Dear Atom Nation,

We have had a number of successful visits from college admissions representatives over the last several weeks. In fact, we’ve had so much success that we have to change our process for registering for college visits. Juniors and Seniors make sure to check out the College & Career section of the newsletter this week for updates on how to register for our visits. 

We also hope we will see our families at Back to School Night this Thursday, September 29 at 6PM!

Erik Healey

Director of Student Services

Important Dates

• September 29 - College Application Workshop: Transcript Requests
• October 7 & 8 - HBCU Festival
• October 12 - SAT School Day Exam
• October 12 - PSAT/NMSQT Exam
• October 16 - FCPS College Fair
• October 17 - 20 - FCPS Virtual Post-Secondary Week
• October 19 - Alcanza! College Fair

September 29 - College Application Workshop: On Thursdays after school, our Student Services team, in partnership with our AVID program, will review essential topics related to preparing for college. This week’s topic will be about submitting Transcript Requests for applications and scholarships.

October 7 & 8 - HBCU Festival: Alfred Street Baptist Church presents its 20th Annual Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Festival, a hybrid event being held October 7-8, 2022. The festival is dedicated to connecting high school students and their families to HBCUs, and scholarship opportunities. Approximately 70 colleges and universities will be represented. Many will provide onsite admission decisions, conduct music auditions, and waive application fees. Additionally, seminars and exhibitor presentations will be held to help students navigate the college application process, seek financial aid opportunities and acclimate them to campus life. https://www.alfredstreet.org/hbcu-fest/

October 12 - SAT School Day (Grade 12): FCPS high schools are administering the SAT School Day on October 12, 2022. If you are a senior and did not register for the SAT School Day by the September 7, 2022 deadline, you will not be eligible to take the SAT that day. FCPS only ordered enough testing materials for those students who registered.

If you are a senior who registered please expect an email in the coming weeks with further details about the SAT administration.

Most twelfth grade students who are not participating in SAT testing will not attend school on Wednesday, October 12. All Academy courses and shuttles are canceled. Note that twelfth grade students with disabilities taught on an adapted curriculum (Category B services) will continue to receive in-person instruction with a 2-hour early release.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Brian Yeagley, College and Career Specialist at Byeagley@fcps.edu. 

October 12 - PSAT/NMSQT (Grades 10 and 11): On Wednesday, October 12, Annandale High School will host the PSAT/NMSQT for all students in grades 10 & 11. Students are automatically registered and no further action by families is needed. IMPORTANT: Calculators will not be provided. Students should plan to bring their own calculators. For guidance on calculator policies, please refer to: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/taking-the-test/what-to-bring-leave/calculator-policy

 October 16 - 2022 FCPS College Fair: FCPS along with the Office of Admissions at George Mason University presents the 47th Annual College Fair at Eagle Bank Arena. For more details and registration information, visit https://www.fcps.edu/resources/college-and-career-planning/college-fair-and-college-night

October 17 to 20 - FCPS Virtual Postsecondary Week: Join synchronous sessions from 5:00-8:00pm. Learn how to better be prepared for the next chapter of your educational journey. 

October 19 - ¡ALCANZA! College Fair - George Mason University: George Mason University will be hosting the Annual ALCANZA College Fair! Over 150 colleges from all over the nation attend ALCANZA as part of an effort to inform the Latinx high school population in the Washington, DC metropolitan area about their higher educational opportunities, and to encourage and motivate them to pursue their education beyond high school. The students in attendance hear from a keynote speaker and college student panel, before having the opportunity to participate in the college fair. If you have questions about ALCANZA please contact Jessica Benitez. More information to come. 

Important Information

Emergency Care & Health Information Forms: Annandale High School has mailed home to all students a pre-printed Emergency Care Information form and a Health Information Form. Please review the Emergency Care form and make any updates if necessary. Also, please complete the Health Information Form. Both forms need to be returned to Elizabeth Soteriou in the Student Services Office.

College & Career Corner

Transcript Requests for College Applications & Scholarships: Seniors need to request official high school transcripts ONE MONTH prior to application deadlines. For example, if a college application is due on November 1, the Transcript Request Form is due on October 1. We will be receiving a very high volume of requests in the coming months, and our Student Services staff needs adequate time to process them. Early Action and Early Decision application deadlines are quickly approaching. For step-by-step instructions and forms for submitting Transcript Requests, go to the AHS College & Career Google site. 

College & Career Planning Google Site: We are pleased to announce the new and improved AHS College & Career Planning Google site! The website provides up-to-date information on the college application process; college representative visits; financial aid and FAFSA/VASA workshops; military options; information on apprenticeships; as well as resources for finding a job. The website also provides contact information for our School Counselors, as well as our College and Career Specialist. https://tinyurl.com/AHS-CollegeCareer

College Rep Visits (NEW*): Admission representatives will be visiting AHS from September to November. Effective Thursday, September 29, students will now need to register for ALL college rep visits through Naviance:

• Log into Naviance
• Click on Colleges
• Click on College Visits
• Click on “Register Now” on the visit(s) you would like to attend. You will be limited to attending a total of 5 visits, so please only register for the colleges you are highly interested in learning about.

*Please note that space is limited for some of these college visits and you must register at least 24 hours in advance.

Students must get a pass from Mr. Yeagley in the College & Career Center (Room 103) after school the day before the visit or before school the morning of the visit and show it to their teacher. Students who do not register through Naviance, get a pass, and get permission from their teacher will not be admitted to the college visit. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Brian Yeagley.