Counseling Center at Rensselaer High School

School Guidance Counselors

Rensselaer High School
25 Van Rensselaer Drive
Rensselaer, NY 12144
(518) 465-6440 ( Cenci ext. 6312) (Rees ext. 6313)
FAX (518) 433-1598

School CEEB Code: 334705

To reach a Counselor, please call 465-6440. A student may also schedule appointments with his or her school counselor during the school day.

Email addresses:
Brandy Cenci : bcenci@rcsd.k12.ny.us

Stephen Rees: srees@rcsd.k12.ny.us

Who are we?

The guidance staff are trained professionals who work with students, teachers, the school principals and parents to help the children at Rensselaer Jr-Sr High School have a positive and successful school experience. Our school counselors are available to assist students who are having difficulty at school or home.

What services do we provide?

The school guidance counselors assist with course selection, computer-assisted career and college counseling, college admissions & post-high school planning, advisement, job search information, financial aid and scholarship information.

Counseling services include the following: personal counseling for a wide range of issues facing children and teens, vocational counseling, group counseling, career counseling, college counseling, and academic counseling.

What is needed to register a student for school?

Students must be registered by a parent or guardian. Parents/Guardians will need to provide residency documentation, birth certificate, social security card and record of immunizations to register their child. Questions can be addressed to Tracy Foust, registrar at (518) 465-6440.

Up to date Guidance News....

PSAT results are in! We will be reviewing results with students. Please click on the video below so you can assist your child in helping them to better their score.

PSAT Tutorial

FINANCIAL AID NIGHT

There will be a financial aid night held on Thursday, February 9th 2012 from 6:00-7:30pm in the Large Instruction Room (LGI). Steven Dwire the assistant vice president of financial aid from the college of St. Rose will be here to discuss the process of applying for financial aid. All are welcome!

FINANCIAL AID JUMP START NIGHT

Attention Parents of Seniors: Receive assistance completing the Financial Aid Forms for College online (FAFSA/TAP).

                                     When: Thursday, February 16th, 2012

                                     Where:  High School Computer Lab         

How do I register:

• Call the Rensselaer High School Pupil Personnel Department
• Ask for Financial Aid Jump Start Night.
• Time slots available for 6:00, 6:45, there will be financial aid experts circulating around the rooms to assist each family.

Remember, if these forms are not filled out in a timely fashion your child’s maximum financial aid for college could be jeopardized!

 Please note that it is very important to have your taxes completed in order to use your 2011 Federal and State tax return.

• If this is not possible then use your 2011 Federal & State tax return.
• Bring W-2 and 1099 statements.
• Bring bank account and checking account balances.
• Bring Social Security Numbers for Parents & Student.

 This program will service those that are pre-registered. PLEASE call as soon as possible to reserve your seat. All information is confidential. Should you have any further questions please speak with Mrs. Cenci or Mr. Rees in the Guidance Department.

You must call the Pupil Personnel Department and schedule an appointment in one of the available time slots! This program is for Rensselaer High School students and their families.

College Representative Visits:

 The following colleges have set up visits to Rensselaer High School. To meet with a college, please sign up with Mrs.Cenci or Mr.Rees

Hudson Valley Instant Admit Day will be Tuesday, December 13th 2012. It will be held in the Pupil Personnel Department. See your school counselor for an application.

Check back frequently for updates. New colleges will be added!

College Guide: Click on the link below for information on the college application process.

College guide

January Regents Exam Schedule: Click on the link below for the exam schedule.

January 2012 exam schedule

Standardized Testing Information:

PSAT Information

The PSAT will be offered to students each fall in the middle of October. Students who are interested in taking the PSAT must register in the Guidance Office and pay a $13 test fee. Fee waivers are available to students who receive free or reduced lunch. Follow the link below for additional PSAT information.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

College Testing Information

Students applying to college should take the SAT or the ACT no later than December of their senior year. In addition, competitive colleges may require SAT Subject Exams. Students should refer to the admissions policy at their college of interest to determine admission requirements. Students may apply for either exam online. Paper applications are available in the Guidance Office. Fee waivers for students who receive free or reduced lunch are available from the student's counselor.

ACT Test information and registration

http://www.actstudent.org/

Article: Growing Better Test Takers

http://www.makingitcount.com/educators/tools/hs_growing-better-test-takers.asp

College Search Information

Finding the right college can be a challenging (but rewarding!) experience. Students may use one of the on-line college searches to help narrow their choice of school. Please see either counselor with questions about the college search and application process.

College MatchMaker (College Board.com)

http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/adv_typeofschool.jsp

Peterson's College Planner

http://petersons.com/college_home.asp?path=ug.home

My College Guide

http://mycollegeguide.org/

http://www.admissions.com

Military Information

Military ROTC programs

http://www.military.com/Education/Content?ESRC=ggl_rotc.kw&file=ROTC.htm

Today's Military - enlistment information

http://www.todaysmilitary.com/app/tm/

Paying for College

There are many options available to students to help fund post secondary education including financial aid, scholarships and loans. The links below will provide additional information. Students should also check the scholarship listing frequently to watch for scholarship deadlines.

FinAid.org - Info on Student Aid, Scholarships and Loans

http://www.finaid.org/

FastWeb.com - the most complete source for scholarships

http://fastweb.com/

FAFSA.org - Financial Aid Application

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Career Resources

Career Zone - Dream Big, Plan Now, Move Forward
Career Zone has two sections - one that allows the user to explore careers and another that lists jobs for the job seeker.
http://www.nycareerzone.org

America's Career Info Net
The information on this site contains all one need to know to begin a career from resume writing tips to career information to military options to how to apply for financial aid.
http://www.acinet.org/acinet/

PSAT Administered at RHS

This practice SAT exam is recommended to all 11th grade students planning on college following high school graduation. Students should listen to the announcements. Students who are interested in taking the PSAT must register in the Guidance Office and pay a $13 test fee. Fee waivers are available to students who receive free or reduced lunch. Additional information about the PSAT exam can be found online at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

ASVAB Career Exploration Aptitude Test

The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is intended for use with students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, as well as students in post-secondary schools. The Program provides tools, including the test battery and interest inventory, developed by the Department of Defense to help high school and post-secondary students across the nation learn more about career exploration and planning. Scores from the ASVAB test will NOT be released to recruiters unless a signed letter of consent is received from a parent/guardian. Test results will be released only to the student and his/her counselor. Sign up for the exam in the Guidance Office.

SAT Dates

SAT registration is now open for the 2011-2012 school year. Students can register online at www.collegeboard.com .

Test dates and deadline are listed below:

Test Date                                      Register by Date            

January 28, 2012                           December 30, 2012

March 10, 2012                             February 10, 2012                                   

May 5, 2012                                  April 6, 2012

Fees (subject to change):

SAT: $45 for regular registration, $68 for late registration

SAT Subject Exams: $20 (per test date) + $9 (per test except for Language with Listening tests which are $20 per test)

Fee waivers will be available to students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

Rensselaer High School Scholarships 2011-2012

Please click on the link below to view scholarships available for the 2011-2012 school year. Please contact Ms. Cenci or Mr. Rees for scholarship applications.

Scholarships 2012