Class of 2025 SSA Initial Training

Student-Selected Advisor Initial Training and Conference Note 1 Information

Welcome to Class of 2025 Student-Selected Advisor Initial Training and Conference Note 1 Information!

Thank you for choosing to be here!

We will begin at noon and this session will be recorded.

Training is presented in-person and by Zoom.

If attending by Zoom, please display your full name and plan to stay for the entire session.

If you are having connectivity issues please contact us at (336)825-2411.

Questions or suggestions can be entered into the chat box or asked in-person and will be addressed at the end of the training.

We Are Here to Help!

Cindy Zimmerman Student-Selected Advising Coordinator czimmerman@crosbyscholars.org

Ashly Wilson Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Advising awilson@crosbyscholars.org

Mary Allen Conforti Jr/Sr Program Coordinator maconforti@crosbyscholars.org

Lirisbeth Clemente-Marin Jr/Sr & Advisor Program Associate lmarin@crosbyscholars.org

CROSBY SCHOLARS OFFICE www.crosbyscholars.org (336) 725-5371 (336) 725-1321 (fax) advising@crosbyscholars.org seniorprogram@crosbyscholars.org

Handouts Zoom attendees will find handouts posted in your advisor portal Class of 2025 Student-Selected Advisor Training & CN 1 Information Presentation Conference Note 1 Outline Snapshot Student Portal User Guide

Check your Email & Advisor Portal Information concerning Conference Notes, future trainings, valuable resources Class of 2025 and Smart Money Moves Newsletters beginning in summer

Crosby's Beginnings

Bing Crosby's golf tournament in 1937 is the longest running charity golf tournament in America Kathryn, his wife, moved tournament to NC 1986 The Crosby National Celebrity Golf Tournament held at Bermuda Run with $2 million donations to charity, golf's richest charity event Crosby Scholars Community Partnership established in 1992 and celebrating 31st anniversary 2012 became an affiliate with Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC

Crosby's Beginnings Served over 36,500 scholars Awarded $10 million in Last Dollar Grants and scholarships Offer 35 Crosby Scholar Scholarships Second Year of Advisors for 11th graders in every public high school Senior and junior classes over 1,000 scholars each

Program Information HISTORY Crosby Scholars started in the 1992-93 school year at Carver and Glenn high schools to provide funds to students who pledged to remain drug-free. It is now a comprehensive college access program at 20 high schools and 23 middle schools!

THE PROGRAM Crosby Scholars is free and available to all 6th10th grade students who attend public school in Forsyth County (the exception being HBI program participants). The college access program includes students of all academic ability.

Students must join and complete all program requirements no later than their sophomore year in high school to be eligible for junior and senior year membership.

The 2024-25 application will open in July, and typically closes in early October.

AFFILIATES Goodwill of Northwest North Carolina Crosby Scholars in Iredell + Rowan

PARTNERS Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools The Winston-Salem Foundation

LEADERSHIP Mona W. Lovett - President and CEO Barb Masi - Director of Advising and Strategic Integration Natalie Jensen-Noll - Chairman Board of Directors

Our Mission and Our Vision Our Mission

We will assist public middle and high school students in Forsyth County in preparing themselves for successful college enrollment.

Our Vision

To ensure that every public school student in Forsyth County has the opportunity to attend college.

Advising Program Prepares for Senior Year / So Why Begin in Junior Year?

Class of 2025 are the second Class to receive advisors during their junior year!

Allowing more conversations with trained advisors and direct access for answers to scholar's questions by hosting one-on-one meetings months earlier Greater understanding of and engagement with program services Increasing time to navigate admission process = better decision making Understanding full value of meeting with Crosby Advisor and identifying ways advisor can meet a scholar's individual needs

Advising Program Prepares for Senior Year / So Why Begin in Junior Year?

Understanding how to best utilize the summer to prepare for the college admission process Emphasis on achieving highest grades in junior year Organization and Time Management skills for reducing stress in fall of senior year Increasing knowledge of standardized testing Relationship building In-depth researching of Target List of Colleges Scheduling more college tours/visits

Roles & Responsibilities Role: As a Crosby Scholars Advisor, you are the lead member of a team helping your Scholar to navigate the college admission and financial aid processes.

Major Responsibilities Stay informed of Crosby Scholars programs, deadlines, and requirements so you can keep your Scholar informed.

Monthly Newsletters: Class of 2025 and Smart Money Moves Email: seniorprogram@crosbyscholars.org Read your email and check your Crosby Scholars Advisor Portal frequently for important deadlines displayed on the team calendar and resources posted in the portal.

Help scholar engage with and realize full benefits of being a Crosby Scholar Submit Conference Notes by the published deadlines Use the topics and goals displayed on conference notes outline to guide your conversation and access the resources linked to the outline

Roles & Responsibilities Participate in monthly Student-Selected Advisor Trainings to stay upto-date on college admission trends, financial aid tips and other topics.

Topics Include: Monthly admission and financial aid timelines Certificate program, one-year program, two-year degree, or four-year degree options Assisting your Scholar with confirming a balanced target list of colleges Review Early Action/Early Decision/Regular Decision/Rolling decision plans Discuss standardized test prep and review test scores to determine additional testing needs Helping your Scholar maintain a calendar to track important dates and set a college admission and scholarship timeline Offering advice to help your Scholar make a decision about where to attend college based on fit and affordability

Roles & Responsibilities

Guide your Senior to complete Program requirements and graduate from high school.

This may include assisting your Scholar with identifying a community service opportunity – The Crosby Scholars website has a page to help students identify cs opportunities. Help your scholar submit college fair/college visit and community service forms during your meeting.

Complete Conference Notes Bi-Monthly Zoom meetings will guide you through each Conference Note so you fully understand the goals of discussing each topic Approximately 6 Conference Note forms are submitted online. There are deadlines; however, self-pacing is encouraged.

Questions and outlines that prompt discussion about the college admission and financial aid processes, and program requirements: Junior Year and Senior Year: first semester notes focus on college selection and deadlines, criteria for admissions, essays/personal statements, letters of recommendation, extra-curricular activities, and Crosby requirements.

Senior Year: second semester notes focus on financial aid, scholarships, making final enrollment decision, and graduation *Conference Notes have strict deadlines! If an Advisor misses 2 consecutive deadlines, he/she will become inactive and the Scholar will be reassigned to meet with a new advisor.

Senior Program Requirements Attend 1 TLS - Think Like A Senior session.

This is a Junior Program requirement and dismissal point.

Complete the college fair/visits requirement. Scholars must attend one college fair or visit four college campuses either inperson or virtually. This requirement may be fulfilled beginning in grade 10.

Scholars must complete the starred requirements to graduate high school as a Crosby Scholar.

Attend 1 Crosby Senior Academy by December 1. The academy schedule will be released this spring.

Agree to random drug screening through the It’s My Call/It’s Our Call Program. Scholars selected for drug screening are expected to participate.

Complete 2 hours of community service each year for a total of 4 hours.** May be completed in the Junior and/or Senior years.

The online form is due by January 31, 2025. Instructions on submitting the form are on the Crosby Scholars website.

Attend Crosby Advisor meetings to complete conference notes. Seniors and advisors schedule the meetings together.

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Maintain enrollment in and graduate from a Forsyth County public school.

Fulfill terms of the Partnership Agreement. A copy of the partnership agreement is posted in the student portal. Scholars are expected to adhere to the terms of the partnership agreement. Out-of-schools suspensions are checked quarterly. **This is a recent program change. Class of 2025 will now only need to submit at least 4 hours of combined community service.

Program requirements are displayed on the back cover of the Senior Roadmap.

Senior Program Expectations Discuss having an initial meeting with the Student-Selected Advisor during months of February and March to open up communication that provides the scholar with the opportunity to begin their target list of colleges, selecting an essay prompt, considerations for SAT/ACT, and other admission requirements.

Submit Target List of Colleges Submit at least 1 College Application Complete the Residency Determination Service (RDS).

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

If a scholar's post-secondary pathway is not applying to a 2- or 4-year school, the Advising Team will guide the Advisor in providing alternative ways to fulfill these expectations.

Submit a Last Dollar Grant (LDG) Application or at least 1 scholarship application.

Complete the program with a 2.0 cumulative weighted grade point average to be eligible to apply for a Last Dollar Grant.

Senior Academies Building Your College List

Adulting

Financial Aid Guidance

College Student Panels

Essay Writing

ACT Prep

Your Digital Footprint Matters

Financial Basics For High School Students

Scholarship Labs

Completing Your FAFSA Common Application 101

Senior Academy: Choose Your Topic

Test Prep ACT Score Interpretation Preparing for the ACT: Math and Science Preparing for the ACT: Reading and Writing SAT Prep: Math SAT Prep: Critical Reading and Writing SAT Subject Test Webinar

Financial Aid Completing the FAFSA Scholarships: Seeking Additional Funding for Your Education FAFSA Lab Scholarship Lab

Writing Applications Essay Writing 101 Essay Writing 201 Essay Review Service

Career Development Take the ASVAB (with Crosby Scholars or at school) Financial Basics for High School and Beyond Engaging Your Future Adulting 101

College Admissions Residency Determination Service Completion Lab Creating Your College List Common Application 101 Making the Most Out of Your Campus Visits “Crosby on Campus” student panels

Program Services

Crosby Board: A bulletin board located in or by each school's Student Services office (except UNCSA) to display Program announcements and flyers.

Class of 2025: Monthly newsletter posted in the Senior Portal & emailed to parents + advisors.

Smart Money Moves: Scholarship & financial aid newsletter posted on the website & emailed Scholarship + College Application Support: Assisting seniors in identifying & submitting college admission and/or scholarship applications.

Monthly Timeline for Success: Posted in the Student Portal & linked to monthly newsletter Essay Readers: Volunteers read & critique admission and/or scholarship essays.

Mock Interviews: Volunteers conduct mock admission and/or scholarship interviews.

Senior Program Roadmap: Our vision for the Senior Year journey & the ways in which Crosby Scholars will support the scholars.

Financial Aid Counseling: Assistance with completing & submitting forms, award interpretation & comparison, navigating verification process, smart loan borrowing Senior Honors Celebration: A celebration in late-April which recognizes each Scholar individually.

The Advisor Portal After this training we will activate Advisor Portals - Students will be linked to their Advisor in the Portal.

Advisors must first submit an advisor application to create an advisor portal.

Crosby Scholars staff will activate your portal.

Advisors can view, but not change, the information in his/her Scholar’s Portal.

There is a Senior Advisor Program tab and Senior Advisor Login tab on the Crosby Scholars website.

Advisors will complete online Conference Notes through forms linked to the Conference Notes for the Class of 2025 post in the Advisor Portal.

Advisors who have already established a Crosby Scholars Parent Portal can use the same email address and password to access the Advisor Portal. Please Note: Conference Notes can be accessed through the Advisor Portal, but not the Parent Portal.

Find the dark blue icon to access the Portal!

The Advisor Portal

The Crosby Scholars Student Portal To mirror college databases, Crosby Scholars created a custom software solution - The Crosby Scholars Student Portal.

Access from the blue icon on the Crosby Scholars homepage or at my.crosbyscholars.org Scholars, Parents, and Advisors can view a Scholar’s Portal if they are linked.

Scholars can update their own contact information, register to attend Academies, read the monthly newsletter and timeline, apply for scholarships, and check their status on meeting Crosby Scholars Program requirements.

Scholars should log in to check their Crosby Scholars Student Portal weekly.

Find the dark blue icon to access the Portal!

Getting Started With Conference Notes Purpose of Conference Notes Timing of Meetings with Scholar Entering Conference Notes in your Advisor Portal: Advisor Training Section Conference Notes for the Class of 2025 post Conference Notes 1 meeting outline CN Evaluation and Review

Conference Note 1 Advising Calendar: an interactive tool to help engage advisors and scholars - review it during advisor meetings CN 1 Outline: review the topics and goals, utilize the resources linked to the outline Conference Note 1 form: complete and submit during the advisor meeting, linked to the Advisor Instructions on the CN 1 Meeting Outline Due by March 28, 2024

Student Portal Log in and confirm accuracy of student/parent contact information Parent 1 email address is used for communication Confirm high school enrollment, grade, and graduation date Report any edits to advising@crosbyscholars.org Advisor's name displays after advisor portal is activated Click Here to Access Student/Parent Portal

Senior Course Selections Are classes as challenging or more rigorous than previous years?

Is scholar enrolled in the most challenging courses, in which they can succeed?

Are graduation requirements being met?

Contact school counselor for changes or questions Senior year courses display on transcripts viewed by college admission officers

Communication Methods Email Texts* Student Portal Crosby Scholars website Monthly newsletters *must consent to text message agreement

Campus Visits Spring of Junior year is great time to visit as well as summer months Scholars may visit campuses with the Crosby Scholars Program -- details listed in portal Schedule a visit, register for a spring (or fall) Open House event Virtual tours online + virtual college fairs College fair in October - more information forthcoming 4 college visits are required or attend one college fair

Are SAT and ACT Scores Important?

YES! Certain colleges/universities, scholarship programs, and honors college programs may consider test scores as a part of their decision making criteria for admission.

IF the school is test optional, test scores are not a factor in the college admission process. However, there are exceptions to this policy, and students should be familiar with each college’s requirements: Discuss Test Optional and test flexible options Check college website for requirement and average scores for acceptance Use any scores you have to customize test prep at ACT.org or Collegeboard.org or Khan Academy® Register for free Crosby test prep sessions ACT on February 27 -- all juniors in NC take this standardized test Determine timeline for future ACT and/or SAT tests

Paying for College Discussion Total costs of schools on target list It's not too early to start this conversation Are additional funds needed?

Meet with Crosby Scholars Financial Aid Team assistance Ashly Wilson - finaid@crosbyscholars.org | Click Here to Schedule a Financial Aid Counseling Zoom Appointment | Review the resources linked to CN 1 meeting outline Finish the FAFSA Parent Agreement

Our Next Time Together Zoom meeting for April/May Conference Note 2 Date and Time TBA

Questions or Suggestions Thank you for being here!