*Harmony Guidance Web Page*

Guidance Counselor: Mr. Matt Bonanno

Role and philosophy of the school counselor:  Guidance services and school counseling is concerned with the educational, emotional, and social development of all students in relation to their total school experience. Guidance services and school counseling is an integral part of of the school program, consisting of a coordinated plan involving pupils, parents, and all members of the professional staff, as well as numerous specialists. The center of the school counseling program is the individual student for whom the counselor hopes to provide a meaningful educational experience.

Guidance News & Notes

PSSA Reading and Math Testing for Grades 3,4,5,6,7,8, & 11 will be March 31 - April 11.

PSSA Science Testing for Grades 4,8, & 11 will be April 28 - May 9. 

Be sure to check out a great new tool sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. It is called the "fafsa4caster". This tool will now allow you to get an idea of what types of financial aid are available and how much you may be eligible to get. Check out www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov    for more information.

If you do not want your name and address released to the military or institutions of higher education, please sign the form and return it to the guidance office. The form can be printed from the website at www.harmonyowls.com/miltsignoff.htm    

Attention seniors going on to postsecondary education: The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) may be filed on-line or by paper anytime after January 1, 2008. Please stop in the guidance office if you have any questions about this process. For more information about financial aid check out www.harmonyowls.com/financialaid.htm    

Seniors check out the following link to great information on some selected scholarships. Check out www.harmonyowls.com/scholarships.htm    

Seniors: If you are applying to colleges/universities, be sure to get your application fee waiver from Mr. Bonanno. This allows you to apply free of charge.

Anyone 18 years or older interested in apprenticeship opportunities should contact the guidance office.

 

Attention male seniors that are 18 years of age or older: You must register with the Selective Service. Stop in the guidance office for information.

 

Senior Project information can be found by clicking the following link: www.harmonyowls.com/seniorproject.htm    

 

Attention past graduates:  If you need an official transcript, please submit a transcript request form which can be found using the following link.  www.harmonyowls.com/transcript.htm    

 

The Pennsylvania State Police will be holding its annual Camp Cadet at Clarion University for all interested boys and girls ages 12-14. Please see the guidance office for more information.

 

Seniors- Colleges, universities, technical schools, and business schools all have deadlines for applications.  Find out what your schools deadlines are. (Some schools hand out financial AID early. If you are enrolled early, there may be more money available to you.)

Here are some Websites to help YOU!

 Scholarships and Grants  Web Page For Parents and Students of All Grade Levels K-12

 

 Welcome to CareerOneStop Logothe nation's publicly-funded resource for jobseekers and businesses
Find jobs--from entry level to technical to professional to CEO. Identify job-ready workers with the right skills. Locate public workforce services in your area. Explore alternative career paths, compare salary data for different occupations, learn which careers are hot, get resume writing tips and job
interview strategies, and much more!

 

Career OneStop www.careeronestop.org Career OneStop was designed to meet the special employment needs of job seekers and employers.  Information and services are offered without charge through these Web Sites and Toll-Free Help Line.  The Career OneStop portal page allows you to view the list of services offered through the component Web Sites and to quickly access these services.
Americas Service Locator www.servicelocator.org ASL and Toll-Free Help Line will connect you with offices in your area that provide unemployment compensation benefits, adult, dislocated worker, and youth employment and training opportunities, Job Corps training, apprenticeships, welfare to work services, vocational rehabilitation, and older worker programs.  You can also find the location of the nearest public library throuh ASL.
Americas Career InfoNet www.acinet.org ACINet will assist you in making informed career decisions.  You can use ACINet to:
  • Find Typical wages and employment trends across occupations and industries.
  • Check the education, knowledge, skills, and ability levels that are required for specific occupations.
  • Write job descriptions.
  • Find employer contact information, get relocation and cost of living data, and access local labor market information for any area in the United States.
  • Search a database containing information on over 4,000 scholarships, fellowships, loans, and other financial assistance opportunities.
  • Access a career resource library consisting of over 5,000 external career resource links available on the internet.
Americas Job Bank www.ajb.org AJB is one of the largest and busiest job markets in cyberspace.  Employers use AJB to post job listings, create customized job orders, and search resumes to quickly find the most qualified job applicants.  As a job seeker you can use AJB to:
  • Post your resume where thousands of employers search every day.
  • Automatically search for job openings located anywhere in the United States by job title, keyword, and military occupation codes.

National Toll-Free Help Line 1-877-US-2JOBS

You can use the Training and Education Center of the Career InfoNet to:
  • Search for individual courses, seminars, workshops, and degree/certificate granting programs by subject, state, and zip code.
  • Search for education and training providers located anywhere in the United States by keyword, state, and zip code.
  • Access information about special training and education programs that are unique to a particular industry or profession.
  • Learn about organizations that certify or accredit training providers and training programs.
  • Check on the certification, accreditation, and licensing and credentials of training providers and training programs.
  • Search for information on occupational testing and assessment instruments that can help you make informed career documents.

   Click here to check out the careers at the Clearfield Career and Technology Center

OR try the military!

Active Duty Service Reserve Duty
(800) USA-ARMY U.S. Army (800) USA-ARMY
(800) USA-NAVY U.S. Navy (800) USA-USNR
(800) 423-USAF U.S. Air Force (800) 257-1212
(800) MARINES U.S. Marine Corps (800) MARINES
(800) 424-8883 U.S. Coast Guard (800) 424-8883
  Air National Guard (800) TO GO ANG
  Army National Guard (800) GO GUARD

In addition, check out the military careers website at www.militarycareers.com.  It is an excellent career information resource for the military world of work.  It gives you details on enlisted and officer occupations as well as their civilian counterparts.  This site also describes training, advancement, and educational opportunities within each of the major Services - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.  You can search the site to get a list of military occupations that match your interests, or you may browse occupations by category.

Financial Aid

Websites

www.braintrack.com Braintrack University Index lists over 6,600 links to higher education institutions in 170 countries
www.justcolleges.com An interactive guide listing over 5,000 colleges and universities around the world
www.universities.com A listing of post-secondary schools including business, trade and technical schools, colleges, and universities
www.petersons.com Provides facts and figures on schools in addition to web links for American schools
www.educationplanner.org Comprehensive website for Pennsylvania students planning to attend college; covers financial aid, career center, school selection

 

 

Online Financial Resources:  www.Educationplanner.org

 

Education Planner provides students with an online resource for planning for higher education and simplifying the application process for post-secondary schools in the Commonwealth.  This website is sponsored by PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency). This free interactive Website is user-friendly, accessible 24/7.
    The innovative features on the site allow students to search for the postsecondary schools that meet their interests, take virtual campus tours, communicate with schools via a free email account, and submit admissions and financial aid applications online.  The Career Center assists students in selecting possible career choices through identified interests and abilities.  A financial aid estimator helps students and their families estimate the amount of aid they can expect to receive.  The site is also home to the world's largest scholarship database.  This free scholarship search allows students to enter qualifying information and presents scholarships for which they may be eligible.

Attention:  Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and now Freshman set up a time with Mr. Bonanno to schedule a job shadow opportunity. If you don't know where you want to do one, ask Mr. Bonanno.

 

* If anyone needs anything from the Guidance Office, stop in and tell us.  If we are not in the office, leave a note with your name and what you need on it.  * If you can't get out of the class to come to the Guidance Office, see Mr. Bonanno or Mrs. Weaver for a pass.         

                                      

  SAT's ACT's America's Job Bank
College View   CEEB School Code:

395210

American Association of State Colleges and Universities

SAT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines for 2007-2008

Saturday , October 6               Deadline:  Monday, September 10

Saturday, November 3             Deadline:  Tuesday, October 2

Saturday, December 1             Deadline:  Tuesday, October 30

Saturday, January 26                Deadline:  Wednesday December 26

Saturday, March 1                   Deadline:  Tuesday, January 29

Saturday, May 3                       Deadline:  Tuesday, April 1

Saturday, June 7                       Deadline:  Tuesday, April 27

Be sure to check out  the Collegeboard website for practice tests and additional information.

CEEB Harmony School Code:395210

 

Application for Admission; College Search

Mapping Your Future Planning for College College Search College Search; Scholarships

College Recruiters visiting Harmony for 2007-2008

Friday, September 14 - Juniata College

Wednesday, September 19 -  Clarion University

Tuesday, September 25 - Penn State

Wednesday, October 3 - St. Francis

Thursday, October 11 - Westminster College

Tuesday, October 23 - Mt. Aloysius & Lock Haven University

Wednesday, October 31 - Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Monday, November 12 - Cambria Rowe Business College

Thursday, November 29 - Seton Hill University

Resources for Financing Your Education; Calculating such as EFC Calculators

Help in Completing the FAFSA FAFSA on the Web Various Calculators Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
About Financial Aid Paying for College Funding Your Education Department of Education; Student Financial Assistance
Fastweb.com  McKelvey Foundation Scholaraid.com Scholarships

Planning for Saving; Dept Management; Credit; Repayment

Tools for making Financial Aid Saving Calculator Personal Budgeting Budgets and Credit Cards Dept, Credit, and Saving
Debt Reduction Planner Loan Repayment and Consolidation

UPromise

Loan Repayment  National Student Loan Clearinghouse

Check out these sites:

Financial Aid

Scholarship Search http://www.fastweb.com
Department of Ed http://www.ed.gov
American Education Services http://www.aessuccess.org
Student Aid Home Page http://www.ed.gov/studentaid
U.S. Direct Loans http://www.ed.gov/offices/ope
Funding Your Education http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FYE

Admissions

FastWeb http://www.fastweb.com
CollegeGate http://www.collegegate.com
NACAC http://www.nacac.com

College

College Cost Calculator http://www.fastweb.com
College Directory http://www.fastweb.com
College is Possible http://www.collegeispossible.org
College Search Based on Various Criteria http://www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool

Financial Aid Calculators

College Cost Calculator http://www.fastweb.com
Loan Caculators http://www.fastweb.com
EFC Calculators http://www.finaid.org/calculators
Savings Plan Designer http://www.finaid.org/calculators
Savings Plan Interest Rate http://www.finaid.org/calculators
Compound Interest http://www.finaid.org/calculators
Needed Annual Yield http://www.finaid.org/calculators

Career & Job

Career Planning http://www..fastweb.com
America's Career Infonet http://www.acinet.org
Bureau of Labor Statistics http://stats.bls.gov
Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/ocohome.htm
Open the Door to Job Corps http://jobcorps.doleta.gov

Miscellaneous Websites of Interest

Fastweb http://www.fastweb.com
McKelvey Foundation http://www.mckelveyfoundation.org
PA Governor's School http://www.pgse.org
The College Board http://www.collegeboard.com
GED Information http://www.gedtest.org
PA Department of Education http://www.pde.state.pa.us
Pennsylvania School Counselor's Association http://www.psca-web.org

 

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up.  Figure out how to climb it, go though it, or work around it.  - Michael Jordan

 

Harmony Assistance Program

In Pennsylvania, every middle and high school has a Student Assistance Program (SAP). A SAP team, made up of school and agency staff, is here to help you access school and community services. The Harmony Assistance Program will help you and your children find services and assistance within the school and, if needed, in the community. We do not diagnose, treat, or refer your child for treatment. Rather, we will provide you with the information; you make the choices. Our goal is to help your child succeed in school. For more information on the Harmony Assistance Program, please contact one of the following team members listed below.

Matt Bonanno, Guidance Counselor

Darlene Hoover, Learning Support Teacher

Amy Barrett, School Nurse

Terri McConnell, High School Principal

Kathy Weaver, Attendance Officer

Joe Zbieg, Clearfield-Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission

 

For more information concerning the Student Assistance Program, please follow the link below.        

                          www.sap.state.pa.us/SchoolSites/MyWebSite.aspx?school=1039&SchoolName=Harmony%20Area%20HS