Guidance Team
Fran Marx Director of Guidance
email:
fran_marx@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Welcome to the SMA guidance department! It has been exciting for me to watch our department grow from one to a team of professionals who are all ready and willing to provide support services to our SMA family. We look forward to working with you during the coming year. Watch our website for upcoming services, dates, and meetings.
Captain Maria Clapp Guidance Counselor
email:
maria_clapp@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Hi cadets and parents!
I am looking forward this third year at SMA. Feel free to stop by and say hello if you are coming back this year or to introduce yourself if you are new to our school. My primary focus will be on educational and preventive services to maximize our students' academic, social, and emotional potential. I am available to assist in student-parent-teacher consultations and short-term counseling to students as needed.
Major Raymond Thacker Guidance Counselor
email:
ray_thacker@sarasota.k12.fl.us
THIS IS MY SIXTH YEAR AT THE ACADEMY. FORMALLY, I SERVED AS A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR PART TIME. NOW, I FUNCTION AS A CERTIFIED GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, FULL TIME. MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN ITHE GUIDANCE FIELD INCLUDES A YEAR AT MATHEW C. PERRY HIGH SCHOOL IN IWAKUNI, JAPAN AND EIGHT YEARS AS A DROPOUT PREVENTION COUNSELOR AT MANATEE HIGH SCHOOL IN BRADENTON. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS COLLEGES, VOCATION FIELDS OR SCHOLARSHIPS,
PLEASE SEE ME.
Sergeant First Class Gale Downs
Administrative
assistant
email:
gale_downs@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Hi! I’m Gale Downs. I will be the first person you meet when you enter the guidance office. By phone, or in person, I will be happy to answer general information questions, and direct you to the guidance counselor who can best serve you.
Captain Trina Waldham
Counselor
email:
trina_waldhalm@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Hello SMA families! I am looking forward to an exciting year of teaching and counseling at SMA. This year, I will be teaching mathematics 3rd and 4th periods and working with the counseling department the remainder of the day. I will be your resource person for State College of Florida (formerly MCC) dual enrollment/ early admission, Florida Virtual School, and SCTI programs. Please stop by to see me if you are interested in exploring these opportunities.
All students planning to participate in Dual Enrollment through State College of Florida in the fall need to see Mrs. Downs in the guidance office to schedule a registration meeting. Deadlines are approaching!
How Can I Graduate Sarasota Military Academy with an
Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree from State College of Florida?
click here for more information
SCTI Deadline Approaching!
The enrollment deadline for 2010/2011 SCTI half-day programs is March 15. Please visit www.scti.edu for more information about SCTI programs, and visit Capt. Waldhalm in the guidance office to obtain enrollment paperwork.
FREE Dual Enrollment Summer Courses at SCF
Students may enroll in 1 or 2 Dual Enrollment courses during the summer at SCF. Courses must be taken between Sophomore and Junior year or Junior and Senior year. GPA and testing requirements apply. Please visit Capt. Waldhalm in the guidance office for more information. Enrollment begins March 29 and ends April 19.
FREE TUITION TO HARVARD
Not sure which college major is best for you?
Stop by the guidance office and look through the "2009 Guide to College Majors". You'll find:
- Descriptions of over 750 college majors
- Starting salary ranges
- Sample college curriculums
- Suggested high school courses for preparation
Students interested in SCTI evening courses for grade forgiveness, please see Capt. Waldhalm in the guidance office. Schedules and sign-up forms are now available.
College scholarships are now available through National Commission for Cooperative Education. Please click on “Co-op Education” on the side bar to find more information about co-op programs and scholarships.
“Seven Habits of Highly Responsible Students”
From The Parent Institute
1.
“They set goals2.
They plan their time3.
They study every day4.
They take notes in class5.
They have the tools they need6.
They keep their commitments7.
They get ready ahead of time”One of our goals in the guidance department is to make available to you as many resources as possible to make your time at SMA an enriching one. We can provide the resources, but it is ultimately up to you to use them to your advantage. Be proactive in your life and in your educational pursuits. Please stop by our office in room 45 and/or check on our section of the SMA website often for the latest news.
New resources that are available in the guidance office are these:
Mrs. Downs has put together our notebooks of scholarships. One is for grades 9-11 and one is for seniors. These books are updated as soon as we receive information concerning scholarships. The applications for them are in the book. A student need only to come in, look through the book for appropriate scholarships, take the application and follow the directions.
2009-10 Occupational Outlook Handbook - this is an excellent overview of most of the jobs available in the United States. In it one can find job descriptions, job outlooks, salary range, description of duties, and characteristics of those who work at those jobs. It affords a person the opportunity to review many jobs with which he/she is unfamiliar. It could spark a career search.
Great Careers in 2 years - this book lists many careers which can be started after only 2 years of post graduation education.
What Color is Your Parachute - 2010 version - This is an excellent resource to help people find a possible career direction that would coordinate with who they are.
On almost a daily basis, the guidance office receives information concerning online resources that are available to students. These are sites on which someone can research scholarships, colleges, careers, self awareness, financial education, SAT/ACT prep, parenting tips and much more. We will be putting links to these sites on the guidance page under the appropriate heading on the right side of the guidance home page. Please take some time to look over these sites to see which one suits you best. It is never too early for a student to start reviewing these sites and exploring possibilities for his/her future. Some of the website also contain excellent information for parents who are considering a career change.
ATTENTION: ALL STUDENTS INTERESTED IN WINNING SCHOLARSHIP MONEY!
FastWeb, an online scholarship search program, is sponsoring Scholarship Bootcamp. Scholarship Bootcamp is available to all students seeking to improve their scholarship application package.Visit the website each week for a section concerning a different topic, and locate the dog tags.Each time you find a dog tag, email us at scholarshipbootcamp@fastweb.com to be entered into the weekly $1000 drawing.The more tasks you complete, the better your chances of winning.
Go to www.fastweb.com for more information. Good luck!
Your
10th student will be given
the PSAT results in the following days.
For interpretation of results, please
see the attachement :PSAT
Results
Parent Info Series
“Response to Intervention”
SPENDING PLAN SOLUTIONS FOR
PARENTS
(cadet attendance is welcome)
Check out Pathways (High School Guidance Resource Guide) :
504 PLANS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with Disabilities:
PSAT, SAT application process,
please visit the link for information:
for ACT click:
professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd
Parent Re-Schedule Information
2010-2011
Please click on the
Scheduling link above
to access important information
concerning scheduling and course
selections for school year change to 2010-11.
We are in the
process of talking to
small groups of parents and students concerning
the course selections for next year.
It is important that you call
926-1700 ext.259 to set an
appointment through
Mrs. Downs for a meeting
with a guidance counselor.
We will be posting MCC dual
enrollment information soon.
Current Scholarships Available
University Open House Dates
and Contact Information
Informative
Websites
www.rememberthemilk.com
(organization applications for
iphone, blackberry, gmail, etc.)
www.makinghomeaffordable.gov
Provides basic information for
troubled homeowners about
the Obama
administration's
"Making Home Affordable" program.
www.s alliemae.com/plan
www.mystudentedge.com
prudential.com
benefits.gov
www.commonapp.org
March2Success
CampusTours.com
FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org
fafsa.ed.gov
CareersAndColleges.com
careervoyages.gov
Wiredscholar.com
artandwriting.org
FACTS.org
jobshadow.org
act.org
www.mccfl.edu/practicetest
www.anycollege.com
www.cappex.com
www.entrepreneurU.org
This is an excellent website
for students who want to be
entrepreneurs
and teachers who
want to teach a course in this subject.
The website
features teacher
resources, student resources,
and scholarship
opportunities.
Learn
how to handle
and keep more
of your money!
www.NTRBonline.org
Your source for free
information from the U.S. Department
of Education on preparing for
and funding education beyond high school.
click on students and
parents
for information concerning
college planning, money management,
financial aid planning and career exploration.
a wealth of
information from the
state – your future after high school in Florida
Click on Parent
Resource Center
to get information about how to talk
to you child about smoking. It also
has information about how
to stop smoking.