As the leaves turn and the season shifts, autumn offers us a gentle reminder that learning and personal growth are continuous journeys. In September and October, the School Counseling Team is excited to connect with our students through classroom guidance lessons. Our mission is to meet students right where they are by assisting freshmen with their transition into high school, equipping underclassmen with effective academic strategies and opportunities to engage in clubs, athletics, and extracurriculars, and providing college and career counseling for our seniors.
We also also want to recognize changes in the Guidance Department as we welcome our newest school counselor, Ms. Barbara Buchanan and secretary, Rose Salcedo to the team! Ms. Buchanan is working with students with last names He-Le and the AICE cohort of students, L-Z. Ms. Salcedo is located in Rm. 5-216 along with Ms. D'Ascheberg. We also congratulate our previous Guidance Secretary, Ms. Mallory D’Ascheberg, as she moves into her new role as the MHS Registrar.
It is our hope that our students will embrace this season of curiosity, stay focused on their goals, and remember that every small effort they put in today builds the foundation for great success tomorrow!
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From October 1st - 16th, the School Counseling Team will be providing classroom guidance presentations to all 9th -11th graders through English Language Arts classes. These presentations are customized to each class and include college & career and grade level specific preparation. The presentations will be posted to the ELA teachers Schoology pages, so that students and parents can refer back to them as needed. Students that do not have an ELA class at MHS can view the College & Career Prep video and resources on the MHS Guidance page. |
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On September 14th and 15th, the school counselors completed senior college & career prep presentations through Government/Economics classes. We are currently meeting individually with every senior to support them in meeting their post secondary goals. The College & Career Prep Video, slide deck, and prep packet are posted to the MHS Guidance page so that students and parents/guardians can listen to and refer back to them as needed. |
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Daytona State College Senior Admission Day is coming up!
DSC Advisers will be in the MHS Media Center on Thursday November 12th from 8:10am - 2:50pm to assist seniors who plan to attend DSC after graduation. They will help you to complete your admissions advising session and understand the enrollment process. Please note - This event is for 2027 high school graduates and is by appointment only. Please click HERE to make an appointment for your Advising Session. Please visit Ms. Salcedo, the Guidance Secretary, in Rm. 5-216 to pick up a pass for your scheduled appointment time. If you have not done so already, please complete your Online Admissions Application before arriving at your scheduled advising appointment. Apply now with the event code MATANZAS27 to have the $18 application fee waived.
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To decide on your post-secondary plans, start by evaluating your personal interests, learning style, and financial situation to match them with the right educational or career path.
Step 1: Assess your interests and strengths
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Reflect on passions: Think about subjects, hobbies, or activities you genuinely enjoy.
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Learning style: Decide if you prefer hands-on, practical work, or traditional classroom studying.
Resources: Take an interest inventory to match your styles and strengths:
Step 2: Explore your options
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Four-year university: Earn a bachelor’s degree for broad career preparation or specialized fields.
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State college: take gen ed or a 2 year associate degree at a lower cost.
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Trade or technical school: Learn a hands-on skill like welding, HVAC, or plumbing for workforce entry.
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Military: Enlist for career training, job stability, and education benefits.
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Workforce: Pursue paid apprenticeships or short-term training in phlebotomy, electrical work, HVAC, plumbing, etc for high pay without a degree. Seek entry level roles in customer service, hospitality, or administration that offer promotion tracks.
Resources: Search engines, exams and fairs
Step 3: Research the realities
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Check costs: Compare tuition, expenses, and student loan debt against salaries.
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Talk to professionals: Interview people working in fields you like.
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Look at job demand: Check if your path has strong local or national hiring needs.
Resources: Career data, salaries, job trends and outlook, and educational and required skills
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Seniors, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA "Bright Futures Application") opened on October 1st! Complete these application early!
Bright Futures Application (FFAA)
- Seniors MUST complete this application prior to graduation to secure any potential money! Completing the application opens an account to track your progress towards eligibility throughout the school year (follow the instructions in your Prep Packet). You need 100 volunteer and/or paid work hours posted to your transcript to meet the top award. See the Bright Futures site for eligibility requirements and details.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- The FAFSA takes about 30-45 min to complete. Seniors that complete the FAFSA early, typically receive better financial aid packages! See your prep packet for details and the FAFSA Help Center for support.
Scholarships
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Community Service/Work Hours are not needed for graduation, but most scholarships require hours to meet eligibility requirements
- Record your hours on the MHS log sheet and turn the sheet in to the Guidance Secretary, in Rm. 5-216 (It is your responsibility to keep a copy of your logs for your own records!)
- You can also pick up log sheets on the wall outside of Rm. 5-216 (Guidance Secretary/Registrar Office)
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Bright Futures - 100 volunteer and/or paid work hours needed
- Scholarship committees- Look for about 250 hours of varied volunteer service
- Visit flaglervolunteer.org for community service opportunities
- Complete the City of Palm Coast Volunteer Form for invitations to help out, meet new people, and earn service hours
- Join an MHS Community-Based club (ex. Interact or Key Club) - check out the MHS Activities page for details
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Colleges consider these exams for admissions, course placement, and financial aid decisions, even if the college is test optional.
Students who have not yet met their English Language Arts (ELA) and Algebra exams needed to graduate, can also meet these requirements with a passing concordant score on the ACT, CLT and/or SAT exams!
(ACT - 11th & 12th)
(CLT - 11th & 12th)
(SAT - 11th & 12th)
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Practice: See Classlink - Bluebook, Khan Academy & Khan Migo (AI powered Socratic tutoring); College Board
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PSAT: 10th/11th graders should take the PSAT at MHS on Wednesday 10/14/26
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Junior SAT: 11th graders should take the SAT at MHS on Thursday 3/4/27
Comparisons & Resources
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Early Action College Application: College early action windows are typically between August and prior to Thanksgiving Break with some application deadlines as early as October 15th.
How to Apply: Apply directly through the college website or use Common App: Invite your counselor and teachers, ensuring email addresses are spelled correctly. Your invitee will not receive the invitation if the email is spelled incorrectly. Please see the Common App Guide for First Year Students for help
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Please always consider college admissions deadlines and the time it will take for transcript processing and mailing
If the deadline is soon, priority mail the transcript yourself or drop it off at the college to ensure you don't miss the deadline!
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MHS - Complete the form on the MHS Transcript Request Page - Visit the Guidance Secretary in Rm. 5-216 for questions
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Dual Enrollment Students - Send your official transcript to your prospective college(s) through the college’s website that you’re dual enrolling through
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AICE - Visit the AICE Transcript Service site to send your transcript/test scores to your college(s) - Need your AICE Candidate # or have questions about the request or AICE program? Contact the MHS AICE Coordinator - Ms. Erin Davis (DavisE@flaglerschools.com)
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Advanced Placement - Login to your College Board account and send your official scores to your prospective college(s) from your account
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Matanzas High School offers FREE after school tutoring and test retakes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons! Students also have access to Khan Migo Tutoring through Classlink! Tutoring can offer more personalized attention, academic improvement, can improve study habits, and can boost confidence! Transportation is provided for students that live in the MHS zone. Parent permission is required for your student to participate in after school MHS tutoring and test retakes.
Parent Permission Form: Please complete the Parent Permission Form if you would like your student to participate. Pursuant to Rule 6A-10.089(5), Florida Administrative Code, Flagler Schools requires parent/guardian authorization before a student may participate in a school-sponsored event or activity.
Khan Migo Tutoring
Khanmigo is an AI-powered personal tutor. Students have access to Khan Migo through Classlink.
How It Works
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Socratic Method: Khanmigo uses guided questioning to help learners figure out problems on their own.
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Curriculum Integration: It is deeply integrated into Khan Academy's content library, so it understands the exact math, science, humanities, or coding exercise a student is working on.
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For Students: Provides 24/7 personalized tutoring, writing feedback that doesn't rewrite the student's work, code debugging, and interactive activities like debating historical figures.
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Participating in high school clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities is important because it builds essential life skills, improves mental and physical well-being, and strengthens future college and career opportunities.
Key Benefits of Involvement
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Leadership Growth: Taking on roles like team captain or club officer teaches students how to communicate, solve problems, and guide others.
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Teamwork and Social Skills: Working with peers toward a common goal fosters cooperation, builds lasting friendships, and creates a sense of belonging.
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Time Management: Balancing practices, meetings, and events with homework teaches students how to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
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Better Academic and Mental Health: Physical activity and creative outlets relieve stress, reduce boredom, and are statistically linked to better attendance and higher grades.
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College and Career Readiness: Admissions officers and employers value deep, passionate involvement because it demonstrates character, initiative, and responsibility.
Check out the MHS Activities & Athletics pages for offerings and information
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Open registration for the Spring 2027 semester will begin on October 29th 2026
Returning DE students
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Make an appointment and meet with a Daytona State College adviser prior to Oct. 18th, to review your “Falcon Flight Plan” (the plan that outlines your progression towards your AA degree) and also for course recommendations towards your intended major
- Visit the DSC course search when it opens to look up your course information including the class name, class number, session, and instruction mode - You will need that information when completing your course enrollment form
- Student is responsible for emailing their completed course form to DSC on Oct. 29th or earlier if eligible (see your Falcon account for the earliest date you can send your course enrollment form to DSC)
- Student is responsible for ordering their textbooks - please see the MHS Dual Enrollment Page for textbook ordering instructions - Please see the Guidance Secretary, Ms. Salcedo, in Rm. 5-216 for questions
New DE students
- Visit the Dual Enrollment Info site for information sessions, and a step by step guide on how to get started - MHS requires new students to participate in a DSC Info Session
- Now through October 18th - Application, Testing & Advising Window - New students must apply, take placement tests, attend an info and advising session, look up courses and complete and send their course enrollment form to DSC by October 29th
Course Enrollment Deadline - The Flagler Schools district approved deadline for Spring 2027 DSC registration is November 15th
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Learn about Daytona State College bachelor's and associate's degrees, certificates and workforce programs. Admissions, advising and financial aid representatives will be available.
Palm Coast Campus
Date: October 13, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Palm Coast Campus, Building 3
Advanced Technical College (Skilled Trades & Workforce Programs)
Date: October 8, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: ATC Center - 1770 Technology Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32117
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- Junior or Senior grade level
- 3.6 cumulative unweighted GPA or higher
- Complete the UF dual enrollment application
- Deadline to complete application and enroll in classes - November 6th 2026
- A minimum score needed in one of the following:
- ACT 22 Composite
- PSAT 10/NMSQT 1130 composite
- SAT 1100 composite
- CLT 11/12 - 72 composite
- CLT 10 - 83 composite
Important UF Dates:
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Deadline to apply and enroll: November 6
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First Day of Classes: January 11
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Add/Drop Deadline: January 15 by 5pm. Students can request changes without counselor approval prior to this date. After January 15, any course changes, including drops, require emailed approval from the counselor and will be considered an official withdrawal and recorded on student transcripts with a “W” final grade
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Withdrawal Deadline: April 9 by 5pm with counselor’s emailed approval
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Last Day of Classes: April 21
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Exam Week: April 24 - 30
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MHS School Counseling Team
MATANZAS HIGH SCHOOL
3535 Pirate Nation Way
Palm Coast, FL 32137
(386) 447-1575
mhspirates.com
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