Guidance

Elementary Counseling Program

K-6^th graders have been reviewing test taking strategies for ITBS during classroom guidance lessons.

Testing will begin the week of March 22^nd.

Parent To-Do List:

The Night Before The Test

Make Sure your child doesn’t go to bed angry.
Try to arrange about 10 hours of sleep for your child so they come to school rested and alert.
Be encouraging.
Consider talking about the test to reassure your child. At the same time, don’t dwell on the subject, as you may cause your child to worry unnecessarily.

The Morning of the Test

Have your child get up early enough to avoid hurrying. Being on time for school is important.
Have your child eat a good breakfast – but not a heavy one. Don’t force a child to eat, though. If he or she is nervous, too much food could cause illness.
Have your child dress in something he or she likes, that others like, and that is familiar. Being comfortable is important.
Don’t appear unconcerned about the testing. While your child needs not be afraid of tests, he or she needs to understand the importance of testing.
Be positive when you send your child to school.

After the Test

Reward your child for trying hard on the test. You might allow him or her to a special dinner, or a special game time.
Talk with your child about what was learned from the test.
Talk with your child about what can be done between now and the time a test is given, such as trying harder with homework or listening more closely in class.
When you get the test results for your child, don’t compare his or her performance with that of your friend’s or neighbor’s children.
Please don’t hesitate to discuss with the teacher, counselor, or principal any questions that you or your child have about testing.
Think about how you can help your child do better next time! Keep these “tips” handy for future use!

Feel free to call the elementary school counselor if you would like more suggestions on these topics.

Data from 2009-10 School Year

How did Treynor students do in the 2009-10 school year in their academic testing? Please take some time to view the outstanding performance of your students and especially look at how the class of 2010 performed in relation to other high schools in the western Iowa/metro area on the ACT.

To view testing data (ITBS/ITED; ACT; Senior Competency Testing, 2010 Needs Survey) Click Here (must have Adobe Acrobat Reader)

2011-12 ACT Test Dates

Test Date	Registration Deadlinee	Late Fee Required
September 10, 2011	August 12, 2011	August 13 – 26, 2011
October 22, 2011	September 16, 2011	September 17 – 30, 2011
December 10, 2011	November 4, 2011	November 5 – 18, 2011
February 11, 2012*	January 13, 2012	January 14 – 20, 2012
April 14, 2012	March 9, 2012	March 10 – 23, 2012
June 9, 2012	May 4, 2012	May 5 – 18, 2012

Treynor ACT School Code: 164-320

To register online for the ACT go to: www.actstudent.org

Links

ACT (Information on ACT Testing)

ACT - What colleges have decided about the ACT Writing Exam

ACT Online Practice Test (Free online test. Must register for free with the Princeton Review)

ACT Student (Student oriented ACT web site)

Assistance League of Omaha (ACT and PSAT prep classes)

Building Your Future (Iowa Regents University Admission Requirements) (pdf. file)

College Atlas (Information and location of various types of colleges and post-secondary education)

College.gov (Why go, what to do, how to pay. Sponsored by the US Dept. of Education)

College Savings Iowa (Information on starting an Iowa college savings account or 529 plan)

FAFSA on the Web

Federal Student Aid PIN Site

FAFSA4caster (To receive an early estimate of eligibility for federal student aid)

Federal Student Aid (Federal Financial Student Aid web site)

Free Tests On-Line (Practice ACT, SAT, AP and other tests)

Gov Benefits (Official benefits website of the US Government - Ed. Programs - Loans - Job Training - Disaster Assistance)

Health Career Center - information on health careers.

Health Management Careers - find out more information about a career in healthcare management

Iowa College Access Network (Formerly known as the College Planning Center. Website has a wealth of college planning information for students and parents.)

Iowa College Student Aid Commission

Iowa Department of Education

I Have a Plan Iowa (Career and college software that has an immense amount of information on careers, college programs, and colleges. Website has various assessments for interests, skills, values in regard to career choices. It is the official career information software endorsed by the State of Iowa. Users need to initiate an account to login and use. Access is through the Iowa College Student Aid Commission.)

Iowa School Counselor Association

Iowa Association of College Admission Counseling

IWCC Transcript Request Form (pdf.)

Iowa Workforce Development - Information for Students

JETS.ORG Explore the career field of engineering

Managing College Costs - free website that teaches how to manage and plan for the costs of college. Free video seminars that explain a unique approach for thinking about colleges and the cost of a college education. Good website that deals with this very important issue.

Math Matters @ Iowa (Quizzes, tutorials, and sample UI final exams to help students gauge how close they are to mastering topis in math.)

MeritAid.com (Website that helps students find scholarships based on merit)

NAIA Eligibility Center (Academic eligibility information for NAIA colleges)

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (Info on a major academic and scholarship competition)

NCAA Eligibility Center (Website that has resources for the academic guidelines for participating in NCAA athletics)

NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete

Number 2.com - Free ACT test preparation

Paying for College (Bank of America's Interactive tools on funding a college education)

Regents Admissions Index (For freshmen entering Regents Universities Fall, 2009) (Students applying to UNI, ISU, U. of Iowa)

Senior Year Plus (Dept. of Education program for college credit in high school)

SchoolSoup.com (Scholarship Money Search)

StudyTechniques.org (Help hints on how to be more successful in the classroom)

Transfer in Iowa (To check how college courses will transfer to various colleges in Iowa)

US Community Colleges by States

US Universities and Colleges by States

US News and World Report College Search and Rankings

Wired Kids (Website devoted to Internet Safety for Kids)

Go to: (Click on the link to find information on the counseling page)
Elementary Counseling
Jr./Sr. High School Counseling
Course Descriptions	Important Dates	Cardinal Counseling Connections
ACT Information	College Rep. Visits	College Fair Information
Scholarship Central	High School Course Plans by Career Field	Links

Course Descriptions
Business	English	Family Consumer Science
Fine Arts	Industrial Technology	Math
PE/Health	Science	Social Science
Foreign Language (Spanish)

Cardinal Counseling Connections (pdf. Files)
August/September, 2010	October, 2010	November, 2010
December/January, 2010-11	February, 2011	March, 2011
April, 2011	May, 2011

College Rep. Visits Meet in the Counseling Center unless otherwise noted in the announcements
College/University	Date	Time
University of Nebraska at Omaha	September 7, 2011	2:00 pm
Upper Iowa University	September 12, 2011	2:30 pm
Iowa State University	September 19, 2011	1:00 pm
Iowa Western Comm. College	September 28, 2011	1:30 pm
Indian Hills Comm. College (Ottumwa)	September 29, 2011	9:00 am
Northwest Missouri State University	September 29, 2011	2:00 pm
American Institute of Business	October 7, 2011	11:00 am
Buena Vista University	October 19, 2011	11:15 am
Central College	October 27, 2011	11:00 am

High School Course Plans by Career Cluster
Students can plan their high school courses in accordance to their career interests. Below are suggested high school course plans by career cluster. All course plans are pdf. files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Agriculture Food and Natural Resources	Architecture Construction
Arts, Audio-Video Technology and Communications	Business Management and Administration
Education and Training	Finance
Government and Public Administration	Health Science
Hospitality and Tourism	Human Services
Information Technology	Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security
Manufacturing	Marketing and Sales
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics	Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
4 Year College Core and Other Information
Graduation Requirements Class of 2011 and After
Treynor 4 year High School Planner (Excel File)