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Jacksonvi l le High School
Welcome Back Students!
Hello, and Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a relaxing summer vacation. My name is Saumil Thakkar, and I am thrilled to be the
new school counselor at Jacksonville High school. This is going to be a fun year filled with learning, growing, and lots of new adventures. I am excited to meet all of my students and begin planning their academic future.
First, I want to take a moment to tell you a few things about me. I am originally from the city of Chicago where I have lived my entire life, until recently. I attended University of Illinois at Chicago where I obtained my bachelors in Psychology. Recently, I graduated from Lewis University to obtain my Masters in school counseling.
This will be my first year as a school counselor, and I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to purse my passion of school counseling at Jacksonville High school where I will work with juniors and freshman (A-G). My hope is that this school year will be full of fun and successful experiences for all students. Please feel free to contact me any time about questions you may regarding your son or daughter. It will be a
great year!
September 2017
Events
• Labor Day No School September 4
• Picture Day September 7
• Homecoming Dance September 16
• Financial Aid Night September 20
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Jacksonville Promise Winners
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Wrestler Down Under
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JHS Peer Tutoring 4
Nurse Notes 4
Suicide Prevention 5
Financial Aid Night 5
NCAA Division 1 Requirements
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Class of 2018 7
College Campus Visits
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Test Schedules 9
Happening Soon 10
Student Services Newsletter
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Student Services Newslet ter
Jacksonville Promise Honors Scholarship Winners
Local students will be honored with Jacksonville Promise Scholarships on Au-gust 29, at 5 p.m., in Kirby Hall’s rotunda on the campus of Illinois College. Members of the media and community are invited to attend as 2017 award re-cipients are presented with scholarships of up to $2,000 to cover tuition and fees for the upcoming academic year. This year’s winners are: Ethan Beck, Teri Black, Henry Dahman, Sarah Daw-dy, Margaret Doss, Ethan Flinn, John Gibbons, Jordan Hale, Brady Hays, Maggee Howell, Cassie Huey, Kiley Hutton, Ryan Kaufman, Savanna Long, Emily Maul, Mackenzie Prewitt, Mary Rose Prewitt, Kenady Richardson, Evan Shade, and Katelyn Tabit. The Jacksonville Promise is a locally established scholar-ship meant to promote the rich and varied educational op-portunities available in Jacksonville and make them more accessible for students with roots in the community. The anticipated impact of the organization on the local commu-nity includes “increased academic performance in primary grades, college enrollment and college retention as well as decreased truancy and juvenile crime.” The scholarship is available to public or private school graduates who attend K-12 at a school located within the geographic boundaries of Jacksonville, Ill. School District 117, who choose to also pursue their higher education in Jack-sonville. Jacksonville Promise Scholarships are funded with donations from community members, a matching grant from the Tracy Family Foundation and proceeds from local events like Ken Bradbury's "Shelebrate", A Night of Promise auc-tion, and A Conversation with C.D. Davidsmeyer. Donations as well as the online scholarship application can be found on the
Jacksonville Promise website. For more information on the scholarship or
the event, please email [email protected]
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Student Services Newslet ter
Gavin Smith was already a state-qualifying high school wrestler. Now the Jacksonville High School senior can rightly claim his wrestling dominance on a worldly level. This summer Gavin spent one week in Australia as part of the Down Under Sports Tournament USA Team. In Australia, Gavin learned to perfect a form of wrestling known as Free Style. Over the course of his days in Australia, Gavin made a number of friends among other wrestlers, from the US, Australia, and New Zealand, and made connections with a number of coaches. Of course the travel itself--from Chicago to LA, from LA to Australia--was notable, as Gavin soared through the friendly skies for 18 hours. An-other unforgettable experience: enjoying a mock boxing round with a friendly kangaroo. Watch out, kanga, this college-bound Crimson has a whole new bag of moves to show you! Congratulations, Gavin. Thanks for representing JHS so proudly around the world and back.
Gavin Smith: Wrestler Down Under
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Student Services Newslet ter
The JHS Peer Tutoring Program will resume in September! You should consider becoming a tutor if you are… ...a student at any grade level who wants to make a difference in your school and help others. ...successful in one or multiple subjects areas and can help others in this subject. ...not already involved in an advisory-period program, such as the REF program or CVE. To sign up to tutor, visit the JHS home page and select For Stu-dents→ Student Services→ General Information. There is a link on this page that will take you to the sign-up form. Interested students can see Mrs. Crivilare (room 209) with questions. Sign up information to RECEIVE tutoring will be coming at a later
Peer Tutoring
Nursing Notes Pencils, paper, backpacks… Do you have everything you need for
school? Don’t forget you may need to turn in health papers to the Nurse’s Office! All 9th graders must have a physical exam com-pleted and an up-to-date vaccine record. Seniors, you need to have
up-to-date vaccine records turned in as well ensuring you have had the correct meningitis immunizations. And lastly, transfer students who are coming to JHS from out-of-state, please see the nurse to get details on which health records you will need to turn in. Bring all
health records to the nurse in the Student Services office as soon as possible. If you have questions, please contact the nurse. Have a great school year! Mrs. Weger RN
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September is Suicide Prevention/Awareness Month
The Morgan Scott Suicide Prevention Coalition will host its third annual “Out of the Darkness Walk” on Thursday, September 7, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. on the square in downtown Jacksonville. Please join us to recognize those who have lost their lives to sui-cide as well as supporting those who are survivors of suicide. In addition, you can attend the event in the efforts of the coalition’s goal to help bring awareness to suicide prevention. If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to about suicide, call the suicide prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 741741. Both of these lifelines are available 24/7.
Financial Aid Information Night at JHS
ISCA (Illinois Student Assistance Commission) and JHS Student Services are team-ing up and hosting a Financial Aid Information Night for all juniors, seniors, and their parents/guardians. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. in the JHS auditorium. In addition, ISCA and JHS Student Services will host a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Completion Night on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. in the JHS Media Center. Seniors can apply for financial aid after October 1, 2017. Parents and students will use their 2016 income tax return information. What you will need to bring in order to complete your FAFSA is as follows:
Social Security Numbers Records of Income (Tax Return information) Information about assets Driver’s license number Dates of birth Month and year of marriage, separation, divorce or other change in marital status Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
Parental information is required unless you are at least 24 years of age or meet the criteria for filing as an independent student as described on the FAFSA. Go to www.fafsa.gov to fill out the FAFSA. Never go to a site that is going to charge you to complete the form. It is a free application. The ISCA representative will be able to help you with complex information such as: business owner, farmland, child support, etc. See you there seniors and parents!
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NCAA Division I and II Academic Requirements
Are you planning to play sports at the college level? If you are interest-ed in Division I and Division II, the following academic 16 core courses must be met in order to be cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center: 4 years English 3 years math (Algebra I and higher) 2 years science (one year of lab) 2 years social science 1 year additional English, math or science 4 years additional courses (any area listed above, and/or foreign lan-guage) Full Qualifiers may practice, compete and receive athletic scholarships. A full qualifier must complete 10 of the 16 core requirements before the 7th semester of high school, earn a 2.30 GPA, earn a SAT/ACT match-ing score on the sliding scale, and graduate from high school. Academic Redshirts may receive athletic scholarships, practice, but may NOT compete. Academic Redshirts must complete the 16 core re-quirements, earn a 2.00 GPA, earn an SAT/ACT score matching on the sliding scale, and graduate from high school. Note: The lower the GPA the higher the SAT/ACT test score needs to be in order to qualify. Non-qualifier cannot practice, receive athletic scholarships or compete during their first year of enrollment. The SAT/ACT sliding scale and other information can be found at the NCAA Eligibility Center website at htpps://web3.ncaa.org. Students need to create an account and have his or her SAT/ACT test scores sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center using the code 9999 when having the scores sent.
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Class of 2018
You are finally seniors. The years have gone fast and the senior year
will fly by even faster. As a junior, you should have already started planning
your college major or making a career decision. Go to mymajors.com to as-
sist with this process. It is okay if you have not settled on an exact major,
but knowing what your career cluster (pathway) is will help to steer you in
the right direction.
You took the SAT and/or ACT. Decide if you need to take it again.
Study guides for the ACT are available in Student Services and test prep for
the SAT can be found at Khan Academy.
If you have not done so already and you plan to go to college, sched-
ule some college visits. Discover whether your chosen college is the right
fit for you. Go to the Attendance Office and get a pre-arranged absence
form. Have all of your teachers, parent (s), and administration sign the
form. Return the pre-arranged absence form to the Attendance Office at
least 24 hours in advance. Bring back a note from the Admissions Office
stating that you attend a college visit with them.
Next, start applying to the colleges of your choice. Remember, you
might need to write a college essay and/or obtain letters of recommenda-
tions. Ask your teachers, counselors, coaches, community members, ad-
ministrators in advance to give them plenty of time to get the task accom-
plished. It is also nice to provide a biography with the request to assist the
letter writer with the recommendation.
Finally, compare colleges and cost efficiency. Don’t forget to apply for
financial aid and look for scholarships. Scholarship information received at
JHS can be found on the Student Services website.
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College Campus Visits
What should I do during a visit? ACT identifies nine activities that will help you get a full sense of the campus you are visiting. First, take a campus tour. Don’t be afraid to ask your tour guide questions that relates to your situation. For example: How do I get around campus? Can I bring a car my first year? What kind of academic support is offered on campus? Do you feel safe on campus? What are my housing options? Where is health services located? Second, spend some time exploring on your own. Listen to your gut. Do you feel like it is a good fit for you? Explore the surrounding area. Do you see yourself living in this community for the next four years? Third, meet with a department advisor who over-sees your chosen major. Ask questions like: Who teaches courses for the first-year students? How large are the classes? What is the faculty to student ratio? Who will be my academic advi-sor? What kind of academic support is offered through this department? Fourth, meet with an enrolled student. This gives you a student perspective. Ask questions like: How easy is it to meet with faculty? Are you able to register for the classes that you want? What activities are available for students? What do students do for fun on campus and in the community? Fifth, sit in on a class. This is the best way to figure out what some of the classes will be like. Sixth, eat in the dining hall. Ask what kinds of meal plans are offered. Seventh, spend the night in the dorm if that is an option. Touring the dorm is one thing, but get-ting a chance to stay overnight is a richer experience. Do you feel welcome? Are there dorm activities? Are you comfortable with the level of privacy? Eighth, take a look at the school newspaper and bulletin boards around campus and/or attend a sporting event. See what activities are available to you. Meet with a coach if you are planning on playing a sport at the college level. Lastly, meet with a financial aid officer. Ask the officer what is the total cost of college? Are you eligible for any scholarships that are available on their campus or scholarships that you might not know about? What is the FAFSA deadline for the school? What kinds of grants or loans can you take out? What is your projected debt upon graduation? Remember to document information on your phone, notebook, or camera. This information will help you later when you are making comparisons. Take a parent, guardian, or friend with you who can help you digest the information. Enjoy the experience!
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Test Schedules
PSAT – For Juniors. October 11 2017 at JHS in Media Center 8:08 a.m. The deadline to register is September 22nd. The cost is $16 per person. Forms are available in Student Services. ACT- SAT-
2017-2018 Test Dates (National) Test Date
Registration Deadline (Late Fee Required)
September 9, 2017 August 4, 2017 August 5-18, 2017
October 28, 2017 September 22, 2017 September 23-October 6, 2017
December 9, 2017 November 3, 2017 November 4-17, 2017
February 10, 2018* January 12, 2018 January 13-19, 2018
April 14, 2018 March 9, 2018 March 10-23, 2018
June 9, 2018 May 4, 2018 May 5-18, 2018
July 14, 2018* June 15, 2018 June 16-22, 2018
2017-2018 Test Dates (National) Test Date
Registration Deadline
August 26, 2017 July 28, 2017
October 7, 2017 September 8, 2017
November 4, 2017 October 5, 2017
December 2, 2017 November 2, 2017
March 10, 2018 February 9, 2018
May 5, 2018 April 6, 2018
June 2, 2018 May 3, 2018
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Student Services Newslet ter
Timothy Chipman
217-243-4384 ext. 2139
Assistant Principal
Sherri McLaughlin
217-243-4384 ext. 2242
Class of 2018
Freshmen H-P
Saumil Thakkar
217-243-4384 ext. 2241
Class of 2019
Freshmen A-G
Megan Waterstraat
217-243-4384 ext. 2240
Class of 2020
Freshmen Q-Z
Cindy Weger, RN
217-243-4384 ext. 2244
School Nurse
Joe O’Neil
217-243-4384 ext. 2239
Special Education Services
Melissa Suttles
217-243-4384 ext. 2243
Student Services Secretary
Morgan Suttles
Student Worker
Class of 2018
Student Services Department Happening Soon
MIT will host an Open House in St. Louis, Missouri on September, 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. Visit mitadmissions.org/visit/travel for more information. Memorial Health System will host a Healthcare Edu-cation Open House on September 11
from 2-6 p.m.
in Springfield at the M.G. Nelson Family Auditorium. Eleven colleges will be in attendance. For more infor-mation visit Memorial Health System Careers Face-book page. Gallaudet University will host an informational meet-ing at Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) on September 21
at 9:06 a.m. – 10:34 a.m.
Check with college admissions offices for college open houses and special events! Any Juniors or Seniors interested in the BSN Pro-gram there will be an upcoming opportunity for your students interested in Nursing. UIS, in partnership with UIC College of Nursing and Memorial Health System, is hosting an Open House on September 21 Learn more at http://www.uis.edu/nursing/.
