Counseling and Career Center

Welcome to the Counseling Department

In the Counseling office we help students create a successful path to graduation and a rich and meaningful high school experience. We provide advising and guidance for both students and parents, and are happy to meet anytime to discuss your student's future.

Illinois Valley High School graduates celebrate many accomplishments every year. We look forward to helping you reach your goals, and are here to assist you in any way we can!

Contact us today:

Tara Thornhill- Registrar: tara.thornhill@threerivers.k12.or.us

Megan Brown-Graduation Coach: megan.brown@threerivers.k12.or.us

Sara Creek- Student Advocate: sara.creek@threerivers.k12.or.us

By Phone at 541-592-2116 *ask for Counseling

Senior Year To-Do List

Senior year can run smoothly if you stick to a plan. Here are suggested activities to complete as your senior year progresses at IVHS:


SEPTEMBER

  • When you get your schedule, verify that you are enrolled in the credits that are remaining for you to earn a high school diploma. You will not have the option of changing your mind about a level of a class or an elective, but if a required class is somehow missing, notify your school counselor immediately.

  • Make sure that you can log on to your College Board account, to authorize them to send your SAT and AP scores to your colleges by the application deadlines.

  • If college is part of your plan, register for the SAT. The registration deadline is usually during October for the December test date.

  • Use Khan Academy to study for the SAT at www.khanacademy.org

  • If you haven't already, get your resume started. This will likely be part of your curriculum early in College Prep class, but it couldn't hurt to start to get your format to your liking, using lists that show all of your activities, leadership roles, and accomplishments.

  • Schedule college visits for weekends and school days that are planned to be closed for students.



OCTOBER

  • As early as possible, submit your FAFSA. The earlier you complete and submit this, the more likely you will be to receive federal and state grants.This is the time to get your applications done, particularly if you have November and December deadlines. If you have not yet done so, request your transcript and recommendation letter with 3-4 weeks to spare before these deadlines.

  • Ensure that you have requested your SAT/ACT scores to be sent directly to your colleges. The deadline to register for the November SAT is usually the end of the first week of October.

NOVEMBER

  • Submit your college applications by the set deadlines, and ensure that you have paid the application fees, requested that College Board send your SAT scores and ACT send their scores, and requested your transcripts and teacher/counselor letters of recommendation, all by those deadlines.

DECEMBER

  • Check your application status with the colleges about two weeks after you are sure everything was submitted, to verify their receipt. Admissions offices process hundreds to thousands of applications, each composed of many documents. It sometimes takes several weeks to process all of these documents before a student's application is complete, and can then be evaluated.

  • In December, your family should request your FAFSA PIN to ensure smooth submission of your FAFSA. Because we don't get W-2's until the end of January, it is advised that you prepare to estimate your income based off of last year's 1040's and this year's year-end pay stubs.

JANUARY

  • Review the admissions requirements for the colleges to which you are applying and note which schools require midyear transcripts. Request transcripts from Tara the Registrar or Mrs. Skinner the Counselor, and note that requested midyear transcripts, will not be available until you get your 2nd quarter report cards - regardless of when colleges say they want your midyear transcript.

  • If you have not yet done so, start applying for scholarships.

FEBRUARY


  • Ensure that you request your midyear transcript before the stated deadline (usually the Friday before 2nd quarter report cards are released).

  • Register for AP exams in your AP courses and be sure to submit any payment or forms needed to Mrs. Skinner.

  • Apply for local scholarships by the stated deadline.

MARCH

  • Now that local scholarships are due, you are advised to spend your time this month visiting your colleges one last time to make your decision, working on other scholarships, and studying for your AP exams.


APRIL

  • If you end up not getting admitted to any of your colleges, see your school counselor for a list of colleges that have late deadlines, or consider RCC as a viable method for starting college at a very reasonable cost.


MAY

  • Take your AP exams, send your deposit to your colleges, and arrange for freshman placement testing and orientation.

  • Ensure that before you are done with AP testing, you indicate on your answer sheet what college you are going to in order to ensure that the college receives your scores in a timely fashion.

JUNE

  • Contact your college's academic advisor to discuss first-semester courses.

  • Be sure to finish your courses and let the Registrar Tara know which school you need your official transcript sent to.

  • AP scores are available in July.