WINTER NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013 Central College Upward Bound Winter Newsletter UB LEADERS IN ACTION: REGGIE’S SLEEPOUT & FUNDRAISER! On November 16, the tradition of our Student Advisory Board participating in Reggie’s Sleepout continued, in which the following SAB members spent “sleeping under the stars so kids can reach for them”: Htoo Say, Marilyn Lo, Juan Pina, Izak Yaw, Reannan Barlow, Jesse McGregor, Mikolina Lowe, “The best and most and Scottie Yang. TC, Miranda Wehde & UB beautiful things in Coordinator, Tiffany Berkenes, also joined the group, braving the cold temperatures by the world cannot be sleeping in cardboard boxes overnight. It is the 8th year for the event, which is hosted by seen or even Iowa Homeless Youth Centers in Des Moines, and held at the Drake University football stadium. 2013 marked UB’s 3rd year participating. Reggie’s Sleepout raises awareness and touched. They must donations for Central Iowa youth homelessness. Our students are always surprised to hear be felt with the that approximately 10,000 youth are homeless in Polk County, and some TRIO students heart. Wishing you throughout the state are impacted by homelessness. These SAB members did a great happiness. ” job working together as a team to create a shelter ~ Helen Keller made from boxes and a tarp, learned more about the issue, and did some dancing with the provided INSIDE THIS ISSUE: entertainment. We are proud of these student leaders for spending their Saturday night getting DEC/JAN TIPS FOR 2 involved in Upward Bound and our community! SUCCESS Learn more at www.reggiessleepout.org. IOWA COLLEGE GOAL 3 Student Advisory Board members and 2013 SUNDAY LOCATIONS Emerging Leaders, Scottie Yang, Cheyenna Fisher, Erin Shannon, Juan Pina, Marilyn SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS 3 Low, Alexa Phisith, Izak Yaw, Jeilah Seely, Reannan Barlow, Jesse McGregor, and Mikolina Lowe spent their Friday the 13th of UPCOMING EVENTS IN 4 December raising money for our UB Bridge 2014 Scholarship Fund among the excitement of the DECEMBER 4 Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa WORKSHOP REVIEW Hawkeyes basketball game, serving in CONTACT INFO 4 the walking taco and “Clone Cone” ice cream concession stands. We appreciate their hard work and look forward to hearing the final amount raised! CENTRAL COLLEGE UPWARD BOUND WINTER NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 SENIORS: COLLEGE IS COMING— December Tips Did you attend the Financial Aid Night at your high school? Remaining evenings are: 1/6/14 @ Oskaloosa HS and 1/23/14 @ North HS. Finish ANY college admission applications you haven't already completed! Save your year-end payroll stubs. (This goes for your parents, too.) You may need them for estimating information on the FAFSA. Also, schedule an appointment to have your taxes prepared early. To file the FAFSA online, you will need to request a PIN # at www.pin.ed.gov. The student and one parent will each need a PIN. January Tips ● File the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as soon after Jan. 1 as possible. Watch the FAFSA priority filing deadlines at the colleges of your choice. The deadline is the date the FAFSA needs to be received at the processing center, not the postmark date. ● Complete your tax returns as soon as possible. If you have to for college deadlines, you may use estimated tax information on the FAFSA. Remember to make copies of your completed FAFSA and tax returns. ● Have your high school send your first semester transcripts to the colleges where you've applied. JUNIORS: PREPARE FOR THE ACT— The time to begin preparing for the infamous ACT is vastly approaching. Any non-DMPS 11th grade students should plan to take the ACT on April 12, 2014. Des Moines Public Schools will be administering this exam to all juniors on April 22 during the morning. Since your scores on this test are part of your college application process, you will want to put forth your best effort! Currently UB has been doing it’s part to introduce you to the ACT—and there is certainly more help to come. But you can also advocate for yourself and start working individually on different test preparation material. One of the best online resources is ACT.org. This website allows you to take sample tests and to receive immediate feedback concerning your answers. The best part about this site is most of the materials are completely FREE! Log on during the holiday break and exercise your brain! SOPHOMORES: STAY ON TRACK AT SCHOOL— December Tips ● Talk to your UB Coordinator and/or school counselor about college admission requirements so that you're staying on the right track with your class schedule when registering for next fall. Stay enrolled in core classes : English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language! ● Think about volunteering during your holiday break. Check out the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service for a list of options at www.volunteeriowa.org January Tips ● Get off to a great start by analyzing your study habits. Make changes, if necessary. Create a study schedule and stick to it! DECEMBER 2013 PAGE 3 ‘TIS THE SEASON—FOR FILING FOR FINANCIAL AID— The Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) can ease your FAFSA anxiety by providing free services to seniors and their parents. During the month of February, Iowa seniors may schedule appointments with ICAN professionals to complete the FAFSA form and/or attend one of the multiple sites for free assistance. Iowa “College Goal Sunday” was created to support parents and students with this sometimes confusing process. The dates and locations of these FREE events are as follows: Host Event Location City Date Start Time End Time AIB College of Business AIB College of Business Des Moines Feb 20, 2014 2:00 PM 6:00 PM Des Moines Area Community DMACC, Urban Campus Des Moines Feb 21, 2014 9:00 AM 5:00 PM College Des Moines Public Library Central Library Des Moines Feb 23, 2014 1:00 PM 4:00 PM Des Moines Public Library Forest Avenue Library Des Moines Feb 22, 2014 2:00 PM 5:00 PM Des Moines Public Library Central Library Des Moines Feb 19, 2014 4:00 PM 7:00 PM East High School East High School Des Moines Feb 12, 2014 3:00 PM 8:00 PM East High School East High School Des Moines Feb 13, 2014 3:00 PM 8:00 PM Grand View University Grand View University Des Moines Feb 22, 2014 10:00 AM 1:00 PM Indian Hills Community College Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa Feb 23, 2014 1:00 PM 4:00 PM Individual appointments may also be scheduled by calling ICAN, 1-877-272-4692 Check out the details for what materials/information you need to bring with you, http://www.iowacgs.org/ This year any student who attends an Iowa CGS event and completes a survey will be entered to win one of four $500 scholarships. Scholarships may be used to any U.S. accredited college or university. A “WICKED” EXPERIENCE IN DES MOINES— Sixty-six (66) Central College Upward Bound (UB) participants, staff and chaperones attended the performance of “Wicked” at the Des Moines Performing Arts Center on Sunday, November 10, 2013. The musical performance was spectacular! Following the cultural event, students enjoyed dinner at Spaghetti Works on Court Ave. We hope you enjoyed this “wicked” experience! Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season!” ~ T.A. Barron SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS OF THE MONTH: IOWA STATE & SIMPSON Do you feel a “Storm” coming or a “Cyclone”? Twenty-three (23) UB junior and/or senior students attended a group visit to Iowa State University and Simpson College on November 20. Here’s some quick information for you about these schools of possible interest: Website: www.iastate.edu Website: www.simpson.edu County: Story County: Warren Setting: Urban, Ames Setting: Small town/Suburban, Indianola Enrollment: 25,553 undergraduate, 4,607 graduate Enrollment: 1,844 undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $7,726 Tuition & Fees: $30,999 On-campus Room & Board: $7,726 On-campus Room & Board: $7,963 Priority Deadline for Aid Filing: March 1 Priority Deadline for Aid Filing: March 1 Types of Programs: Engineering, Ag & Life Sciences, Types of Programs: 80 majors and minors UB 2014 SPRING EVENTS SCHEDULED— School Meetings & December stipend checks distributed: Week of December 16-20th Final Exam Study Sessions for DMPS students at the downtown Public Library: Thursday, January 9 @ 3:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, January 12 @ 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 14 @ 5:30-7:30 p.m. *Math and science instructors will be present for assistance! Kansas City Art Institute campus visit (select students): Sunday, February 16th– Monday, February 17th Academic Workshop Saturday, February 1 @ Central College *Parents of senior students invited for FAFSA assistance Academic Workshop & Senior Recognition: Saturday, March 29 @ Des Moines *location TBD Student Advisory Board Spring Leadership Retreat Saturday, April 12 @ Des Moines *location TBD CHECK OUT THE ** Additional events, such as small and/or large group campus visits, scholarship working sessions, etc. UB WEBSITE! will also be communicated when dates are set. @UBTiffany www.facebook.com http://departments.central.edu/ /ubtiffany upwardbound HOLIDAY FUN AT THE DECEMBER WORKSHOP— Upward Bound held its second formal academic workshop of the 2013-2014 academic year on Saturday, December 7. The workshop was held on the campus of Central College. The thirty-four (34) students in attendance divided into grade-level sessions and learned about the following topics: Grade 12: SSS Programs/Transitioning to College. Matt Diehl, Central College SSS Program Coordinator, shared about the services provided by Student Support Services (SSS) on a college campus and tips on how to have a successful transition from high school to a college campus.