Dear Parent/Guardian,

For this month's edition I wish to speak to you about the TKAP: Tucson Korea Ambassador Program.  TKAP is a program that TUSD has supported in some of our middle schools for the past 3-4 years; last year Sabino High School joined TKAP as a pilot, and as a result of the success (of the pilot) we are being asked to participate once again this January.

During SY 2011-12, twelve students from the South Korean island of Ulleungdo became a part of our school and larger community for the month of January.  Eleven wonderful Sabino families hosted 7 girls and5 boys (one family graciously took 2 of the Korean girls).  In order for the TKAP to once again enjoy the success of last year, we will need approximately ten to twelve host families (as of this writing it is not confirmed how many Korean students will come this year).  Because we need to recruit/identify  our families during the month of October, the South Korean government wishes it to be known that they will pay each host family $100 per week ($400 for the month-long visit).  Our Korean students come with their own spending money, so the "stipend" offered by the Government is simply to offset any day-to-day incidentals that host families incur.  While it is an almost perfect arrangement to have host families participating who have students currently enrolled at Sabino; other community members (including staff and teachers) are welcome to participate.

Just as they did last year, at the conclusion of the exchange, one of our ambassadors will be chosen to visit South Korea at the conclusion of our school year (late May or early June).  Actually, two Sabino students had the privilege to travel to Ulleungdo (last summer) and visit the school where our Korean students come from; money is a bit more scarce this year, so we have been told that one student/ambassador from each of the participating TUSD schools will have the opportunity this summer. Additionally, it is recommended that fund-raising be used to offset the cost of our student traveling to South Korea.

Last summer, the South Korean government (also) hosted TUSD's Superintendent and the participating TKAP Principals.  We had the phenomenal opportunity to not only visit the capital city of Seoul, but other historical cities and landmarks...and we visited all of the schools that send their students to Tucson for TKAP.  There are no words to describe how much it means to the Korean families, schools, and government that we welcome their students.  The highlight of my trip last June was getting to see all 12 of our Ulleungdo students in their school!

Please call my office at 584-7704 if you are willing to commit to serving as a host family for this year's TKAP exchange.

 
Yours in Education,

Valerie Payne, Principal 

K. Halvorson (A-K)

N. Semko (L-Z)

J. Allen (Career)

Sabino Counseling Office Phone Number:  584-7743

SENIOR NEWS

On Monday, September 10th seniors had an opportunity to 

hear presentations from 4-year and 2-year colleges at the 

Fall College Visitation on Sabino's campus.  Afterwards,

counselors made a presentation to seniors about graduation 

and becoming prepared for life after Sabino.  Seniors were 

encouraged to print their Senior Handbook from the Language Arts Department website.  The website address is http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sabino/LanguageArts.html .  

This handbook provides helpful information about planning 

for the future.   Please ask your senior to share their Senior 

Handbook with you. 

We encourage seniors to apply to in-state colleges before 

October 1st to increase their chances of obtaining 

scholarships and financial aid. Seniors are encouraged to

listen carefully to the daily announcements during 1st period 

and check the Bulletin Board on the Parental Access page 

for special senior announcements and scholarship listings. 

These announcements come from administrators, teachers, 

and from the Counseling Office.  If students are interested

in any of the scholarships that are announced, they can 

come to the Counseling Office and look through the 

scholarship file for the application.  Seniors should also use

our Sabino website and the Career Center resources to help

find scholarships and other pertinent information.  The 

counseling page on the Sabino website (  http://www.edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/sabino/counseling/) is updated 

weekly with scholarship and college visit information. 

The three major state universities have representatives on

campus on a regular basis. In addition, many representatives

from out-of-state schools and from the military visit Sabino. 

Have your student check with the Counseling Office for 

visitation times. 

Financial Aid Night - Wednesday, Sept. 19th

(4:30 - 5:30pm, before parent/student conferences) Room 

206

Student financial aid is funding that is intended to help 

students pay education-related expenses including tuition 

and fees, room and board, books and supplies, etc. for 

education at a college, university, or private school.  This presentation will help you understand the process and will 

give you information in how the government determines 

what types of financial aid you receive or how you can 

get the most financial aid possible.

Seniors who have not taken an SAT or ACT test and are 

going to a four year college need to take one soon. Major 

colleges will not admit students without the appropriate 

test scores. Registration is done online for SAT at www.collegeboard.com and for ACT at www.actstudent.org .

Senior student athletes who intend to participate in athletics at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) school need 

to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.   Students who 

intend to participate in athletics at a National Association 

of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school need to register 

with the NAIA Eligibility Center.

JUNIOR NEWS

Counselors made a presentation to juniors on Sept. 14th.  

Students were asked to print their Junior Handbook from the

Language Arts Department website.  The website address is http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sabino/LanguageArts.html .  

The handbook provides helpful information about planning 

for the future and includes many resources to help them as

they think ahead to college and career.  Please ask your 

junior to share their Junior Handbook with you. 

This year's PSAT (the national qualifying test for National 

Merit Scholarships) is being administered to all sophomores 

and juniors on Wednesday, October 17th during school.  It 

is good practice for the SAT.  If students perform well as 

juniors, they can qualify for National Merit Scholarship.  The

PSAT is free at Sabino this year and is only offered once a 

year.  After taking the PSAT, the College Board can help

prepare your student for taking the SAT by using their PSAT

results.

Juniors who are college bound are also encouraged to take

the SAT and/or ACT by the end of this school year, so their 

scores are available to send in with their applications during 

the summer.

There are several private companies in Tucson that offer

more preparatory classes.  A list of these prep class options 

is available in the Counseling Office or can be found online at

.  Free SAT practice tests can be located at www.collegeboard.com and on the counseling department 

website.

SAT

ACT

For online registration -- 

ACT:  http://www.actstudent.org  

SAT:  www.collegeboard.com 

The Sabino code for both tests is 030503.

THE ASVAB CAREER EXPLORATION PROGRAM is a career 

planning and exploration program that combines a 

multiple-aptitude test with an interest self-assessment 

and a wide range of career exploration tools. And it's FREE! 

This is optional for any sophomores, juniors, or seniors. 

The ASVAB is scheduled   on Thursday, September 20th.  

The test will be available again in February.  In addition to 

being a fabulous career assessment, the ASVAB is also a 

good pre-test for the ACT and SAT and is required for all 

students entering the military. 

SOPHOMORE AND FRESHMAN NEWS

Counselors met with all sophomores on September 18th and freshmen on September 25th to talk about planning a 

successful high school experience.  Students may print their handbook from the Language Arts Department website, 

which is http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sabino/LanguageArts.html .   Parents will be interested in the information, too.  Please ask your student to share their Freshman or Sophomore Handbook

with you.

SCHEDULED COLLEGE VISITS (as of 8/31/11)  The 

following schools will have representatives on the Sabino 

campus in the coming weeks.  Please note that this may be 

the only time this year - or even longer - that these 

representatives will be here.  Encourage your student to 

take advantage of this opportunity to sign up in the 

counseling department.

Sept. 10th

           Barbizon College, table in cafeteria during lunch

           Sabino Senior College Day - (flyers will be sent home)

Sept. 14th

           Washington University in St. Louis (MO), 11am

Sept. 19th

           Financial Aid Night for Seniors, 4:30 - 5:30pm in Room 206

Sept. 20th

           ASVAB test - all day, sign up with Mrs. Allen

           This is a great aptitude test that can help you determine what careers are right for you!  Also, this test is mandatory for military entrance.

Sept. 21st

           WORKSHOP - "How to write a great personal essay 

for any college

           Application;" delivered by GCU rep, during lunch in 

Room 206

Sept. 28th (grading day)

           Visit GCU in Phoenix! Sign up with Mrs. Allen in the counseling office

Oct. 8th

           University of Alabama (AL), 6th period

Oct. 10th

           Seattle University (WA) 8:25 AM

           U of A - 9:15am

           University of Pennsylvania (PA) 10:15 AM

Oct. 12th

           University of British Columbia (Canada) - 5th period

Oct. 13th

           Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - lunch

Oct. 16th

           William Woods University (MO) 7:30 AM

           College Night at the TCC, 6:30 - 9 PM

           Over 200 colleges will be attending from around the

           United States.       

           Seniors have a chance to win a $500.00 scholarship

           just for attending!

Oct. 17th

           University of Redlands (CA), 8:20 AM

           University of Rochester (NY) 10:15 AM

           University of Colorado - Boulder (CO) 11:05 AM

           Washington State University (WA), 12:30 PM

           Whittier College (CA), 1 PM

Oct. 29th

           Grand Canyon University (Phoenix), 8:30 AM

Students, regardless of grade, may meet with

representatives from these schools by signing up in the 

Counseling Office.  They will receive a pass the period 

before the visit, confirming the location.

We add new visits regularly.  Please check the Parental 

Access Bulletin Board or Sabino Counseling Website for 

updated college Rep visit information.

TUCSON COLLEGE NIGHT
Tucson College Night will be held on Tuesday, October 16th, 

2012 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona.   There is no cost for parking or attendance. 

This event is sponsored by the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). Over 200 college representatives from all over the 

United States will be present to talk to students and parents, answer questions and hand out materials.   This is open to all students.  For more information, including an updated list of 

colleges that will be in attendance, visit http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/counseling/college.asp

UPDATED COUNSELING INFORMATION

The Sabino Counseling Page (http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sabino/counseling/) has 

important information including tutor lists, scholarship 

information, college visitation information, and much more.  

This is updated on a regular basis.  Visit us! 

PARENTAL ACCESS, NEW AND IMPROVED...

Did you know that you can see your child's grades, 

attendance, test scores and more on the internet?  All you 

need is a TUSDStats Parental Account!  Parents can set up 

their student's account by following the instructions on the 

Parental Access Information Sheet.  For those parents who 

have not established their parental access account, please 

call the Counseling Office at 584-7743 to obtain a copy of 

the Information Sheet. 

Also, remember to check the Parental Access Bulletin Board 

for important information regarding testing, scholarships, 

college representative visits, and more information from 

teachers, administration, and the counseling office!

AIMS

AIMS tests will be given this fall on the following dates for 

juniors and seniors:

Tuesday, October 23rd        Writing

Wednesday, October 24th   Reading

Thursday, October 25th       Math

Arizona Board of Regents High Honors Tuition Waiver 

Scholarship. There are new requirements this year for the 

AIMS Scholarship.  The scholarship amount has also changed.  Please note the following:

Seniors who meet the following requirements may receive 

25% in-state tuition scholarship to any of the state 

universities.  The value of the award is set at the cost of 

tuition the fall semester following the students' high school graduation and does not increase.  In order to qualify, 

students must have Arizona residency with lawful immigration status AND meet the academic criteria listed below:

1)      Students must complete all 16 Core Competency

 Courses by graduation with a "B" or better OR an acceptable score on the AP test for that subject area, and

2)      Students must have a GPA of 3.5 in the 16 Core 

Competency Courses on an un-weighted scale OR place in 

the top 5% of their graduating class upon graduation, and

3)      Students must EXCEED on the AIMS Writing, Reading, 

and Math Exam by the end of junior year OR EXCEED on 2 

of the AIMS Exams and MEET on 1 of the AIMS Exams if the 

student receives a minimum score of 3 on any two AP tests, 

and

4)      Students must score at least a 28 on the ACT test

 OR a 1300 on the SAT1 test (reading and math).

AIMS Resource Information:

Http://www.azed.gov - Type the word AIMS in the search 

box for information and study resources.

https://www.ideal.azed.gov/p/content/public_page/AIMS_Resources - This is real-time practice tests on the AZ Dept. of 

Education website.