Senior Photo Information

Welcome back! It’s time to start thinking about senior pictures. I am attaching a document that you should read through with the requirements. Here are a few things to know:

1. If you want, you can submit a baby, toddler, and senior photo to Ivy Soener via email – ivy.soener@dcgschools.com. 

2. These should not be screenshots or pictures of a picture. Scan hard copies in if you don’t have a digital copy.

3. These are due no later than Friday, December 18th.

4. If you do not turn in a senior photo, I will use your school picture.

Additionally, DON’T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR SENIOR YEARBOOK! Do it now because the price goes up on September 18th. Here’s the link. You can even add personalization for $8, which is an option that goes away after a while.

From Jostens

If your senior missed the Jostens presentation, please have them complete the form linked on our high school website under the “Senior Information” section, or access it directly using this link:  Jostens Senior Info.  It’s very important that the form is completed using your student’s legal name, as this information is used for official graduation materials. Thank you for your attention to this important step in preparing for graduation! Jostens Senior Info | Senior Slide Show

Please note that the delivery date for graduation caps and gowns has been updated. Distribution will now take place on Thursday, May 7, in the West Commons from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.  We appreciate your attention to this change and encourage you to plan accordingly to ensure the timely pickup of your graduation items.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the High School Main Office.

From the DCG Counselors

Welcome to senior year! This email should be saved, as you will need to reference it throughout the year. 

Individual Senior Meetings 

You will meet once with your counselor this fall for your individual senior meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct a credit check to make sure you are on track for graduation, to discuss your plans after high school, and to answer any questions you may have. We will walk through several items in Schoolinks so please bring your chromebooks to these meetings. Meetings will start Monday, September 21st. Please click on the link provided for your counselor and schedule your appointment. We ask you to choose a time you will be missing the least amount of instruction. This means if you have an open campus or study hall, that time is utilized for your meeting. 

Mr. Gross (A-G)

Mrs. Levang (H-N)

Mrs. Huskey (O-Z)

Schoolinks College Application Manager

The best way to ensure every task involved in your College Application is complete is to use the Schoolinks College Application manager. You can add an Application by clicking “Add Application”. From there just search for the school and advise which part of the application process you are in. The application manager will let you know when you have steps you need to complete. It will also ensure transcripts are sent to the right place at the right time as well as any steps your counselor needs to complete. Here is a link to an article that explains the College Application feature

Transcript Requests Outside of College Application Feature

To request a transcript be sent to a school you are applying to, you will use Schoolinks. We recommend using the “College Address” feature when sending transcripts. Here is a link to an article that explains how to request a transcript using this feature. 

Teacher Recommendations

If you need a letter of recommendation, please speak with your teacher directly first. Once they agree, request the letter through Schoolinks using the link on the left side of the page. Be sure to fill out the Schoolinks Brag Sheet to provide details for your letter, and submit your request several weeks before your application deadline. Remember that good letters take time so give your recommender several weeks before the letter must be submitted. 

ACT/SAT

College admission test scores are not on your transcript and not sent by DCG. You will need to send this to colleges via your myACT account or College Board. If you plan on taking the ACT/SAT and you haven’t done so already, it is highly recommended to take it before December so you have it in time for applications and scholarships. You can register at https://www.act.org/

College Representatives

College representative visits are a great way to ask questions you have about schools you are interested in and to start getting connected to the school community. Most college reps will be visiting during AO. Look for who is coming in the weekly Advisory slideshow and sign up via FlexiSched. 

College Visits

Getting onto a school’s campus for an official college visit allows you to get a better understanding of the school and what it would be like to go there. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Check out the college’s website and you will be able to register for a visit. This is considered a planned absence from school. Have your parents call you in ahead of the visit and communicate with all of your teachers before you attend a college visit.

Virtual College Visits

If you want to be able to check out more colleges without needing to go to every campus, check out the colleges tab on Schoolinks. Schoolinks will tell you what majors are offered at each school, what their acceptance rates are, the chances of you being accepted based on your ACT scores and GPA, and much much more. 

Scholarships

There are several ways to search for scholarships. 

• Schoolinks – This will match you with scholarships based on your profile and the information you share with it. It is important to complete the Scholarship Match Profile task highlighted on the home screen in Schoolinks. 
• Check with your college representative/advisor what scholarships are available to you and how to apply. Some schools have one general application system to apply to all school scholarships.
• A meeting will be held in late-February to discuss local scholarships through the DCG Education Foundation. Applications will begin in March.

RAI

The Regent Admission Index (RAI) score is part of the admission requirements for Iowa high school students applying to Regent Universities. (University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University).

Iowa high school graduates must achieve a RAI score of at least 245 and take the minimum number of required high school courses to qualify for automatic admission as freshmen to Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa. Students who achieve a score less than 245 will be considered for admission on an individual basis.

	(3 x ACT composite score)
+	(30 x Cumulative GPA)
+	(5 x Number of years of RAI-approved high school courses completed in the core subject areas)
=	RAI Score

Iowa, Iowa State, and UNI are all test optional admissions. The RAI score will only be used for admissions if you choose to apply with an ACT. If not, your application will be reviewed on an individual basis. 

Class Rank

DCG does not use class rank. Using class rank often does not benefit students as you are competing against how well your classmates are performing. Majority of colleges and scholarships have adjusted and do not need a class rank or are able to use other data in its place such as quartile. There are a select few scholarships that still need it and can be provided on an individual basis. The rank provided is unofficial and unverified.

NCAA/NAIA

If you plan on participating in college level athletics you need to create an account with the NCAA or NAIA. Once your account is created, please notify Katelyn Cain in the Athletic Office.

Honors Diploma

Students that are pursuing the honors diploma will need to complete an Application (Google Form) by January 25th by 3:15. Counselors will do a transcript review for students who have completed this application to verify that all requirements have been satisfied to earn this honor at graduation. Only those who complete the application by the deadline and meet requirements will qualify for an Honors Diploma.

To qualify for the Honors Diploma, Students must have: 

• Minimum GPA of 3.5.
• Minimum of 54 total credits:
  • 8 Language Arts credits (including 1 credit of AP English)
  • 8 Science credits (including 2 credits advanced or AP sciences)
  • 8 Math credits (including 2 credits advanced or AP math courses) 
  • 8 Social studies credits (including 2 credits of AP courses)
  • 3 consecutive years of a World Language
  • 1 credit Fine Arts (art or music)

Silver Cord

Students interested in receiving a Silver Cord will need to accumulate 160 hours to earn a silver cord. Please log all hours into Schoolinks following the instructions on the student hub. We will have an AO in the spring to discuss finalizing your silver cord. Contact Mr. Gross if you have any questions. 

DMACC

Many of you have accumulated (or will accumulate) DMACC credits over the course of your high school career. Others plan to attend DMACC next year. We have a DMACC representative assigned to our school to assist you with access to your DMACC account, inquiries about your DMACC transcript (information on how to request is given at the end of the year), or life at DMACC next year. Her name is Alissa Whitmore and you can email her at amwhitmore@dmacc.edu. Alissa will be in the Student Services office on Thursdays. 

Early Graduation

If you are considering graduating early, you need to have a conversation with your counselor. You will need to meet graduation requirements and there is paperwork to complete. You will not be able to participate in any DCG sports or activities once you have completed your DCG courses. You will still be able to participate in Prom and Graduation activities. Please talk to your counselor if you are interested in this early graduation option. If your counselor is aware you are wanting to graduate early please make sure to pick up your early graduation form from student services if you haven’t already done so.