Counseling Department January Updates!

Posted Date: 01/09/26 (02:13 PM)

Counseling Corner

Silverton High School Counseling Department

January 2026

Chemeketa Scholars

Chemeketa Scholars is a scholarship that provides 2 years of free tuition at Chemeketa for seniors who have a 3.5 GPA (unweighted) at the end of their 7th semester. The application for Chemeketa Scholars will be accepted February 23 to March 6. Applicants should apply for Fall 2026 admission as soon as possible. Admission application review can take several business days and the process needs to be completed in order to submit the Scholars application. Students who apply for admission too late may not be able to meet the Scholars deadline. For more detailed information, please visit the Chemeketa Scholars Site.

Scholars applicants should also apply for the Oregon Promise Grant, in addition to filing the FAFSA or ORSAA. The Scholars award is stackable.

College Application Deadlines

College Application Deadlines are coming quickly!

🦆 University of Oregon (UO): Regular Decision – Jan 15

🐿️ Oregon State University (OSU): Priority Deadline – Feb 2

🏫 Private Colleges/Universities: Many fall between Jan 15–Feb 15 (check individual schools!)

🔔 Students going further away? Confirm deadlines NOW—some are as early as mid-January.

Finals Schedule

Finals will take place January 27th through January 29th. Please see the attached bell schedule and note the 2 hour late start for Wednesday 1/28 and Thursday 1/29. Finals expectations:

Students need to arrive on time for finals.
No finals will be given early. If a student must miss a final exam for a pre-arranged reason, they will be given an Incomplete and will need to make up the exam at a later time.
Students can meet with teachers for extra help beginning at 9:00am on 1/28 and 1/29. The building will be open at 7:30am for students who wish to work in the commons or library.

Student Grade Checks

With 2 full weeks left of regular classes and finals week at the end of the month, NOW is the time to be checking your student's grades in ParentVue. Here, you can find information on grades, missing assignments, and due dates. Every student also has access to StudentVue to see their grades. If you need access to your ParentVue account, please call the counseling office at 503-873-6331 X3799. Please talk with your student about their current grades and the importance of passing their classes!

Oregon Promise Grant and FAFSA

The Oregon Promise is a state grant that helps cover tuition costs at any Oregon community college for recent high school graduates with a 2.0+ cumulative GPA and GED® test graduates. Students must apply during their senior year or immediately after GED® test completion. The application is OPEN for the class of 2026! Funding amounts are not yet determined for the class of 2026, but SHS counselors encourage all eligible students to apply! The process takes about 10 minutes to complete. Log into your OSAC Student Portal account to apply today!

Reminder - Filling out the FAFSA or the ORSAA ASAP will allow you to get priority Financial Aid resources from colleges. If you need help filling out either, you can stop by the counseling office to meet with Mrs. White, or you can access online drop-in sessions on January 15th, 28th, or February 12th to get help from ASPIRE experts. Online ASPIRE drop-in session links can be found here:

Sophomore Updates

WCA Open House

Sophomore students (10th grade only) and parents who are interested in learning more about Willamette Career Academy are invited to attend their Open House event on February 10th. See attached Flyer/Photo for details. This is a limited entry program, meaning that only a small number of spots are available to SHS students for their 11/12th grade years. A 2 year commitment is required and students who participate in WCA attend half of their day at WCA and the other half at SHS.

PreACT Testing Opportunity in March!

Sophomore students interested in taking the PreACT this spring are encouraged to sign up in the counseling office with Mrs. Moore. The PreACT gives 10th graders an early look at the college readiness exam, offering practice on English, Math, Reading and Science with predictive scores to gauge future ACT performance. Students interested in attending a 4-year university or college are encouraged to sign up for this opportunity. There is no exam fee. The exam will take place during the school day in March, with the exact date TBD.

Sophomore Step Up - Monday, January 12th

On Monday, January 12th at 6:00pm, Mr. Wong will be hosting an evening workshop for 10th grade students and parents interested in learning more about college pathways.

The evening's agenda will include graduation requirement reminders, information on forecasting for junior year, a PreACT/PreSAT review, and planning ahead for post high school options (two year and four year colleges). If you have any questions please feel free to contact the SHS counseling department or check out our newly refreshed counseling webpage found HERE. Sophomore Step Up will begin at 6pm and will be held in the SHS Choir Room - E139. Hope to see you there!

SHS College Resource Site

Transcript Requests

SHS Scholarship Site