Newfane High School



Newfane High School

Guidance Department

Grades 9-10: Robyn Wolf 1 Panther Drive Grades 9-12: Amber Pratt

Grades 11-12: Glenn Smith Newfane, NY 14108 Secretary: Connie Kyle

Office: (716) 778-6564 Fax: (716) 778-6565

Dear Parent/Guardian of a College-Bound Student, Dec. 2015

We have scheduled a full evening of informative events for all college-bound students, and their parents, on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 in the Newfane Middle School Auditorium.

1) 6:00-7:00 pm: Alumni Panel- We will have Newfane alum, who are now in their first year of college, discuss important topics such as: Things they wish they knew as a high school student, college pitfalls they are seeing and how to avoid them, etc. A selective 4 yr. college, 4 yr. private college, 4 yr. SUNY College, and a 2 yr. college will each be represented. Questions from the audience will be encouraged.

2) 7:00-8:30 pm: Financial Aid Workshop for all college-bound students and their parents. Katie Kocsis, a financial aid expert and Director of the Financial Aid Office at Niagara University, will be the presenter and will discuss all aspects of the financial aid process for students planning on attending any college, such as: Financial aid terminology, where does the money come from to pay for college/sources of financial aid, and a FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) discussion. Financial aid handouts will also be made available. Due to the new federal gov’t. changes affecting current juniors and below (fall 2016: Financial aid and college admissions applications will now be due in October), this presentation is relevant for students of all grade levels! These changes will also be discussed.

We highly encourage you to attend this very valuable evening program (in part or in its entirety) as you plan for your child’s future. Please bring a pen and a pad of paper to take notes or to submit an Alumni Panel question.

Please mark your calendar now:

ALUMNI PANEL & FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOP

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Newfane Middle School Auditorium

6:00 – 7:00 pm- Alumni Panel

7:00 - 8:30 pm.- Financial Aid

The Newfane High School Guidance Office

FINANCIAL AID FACTS/INFORMATION

Submission of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form is a yearly requirement for all students enrolled in institutions of higher education; both two year, four year and most vocational/technical colleges. The FAFSA is used for consideration of federal financial aid allocation. Even if you are fairly certain your child will not get any financial aid monies from the government, you are still required to submit a completed FAFSA form since the colleges need this information (and they possibly may be able to find some institutional financial assistance for you). The FAFSA paper application is all but phased out. The electronic (web-based) version has cut the processing time down to 3-7 days! They attempt to streamline the web version each year making it more user friendly and they have an interactive chat room where there is a financial aid professional available to answer questions immediately. There are also huge changes on the horizon (next yr.)!

You can’t submit the FAFSA until after Jan. 1, 2016 but you can work on it, save it, then submit it once Jan. 2nd arrives. You can get a rough financial aid estimate ahead of time by using the “FAFSA4caster”, found on the FAFSA website. The deadline for submission of the FAFSA varies from college to college but Jan. 31 is a common deadline for many colleges to ensure receiving any possible financial aid! You can also apply for TAP (NY State financial aid for students planning on going to a college in NY State) from the FAFSA website (watch for the link to TAP/HESC near the end of the FAFSA application). Make sure you list the NY colleges on the TAP form in order of preference (first one being the first choice, etc.). HESC/TAP will only send the financial information to the first college listed. If there are any changes in first preference (TAP form) then this has to be amended so that the new first choice college gets the information.

In order to complete the on-line FAFSA form you should first request a FSA ID (username/password login) – which can be done prior to January. The student and parent both need their own FSA ID. Write down this FSA ID and don’t lose it (better yet - start a folder and write the logins down on the folder!). It will be the same year after year (for parents - yours will be the same for all your children applying to college). A separate PIN number is required for TAP on HESC website. In order to get your FSA ID, go to: . In order to get to the electronic FAFSA form go to: (this is the official website -BEWARE; there are a few copy cats/scams out there trying to make a buck and/or get personal information).

*New changes for next school yr.: all students, including first yr. college freshman reapplying for FAFSA, will have to complete their FAFSA form online in October. (Jan. 2016 then again in Oct. 2016 for current seniors).

Please remember to periodically visit the guidance webpage at: newfane. (under the high school tab) for scholarships and other important information. On the “Senior Scholarships” page, we have included the J.C. Duncan Loan -a low interest student loan available only to Newfane college-bound graduates. Interest is set at 5% and it does not start accruing until after students complete their post-secondary education. This is a great deal! Look for the J.C. Duncan Loan listing at the top of the senior scholarship page. The JC Duncan Loan application is due by June 1.

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