CLA To High School – October Newsletter
September 26, 2016
Dear CLA Students, Parents, Guardians and Families,
I can hardly believe it is already October! In order to ensure that we are all on the same page, I will send home monthly letters and calendars to keep you up to speed on important dates and deadlines concerning your student and his/her high school placement. These letters and calendars will also be on the CLA website under the Current Families Link. 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 admissions events that are schedule in October.
High School Fair: Breakthrough Schools will be hosting a High School Fair on Thursday, September 29, 2016 from 5:00-7:00pm at The Prep Schools Cliffs Campus in the Gymnasium. 20+ Public, Parochial, & Independent High Schools will be attending! This is a great opportunity for students and families to meet and speak with a number of high performing high schools in our area! As an incentive for attending the High School Fair, students will be able to dress down on Friday, September 30th!
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. Sign-up for a shadow day with the high school online or by phone. 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.
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. Gray. 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/Religious)
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. Gray 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 interested in Independent schools will have the opportunity to visit
University School on Tuesday, October 4th from 9:30am-11:30am for an ISEE Test Prep Session.
Transportation will be provided. Students can also prepare for the ISEE using practice tests. Please ask Mrs.
Gray 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 form for
parochial schools is on the individual school website or you can ask Mrs. Gray 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 Website: Please visit https://citizensleadership.org Click on Current Families>Under Important Links>
Click on CLA to High School 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
Jill.gray@citizensleadership.org or 216-229-8185 Ext. 2405
Sincerely,
Jill Gray
School Counselor & High School Placement Coordinator
Citizens Leadership Academy