Citizens Police Academy Accepting Applications

The Bristol Police Department is currently accepting applications for its Citizens Police Academy.   It will begin on October 2nd.   Classes will meet on Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. for ten weeks.  Topics for the academy will include department structure, patrol procedures, dispatch operations, narcotics, search warrants, CSI, domestic violence.    Students must be in good academic standing.   Any interested students should contact Patrolman Brian Morse, School Resource Officer.   He has applications available.   The deadline is 9/28/2012.

SAVE THE DATE--Tuesday, December 4th

Mt. Hope High School will host its annual Financial Aid Workshop for high school seniors and their families on Tuesday, December 4th from 6:30-7:30 in the Mt. Hope High School Library.  Courtney McEntee, assistant director of the College Planning Center of Rhode Island, will explain how to apply for financial aid, types of financial aid available and the free services the that the College Planning Center offers to you.   

NECAP Testing

As you are aware, per the Rhode Island Department of Education, students in the class of 2014 and beyond, students must earn a score of partially proficient or above to earn a high school diploma.   All eligible members of the class of 2014 will take the NECAP at Mt. Hope High School beginning on October 1st.   The entire NECAP testing schedule was published earlier this week on the blog.

Due to the important nature of this test, we respectfully request that students and families minimize student absences during testing.    If there is a situation that is absolutely unavoidable that necessitates your child being absent during one of the testing days, in addition to calling the attendance office, please contact your child's guidance counselor.

One of the best things that test takers can do for themselves is to get a good night's sleep and eat a comfortably nutritious breakfast.    

If you have any questions, please contact your child's guidance counselor.

Reminder: College Informational Workshop

The College Informational Workshop will be held Thursday, September 20th at 6:30 in the Mt. Hope High School Library.    Senior, juniors and their families are encouraged to attend.

JUNIORS--NECAP Testing

Members of the Class of 2014 will take the required state testing, NECAP, beginning Monday, October 1st.    On October 1st and 2nd, students will take the writing portion.  On October 4th and 5th, students will take the reading portion.   On October 10th and 11th, students will take the math portion of the NECAP.

NECAP October 2012 Testing Schedule

Time	October 1st Day 2 Writing	October 2nd Day 3 Writing	October 4th Day 5 Reading	October 5th Day 6 Reading	October 10th Day 1 Math	October 11th Day 2 Math
8:00-8:05	Homeroom	Homeroom	Homeroom	Homeroom	Homeroom	Homeroom
8:09-8:57	8	7	5	4	2	8
9:01-9:49	2	8	6	5	3	2
9:53-10:41 Extended Time in Library	3	2	7	6	4	3

Please note that on testing days, students will report directly to their homerooms.   

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.   

Mt. Hope to Host Annual College Fair

Mt. Hope High School will host its annual College Fair on Friday, September 28th from 8:00-10:30 a.m. in the high school cafeteria.    As of this post, 18 colleges, university and technical schools have committed to attending our event.    This fair will allow students to gather information about programs, admission criteria and application information.  Students and families will be able to ask knowledgeable representatives questions specific to the school or program.    If you would like to attend, please email Mrs. Patton at pattonl@bw.k12.ri.us or call 4012545980, ext. 3021.     

Mt. Hope Hosts College Informational Night on September 20th

If you are a senior or the parent of a senior, you are about to embark on the journey through the college application process.   The guidance staff will host an informational night on Thursday, September 20th at 6:30-7:30 in the Mt. Hope High School Library.   During this presentation, you and your families can learn how to begin the process that can be daunting.    The guidance counselors will explain the process--searching for colleges that may be the best fit, beginning the application process, ordering test scores, asking for letters of recommendation and writing the college essay.   Time will be devoted to explaining the online College Application which is used by hundreds of colleges across the country.   If you are planning to attend the session, please email Ms. Nicastro in the guidance office at nicastror@bw.k12.ri.us.

Mt. Hope Open House--September 27th

The annual Open House will be held on Thursday, September 27th from 6:30-8:30 at Mt. Hope High School.   Families will have the opportunity to go through their children's schedules, meet the teachers and learn the expectations for each course.    Open House is the first step that we, educators and families, take to develop the partnership as we work together to educate your child.  

Nestle Very Best in Youth---Great Opportunity

If you are young person or you know someone who has made a difference in the community, please consider applying for the Nestle Very Best in Youth award.    Nestle celebrates and supports students who make a positive impact in the community.    Since 1997, Nestle has honored more than 230 young people and donated more than $1 million to organizations that these students have supported.  Students between the ages of 14-18 are eligible for this award.   Consider applying at http://verybestinyouth.nestleusa.com.    If you require more detailed information, email NestleVeryBestInYouth@us.nestle.com or call 18185496677.

PSAT

Mt. Hope High School will administer the PSAT, Preliminary SAT, on Wednesday, October 17th at 8 a.m.    I strongly advise juniors to register for this examination.   It is great practice for the SAT.  More importantly, your results will help you and us to identify your strengths and areas that we need to target for further growth.   Also, students can register for the scholarship service when taking this test.  The fee for this test is $25.  Information will be given to juniors in homeroom.     Students should register for the PSAT in the guidance office with Mrs. Nicastro.   We will begin to accept registrations on September 4th.   The deadline for registration is Wednesday, September 26th.   The fee for the test is $25.   Please make your check payable to Mt. Hope High School and write your child's name and PSAT in the memo line.   Upon registration, you will be given a booklet with more detailed information about the test. 

Change for Freshmen--Important

All freshmen should report to their homerooms on the first day of school, Tuesday.    This is a change from what was previously announced at the cookout and on the blog.    Freshmen can find their homeroom assignments in the Mall Entrance or on their schedules.   We will dismiss freshmen to the assembly from their homerooms.  

Great turnout tonight!

Thank you to all of the students and families for coming to the 9th grade cookout tonight.   The turnout was more than we could have anticipated.   

All freshmen should report to the auditorium on Tuesday.  From the auditorium, we will hold a brief assembly and then send you to your homerooms. 

See you Tuesday.

Updated schedules will be available on Thursday, August 23rd

Many students came in this summer to pick up their schedules.   Updated schedules will be available to students on Thursday, August 23rd after 9 a.m. in the guidance office.    Schedules will also be provided to students on the first day of school, August 28th in their homerooms.

Women in Science and Engineering at Brown

Brown University and its Women in Science and Engineering group will host a physical science-based quiz bowl tournament, the Athena Science Challenge, this year on November 3rd and 4th.   The program aims to promote math and science among high school girls.   If you would like more information on the program, please look at AthenaScienceChallenge.Com.   If you are interested, speak to your science teacher about creating a team.  

Class of 2016, Save the Date

This year's Freshman Cookout for the Class of 2016 will be on Wednesday, August 22nd at 5:30 at Mt. Hope High School.   The cookout is a nice introduction to people and the high school.    You can catch up with friends that you haven't seen all summer, have a hot dog, get your schedule, take a tour and find your locker.  

Class of 2013 Painting of the Rocks

Seniors, it is your turn!   The time honored Mt. Hope tradition of the Painting of the Rocks will be held on Monday, August 20th at 1:00.   Please remember to wear clothes that you would not mind enhancing with a little purple and white paint.