​BHS Guidance/Counseling Dept – Week of March 18, 2019

Grade 9, 10, 11 Students  - Course Request Information 
– STUDENTS - Add elective and wellness course requests to portal until end of day this Thursday 3/21
 
From Mr. Mason, Assistant Head of School: The student portal continues to be open for course registration for the 2019/2020 school year. The deadline for student course requests is Thursday, March 21. You can also watch a short video explaining the course selection process at: https://youtu.be/NksLUjRkWx8
Please spend some time until this Thursday March 21 reviewing these important decisions with your child to help choose a strong schedule for next year. Students should also speak to teachers and counselors for course selection advice. Again this year we have asked teachers to spend more time on the “comments” attached to the course recommendations. These comments should give you and your child additional information helpful in creating a balanced schedule. Please remember that students are responsible for knowing and meeting all our graduation requirements.
The course selections that you make this month determine how we staff the high school. Therefore choose courses carefully and commit to those courses for 2019-2020 as there is not always room to make changes and switches later. Students overriding teacher recommendations must do so by April 2, 2019. To proceed with an override please have your child contact the guidance counselor.

New course highlights:
 
JUST ADDED…. New Career Tech Education course
** CE4500 Autonomous Robotics
Autonomous Robotics I is a project-based course where students develop computing and mechanical design skills and apply them to design and build autonomous robots that use sensors and actuators to perform simple tasks in response to their environment.
Students also explore ethical and aesthetic questions in robotics and computing as they apply to designing, building, and deploying their robots to solve real-world problems.
Skills developed in Autonomous Robotics I include: block- and text-based computing for embedded and robotics systems, mechanical design, autonomous goal planning & execution, sensor data acquisition & analysis, actuator control, error detection & recovery, etc.. Projects in Autonomous Robotics I include: maze solving, odometry, object identification & categorization, prosthetic & assistive technologies, wearables, kinetic sculpture & lighting, etc..  Students interested in pursuing robotics throughout high school can elect Autonomous Robotics more than once, with skills developed in one semester applied to projects in subsequent semesters.
Level: N Grade: 9-12
Prerequisite: Exploring Computer Science or Introduction to Computer Science Credit: .5
 
 
Wellness
** Advanced Swimming and Lifeguard Training – will run 2Xwk for one semester
This course is divided into two focus areas: advanced swimming and lifeguard training certification. For students interested in advanced swimming, the course will focus on a personalized swimming fitness program designed to improve swimming technique and endurance. For students interested in the lifeguard training certification, the course, guided by the American Red Cross, will provide the knowledge and skills of water safety and how to quickly and effectively respond to water emergencies to prevent or reduce drowning and injuries.
Periods Per Week: 2 Credit: .25 Prerequisite: Yes Limited to 15 students
Advanced Swimming
Prerequisites for Advanced Swimming:
o demonstrate at least two different types of swimming strokes for one length of the pool
o swim at least three laps consecutively
Lifeguard Training - Prerequisites for Lifeguard Training:
The candidate must:
o be 15 years of age on or before the start session.
o swim 300 yards continuously for at least 100 yards using the front crawl and breaststroke
o starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10 pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object, and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute and 40 seconds. 
** Advanced Wellness Course will run 2 days a week for the year
 
Career Tech Education (CTE)
Autonomous Robotics I – Check the online BHS Course Catalog on the BHS Homepage for more information

ALL STUDENTS/PARENTS
 
The recent college admissions scandal has shed some light on possible abuses and inequity in this often challenging process. BHS Guidance does its best to offer support and resources to all students in an ethical and caring way. Students have a responsibility to attend required seminars, reach out to BHS counselors and/or College Counselor Lenny Libenzon, and take responsibility for their post-high school planning process. If any student or parent has concerns about this process, please feel free to contact Darby Neff-Verre  at darby_neff-verre@psbma.org. Please read this article for an important perspective -
http://www.parenttoolkit.com/college-and-career/news/4-year-college/what-the-college-cheating-scandal-says-about-modern-overparenting
 
PTO Funding highlight...As part of the generosity of the PTO 2018-19 Guidance Fund, BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon and Darby Neff-Verre chaperoned 18 BHS juniors for a college visit to UMass Lowell on Wednesday March 6. This visit was an opportunity for these students to officially visit the campus and attend an information session, plus enjoy a hearty lunch in the campus dining hall. Many of these students had not visited a college campus officially before, so they were able to learn about this particular university and also begin to sort out what might be important to them as they consider college after BHS graduation. Thank you BHS PTO and parents who donate to the PTO Fund!
 
TRANSITIONING TO COLLEGE: EXPERT GUIDANCE AND ADVICE FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH ADHD, LEARNING DISABILITIES, AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (LEVEL 1) – see attached flyer for full day parent workshop in Newton, April 6, 2019, Sliding Scale Fee available. This workshop is NOT Public Schools of Brookline affiliated or endorsed.
 
Friday Lunch Lounge continues! AND NEW DAY ADDED FOR ALL LUNCHES THROUGH EARLY MAY! Thanks to the support of a few interns and our BHS nurses, we will be offering Lunch Lounge in Room 279 (College –Career Center) during all 3 lunches every Tuesday. BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH ON TUESDAYS!
Any student can join for one Tuesday or Friday lunch or become a regular. Pizza will continue at the Friday lunches only, plus time for fun conversation or space to have your own quiet lunch space. Please join us!
 
A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO PARENTING TEENS The BHS PTO presents Joani Geltman: Talking to Your Kids About Sexting, Drinking, Drugs, and Other Things that FREAK YOU OUT. April 3, 2019 at 7 pm in the BHS Auditorium. Joani Geltman, MSW, an expert in child development and parent-teen relationships, returns to Brookline for “A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens.” Using humor and more than 30 years of experience, Geltman shares stories and advice that defuse some of the anxiety parents feel as their children move through tricky developmental milestones. Parents will learn about setting realistic expectations and appropriate limits, social media “do’s and don’t’s,” and how to identify and deal with teen experimentation with sex, vaping, marijuana, and alcohol. Parents will head home with a greater understanding of their teen’s behavior and needs, as well as very practical parenting tools they can begin to use immediately. Please register for this free event.
 
Students, Taking APs, and Expecting Our Young People to be Perfect – Good article from online site Grown and Flown -
https://grownandflown.com/trying-perfect-killing-teens/


It's time to think about your summer plans! 
Please go to the BHS Guidance website for a helpful info sheet for many ideas (updated 1/31/19). Note that programs listed here are not all inclusive and do not suggest that Brookline High specifically endorses any program. Remember to read the intro at the top of the info sheet. See your counselor for more feedback or questions!
 Some suggested summer pre-college opportunities with financial aid available - http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/summer-pre-college-programs-2019/
Please note that attending a pre-college program at any particular college does not usually offer any special consideration during future admissions at that school.
 
JUNIORS AND SENIORS
 
As seniors make decisions about post grad plans and juniors continue research and attend this Thursday’s BHS College Fair, consider this -
https://www.mcmillaneducation.com/news-and-insights/wise-insights/why-rankings-are-rubbish-the-myth-of-prestige-2619
 
Post-Secondary Fair for Students who Learn Differently - March 28, Landmark School - info and great online resource - https://landmark360.org/2018/06/22/navigating-the-college-admissions-process-for-students-with-learning-disabilities/
 
Juniors/Seniors/and Parents-Caretakers - Mark your calendars for BHS Evening Panel Presentation on College Support for Students with Learning Differences – April 2, 2019, 7-8:30pm, MLK
 

SENIORS
 
College-Bound Support Group has started every Thursday, all three lunches in the College-Career Center, Room 279.
Hey Seniors! Are you...
Anxious about hearing back from colleges?
Nervous about the transition from high school? 
Stressed about making decisions?
Concerned about cost and finances?
Not exactly feeling any of these things but just want to talk?
Come to the College-Bound Support Group! Happening Thursday lunch blocks starting March 14th in the College & Career Center (Room 279). Bring your lunch and share your concerns and questions about all things college!

Mark your calendars for MA Educational Financing Authority’s Paying the Bill presentation – Wed April 10, 7pm, BHS Auditorium - Parents and students are invited to attend a free seminar on understanding financial aid award letters and making a plan to pay the college bill. This seminar is offered through MEFA, the Commonwealth’s authority on planning, saving, and paying for college. An experienced MEFA representative will provide an overview of the college payment process, including the details of financial aid award letters, using payment plans, different financing options, and how to minimize debt. Before the seminar, be sure to visit MEFA’s website — mefa.org — to download a copy of the seminar presentation in English or Spanish and explore other tools and resources to assist you in the college planning process. And make sure to bring your financial aid award letters to the seminar to get all of your questions answered after the presentation.
 
If your grade 12 student would like to apply for the BHS Scholarships but has not done so already, please have them submit their scholarship application ASAP. The application is easy to complete and can be found on the home page of the Brookline High School website. After completing the scholarship app, your student's CSS Profile (found on the College Board website) needs to submitted to the Brookline High School Scholarship Program - code 0424. Once students decide which college they will attend next year, they need to either email or bring a copy of their financial aid letter from that college to Ms. Whelan.
Questions? Please contact Ms. Whelan at her email - kathleen_whelan@psbma.org or drop off documents to her office is in room 317.
Please note: The Scholarship Committee would like parents/guardians to know that three criteria are used for choosing award recipients: academics, contributions and activities at BHS, and most importantly, unmet financial need. There are no merit scholarships per se given out through this program. To make fair decisions, the Committee requires that families fill out the CSS Profile financial aid form, available at CollegeBoard.com. Please use code #0424
 
College admissions decisions are now happening! Congratulations to students who are receiving good news! If you are still waiting or have concerns about your admissions decisions so far, please contact your counselor or Lenny Libenzon so we can work with you moving forward. Although waitlist numbers can change dramatically at the same school from year to year, see how many students were on the 2017-18 school year waitlist in this article - https://www.collegetransitions.com/waitlist-statistics
 
  
READ YOUR EMAIL IF YOU HAVE APPLIED TO COLLEGE! Set up and check your portal for each college. If you have questions, students should be contacting the admissions offices, not parents….. See this article for more info about documents to college - http://admitted.nacacnet.org/wordpress/index.php/2018/11/21/parents-before-you-yell-at-your-childs-school-counselor/
 
If you change your admissions requests or decide not to apply to a college on your original transcript release form, PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR COUNSELOR OR STOP BY ROOM 161 (Main Guidance Office) so we can update your requests.
  
Thinking about an alternative plan to 4 year college? You are not alone! Almost 10% of last year’s BHS graduates planned to attend a 2 year technical or community college, work full time, or considered the military. Please see Kate Cordner, the BHS Career Counselor, on Tues- Friday in Room 279 or 280 for more info. 
 

 
JUNIORS
BHS College Fair, this Thursday, March 21 – 6:30-8:30pm, BHS Caf – JUNIOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS/CAREGIVERS - We invite you to attend our annual BHS  College Fair, We will host over 100 colleges and programs from around the country.  This will be a great opportunity for you to meet with the representatives from a variety of schools and programs. Please come with an open mind. You might discover a great school you have never heard about!  List of current colleges/programs attached here and added to the BHS Guidance website… This list will be continually updated over the next week before the fair on 3/21.   Tips to get the most out of your College Fair experience – see this article - https://www.mefa.org/college-search-process-college-fairs/?utm_campaign=Guidance2018&utm_source=SchoolCounselorWave13&utm_medium=email&utm_content=CTA3
Another College Fair option - NACAC College Fair – Thurs 4/4 – 9-12, 6-8:30pm or Fri 4/5- 9-12 , Boston  Seaport World Trade Center
https://hub.nacacnet.org/viewtemplate?render=pdf&tid=a2K1a000000LuLU&id=a0k1a00000j344iAAA 
This Wednesday March 20 – Register for Kaplan’s SAT/ACT Combo Practice Test after school from 3-6:45pm. Students will have the opportunity to experience more than one college entrance exam in a single test experience. Results from each test provide a performance analysis for each exam, detailing a student's strengths and weaknesses, and can be used as an SAT and ACT score predictor prior to sitting for the actual exam. To guarantee a seat, please register:  https://www.kaptest.com/class/SKKA190014
BHS does not endorse any college prep testing company.


Free/ less expensive ways to prepare for College Admissions Tests -
College Board offers eight official SAT practice tests available for free, both online and on paper - https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-testsSFMC_cid=EM122966-&rid=46930439

Brookline Adult and Community Ed spring term begins Monday, March 25th and is offering 2 SAT classes. One is a class focused on test prep planning for both SAT and ACT and the other is a class that focuses on the actual test-questions, test-taking techniques, etc.
See these links:
https://www.campusce.net/brookline/Course/Course.aspx?c=3456
https://www.campusce.net/brookline/Course/Course.aspx?c=2841
 
 
Missed the rescheduled Junior Night for juniors and their parents/caretakers on Tuesday March 12?
BHS guidance presented information about post high school planning with a focus on the college search and application process.  Go to the BHS Guidance website for this year’s power point and video from last year’s presentation.
Juniors- Starting to research colleges? Wondering whether to take the SAT, ACT, or go test-optional? Thinking about when you should take these tests? Make an appointment with your counselor (email or leave a note, if needed) OR see Mr Libenzon, BHS College Counselor, in College-Career Center 279 or office 280
Good article on Paying for College questions – 7 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Paying for College  - https://grownandflown.com/seven-most-frequently-asked-questions-paying-for-college/
 
“Is it a Scam?” – Scholarship and other financial aid scams - Federal Trade Commission - http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0082-scholarship-and-financial-aid-scams 
Beware of scholarship and other financial aid scams! This website can help you spot scams and avoid wasting your money.
 
College Applications and SAT/ACT essay – to take or not to take?
SAT essay info:
https://blog.prepscholar.com/schools-that-require-the-sat-essay
 ACT essay info:
https://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-list-which-colleges-require-act-writing-all-schools
 
Can going test optional help support diversity on college campuses?https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/26/604875394/study-colleges-that-ditch-the-sat-and-act-can-enhance-diversity?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180426
 
 SOPHOMORES 
Missed the Jan 16, 2019 Gr 10 PTO/Guidance co-sponsored breakfast meeting on  "Next Steps to Junior Year and Beyond"? You can watch the presentation by BHS College Counselor and BHS Coordinator of Guidance/Counseling Darby Neff-Verre now -https://youtu.be/AwNAX95tMjA
 
PreACT score reports/ test booklets are now available for pick up at your counselor’s office.  Please do not miss any classes to pick up your materials. Thanks!
 
 
GR 9 STUDENTS
 
Dean/ PTO Gr 9 Parent Course Selection Meeting notes (January 24, 2019) - http://www.bhs-pto.org/uploads/1/0/9/0/10904053/bhs_sophomore_year_course_selection_meeting_notes.pdf