Frank McClarin

Success Academy

NEWSLETTER Volume #4

W H E R E S U C C E S S I S T H E O N L Y O P T I O N

In this volume, you will find out about upcoming events, helpful

college tips, and graduation news.

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TEAM WORK

Each member of our faculty and staff is committed to academic

and professional excellence. It is our desire to provide an exemplary educational

experience for all students.

AD MIN IS TRA TO RS

Dr. Tashea Daniel-Harris, Interim Principal

Dr. Yvonne Culbreath, Interim V. Principal

Mr. Larry Brown, Admin. Assistant

Dr. Nykole Hudson, School Improvement Specialist

Ms. Melanie Smith, Guidance Counselor

Dr. Carolyn Hall, Graduation Coach

Ms. Kashena Adams, Community Liasion

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WELCOME

At Frank McClarin, we believe that there are many options to a successful future. However, “he who fails to plan is planning to fail” (Alan Lakein). Consequently, it is our desire to inspire, encourage, and expose our students to success in the classroom and beyond.

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OPERATION G.O.A.L.S

Getting Out And Leading Successfully

How long do you want to spend pursuing whatever it is you’re doing instead of attending high

school?

When figuring this out, keep in mind that it’s often easier to graduate just a semester early

instead of an entire year. If that doesn’t seem like a long enough time to you, remember that, even if

you only graduate a semester early, you’ll finish high school in December or January.

If you still need help deciding, talk to your academic adviser. They’re a great resource to have,

and they’ll likely be able to help make this process easier (plus you’ll have to let them know if you

officially decide to graduate early, so you may as well start talking to them now).

Figure Out How Many Credits You Need to Graduate

Now that you know when you want to graduate, it’s time to get into the math. Almost every high

school requires its students to complete a certain number of credits before they can graduate.

Look in your student handbook or ask your academic adviser to find out how many credits your

particular high school requires.

As an example, we’ll use the high school I graduated from, which required its students to complete

21 credits, with each class worth about 0.5 credits per semester.

Now, figure out how many credits you’ve already completed. You can usually find this

information on your report card or transcript, or you can ask your adviser. Next, subtract the

number of credits you’ve completed from the number of total credits you need to graduate. The

answer you get is the number of credits you’ll need to take before you can graduate.

The good news for you is that the number of graduating credits for most high schools often doesn’t

require you to complete four full-time years of school. Again, for my high school, you needed to

complete 21 credits to graduate, but a student attending high school full-time would complete about 7

credits each year, meaning most students at the end of their junior year would already have enough

credits to graduate. You have a right to request your academic transcript and to speak with your high

school counselor to make sure you are on track to graduate. Be certain to check your transcripts and

ask questions about the credits you’ll need to graduate. (continued next page)

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Operation

G.O.A.L.S.

Getting Out And Leading Successfully (continued)

Figure Out Which Classes You Need to Graduate Now you need to figure out the specific classes you need to take to graduate. Look at your student handbook or talk to your adviser to learn

which classes students at your high school must take in order to graduate. This will usually require a certain number of semesters of math,

English, science, and social studies, as well as some possible other requirements such as gym or a fine arts class.

Make a list of all the required classes you haven’t taken yet. Sometimes the requirements are general, such as taking six semesters of math,

while other times they’re more specific, like all students must take algebra and geometry. Pay attention to this when making your list. Be aware

the most high schools require four years of English but often fewer years of other core subjects.

FULTON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Language Arts 4 units (1 unit of 9thgrade Literature and Composition, 1 unit of American Literature and Composition, 2 additional units)

Science 4 units (1 unit of Biology , 1 unit of Physical Science or Physics (AP/IB), 1 unit of Chemistry, Earth Systems, Environmental Science, or

AP/IB Science 1 unit of a 4thscience, including any AP/IB, academic science, or career tech science)

Mathematics 4 units (1 unit of Integrated Advanced Algebra, 1 unit of Integrated Geometry or Accelerated Integrated, GeometryHonors 1 unit of

Integrated Algebra II or Accelerated Integrated Pre-Calculus Honors1 additional math unit (Integrated Trigonometry or any higher levelmathematics

course, including AP/IB)

Social Studies 3½ units (American Government/Civics 1 unit of World History 1 unit of United States History ½ unit of EconomicsWorld

Language)* AND/ORCTAE** (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education) AND/OR

Fine Arts—3 units (World Language -Chinese, French, German, Latin, and SpanishCTAE -Architectural Engineering Drawing & Design, Broadcast

Video & Production, Business & Computer Science, Culinary Arts, and Engineering, Fine Arts -Art, Drama, and MusicHealth/Physical Education1½

unit of Health ½ unit of Personal FitnessElectives 4

TOTAL UNITS (Minimum): 23*Students planning to enter or transfer into a University System of Georgia institution or other post-secondary institution must

take two units of the same world language.**Students wishing to receive industry certification in certain areas under Career, Technical and Agricultural

Education programs must follow specific path

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Trade schools, like Atlanta Technical College, are designed to

prepare students to work in a trade (such as auto repair,

cosmetology, or carpentry). Some of these schools do not

require a high school diploma. Talk to your high

school/college counselor and search online for the options

near you.

NOTE: Be careful when looking for trade and vocational

schools. You want to make certain that they are accredited

and that employers will accept a certificate from the

school. Don’t just take the schools at their word. Speak with

graduates of the school to find out about their experience and

what they are doing now. Ask them to give you the names of

employers who will accept the school’s graduates and call the

employers to see what they think! Also, private trade and

vocational schools can be expensive; before signing up, check

to see if you can get the same courses at a community college.

Visit the Vocational Schools Database website to search for

accredited programs by zip code and by type of program.

Gwinnett Techical College

Atlanta Technical College

Southern Crescent Technical College

Chatahoochee Technical College

Georgia Piedmont Technical College

Check out http://rwm.org/rwm to find an accredited program

in your area!

http://rwm.org/rwm

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Transferring to a 4 year college or university is an option for every community college student! There are usually

resources at each college campus, called Transfer Centers, available to assist students with the transfer process.

Generally, each student who is interested in transferring to a 4 year college must:

Have the G.P.A. asked for

Complete lower division courses for his or her chosen major AND

Meet the admissions reqirements of the university they would like to attend.

If you are serious about transferring to a four-year university from a community college, you should speak to your

academic counselor at the community college to develop an academic transfer plan as soon as you enroll. This will

help prevent you from staying in the community college longer than needed. Please visit www.assist.org to find

information about the university of your choice, your major at the school, and the lower-division courses you will need

to complete to transfer to the university.

Basically, a scholarship (or a grant or a In order to pay for college, most students apply for financial aid and scholarships.

fellowship) is a sum of money awarded to a student in order to help him or her further his or her education. Scholarships are

usually merit based opportunities given to students with outstanding academic backgrounds. Each scholarship will often have

Unlike a loan, which accrues different requirements. You must make sure that you meet the requirements before you apply.

interest, or need-based financial aid, which is usually doled out by universities, scholarships are gifts that don't need to be paid

back.

Scholarship money can come from any number of sources. There are scholarships provided by governments, corporations,

universities or any organization with a little goodwill and some money to burn.

http://www.assist.org/

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Financial aid is money that can help you pay for college. Some aid needs to be paid back or earned, and some aid is a

gift. This money is available to all kinds of people.

There are four main sources: Federal government (the largest source)

State governments

Colleges and universities

Private organizations

One thing is for sure: If you don’t fill out financial aid forms, you won’t get any aid. Even if you think you may not

qualify, you should still submit the forms.

To qualify for many types of aid, you’ll need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This

application gives you access to these types of aid:

Grants and scholarships: money you don’t have to pay back

Work-study jobs: paid, part-time work that’s generally on campus

Loans: money you need to pay back, usually after you graduate

Complete the form online at www.fafsa.gov or download paper forms there. You can even import your family’s tax

information directly from the IRS website. For more information about financial aid, see Financial Aid: FAQs or

download/print the Financial Aid 101 handout (.pdf/443KB). To learn more about filling out the FAFSA, read How to

Complete the FAFSA.

January 18, 2019 Senior meeting

January 23, 2019 Tour of Clark Atlanta University

February 7, 2019 Tour of Fort Valley State University

February 11, 2019 Red Zone Meeting (meeting to help students who are behind with a course of action to get caught up in their academics)

February 14, 2019 “Love is Wealth” Extravaganza

February 16, 2019 Love & Poetry Night at Club E, created by Ms. Kashena Adams (Community Liason) and Ms. Katherine Bell (ELA Teacher). M’khayla Murdock won the competition and all contestants won a gift card sponsored by The Gathering Women’s ministry and One Talent Inc.

February 19, 2019 Senior Parent Night

February 20, 2019 Tour of University of Georgia at Athens with Mr. Brown and Mr. Sledge

Congratulations to the following Ms. Palmer (CTAE Department) and her students for placing in the TOP 10 for STATEWIDE REGIONAL testing for CPR/First Aid... They will continue to compete in March for our

annual HOSA conference. Please congratulate these scholars when you see them!!

Sanaia Page

LaTwanette Petterson

Rakia Burger

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/financial-aid-faqshttps://secure-media.collegeboard.org/CollegePlanning/media/pdf/financial-aid-101.pdfhttps://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/how-to-complete-the-fafsahttps://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/how-to-complete-the-fafsa

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Christina Perkins

Shyra Ogletree

Sheena White

Kudos to Ms. A. Johnson. She is the first teacher to use the MakerSpace kits in the media center. Students used liquid metal and magnets to create electrical charges strong enough to turn on a light

controlled by a dimmer switch.

Hats off to Dr. Sandra Fingall and her students for winning several awards at the Fulton County Technology Competition

March 6, 2019 Frank McClarin “College Fair and Extravaganza.” At present, we have 6 schools and 1 rep from the military committed and look forward to hearing from more colleges. Those who have confirmed their

attendance include Clayton State University, Georgia State University, Albany State University, CEI Beauty

School, Atlanta Metropolitan College, Clark Atlanta University, Paine College, and the Navy.

The event will last from 1:30-3:30pm.

Carvis Webb - better known to many in the March 8, 2019 “Motivation Hour with Carvis “Donk” Webb.” music industry as “Donk” and cousin of rapper Lil’ Boosie - A successful career as a rapper and now a

motivational speaker. He will be talking to our kids to motivate them for success.

Event time: 11am

March 18, 2019 The start of Quarter 4 April 1-5, 2019 Spring Break

More events to be revealed after definitive confirmation.

Starting on February 21, 2019, we will have A.C.T.S. (Actively Changing Tomorrow Through Service) providing

volunteer tutoring service during our advisory time. The members of A.C.T.S. are student volunteers from the

prestigious Atlanta University Center, which includes Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta

University.

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If you would like free scholarship information, feel free to email our Graduation Coach, Dr. Hall, at

hallc12@fultonschools.org. Make sure that you put “scholarship info” in the subject line.

mailto:hallc12@fultonschools.org