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Sunland
13216 Leach St., Sylmar, CA 91342 818-523-6791 off / 818-362-1489 fax
www.home-schooling.org / SCSandCHE@aol.com
Preparing Seniors for Graduation
We desire for homeschooled seniors and their families to be as prepared as possible for graduation and for life after high school. Many things need to be thought through and discussed. Please read through the following information and contact the office with any questions or additional areas of concern not listed below. You may set up an appointment, call, or email (SCSandCHE@aol.com) to cover any of these areas and ask your questions. Click on picture to watch video “Preparing Seniors...”
High School Work sheet - Each senior should have a SCS high school worksheet to verify the courses completed and which courses they need to complete for graduation. The SCS Course Description is then used to confirm which courses they are taking during their senior year to be on track for graduation. Communication between each family and the school needs to be open in making sure students remain on track!
Course Description – Each student should have a course description, describing the title of the course, method of learning (informal, college course, online, textbooks, etc), course content, publisher and length of each course (1 semester or a full year). At the end of each quarter a copy of the course description must be sent to the office, confirming the grades earned for each topic.
Transcripts – Each student’s transcript is maintained by the office. Each family’s responsibility to keep the office current is imperative in order to accomplish this. Transcripts will be up to date, reflecting the courses completed during previous years, and grades earned, and the titles of the courses being taken for the current school year.
Exit Exam – each senior must pass an exit exam to earn a diploma (students transferring from a public school should have a record of whether or not they have passed this on the transcript from their previous school). Otherwise, students must schedule to take SCS’s Exit Exam in English and Math. SCS uses the Stanford Achievement Test and students must score at or above 10th grade level (Most public school exit exams require only 8th-9th grade level). If your student needs to be tested, we will contact you during the senior year. Seniors completing their course of study who do not pass the exit exam will receive a Certificate of Completion for high school.
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students planning to attend college or university in the fall (or summer) after graduation should apply for the FAFSA. It is easiest to apply on line (application can be found at many libraries, college campuses or high school offices.) One must apply between January 1st and March 1st in order to obtain the largest amounts of aid available to you. Application can be submitted after March 1st with no guarantee of awarded amounts. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Scholarships – Students can begin to apply for scholarships as early as 8th grade. Some are opportunities to earn $50 - $1000. One can find scholarships through local community groups (churches, women’s clubs, grocery stories, etc.) and on the web. They can be valuable sources of funds for college and university expenses. Not all organizations who charge a fee for helping you find scholarships are worth their fee. On SCS’ web site (www.home-schooling.org) is a link to “FastWeb” to look for scholarships.
Colleges and Universities – Every graduate can attend a college immediately following their graduation. Some of SCS’s high school students have been taking college courses during their high school years. Check with our office for more information. To attend a university by the fall, one must be applying NOW. Sunland Christian will assist by filling out Secondary School Reports and Letters of Recommendation. However, colleges will take applications just prior to the beginning of each session. Taking college classes during your senior year allows you first choices at fall classes by becoming a returning student. First time students do not get first pick of classes.
SAT – students planning to attend university from high school need to take the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test). To learn more about, take sample tests, and/or sign-up for testing, go to www.collegeboard.com. You can take the SAT as many times as you want. Only the high score will be used. The PSAT, usually taken in 8th-10th grade, places students with strong scores on a national list which colleges and universities look at in finding new students for their organization.
Grad Night – SCS seniors can enjoy Grad Nite at Disneyland (usually scheduled for late May through early June) In order for Sunland Christian to host a Grad Nite at Disneyland, we must have a minimum of 10 persons going with 4 parent chaperones. Grad Nite is held from 11:30pm until 6:00am. (No one can leave the park earlier than 6am). Cost is around $60 per person (chaperones might receive a discount).
Senior Dinner – SCS’s Senior Dinner is held at an upscale restaurant (Odyssey or Castaways) on the Thursday night before Graduation. This program is to honor seniors with an elegant dinner, music and words of encouragement. Cost is around $40 per person. Church attire or better is required.
Graduation Night – SCS confers diplomas during a graduation ceremony (usually scheduled for the third Saturday in June at 3pm). Seniors are required to be at the facility an hour and a half before the program. This allows us to distribute the caps and gowns and practice for the ceremony. Cap, gown and diploma cover costs around $45 (students keep items).
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