Guidance Information

Take the PSAT (practice SAT) in October. It is only given once a year. It provides feedback to students regarding strengths and weaknesses in both Language Arts and Math. It also provides students with free services that they can use on the College Board website. Some 9th graders who are accelerated in Science might consider taking the SAT II Subject Test in June. Consult with your high school counselor regarding this decision.

Grade 10

As previously mentioned, the PSAT in October is a great practice and preparatory test. Now students are compared to other 10th Graders across the country. The College Board website has many tools to interpret results and feedback regarding strengths and weaknesses. Some 10th graders might consider taking the SAT II Subject test in Science…again, consult with your high school counselor.

Grade 11

It is highly recommended that juniors take the PSAT in the fall of their 11th grade year. The test will compare you to 11th graders across the country—in other words, the students with whom you will be compared during the college application process. Also, 11th graders are automatically put in the running for some national scholarship programs which include the National Merit Scholarship competition. In the spring of 11th grade, we recommend that students first try the actual SAT I Reasoning test. Based on the results, you can decide to take it again in the fall of your senior year.

Grade 12

Students have the opportunity to take the SAT in October, November, May and June if there is a need to improve scores. Scores will be reported to colleges on their transcripts as long as the Guidance Office gets a copy of their scores by coding in KHS when registering for the test.

Financial Aid

• In order for a student to receive financial aid, both parent and student (if they received a W2 in 2021), must fill out the free federal form, FAFSA. The website for this form is https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• It is highly recommended that these forms be submitted online.
• Financial Aid is based on information from tax returns from the year prior.
• Aid is based on the previous year’s tax records. We recommend that you utilize the IRS Retrieval Tool if possible when completing the FAFSA. Doing so will reduce the chances of your student’s FAFSA being flagged for verification.
• Students and parents will need a PIN (personal identification number) in order to access the FAFSA website. Students and parents can request this PIN now on the website.
• If a student is applying to schools in New York State, they may also be eligible for TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) from the state of New York. At the end of the FAFSA application, there will be a link at the bottom to the TAP application at https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/nys-tap/apply-for-tap.html
• Students will receive an SAR (Student Aid Report) from FAFSA, which will have an EFC (Estimated Family Contribution). The lower the EFC, the more aid you will be eligible for.
• Both collegeboard.com and studentaid.gov have Financial Aid Calculators where families can use tax records to estimate the aid they may be eligible for.
• There is a financial aid application that does cost money called the CSS Profile. Some private colleges and universities use this form to give out private money they have in endowments. This application can and should be filled out and submitted right away.
• Chris Chang from SUNY Ulster encourages all parents to call his Financial Aid Office for questions even if they are not planning to attend SUNY Ulster. They can be reached by phone at 845.687.5058 or by email at financialaid@sunyulster.edu.

Forms

Exam Fee Waiver

Any student eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch will be eligible to take the SAT/ACT for free (there are restrictions regarding the number of times they are allowed to take it for free).

See your counselor for a fee waiver. Students should make every effort to apply by the first deadline…late fees will be charged after this date.

Resources

• Excelsior Scholarship
• College Board
• ACT
• FAFSA Application
• NYS Higher Education Services Corp.
• FinAid
• FastWeb Scholarship Search
• Petersons
• SUNY
• Mapping Your Future
• Financial Aid Calculator
• United States Department of Labor
• O*Net Resource Center
• My Future

contact us

To email an employee, use the
email listed, followed by @kingstoncityschools.org

Grade 9 Team

Lindsay Hulbert
School Counselor
Email: lhulbert

Andrea Tresaloni
School Counselor
Email: atresaloni

Patricia Wolff
Secretary
845.943.3721

Grade 10 Team

Kelly Leprohon
School Counselor
Email: kleprohon

Michelle Drewnowski
School Counselor
Email: mdrewnowski

Tara Rogerson
Secretary
845.943.3723

Grade 11 Team

Joanna Lacy
School Counselor
Email: jlacy

Scott Ricketson
School Counselor
Email: sricketson

Pamela Pece
Secretary
845.943.3722

Grade 12 Team

Alan Aidala
School Counselor
Email: aaidala

Karen Madonna
School Counselor
Email: kmadonna

Angela Cecelia
Secretary
845.943.3720

403 Broadway
Kingston, NY 12401

Phone: 845.943.3970
Fax: 845.331.1628

KHS CEEB Code: 332705