St. Ignatius

The Magis High School Program

The Magis High School Program is an academic, social, and cultural support program for students historically underrepresented at St. Ignatius and institutions of higher education. In addition to the academic and counseling resources that SI already offers all students, the Magis HS Program provides supplemental programs including mentorship, preparation for  college entrance, and cultural enrichment. The Magis Program exists to support St. Ignatius students who identify with at least one of the following criteria:

  • Students who are first-generation college-bound (neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree from a US college or university)
  • Students from low-income families
  • Students of color historically underrepresented in higher education

We hope to identify Magis-profile students as early as registration their 9th grade year. However, St. Ignatius students who meet at least one of the criteria above can join the program at any point during their time at SI. 

To Join or For More Information about the Magis High School Program

Please email Ms. Maricel Hernandez, Director of Community Engagement and Belonging, at mhernandez@siprep.org to enroll in the Magis Program or for more information.

Social-Cultural Support

The Office of Belonging, Equity, and Excellence provides opportunities for participants to find success during their time at St. Ignatius and ultimately in their higher education pursuits.

The Office of Belonging, Equity, and Excellence is a safe space for all, irrespective of difference. We provide students with a variety of resources and experiences that support their social-cultural and identity development, including but not limited to: Magis First-Year Retreat, Film Days, Meet and Greets, Community Building Activities, Workshops, Conferences and Presentations.

Preparation for College Entrance

The Magis College Advising Program provides support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. In addition to their assigned SI college counselor, students in the Magis Program are able to work closely with our Magis College Advisor, Mrs. Anna Maria Vaccaro, beginning as early as 9th grade.

The overall objective for all grade levels is for them to know a college education is achievable, affordable, and attainable.

  • Magis-profile students are presented with weekly workshops that focus on college and career exploration, enrichment programs and scholarship opportunities such as the Magis Summer College Bootcamp that provide a roadmap to understanding the financial aid and college application process.
  • Students also have the opportunity to visit local colleges and universities. In addition, during their Sophomore or Junior year, they are invited to participate in a four-day Southern California college tour. 
  • Six-week SAT Prep courses are offered to students in their junior year. Limited spots are available.

Please note: With the Distance Learning Model and the impact of Covid-19 on travel and group gatherings, our college tours, workshops, and SAT prep will be offered virtually until further notice.

Academic Support

Students are able to use the BEE office to study, complete assignments and projects, and seek academic support.  

Students who fall under a certain GPA are contacted by the Magis Academic Support Coordinators to create and sustain an improvement plan. These students are encouraged to take advantage of the resources that are available daily in the office. The office is open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Thursday and 9:20 am - 3:30 pm on Friday and is staffed by one of the BEE staff.

Our distance learning schedule is TBD. Please check back for updates as we begin the new school year.

Magis High School Support Programs

Magis College Workshops Fall 2018

Here are a few upcoming events for our Magis students this semester: 

  • Starting Sept. 12: Magis College Workshops - Band Room (every Wednesday during lower and upper lunch in the Magis Center)
  • Magis Parent/Guardian Q & A
  • CSU Kick Off Application
  • Magis Senior Family FAFSA Workshop - Library - 10 AM - 1 PM
  • Oct. 17-20: Magis Southern California College Tour - 10th and 11th grade Magis students encouraged to apply; more details to be announced.
  • Magis Bootcamp Day (all applications & financial aid forms for students) in the library - 2:30 - 4:30 PM

Please remind your Magis students to take advantage of additional support on Day I and Day II (1st - 30 minutes of every resource period) during drop in times for Magis College Advising with Mrs. Vaccaro! 

This Week in Magis!

 

Magis Southern California College Tour October 17-20, 2018!

On this tour we will be visiting an array of colleges and programs such as UC Santa Barbara, Loyola Marymount University, USC, UCSD, SDSU, and more. We will also visit The Museum of Tolerance.

Please follow us on Twitter or Instagram.

Magis weekly meetings are BACK!

  • Freshmen-Sophomore Magis College meetings during lower lunch in the Magis Center on Wednesdays
  • Junior-Senior Magis College meetings during upper lunch in the Magis Center on Wednesdays
  • Senior Magis College Workshops from 2:30 to 4:30 in the Magis Center on Thursdays

CSU Kick-Off Annual Workshop is back again! We will have Magis Seniors in the library ready to review and submit their CSU applications. Students will need to bring:

  • unofficial transcripts and grades from all high schools (9th - 12th)
  • parent's residency information - exact date when they resided in CA
  • family income and family size
  • major you will indicate on each college campus (some campuses like SDSU, SJSU "undeclared" majors are more competitive than others)
  • test date information form of payment either credit card, debit card or mail in a check - (fee waivers are only available via CSU campuses)

October 10, 2018 is a big day for everyone! Sophomores and Juniors are gearing up on taking their PSAT exams. So remember confidence is a key in achieving your dreams. Check out this video.

Quarter Break: October 17-21, 2018. Seniors this is a great time to visit campuses in person. If you can't get out of the Bay Area, consider visiting a small campus (Dominican, Notre Dame de Namur, Holy Names University), medium campus (Santa Clara, St. Mary's, Sonoma, CSU East Bay, USF, Stanford, CSU Stanislaus) and a large campus (UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, San Francisco State).

Go to the campus website and put in "visit" on the search menu to find how to schedule a tour and admission presentation. Feel free to go to their Student Union and have lunch or sit in a large lecture class especially at the public campus to get the vibe of a campus.

FAFSA Workshop

This is a supplemental workshop to help our Magis Senior families jump start their college financial aid workshops in addition to SI's workshop on October 26th from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The goal for this workshop is to provide an overview of all types of financial aid and help families to fill out the FAFSA form on siteBring the following:Student's FSA IDOne Parent's FSA ID. Bring asset information (amounts of savings, investment funds and other related accounts). Bring income information Know your social security number of the student and the parent filing. Know your college list that you are submitting the forms with. Bring a copy of your 1040 from from the 2017 filing year. Try to come together (one parent and one student). This NOT required but it helps the process.

SAT Prep

SOPHOMORES/JUNIORS: Don't forget to take 20 minutes a day to prepare for the PSAT test via Khan Academy. Juniors: remember how to link your old PSAT to get a customized study guide? Did you forget? Then look here. Sophomores: Here are more resources — www.satpractice.org.