*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 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
Penn State Dubois will be offering an SAT Prep course starting January 30th. Cost is $105. Please see me if you want more information.
PHEAA and the Harmony Guidance Office will be holding a “Complete the FAFSA Night” here at the high school on Tuesday, February 23 at 4-6 p.m. Please contact the guidance office for more information.
Any junior interested in the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence should stop in the guidance office for information or visit www.pgse.org .
Check out a new website at www.admissions.com to help answer any questions that you may have about the college admissions process.
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.
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, 2010. 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.
Check out the following website if you are interested in a possible carpenter
apprenticeship or contact the guidance office for more information. www.greaterpacarpenters.org
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
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!
Welcome to the 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!
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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. |
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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. |
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Americas
Career InfoNet
www.acinet.org |
ACINet will assist you in making informed career
decisions. You can use ACINet to:
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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:
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National Toll-Free Help Line 1-877-US-2JOBS |
You can use the Training and Education Center of the Career
InfoNet to:
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To check out the different shops and possible careers at the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center click here www.ccctc.org
OR
try the military!
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Active
Duty |
Service |
Reserve
Duty |
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(800) USA-ARMY |
U.S. Army |
(800) USA-ARMY |
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(800) USA-NAVY |
U.S. Navy |
(800) USA-USNR |
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(800) 423-USAF |
U.S. Air Force |
(800) 257-1212 |
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(800) MARINES |
U.S. Marine
Corps |
(800) MARINES |
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(800) 424-8883 |
U.S. Coast
Guard |
(800) 424-8883 |
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Air National
Guard |
(800) TO GO ANG |
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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
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Websites |
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Braintrack University Index lists over 6,600 links to higher education
institutions in 170 countries |
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An interactive guide listing over 5,000 colleges and
universities around the world |
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A listing of post-secondary schools including business, trade
and technical schools, colleges, and universities |
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Provides facts and figures on schools in addition to web links
for American schools |
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Comprehensive website for Pennsylvania students planning to
attend college; covers financial aid, career center, school selection |
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Online Financial Resources: www.Educationplanner.org
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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. |
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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.
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CEEB School Code: 395210 |
SAT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines for 2009-2010
Saturday , October 10 Deadline: Deadline has already passed
Saturday, November 7 Deadline: Thursday, October 1 (This test date is available at Northern Cambria)
Saturday, December 5 Deadline: Friday, October 30
Saturday, January 23 Deadline: Tuesday, December 15
Saturday, March 13 Deadline: Thursday, February 4
Saturday, May 1 Deadline: Thursday, March 25
Saturday, June 5 Deadline: Thursday, April 29
Be sure to check out the Collegeboard website for practice tests and additional information.
CEEB Harmony School Code:395210
Application for Admission; College Search
College Recruiters visiting Harmony for 2009-2010
Thursday, September 24 - Lock Haven University
Wednesday, October 7 - Mt. Aloysius
Friday, October 16 –
Juniata College
Wednesday, October 21-Penn State University
Wednesday, October 28 – Clarion University
Friday, November 6 - IUP
Resources for Financing Your Education; Calculating such as EFC Calculators
Check
out these sites:
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Financial Aid |
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Scholarship Search |
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Department of Ed |
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American Education
Services |
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Student Aid Home Page |
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Admissions |
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FastWeb |
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Admissions.com |
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NACAC |
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College |
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College Cost Calculator |
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College Directory |
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College is Possible |
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College Search Based on
Various Criteria |
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Financial Aid Calculators |
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College Cost Calculator |
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Loan Caculators |
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EFC Calculators |
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Savings Plan Designer |
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Savings Plan Interest
Rate |
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Compound Interest |
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Needed Annual Yield |
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Career & Job |
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Career Planning |
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America's Career
Infonet |
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Bureau of Labor
Statistics |
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Occupational Outlook
Handbook |
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Open the Door to Job
Corps |
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Miscellaneous Websites of Interest |
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Fastweb |
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McKelvey Foundation |
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PA Governor's School |
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The College Board |
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GED Information |
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PA Department of
Education |
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Pennsylvania School
Counselor's Association |
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
School
Nurse
Terry
McConnell, High School Principal
Kathy
Weaver, Attendance Officer
Lisa
Kitko, Phys. Ed. Teacher
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
Are you having problems or situations that you need to talk about? Think no one cares? Think again. Check out teencentral.net. It's a safe place for teens to tell their stories and hear from peers who respond with encouragement and support. This is a completely anonymous and safe internet resource dedicated to giving hope, help and healing to children facing crisis. Go to www.teencentral.net for more information.
PA's Homeless Children's Initiative
The Pennsylvania Homeless Children's Initiative is the Pennsylvania Department of Education's response to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001. The key mandate of the law is to ensure that homeless children and youth have access to free, appropriate education on an equal basis with other children.
By definition of this act, homeless children are found in the following places or situations:
- Public or private shelters
- Public or private places not designated for or ordinarily use as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings such as vehicles, parks, motels, campgrounds, etc.
- Living with a parent in a domestic shelter, individuals, and/or friends due to a lack of housing
- Runaway children (under18 years of age) and children and youth who have been abandoned or forced out of their home by parents or other caretakers
- Children of migrant families who lack adequate housing
- School-age, unwed mothers or expectant mothers living in houses for unwed mothers when they have no other available living accommodations
If you are aware of any children in the district who possibly fit the above criteria, please contact the Harmony Area School District's homeless liaison, Matt Bonanno at 845-7655, ext. 105 or mbonanno@harmonyowls.com. Services are available for these students.
More information on Pennsylvania's Homeless Initiative and services available can be located on the following web sites:
The Pennsylvania Department of Education web site: www.pde.state.pa.us/homeless
The National Center for Homeless Education web site: www.serve.org/nche/index.php