Happy, Relaxing, and Healthy December Vacation to all!
ALL STUDENTS/PARENTS- CARETAKERS
The goals of the BHS Counseling/Guidance department and the school community overall is to encourage students to try their best in school while keeping their stress levels to a healthy level. If you are ever concerned about your student, please reach out to your student’s assigned school counselor.
This week is the WEEK B SCHEDULE
ALL STUDENTS/PARENTS- CARETAKERS
The goals of the BHS Counseling/Guidance department and the school community overall is to encourage students to try their best in school while keeping their stress levels to a healthy level. If you are ever concerned about your student, please reach out to your student’s assigned school counselor.
This week is the WEEK B SCHEDULE
We are continuing with the season of celebration and family time with Thanksgiving ending and holiday events on the horizon for many students and their families. These times can represent joy for many and tough times for others.
In addition, this time holds stress and anxiety for many students, especially 65% of our BHS seniors who are awaiting early application decisions from many colleges. Please be thoughtful and caring as we support our young people in their acceptances and happy times, and encourage and support students with not–so-positive stories. We are a rock-solid community for all our students and families.
BU Summer Pre-Med - “pre-med” program at BU School of Medicine for high-school students called BU-Introduction to Careers in Medicine (BU-ICM). For Summer 2020, it will be run as a 1-week program. Please see attached flyer - BU-ICM Flyer 2020 – for more information.
Also Summer 2020 Program Harvard Medical School MEDscience and MEDlabs programs - attach attached flyers for more information.
The midpoint of Quarter 2 is this Monday, December 16 with IPRs being uploaded to portals this Thurs 12/19.
2019-2020 Technovation Challenge for Young Women
The Technovation Challenge (https://technovationchallenge.org/) is an entrepreneurship and app-development challenge that, '...equips young women (ages 10-18) to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. With the support of volunteer mentors, girls work in teams to code mobile apps that address real-world problems.' Brookline High School is again organizing Technovation teams this year for the 2020 challenge, which over the past decade has included 23,000+ girls from 100+ countries — some of their experiences are shown in the 2015 movie http://codegirlmovie.com/.
There are informational meetings for any who might be interested in learning more right after school Monday, 2019/12/16 3:00 - 3:30 and during X-Block Wednesday, 2019/12/18 10:30 - 11:00 in room UA-33. If you decide to participate in Technovation, the minimum commitment is two hours weekly after school from right after winter break until April vacation. Please come to one of the meetings (and bring your friends) to find out what it's all about! You, too, can develop a mobile app and a business plan to help solve a community problem and pitch your idea to the world. For more information, contact BHS CTE teacher Mr. Petty <david_petty@psbma.org>.
You can change the world!
BHS Guidance Nursing Career Coffee Talk follow up – The BHS Career Counselor Kate Cordner Kennedy would like to thank the 15+ students who attended the 12/2019 presentation. Here are some resources about a nursing career:
- https://www.registerednursing.org/nursing-careers/#top
- Coffee Talk resource slide attached
The Caron Center has offered presentations on the dangers of vaping to both Brookline parents and students over the past year. Caron’s new digital learning courses are now available. You will find links to all the courses through Caron's Digital Learning page on their website. Please use the links below to access the individual courses and feel free to share with others in our community:
CONNECT 5: Find the NicoTEEN-Free You! CONNECT 5 is a nicotine reduction and cessation digital experience designed to help youth make a positive impact on their health. This course motivates youth towards change and assists them in developing a personalized plan for success that is unique to their needs and situation. For schools, parents, and students, CONNECT 5 fills a critical need in addressing the widespread abuse of nicotine vaping and other tobacco products among youth.
PREP: Prevention Resources and Education for Parents/Caregivers Parents and caregivers are the most powerful influence in deterring their children from alcohol, nicotine, and other drug use. When parents/caregivers have skills, knowledge, and resources regarding substance use and prevention, their influence on their children’s actions and decisions increases. This program for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers provides information that research shows can reduce the chances that young people will engage in substance use.
UPDATED BHS Clubs/Organizations Info for students:
BHS Marketing Club - The Brookline Literacy Partnership Club is holding a silent online action the date TBA. The proceeds will go to building libraries in underdeveloped areas. Stay tuned for the link to the auction!
Interested in Medicine? Come to Medical Club in room 378 - Meets X Block in Week A Only.
- Talks by health professionals who will speak about their field in medicine that will provide information like: what's it like to be a doctor, information about their certain field, what medical school is like, and what you need to do in order to accomplish your dreams!
- Fundraisers!
- Hosting events as a club for the school
- Field Trips**
- Snacks will be provided!
This is a great way to explore your passion for medicine! Want to be added to the email list for updates? Email: 22katwag@brooklinek12.org
Lunch Lounge is now scheduled FOR ALL LUNCHES EVERY WEEKDAY in Room 277 at the 115 campus and LUNCHES on Tuesdays at the OLS campus. This alternative lunch space offers a place for fun conversation, a board game competition, or having a quiet lunch. BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH. Any student can join for one lunch lounge or become a regular.
SENIORS
Check out the December Scholarship Letter for all seniors and their families! Every senior should apply for BHS Scholarships using the instructions in this letter, plus other scholarship resources are listed. Pay attention to due dates for various scholarships, especially the Northeastern and Boston Univ scholarship applications due ASAP and the overall BHS Scholarship due April 1, 2020. See attached letter. Update re: scholarship info for Jim Glaser Law annual $1,000 scholarship application available to college students in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or New Hampshire who have been accepted to or are currently enrolled in a 2-year college or 4-year university with a GPA of at least 3.0.They have graciously decided to extend the application deadline from December 31st to March 31, 2020 to allow students more time to solidify their fall plans.
SENIOR PORTRAITS--THIS THURSDAY 12/19 - Prestige Portraits will be returning to BHS for Senior Portraits on 12/19. Students MUST have a reservation in order to be photographed that day. Sign up here.
READ YOUR EMAIL IF YOU HAVE APPLIED TO COLLEGE! Set up and check your portal for each college. If you have questions, students (not parents) should be contacting the admissions offices!
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 Kennedy, the BHS Career Counselor in Room 279 or 280 for more info. If she is not available when you stop by (since she is also working with 9th graders at the OLS campus), please leave her a note!
Transcript release / Teacher-Counselor Recommendation Deadlines
To best support every senior in their college admissions process, we require that all seniors meet the deadlines below for communicating to both teacher and counselors re: recommendations.
UPDATE: If you have college applications with January 1 deadlines – your transcript release form and other important documents are now overdue. Please note that counselors, teachers, support staff are not available over the December break to send out documents if they come in very late. We’ll do our best to send materials before we leave this Friday 12/20.
You must remember to complete transcript releases to your counselor by BHS deadlines and do the FERPA and “matching” steps with your Naviance and Common App accounts.
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
Seniors - Have questions about your Common Application? Need essay help? Not sure how to send your scores to colleges? Having trouble matching your Common App to Naviance? Still deciding on colleges to apply to?
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.
Naviance access for BHS parents/guardians - BHS does not provide separate parent accounts to Naviance. Parents are encouraged to use their students' username and passwords. It is
possible to log in to naviance as BHS guest, click on "Log in as Guest" from the Naviance website and the password is "bhs" (all small letters).
JUNIORS
1) Your Naviance account has been updated with your GPA and your assigned counselor for this school year. Please check that it is correct. If you do not remember your Naviance login, talk to your counselor or email Mr. Libenzon (lenny_libenzon@psbma.org)
2) Thinking about your next steps in terms of college admissions? Take a look at our Junior year timeline at the BHS Guidance Website. Google BHS Guidance, then click on Junior & Senior Year Timeline (http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/guidance)
3) Junior Seminar Round 1 will happen in Advisories and H blocks through January/early Feb
Junior Seminar Round 2 will happen in March during MCAS mornings. More details on times/dates to come soon!
PSAT results are now available online via the College Board website. College Board accounts should have been created by students, so we have no way of knowing their username/passwords. If a student cannot access their account, they should try the "forgot the password" feature first. If that doesn't work, Lenny Libenzon can help students with access when they drop by College-Career Center 279 or his office 280. Last year, issues arose when a student's parents used their own emails to create the account.
This Thursday, 12/18 X block in College-Career Center Room 279, Mr Libenzon will conduct a quick overview of how to interpret your PSAT scores. You are welcome to stop by and ask any questions.
College Admissions Testing Prep suggestions:
SAT? Go to Kahn Academy on the College Board website for specific help related to your individualizes PSAT score results… and it’s free!
ACT? Check out the ACT Academy on their website.
BHS does not endorse any college admissions test prep company but here is some information you may find helpful - Summit offers free proctored practice tests every weekend in their Newton office, both with regular and extended time. Here is the link for the schedule of our upcoming test dates and locations:
https://mytutor.com/one-on-one/free-practice-tests/
Additionally, we can mail students a practice test if they are unable to make it to one of our testing locations.
Rob Fisher
Assistant Director of Educational Partnerships
Summit Educational Group, Inc.
61R Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458
P: 617.831.4375
O: 617.581.6249
SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS
Thanks to many students and parents/guardians for attending the BHS Counseling/Guidance Dept Junior Year Post High School Planning Timeline and College Admissions Testing Overview presentations offered this past Thursday 12/12/19. Drew Heilpern from Summit Educational Group spoke about the different types of standardized tests that our juniors/seniors take (SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, AP). Please note that BHS does not specifically promote any outside testing prep companies, but appreciates their information sharing for this event.
If you could not attend, you can download the powerpoints from both presentations here. We also have extra copies of the informative Summit Educational Group College Admissions Testing information booklet. 10th and 11th graders can come by the College/Career Center (279) or Lenny Libenzon’s office (280) for a copy.
http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/uploads/8/0/1/5/801512/summit_presentation.pdf
http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/uploads/8/0/1/5/801512/2019_december_junior_presentation.pdf