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FAQ

1. How can I check my student's grades?
2. How many days is my student allowed to take for a college visit?
3. How many days is my student allowed to take for a military visit?
4. When should my son/daughter begin applying for college?
5. Does my son/daughter take the ACT or the SAT test?
6. What is the writing portion of the ACT test?
7. When is the next ACT test?
8. What scholarships are available for my son/daughter?
9. What other financial help is available for college?
10. What is the FAFSA that I hear about?
11. Who is my son/daughters school counselor?
12. What are the actual duties of the school counselors?
13. Does my son/daughter need an appointment to see the counselor?
14. Why am I not getting any mailings from Vantage?
15. Are the grade cards mailed home?
16. What time does school end everyday?
17. What is the last day of school?
18. When are the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT's)?
19. Is there help available to study for the OGT's?
20. Does my son/daughter have to pass the OGT's?

1) How can I check my student's grades?
Vantage Career Center uses a system called "progress book". A letter was recently sent out explaining the process of checking your student's grades using the progress book system. The letter included the web site, a student ID, and a password. If you did not receive that letter, please contact the school at 419-238-5411 ext 2140 or 2203.

2) How many days is my student allowed to take for a college visit?
Senior students are allowed two (2) visit days for college visits, military visits, or job shadowing. Junior students are allowed one (1) visit for college, military or job shadowing.

3) How many days is my student allowed to take for a military visit?
Senior students are allowed two (2) visit days for college visits, military visits, or job shadowing. Junior students are allowed one (1) visit for college, military or job shadowing.

4) When should my son/daughter begin applying for college?
All senior students should begin applying for college in the fall. The regular process should be to take the ACT's end of junior year or beginning of the senior year. Visit the colleges you are interested in. Narrow your choices down to one or two, and then begin applying to your favorites. Pay close attention to the application deadlines. All schools have different deadlines.

5) Does my son/daughter take the ACT or the SAT test?
Students in this area generally take the ACT test. Almost every college in the mid-west will accept results from the ACT test. It is always good to check with the colleges you are interested in to see what tests they require.

6) What is the writing portion of the test?
It is an optional 30-minute essay test that measures writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry level college composition courses. Taking the writing test does not affect students' scores on the multiple-choice tests or their Composite score. The student will receive two additional scores: a Combined English/Writing score on a scale of 1 -36 and a Writing subscore on a scale of 2 -12.

7) When is the next ACT test?
These are the following test dates for the ACT for 2012-2013: September 8, October 27, December 8, 2012, February 9,2013, April 13 and June 8, 2013.

8) What scholarships are available for my son/daughter?
There are many scholarships available nationwide through sources like FastWeb.com and others. However, the competition for those scholarships is very competitive and also involves students throughout the entire United States. I have broken down many local scholarships that are available to students only in our area. They are all listed under the "Student Services" header on our webpage and then look under "Scholarships". Please be aware of the scholarship deadlines that I have listed for each individual scholarship.

9) What other financial aid help is available for college?
All college bound students must fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This application can not be filled out until after January 1st because it involves questions regarding tax information from the previous year. After filling out the FAFSA, you will be notified of your expected family contribution (EFC). The EFC is a measure of your family's financial strength and indicates how much of your family's financial resources should be available to help pay for your education. The EFC is calculated from the information you report on the FAFSA. There are three categories of federal student aid: grants, workstudy and loans. Grants = financial aid that doesn't have to be repaid. Work-study = allows you to earn money for your education. Loans = allow you to borrow money for your education. You must repay your loans, with interest. There is a book available in student services that is titled "Funding Education Beyond High School" that explains financial aid and paying for college. This book is free to all students.

10) What is the FAFSA that I hear about?
This is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is the application that you fill out to apply for financial aid from the government. Applying for federal student aid is FREE; There are a lot of scams out there that are asking you to pay. NEVER pay when you fill out the FAFSA. If you need help filling out the FAFSA, that help is free too. Please avoid all scams by never giving out credit card information, never paying a fee or giving out bank information.

11) Who is my child's school counselor?
The school counselor for Vantage Career Center is Mr. Jim Fisher. Mr. Ben Winans is the supervisor for student services and is also available to talk with your student about any questions they may have.

12) What are the actual duties of the school counselor?
The more important question is "How are the students different because of what our school counselors do?" Our mission is to facilitate each student's personal/social, academic and career development through the counselors' delivery of guidance and counseling activities as well as through a collaborative effort between the home, school and community. The ultimate objective is to help students identify their interests and abilities, promote dependability, self-expression and control, accurate decision making and conflict resolution skills. We are trying to make the students more productive citizens and able to participate in a global society as responsible citizens.

13) Does my son/daughter need an appointment to see the counselor?
No, however the counselor is quite busy and may be out of the office at any time. He is visiting the labs so he can interact with your sons and daughters and build relationships with them. If the counselor is not in his office when your child stops by, the student services secretary will leave a note for the counselor to see that student ASAP. As soon as the counselor returns to his office, he will call your son or daughter down. If the school counselor is in the office, he will stop whatever he is doing to make time for your child.

14) Why am I not getting any mailings from Vantage?
There are a couple reasons that this could be happening. When your student started here at Vantage, they filled out a form with their mailing address. If this address has changed, and we were not informed, this could be one of the reasons. If your student did not give a second address (in the case of a divorced parent) then that is another reason why you may not be getting any mailings. We could have the wrong address in our database. These are just a few of the reasons, however, if you are not receiving any mailings, please contact student services and we will fix the problem.

15) Are the grade cards mailed home?
The grades at in-term are mailed home if the student is failing any course or receiving a "D" in any course. The grades for each quarter are mailed out for every student here at school. The final grade cards at the end of the year are also mailed home.

16) What time does school end everyday?
The bus students are dismissed at 2:34pm and the remaining students are dismissed at 2:40pm.

17) What is the last day of school?
The last scheduled day of school for the Seniors is May 29th. The last scheduled day of school for the Juniors is May 31st. These dates can change if we go over on our school cancellations because of weather.

18) When are the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT's)?
The make-up test for juniors and seniors is given October 22nd thru October 26th, 2011. In the spring, the test will be given to all sophomores and any junior or senior that still has to pass any or all sections. The date for the spring testing is March 11th thru 15th.

19) Is there help available to study for the OGT's?
YES!!! Vantage Career Center provides every opportunity available for our students to pass the OGT's. We have purchased "Study Island" which is an excellent software program to help prepare the students for the OGT's. Each student has been given a password and directions for logging into study island. They can work on this at home or on their own time. Our website also has the official site for the OGT tests and on the site your student can find all previous tests for the last few years. The answer sheets are also included on the site. The student can also come to the counselor and we can print off old test to study from. We provide extra help throughout the year on Wednesdays. During this time, the student can go to his/her teacher and work on OGT material. Finally, if your son or daughter has a certain section to pass, then we have that student scheduled in a class of that subject. For example: If your son/daughter has to pass science, we have them scheduled in a science class all year.

20) Does my son/daughter have to pass the OGT's?
According to the Ohio Department of Education, all students must pass the Ohio Graduation Test to receive their diploma. However, there are exceptions to this rule but they are very restrictive and limited. If you have questions, please contact the school counselor.