The Latest With BRACE

Twitter Cypress Bay BRACE...now you can get up-to-the-minute information about Cypress Bay BRACE Department @cypressbaybrace

Yay! Cypress Bay BRACE has a Facebook page.
Visit us on Facebook at Cypress Bay High BRACE

Cypress Bay students on Florida College Tour. Students visited UCF, UF, FSU, UNF and USF. We had a blast!

Several colleges will be visiting next week. Please come to the BRACE Office if you are interested in meeting the representative.

Tues., Feb. 21 at 10:00 a.m. -- Binghamton University
Tues., Feb. 21st at 11:00 a.m. -- FIU
Wed., Feb. 22nd at 1:00 p.m. -- Chatham University

Graduation 2012 ~ June 3, 2012 - 3 PM ~ Bank United Center

Attention all Students: Cypress Bay is offering discounted classes for the SAT and ACT starting soon. Don't miss this opportunity. Attached are the flyers SAT (SAT LINK) and ACT (ACT LINK). For more information, contact the BRACE Of

Hi Seniors,
It is now time to begin your federal financial aid applications. If you know anyone who ever got financial aid (pell grants, great terms on loans, work study...), they got it because they completed the FAFSA financial aid form.

FAFSA, which opened on January 1, stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Click here for additional instructions.

A representative from the Department of Education gave a presentation this month on FAFSA, Bright Futures, Scholarships and Financial Aid. A copy of the presentation is included. Click here for presentation.

Mark your calendars!
Many exciting things coming up....

March 22nd -- 6:30-8:30 p.m. -- Beyond the Bay -- Our 3rd annual program on everything you need to know to transition to college. 14 breakout sessions on what college admission officers are looking for, taking the SAT or ACT, writing the perfect college essay, math, science and engineering majors, and many more! Information from the experts! Don't miss it!

BRIGHT FUTURES DAY -- All seniors are encouraged to stop by the Dell Lab (Media Center) on Friday, February 10th all day and sign up for Bright Futures. We will provide step-by-step instructions and the BRACE Advisor will be available to answer any questions.

BRIGHT FUTURES is HERE!! Effective immediately, all seniors should sign up for Bright Futures. The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program is to reward students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funding to attend postsecondary education in Florida. This year, there are new requirements: students are now required to submit a complete, FAFSA in order to be eligible for Bright Futures (no FAFSA = No $). Also, there is an increase in community service requirements for all three Bright Future levels. For step-by-step instructions on how to sign up for Bright Futures, please come to the BRACE Office. Students MUST sign up by graduation day in order to receive the scholarship!!! The web site is www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org

Attention Seniors: This is a very important time of the year for you. You should be stopping by the BRACE Office at least once week. Please make sure you are well underway in the college application process and are working on your essays, letters of recommendation, and SAT/ACT scores. Remember, if you are looking for scholarships, your scores for SAT/ACT need to be in by November. Test dates and registration information for SAT and ACT are on the BRACE website. We will be offering SAT and ACT review classes starting next month. Remember, many of the Florida school deadlines are approaching. Please refer to the BRACE website or stop by the BRACE Office and see Mrs. Bush for more information.

Attached is the SAT and ACT test schedule for 2011/2012. (Click here) PLEASE KEEP THIS!!! Hopefully, students interested in admission to any 4-year university have already taken these tests AND sent scores to colleges. However, you might still be asked to re-test by the universities if your scores do not meet their criteria. I highly suggest all of you sign up to take the first few SATs and/or the first few ACTs. As you know, it is extremely important to send your scores to up to 4 universities each time you register to take the tests (you can do this at no cost if you choose this option when you register online for each test). Schools DO NOT judge students on bad scores, they only look for the highest score in each discipline. It is much more efficient to send scores each time you register. That way, the universities will have multiple tests on hand in which to find your highest scores.

If you are on free or reduced-price lunch, you are entitled to receive test fee waivers. You are also eligible to receive application fee waivers. Please come to my office for these waivers.