Important Information for Seniors and Parents

Whitefish High School

Counselor Connection

Greetings seniors and families. What a great first few weeks of school! It's exciting to have the energy of all of the students back and to welcome the class of 2023 as SENIORS!

We are also excited to welcome Michael Tompkins to the counseling team this year. We asked Mr. Tompkins to give a little introduction...

Hello, I am Mr. Michael Tompkins and I am excited to start this next chapter of my counseling career at Whitefish High School. I started out as a counselor for the Job Corps Program and then in 2013 received my Masters in Education and worked as school counselor for 9 years in Washington State at Curtis High School.

As a child growing up in the Flathead Valley and graduating from Columbia Falls High School, I knew at a young age that I wanted to work with youth providing them with support and resources so they can grow to be tomorrow's leaders and decision makers.

I have a wonderful wife Kara who is a nurse and two children Taylor and Torrey. As a family we enjoy the outdoors, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and tubing.

I am looking forward to being a part of the Whitefish High School community.

Thank you Mr. Tompkins! We are happy to have you as part of the WHS team and look forward to learning from your years of experience in school counseling.

If you have any questions for the counselors, please reach out using the contact info at the bottom of the page or see us at one of our upcoming evening events. Thank you!

Mr. Lingle, Mrs. Marshall, and Mr. Tompkins

In the near future

September 20th: Jostens will meet with the seniors during Flex 1 to go over cap and gown ordering and give information about senior announcements. Orders will be collected on October 7th during Flex 1.

September 28th: Senior and parent informational meeting at the WHS Cafeteria at 6:00pm. Topics include college applications and senior year calendar. Remote option will be available (and hopefully a recording) - details coming soon!

October 1st: The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) becomes available. See information for links and resources below.

October 1st: Housing applications at Montana State University are OPEN. Students can select residence hall choices as well as meal plan options. These applications are on a first come-first served basis. MSU Requires a $300 deposit which is deducted from the student's bill in the fall if they attend MSU. Click HERE to access the housing page. Applications open as early as 8:00am and the two most popular dorms can fill within the first hour of reservations! If you know you will attend MSU, apply for housing early! It is recommended that students be accepted to the university but not necessary to apply for housing (according to the housing office).

October 3rd: Housing applications at the University of Montana are OPEN. Students can select residence hall choices as well as meal plan options. These applications are on a first come-first served basis. U of M Requires a $200 deposit (deducted from bill later if the student attends). Click HERE to access the application.

October 7th: Jostens will collect cap and gown orders during Flex 1.

October 7th: Deadline to register for the November 5th SAT at Whitefish High School.

October 4th - 15th: Montana College Application Week. All seniors in Montana are invited to apply to one of the campuses of the Montana University System for FREE! (Details below)

October 26th (Wednesday): FAFSA Completion Night - Get help with the FAFSA!

H.S. Cafeteria: 6:00-7:00pm This session is for anyone wanting assistance with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Stop by for individual assistance or to ask questions! An FSA ID is important prior to starting the FAFSA application. Look below for more information.

Ongoing: ACT and SAT testing information on this WHS webpage.

Seniors who want another opportunity to take a college admission test can sign up for the Saturday, November 5th SAT at WHS. This is optional but may be a convenient opportunity for those who want to see if they can improve their scores from last spring. The cost for the test is $60. Students must register through the SAT site (see link below). Registration is not available through WHS.

SAT Dates and Registration Page

Nov. 5th SAT

will be available at WHS!

Registration is open now.

~50 seats available~

College

Application +

Week

All applications during College Application Week are FREE to 16 Montana colleges and universities! College Application Week will run from October 3rd through October 14th this year.

Click here for more information on College Application Week and to apply using the new Apply Montana application!

Explore programs and costs specific to Montana universities HERE.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA is available

starting October 1st!

Now easier than ever to complete!

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the way to apply for federal assistance including grants, loans, and work study! Thousands programs use the FAFSA to provide financial aid! Look below for more information on completing the FAFSA!

What you Need:

An account (FSA ID): Students and parents both get this here:

Once you have your FSA ID, you can start the FAFSA form. Click here to get started. Or, you may want to get the Federal Student Aid App for iPhone or Android.

Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)

Your parents’ Social Security numbers.

Your driver’s license number if you have one

Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
IRS 1040

Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds

Important note: The FAFSA does not include the home in which you live or business and farm assets for your family!

Have Questions about completing the FAFSA? Use this Montana University System page to learn more or contact any of the Montana University Financial Aid offices. Here are the phone numbers. They have been very helpful in the past, especially when families have special circumstances. Here is a link to the 7 Things Needed to Before Completing the FAFSA.

Want to learn more about colleges around the country but don't have the time to travel to them all? Click on the image above to sign up for this upcoming NACAC virtual college fair.

(National Assoc. for College Admission Counseling)

Here is a VIDEO describing how the virtual fair works.

Virtual events got you down? You can go to the in-person National College Fair in Spokane on Tuesday, November 1st! Here is a link for information about the Spokane fair.

Connect with a Counselor!

406.862.8600

Michael Tompkins (Last names A-G)

tompkinsm@whitefishschools.org / ext. 463

Lyndsey Marshall (Last names H-N and WIHS)

marshalll@whitefishschools.org / ext. 475

Ross Lingle (Last names O-Z)

lingler@whitefishschools.org / ext. 434

If you have any questions about the content of this newsletter or suggestions for future content, please contact Ross Lingle at lingler@whitefishschools.org.

Check out the WHS Counseling Page for lots more information!

Whitefish High School | Website

Enjoy your day!