and the student can forfeit the award at any time.

If your students do end up with questions, they can contact the college financial aid office at the college they are applying to

or see their HHS counselor.

Article provided by Montana Gear Up

SENIOR GRADUATION Graduation is just around the corner, and here are a few important dates to remember:

Wednesday, June 1st: SENIOR FINALS - Periods 4, 5, 6 and 7

Thursday, June 2nd: SENIOR FINALS - Periods 0, 1, 2 and 3

GRADUATION PRACTICE - 9:30 @ Carroll College

Practice is MANDATORY for all students intending to walk at graduation. Senior class picnic

will follow immediately after practice at the fairgrounds

Friday, June 3rd: Have fun, relax and be safe.

Saturday, June 4th: GRADUATION at 2:00 PM. at Car roll College Stadium.

Graduates are to report to the Carroll College gym NO later than 1:15 PM. The ceremony will be held outside in the

stadium, if possible. In that case, there will be adequate seating for all guests. In the event of inclement weather, the

ceremony will be held in the Carroll PE center at the same time and tickets will be required for admissions. Each senior

will be issued seven tickets and no lottery will be held for extra tickets. Tickets CANNOT be replaced if lost or stolen.

Saturday, June 4th: SENIOR ALL NIGHT PARTY. Watch for tickets sale times at CHS.

AP TESTING

Students should have already registered for the AP Tests. The AP Testing Window is Monday May 2nd

through Friday May 13th. Any test that is proctored during the make-up window is an additional $45

(added to the original cost of $92)

Contact Mr. Ferlicka at 324-2490 in the counseling office with any questions!

2016 AP Testing Schedule– MAY 2016

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8:00 am

Chemistry

Environmental

Science

12:00 pm

Psychology

8:00am Computer Science

A

Spanish Language

and Culture

12:00pm Art History

Physics 1: Algebra-

Based

8:00am English Literature

and Composition

12:00pm Japanese Language

and Culture

Physics 2: Algebra-

Based

8:00am Calculus AB

Calculus BC

12:00pm Chinese Language

and Culture Semi-

nar

Seminar

Vigilante Parade

8:00am German Language

and Culture

United States Histo-

ry

12:00pm European History

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

8:00am Biology

Music Theory

12:00pm Physics C: Mechan-

ics

2:00pm Physics C: Electric-

ity and Magnetism

8:00am United States Gov-

ernment and Poli-

tics

12:00pm French Language

and Culture

Spanish Literature

and Culture

8:00am English Language

and Composition

12:00pm Italian Language

and Culture

Macroeconomics

8:00am Comparative Gov-

ernment and Poli-

tics

World History

12:00pm Statistics

8:00am Human Geography

Microeconomics

12:00pm Latin

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

AP Make-up

Window

AP Make-up

Window

AP Make-up

Window

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29

30 31

Memorial Day

No School

ACT April 2016

All Juniors will be taking the ACT Plus Writing exam on April 19th, 2016. Students have already been registered for this test, paid for by

Montana Gear Up and the Office of Public Instruction. ACT is a National College Admission exam that tests the following areas: Eng-

lish, Math, Reading, and Science with optional Writing. This is a great opportunity for students to take a college entrance exam, at no

cost, during the school day. In addition to general admissions requirements, all colleges are requiring students to meet minimum writing

and math competency standards. To enter a 4-year university within the Montana University System, high school graduates are required

to meet the following standards, for the ACT:

-demonstrate Math Proficiency by earning an ACT math score of 22.

-demonstrate Writing Proficiency earning an ACT English/Writing score of 18 or if they score 19 or higher on Writing

Assessment

*See MUS Admissions Standards website for more details: http://mus.edu/Prepare/Prepare/MUS_Admission_Standards.asp

WHAT TO BRING! WHAT NOT TO BRING!

-PHOTO ID -CELL PHONES/ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICES

-Pencils -Backpacks

-Calculator (see list below) -Food/Drink

*CHS Students will be testing at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds Expo Center.

Students need to be in their seats at 7:45am. YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED IF YOU ARE LATE! NOTE: If your son/daughter rides

the bus, they will not arrive on time. Please make arrangements for alternative transportation. Students are expected to attend

their regular afternoon classes.

Cell phones and other electronic devices ARE NOT ALLOWED during the test, THIS INCLUDES BREAKS! Any student found with a

cell phone will be DISMISSED from the test. This can jeopardize the scores of all other students testing. PLEASE LEAVE CELL

PHONES AT HOME OR IN LOCKERS!

Although calculators are not required for the math test, they are allowed. We will NOT be providing back up calculators for students who

do not bring one for the test. The following calculators ARE NOT permitted during the ACT:

Calculators with built-in computer algebra systems

Prohibited calculators in this category include:

Texas Instruments: All model numbers that begin with TI-89 or TI-92 and the TI-Nspire CAS—Note: The TI-Nspire (non-CAS)

is permitted

Hewlett-Packard: HP 48GII and all model numbers that begin with HP 40G, HP 49G, or HP 50G

Casio: Algebra fx 2.0, ClassPad 300 and ClassPad 330, and all model number s that begin with CFX-9970G

Additional prohibited calculators:

handheld, tablet, or laptop computers, including PDAs

electronic writing pads or pen-input devices—Note: The Sharp EL 9600 is permitted.

calculators built into cell phones or any other electronic communication devices

calculators with a typewriter keypad (letter keys in QWERTY format)—Note: Letter keys not in QWERTY format are permitted.

**Using a TI-89 is the most common reason students are dismissed from the ACT for prohibited calculator use.

Students should have received a hard copy study guide from their English teacher. Free Test Prep is also available through the

following websites:

www.actstudent.org

www.testprepreview.com

www.homeworkmt.com

www.algebra.com/testing/scripts/st.mpl

www.number2.com

www.princetonreview.com/college/free-act-practice-test.aspx

www.mtcis.intocareers.org

www.SmartAboutCollege.org

www.kahnacademy.org

www.4tests.com

June ACT / SAT Deadlines

Registration deadline for the June 11th ACT is May 6th. register online: www.act.org

Registration deadline for the June 4th SAT is May 11th. register online: www.sat.collegeboard.org

**Fee waivers available for free/reduced lunch students in the counseling office.

Spring 2016

Bring the world to your doorstep!

Become a host family for a Rotary Youth Exchange Student.

We’re taking host-family applications now for school year 2016-17.

Want to know more?

Please contact: Joanna Thamke, Helena Noon Rotary Club, jothamke@gmail.com

http://www.montanarotary.org/

SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

Be sure to check the Helena High School scholarship list as new scholarships are added each week!

You can find it online

http://chs.helenaschools.org/departments/college-

career-center/scholarship-opportunities/

Spring 2016

The following article, “Warning Signs of Suicide” is printed with the permission of Karl Rosston, Suicide

Prevention Coordinator, MT DPHHS. In addition, we want to remind you and your students of additional

resources available both in our community and online.

1. In an emergency situation, especially in the evening/middle of the night, call 9-1-1

2. St Peter’s Hospital Emergency Room

406-442-2480

3. Suicide Prevention Hotline

1-800-273-8255

4. Helena Youth in Crisis

www.helenayouthcrisis.org

5. NAMI MT

www.namimt.org

6. Center for Mental Health

www.center4mh.org

7. Youth Connections

www.youthconnectionscoalition.org

8. Jason Foundation

www.jasonfoundation.com

An application can also be found for your mobile device

9. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

www.AFSP.org

10. Department of Health and Human Services

Suicide Prevention Information & Resources

www.dphhs.mt.gov/amdd/suicide.aspx

As a parent of a pre-teen or teenage child, have you ever opened your cell phone bill to see over 10,000 text messages in a month,

which averages to roughly over 300 per day. Children are also utilizing cell and smart phones all hours of the day and night and as a

parent, does it give you a hopeless feeling? In this fast paced technology world we live today is there anything a parent can do?

Yes parents, there is. Many parents today ask the same question, but it takes a little bit of research to find out what’s available.

Many wireless carriers offer services for parents to monitor or restrict usage of their child’s phone, including phone calls, text mes-

saging and data usage. Of course this is not a free service but in the long run it may be just the thing to provide a parent with some

peace of mind.

Major wireless carriers in the Helena area can offer packages for a fee that restrict hours of usage for phones. As a parent, you can

designate hours of the day and night when only approved phone numbers can be called or received by the child’s phone. As in my

case, during school hours, my child can only receive phone calls from numbers approved by me. The same feature can apply to

hours of the evening.

Certain wireless carriers also can offer packages that restrict, monitor, or limit data usage on smart phone devices and internet

browsing phones. Not all wireless carriers offer these types of services, but you can check with your provider to find out what types

of parental monitoring services are offered. Be aware that if you have an unlimited data package for any type of smart phone device,

you may not be able to activate those types of services.

Not all hope is lost however, there are certain computer programs offered by independent companies on the Internet that allow you

to monitor phone usage, filter Internet content and GPS tracking of your child’s phone. For a fee, as a parent you have control of the

software and can set limitations to your own liking. In researching these types of products, On Guard Online, http://

onguardonline.gov/, offers tips to parents on the types of parental monitoring software products that a parent is looking for. If re-

searching parental monitoring software on the Internet be sure that the product has some type of endorsement from a technology

watchdog company or is endorsed by a group committed to the safety of children.

The Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force also has a website, www.mticac.org, which has resources for parents, as

well as a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mticac, which offers useful cybertips on protecting your children on-line.

*Reprinted with permission from Senior Officer Fischer. Originally published in the April 2012 HHS Newsletter.

Senior Officer Bryan D. Fischer CHS Resource Officer

Helena Police Department/SRO Loren Mardis

E-mail: bfischer@helenamt.gov E-Mail: lmardis@helenamt.gov

Office: 406.447-8461 Office: 406-324-2484

Cell: 406-949-3680 Cell: 406-949-3683

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mticac

Visit: www.mticac.org