College Application Day

May Term - Overview

The staff at ELC is excited to roll out our first May Term here at ELC for spring of 2019.  Over the past two years, a group of HS staff members have been working to create a new learning opportunity inline with our gradual shift to more hands on, project based learning opportunities within the high school curriculum.  As a staff we recognize that there will always be a need for the level of learning all of us have known as students, as there continues to be no substitute for the “Three R’s” we all grew up with. However, as a staff we also recognize the need to stay relevant in terms of what our students need as they transition into a world that is arguably changing by the hour.  Many of the jobs we know today will not even exist when our students enter the workforce. With that understanding, it is as important to teach our students how the be lifelong learners who are willing to get their “hands dirty” as they actively participate in the learning process. It is our belief that May Term will give them that opportunity to explore an academic area, or a personal social activity that can contribute to a quality of life we want all our students to experience after their formal education is complete.

First, to outline the specifics, May Term will be held for five days beginning May 23.  This means seniors will not be participating, as graduation for them will have already taken place.  There will be many different May Term activities for students to explore, such as: job shadows, community mural painting, foreign language exploration, video editing, DNA analysis, lifetime healthy living, authoring history books for elementary students, plasma creation, music theory, law enforcement, and much more.  The school day will run as normal in terms of hours, with the only difference being where students are located throughout the day. Many of our students will be working off campus, and all parents of those off-campus students will be notified prior to this opportunity.

Although May Term is a scaled down version of the J Term educational opportunity that can be read about in many scholarly articles, the benefits are similar in terms of the following:  new subjects, student exploration of passion areas, hands on higher level learning, opportunity for teachers to share a passion area, and climate and culture building. It is also our hope that May term gives an opportunity for our students to both give back, and become engaged within the community they live.  The high school staff recognizes there will be “bumps in the road” as we offer this opportunity for the first time, but believes it is something we can build on in the future to provide a more well-rounded education that teaches to the whole child.

As a staff, we welcome your questions regarding the May Term activity.  Please communicate with building administration through email, and they will get the answers to your questions from the May Term staff committee.  Again, we are excited to be able to add this opportunity to our educational menu, and feel it will be a great experience for those students involved in the process.  Our goal is to make ELC HS a place of unlimited opportunity for our students to reach their goals, and become prepared for the “real world”.

-Brad Leonard

High School Principal

College Fair and Career Panel - Juniors

On Thursday, March 7th all juniors will attend the College Fair hosted at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville.  This gives students an opportunity to meet with and talk to many colleges in one location.  Students should pre-register using the link below.  Parents are welcome to stop out as well.  ELC students will load the buses around 8:15.  There will be a career panel for ELC students from 8:45-9:30 and students will attend the fair from 9:30-10:30.

https://register.gotocollegefairs.com/Registration/EventSelectForState?StateName=Iowa

ICAN Live Stream events!

ICAN is offering its planning programs online. You can stream these events LIVE from any device and ask questions of ICAN student success advisors during the presentations. It’s the same information given in a traditional school-based evening presentation but offers the flexibility to access the information from anywhere. Register and you will receive a link to join these free events. The Scholarship Process: A Guide for Seniors Perfect for seniors and parents Wednesday, February 20 at 5:30 pm Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7605688463252694539 How to Pay for College: Understanding the Financial Aid ProcessPerfect for seniors and parents Wednesday, March 13 at Noon Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8733662049097308173 Monday, April 8 at 5 pm Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7975022115676078861 Covering College Costs: Understanding & Comparing College Award LettersPerfect for seniors and parents Thursday, March 14 at Noon Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4777714869798787595 Life After High School: A Guide to Career and College Planning Perfect for sophomores, juniors, and parents Monday, February 25 at 5:30 pm Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3932035397032466955 Wednesday, April 24 at 6 pm Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/377360483860218381 Freshman Transitions: Prepare for High School Perfect for current 8th grade students and parents Wednesday, May 8 at 6 pm Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1143676107883183115 Wednesday, May 8 at 7 pm in Spanish Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7846579366270971147 Make the Most of Summer Break Perfect for 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students and parents Tuesday, May 21 at 5:30 pm Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8397466577623674123 The ICAN Team

Senior Guide

Senior Checklist - General Guide

(approximate - some schools require earlier deadlines)

**when colleges you are considering or plan to attend are here plan to see them to be sure you are all set

January

• Complete any unfinished college application materials
• Order any required first semester transcripts from Marlis to send to colleges
• Be sure FAFSA is completed and submitted (if not done yet - FAFSA help available with Mrs. Bonner by appt.)
• Work on scholarship applications (check with colleges as well as local)
• Send in housing applications (if applicable)
• Watch mail for letters of acceptance and award letters from colleges.

February

• Continue to work on scholarships and be watching deadlines.
• If selected for verification on FAFSA, be surse to submit necessary documentation (verification does not mean you did anything wrong!)
• Review your budget and financial plan for college with your parents
• KEEP YOUR GRADES UP - they can affect scholarships and admissions
• ASVAB - (For anyone going Military or wanting career matching) Feb. 13th at 8:30 am.  Military College Program info HERE

March

• Review and compare financial aid packages from colleges. INFO HERE (If you need help understanding your financial aid package, see Mrs. Bonner)
• Continue working on scholarships to include local scholarships:  
• Send final high school transcripts to your college
• Send an Iowa Lakes transcript if you took any college courses creditmrsbrechwald.blogspot.com

April

• Most local scholarships are due April 15th - not a day late.  Be sure to check all deadlines and locations to where scholarship apps should be returned to.

May

• Decision Day is May 1. Decide which college you’ll attend. Send the required deposit, and sign and return the financial aid award letter, if required. Note other important deadlines.  classes in high school. This request must be done on ILCC’s website HERE.  Send these AFTER all grades are posted.  (this is a change from the past)

SUMMER

• Watch for information from your college on registration, orientation, etc.

Check out this guide for What to Pack for College

Check out this guide for How to Succeed in College

Tips/Tricks for your Freshman year of college:

• 7 Tips for Surviving Your Freshman Year
• 21 Tips to Surviving Your First Year of College
• 10 College Survival Tips

Playing Athletics in College?  

NAIA

NCAA

ILCC online scholarship application

Local Scholarships:  mrsbrechwald.blogspot.com

Elevate Iowa Scholarships

Elevate is giving away 15 $500 scholarships to high school seniors who are attending an Iowa Community College in the fall for a career in advanced manufacturing. Examples of eligible training programs include welding, computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining, industrial automation, industrial maintenance, robotics, tool and die, and transportation and logistics. Each community college will be recognized. Click hereto apply! Please send your application to Alex Monaghan at amonaghan@measuredintentions.com. 

ILCC's Online Scholarship Application - Different from our local offerings!!!

Reminder to be working on the ILCC online scholarship if you are considering ILCC.  Here is an explanation of the deadlines - a few of you have asked about the differing dates.   ILCC has their own application that ALL students considering ILCC should do!!!!  It is at the link below.  

We will have a help session this Wed. at 1:00 in the C wing computer Lab for anyone who wants assistance getting started on this!!!  They award alot of money - this is the money they give out at awards day -----

https://www.iowalakes.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

From ILCC:

February 1 is the priority deadline, we will review applications and award some scholarships including Presidential, High School Dual Credit and Alumni Dependent.

We will repeat this process at the March 1 deadline.

At the April 1 deadline we will repeat that process again.  In addition to that we will match all scholarships and instruct our selection committees to make their recommendations.

Students can submit applications up to the April 1 deadline.  At this point we don’t have any private donors that are awarding early.  However, we may have donors as time goes on that prefer to award at the priority deadline, so we encourage all students to submit as early as possible.

Laker Visit Day!