McCoy Stadium College Fair

The College Planning Center of Rhode Island will offer its 3rd Annual College Fair at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket.    It anticipates over 100 colleges and universities attending.   This fair is a good chance for you to gather information about your options for post-secondary education.   The fair will be held on Wednesday, September 19th from 6-8.   Free parking will be available.   If you would like to pre-register, visit the website at www.cpcri.org

Information from the IRS about applying for Financial Aid

I have embedded the text of an email that was sent to school officials by the IRS.   In the email, it explains how the IRS provides tools to streamline the application process for Federal financial aid.   I hope that you find this information useful.

Hello Everyone,

 I have enclosed some information you should share with your staff and students.

 College-bound students and their parents sometimes face last minute requests to complete or provide additional information for financial aid applications. 

The Internal Revenue wants to help by minimizing time spent on the completion of the Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, applicants can automatically transfer required tax data from their federal tax returns directly to their FAFSA form.

This IRS tool is a free, easy and secure way to access and transfer tax return information onto the FAFSA form. Using the tool saves time, improves accuracy and may reduce the likelihood of the school’s financial aid office requesting that you verify the information.

Here are some tips on using the IRS DRT:

• Eligibility Criteria  To use the IRS DRT  to complete their  2012 -2013 FAFSA form, taxpayers must:  

• have filed a federal 2011 tax return,
• possess a valid Social Security Number,
• have a Federal Student Aid PIN (individuals who don’t have a PIN will be given the option to apply for one through the FAFSA application process), and   
• have not changed marital status since Dec. 31, 2011.

• Exceptions  If any of the following conditions apply to the student or parents, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool cannot be used for the 2012 FAFSA application:

• an amended tax return was filed for 2011,
• no federal tax return was filed for 2011,   
• the federal tax filing status on the 2011 return is married filing separately or
• a Puerto Rican or other foreign tax return has been filed.

.

Applicants who cannot use the IRS DRT to meet college requests for verification, may need to obtain an official transcript from the IRS. Transcripts are not available until the IRS has processed the related tax return. To order tax return or tax account transcripts, visit IRS.gov and select "Order a Transcript" or call the toll-free Transcript line at 1-800-908-9946.

In addition, the IRS offers money-saving information for college students and their parents about tax credits and deductions for qualifying tuition, materials and fees.  If you could please include the information on your website. Thank you for your assistance in helping us help our students! Thank you!

Find more information at the IRS Website: www.irs.gov 

• Student's Page - College Bound  
•  Order a Transcript
• IRS Tax Benefits for Education: Information Center 
• IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education  

Sincerely,

Holly Longley

Sr. Stakeholder Relationship Tax Consultant 

IRS:CARE:SPEC

380 Westminster Street

Providence, RI, 02903

401-528-1881 (phone)

401-528-1870 (fax)

http://www.irs.gov/

Mt. Hope School Improvement Team

The MHHS School Improvement Team will resume its meeting schedule on Tuesday, September 25th.   Meetings will be held on the last Tuesday of each month in the Mt. Hope High School Library.   Meetings begin at 2:35 and end at 3:30.    Parents and community members are invited to join this team.   If you require further information, please contact Jennifer Copeland at copelandj@bw.k12.ri.us.

Important Clarification--Teacher Professional Development Day--September 11th

Teachers will have a professional development day on Tuesday, September 11th.   Students do not attend school on the 11th.    Please note that Thursday, September 6th is a regular day for students and teachers.