October 2015 CLA2HS Newsletter
September 24th, 2015
Dear CLA Students, Parents, Guardians and Families,
I can hardly believe it is already October! Please read the following updates and reminders regarding open houses, shadow days, entrance exams, and financial aid forms. Attached is a calendar showing most of the high school open house dates that are scheduled in October.
Open-houses: Attending an open house is a great way to determine if your scholar wants to take a “deeper dive” and shadow the school. Visit the open houses at schools where your student is interested in attending high school. It is a great way to see if you think that the school is a “good fit” for your scholar. I have attached a calendar of events but also check to confirm open house dates and times on the individual school websites.
Shadowing: Blank shadow forms are available in the office. Students will be able to shadow at 1-2 schools. Shadowing is a great opportunity to see what it really “feels” like to be a student at the school, so help your scholar pick his/her shadow schools. Students need to submit a completed shadow form one week prior to the already scheduled shadow date. Students will have to make arrangements with their teachers for missed work prior to the shadow date. Upon their return to school, students must submit the shadow formed signed by the high school so that the absence will not be counted against the students. Students may not shadow on the day of an assessment. This year we have a Fall Break, October 8-12, so the students will be out of school for 3 free days which would be a great opportunity to shadow a high school.
Applications: For those scholars applying to schools requiring applications, scholars need to begin working on their applications. Ask individual teachers (usually one math and one English teacher) to complete the necessary forms or materials to support your application. Once the teacher has completed the form, he or she will turn it into Mrs. Durr. Turn-in completed applications to Mrs. Durr. We will send all necessary documents together in one envelope to the schools.
Entrance Exams:
Parochial Schools- Check the dates for the admissions exams for the Parochial (Catholic) Schools, remember each school has its own test and test date. Visit the specific school website for details. Make plans to take your student to the school the date of the admissions exam. Students can prepare for the entrance exams using practice tests. Please ask Mrs. Durr for a copy of the practice tests if you do not already have one. Entrance exams are usually tied to scholarship money. It is better to take the test on one of the earlier dates before dollars have been distributed.
Independent Schools- Students can prepare for the ISEE using practice tests. Please ask Mrs. Durr for a copy of the practice tests if you do not already have one. The ISEE is usually tied to scholarship money. It is better to take the test on one of the earlier dates before dollars have been distributed. You can visit the school website to register for the test.
Financial Aid: CLA will be hosting a financial aid night for parents of students that are applying to parochial or independent schools. We will be reviewing the financial aid forms and answering individual questions. The financial aid form for independent schools is on the individual schools website. The financial aid forms for parochial schools is on the individual school website or ask Mrs. Durr for a copy. One form can be filled out and used for similar schools (for example: If you are applying to Hawken and Gilmour you can use the same form and submit it to both schools. If you are applying to Beaumont and Villa Angela Saint Joseph you can use the same form and share with both schools.) I will keep you posted on the date and time.
CLA & Breakthrough Website: Please visit https://citizensleadership.org/cla2hs/ and https://breakthroughcommons.org/college/ for future newsletters, calendars and helpful information about the high school process.
If you have any further questions about the high school placement process, please contact me at erica.durr@citizensleadership.org or 216-229-8185.
Sincerely,
Erica Durr
High School Placement Advisor
Cc: Shelly Saltzman, Head of School