We’re almost there! December school vacation is only 2 ½ school days away. Sending holiday cheer to all, no matter how you celebrate! Please find time to relax and be safe. Special schedule for this short school week - 12/21 will be a Thurs schedule and 12/22 will be a Friday schedule. Thurs/Fri (RF) cohort students will be in-person for the next 2 days. Wed 1/23 will be a regular Wed schedule with students and staff starting their December break at 12:15pm. See you all in the 2021 New Year!
STUDENTS Grades 9-12 - If you haven’t completed the Early Warning Data Panorama Survey #2, PLEASE TAKE 10 MINUTES TO DO THAT NOW! Several times a year our Early Warning Data Team surveys students on Panorama. Similar to the first opening days' survey, on this second survey we will ask you questions about how you think and feel. Your teachers, support staff (e.g., guidance counselors, social workers), and school leaders will be able to see your responses. There may also be times where we share your responses with your caregivers. Please respond honestly—there are no right or wrong answers! Please know that completing this survey is completely optional and your responses will not impact your grades.
We anticipate that this survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. You can access the link to the survey by using the following link (https://surveys.panoramaed.com/brookline/login). When prompted to enter a code, enter which is the year of your graduation, last name, and first initial (e.g., 28DoeJ). Please email Matt DuBois with any questions about taking this survey. THANK YOU!
STUDENTS Grades 9-12 - If you haven’t completed the Early Warning Data Panorama Survey #2, PLEASE TAKE 10 MINUTES TO DO THAT NOW! Several times a year our Early Warning Data Team surveys students on Panorama. Similar to the first opening days' survey, on this second survey we will ask you questions about how you think and feel. Your teachers, support staff (e.g., guidance counselors, social workers), and school leaders will be able to see your responses. There may also be times where we share your responses with your caregivers. Please respond honestly—there are no right or wrong answers! Please know that completing this survey is completely optional and your responses will not impact your grades.
We anticipate that this survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. You can access the link to the survey by using the following link (https://surveys.panoramaed.com/brookline/login). When prompted to enter a code, enter which is the year of your graduation, last name, and first initial (e.g., 28DoeJ). Please email Matt DuBois with any questions about taking this survey. THANK YOU!
FINAL NOTICE! From the BHS Nurses: As a reminder, a new state mandate requires that all students get a flu vaccine by December 31, 2020. Any questions should be directed to the BHS nurses’ clinics at OLS - [email protected]
and [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
9th, 10th, and some 11th graders – Need some extra academic support in almost any subject area? Your BHS peers are here to offer excellent tutoring help?
Virtual X Bock Homework Center is now open to 9th graders, sophomores and juniors!
The Homework Center is staffed by some extraordinarily supportive peer tutors who are strong in Math, Science, History and English. The Zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/98810954213?pwd=c01EdmVpYnVMZDNNTEhxWkpMd0tnZz09
Another way to get academic support…..If you would like a specific subject peer tutor, please contact your teacher or counselor to look into getting connected to a National Honor Society BHS senior.
Mental health Supports:
Students - Feeling down? Always anxious or worried? Concerned about someone else in your life – friend, family member? Not sleeping well because your mind can’t shut down? If these questions sound familiar, please don’t worry alone.
Guidance/school counselors and other clinical support staff at Brookline High are here to listen, assess, and support you so you are not carrying these burdens alone. Please reach out to your counselor. You can also reach out to a BHS faculty member (including Darby Neff-Verre – Coordinator of BHS Guidance/Counseling) to start the conversation about how we can help you build strategies or get connected to feel safe and better about your situation. Contact your counselor at their email, zoom visiting hours, or phone.
Family Support Groups offered by BRYT Central:
As a gift to caregivers during this very difficult time, the Family Engagement Team will be offering groups that will focus on mindfulness and tools to manage the holiday season on Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22 and Wednesday 12/23. These will be in place of the regular groups. Please see the attached ParentsSupportingParentsFLYER for holiday schedule changes.
Please join us for one or all of these fabulous offerings!
FYI - the regular weekly BRYT Central Parent Supporting Parents groups will be on hiatus until Monday Jan 4.
New Resource - DownDog is offering their yoga, HIIT and barre classes to teachers and students for free. Now they are offering a MEDITATION APP for free through the lockdown or at least July 2021 for ANYONE.
Need Support? Or Can You Offer Support?
How does Mutual Aid Brookline fit into winter holidays? MAB has been getting lots of December holiday gift assistance requests, so we put together a list of resources!
MAB's primary holiday gift resource is a facebook post in our public group, where folks can comment if they have gifts to give or if they're looking for a gift. That post is linked at the top of our holiday referrals google doc, which also includes information about local toy and clothing drives:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lsL4jGVwzfHNQr-nSdHhPrgWw1AmhGZQVtryEiR8RyM/edit?usp=sharing.
Please let us know if you have a program or drive in mind that we should add to this list: we want to get folks connected with resources. And keep in mind, we are always happy to help with subsidized grocery deliveries within Brookline/West Rox, if covering that expense will help free up $$ for folks to buy gifts for their families.
We recognize that these are only a few of the holidays that people celebrate. Please feel free to reach out to MAB when there are holidays you celebrate if they don't fall into the month of December!
Our delivery team is trying to get a sense of who will be around to lend a hand with grocery and medication deliveries during this crucial time! If you'll be in town, even if you're not sure how much you can help, please fill out this quick availability form: https://forms.gle/jQQ9iZvq9DBB6sKu5.
HandholdMA.org is a new online initiative from DMH/CBHI to provide comprehensive, accessible, multi-lingual mental health information for parents, caregivers, and families. Parents-caregivers know their child better than anyone. You may still have a few questions. COVID-19 is putting incredible pressure on families. You might be noticing your child is struggling in new ways, or that old problems are getting worse.
It answers common questions such as, 'Should I worry?' 'What can I do?' and 'Who can help?'
Here's the link: https://handholdma.org/
Winter Break Meals Schedule - December 2020 - Public Schools of Brookline
Please fill out the Winter Break Meal Order Form so we can get an accurate count. It will only take a few minutes and requires just one form per family (not per child). The form needs to be submitted by December 16th by 5:00pm, to allow us enough time to order and prepare the meals in time for the first distribution.
As we approach the upcoming Winter Break, the Brookline Food Service Department is getting ready to provide breakfasts and lunches to any students and families interested in picking up meals. Because we know the number of meals might pose a storage challenge in refrigerators and freezers, we will be distributing meals in TWO separate pickup times for winter break. To pick up meals to cover all eleven days of winter break, please select both pickup dates.
Pick up dates: Wednesday December 23rd (7 days’ worth of meals) and Wednesday December 30th (4 days’ worth of meals).
Pick up locations and times: https://publicschoolsofbrooklineschoolnutrition.com/
Reminder - Free breakfast and lunch items are available for FREE for ANY STUDENT in the school district for the remainder of the school year. If your student needs a breakfast or lunch, have them stop by the cafe at either 115 or OLS. Special order lunches can be pre-ordered at Meal Ordering Form
Questions/Concerns? Please contact directly with any questions/concerns/feedback - Sasha Palmer
Food Service Director Tel: 617 730 2499 Email:[email protected]
Brookline COVID Testing Site - Mondays through Saturdays - Department of Public Health**
**NOTE: subsidy program for uninsured residents!**
Where: outside the Public Health building at 11 Pierce St.
Who: town residents, Public Schools of Brookline students and teachers, town staff
Test type: PCR swab tests
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments can be made by booking online. The testing program will run until Dec. 31.
How much: COVID-19 testing for symptomatic individuals and close contacts is covered by insurance in Massachusetts, and should be billed to insurance by mPathy (the testing vendor). Uninsured symptomatic individuals and close contacts will have the cost of their test covered by the Town via CARES funding. Asymptomatic individuals will be required to pay $140. Asymptomatic individuals who seek testing may request reimbursement for the expense through their insurance company.**
More information: https://brooklinecovid19.com/2020/11/19/town-of-brookline-makes-covid-19-testing-free-for-uninsured-residents-who-have-symptoms-or-have-been-identified-as-close-contacts/
**Note: this service is not free under all circumstances. It has been included here as there are no-cost services included in the Town's offerings, depending on your insurance provider and now expanded with the uninsured testing subsidies. You can use this map from MEMA to locate other testing options:
https://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=eba3f0395451430b9f631cb095febf13.
Please contact your healthcare or insurance provider, or MAB if you don't have a provider, if you need further assistance finding a testing center. Whether or not to seek COVID testing should not be a financial decision!
Community Service Ideas:
Want to give back to your community? Spend some family time this vacation by doing community service together!
Other Community Service Ideas – BHS/ Brookline area:
BHS student leaders have started the Language Virtual club. They are a group of high school students who provide free, virtual tutoring sessions to students in Thailand and ESL students in Brookline. Don't worry, the students are proficient enough in English but they just need help with the conversational aspect.
Once a student signs up, they match them with a high school teacher, and the student can contact the teacher directly about scheduling. Usually the teaching sessions are only 30min long and you receive community service hours. You can view our website for more details and the sign ups pages: https://www.languagevirtual.org (Links to an external site.).
If you have any questions, feel free to message me at my email: [email protected]
Dance Marathon Club is holding a holiday fundraiser through December 23. Participate for the chance to win a $50 CVS gift card!
All proceeds from this fundraiser will stay local to fund critical treatments, healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care at Boston Children's Hospital.
Make your donation here: https://events.dancemarathon.com/event/holiday-raffle
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLCMA), a non-profit organization that connects available food to those who need it. Our online calendar posts available “Food Rescue Events” for volunteers to sign up to pick up food from businesses and deliver to organizations and households experiencing food insecurity in the Cambridge, Greater Boston and MetroWest areas, at no cost to the recipient. Lastly, thanks to the City of Boston, RLCMA can reimburse volunteers without their own vehicle for tolls or a cab/Uber/Lyft used for transporting food. Learn more about RLCMA: https://tinyurl.com/Welcome-To-RLCMA Sign up to volunteer with RLCMA: www.rescuingleftovercuisine.org/volunteer
Want to become a tutor? Join Study Buddy Tutoring! We're a non-profit tutoring organization seeking to educate and give back to underprivileged towns and neighborhoods in the greater Boston area. Why should you join:
1. We have students currently awaiting tutors.
2. Community service hours can be earned into school credits. (50 hours= 0.25 credits).
3. It looks great on college apps!
If interested in joining, please fill out this google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SwnI_ud2HSguKt9WJGH5f9I-m26iT2wESyJYZRHH0Rs/edit or email us [email protected]
Please note corrected email for any questions….Letters for Rose is a BHS student-run volunteer organization - We take letters, cards, and artwork made by volunteers and send them to Brookline senior homes. We want to make sure that the Brookline senior residents remember that they are loved and appreciated, especially during the pandemic. We need your help to make sure all those seniors know they are loved! Sign up using this form: https://forms.gle/KCVm6zS3SwoqKK7r5 or look at this document for more info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bSrdA_FLHPRQ8nuMO-o1-WU_9Wuim71t/view?usp=sharing We are also looking for BHS students for leadership roles! If you are interested in being more involved, sign up using this form: https://forms.gle/A4wM2DcwnMdq6KFh6 Please contact us if you need more information at [email protected] or DM us on Instagram: @lettersforrosema
Career Exploration at BHS:
AI Camp (www.ai-camp.org) is offering 10 scholarships for their Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceI lecture series. This lecture series is the same series that offered at Stanford University this summer and will introduce AI and careers in tech to you. No coding experience is needed. The opportunity is first-come, first serve. You can register it here: www.ai-camp.org/free-lesson. AI Camp is founded by Stanford Ph.Ds and advised by a Stanford Professor and CTOs in Silicon Valley.
SENIORS
“As you look back on your life, you realize that every time you thought you were being rejected from something good, you were actually being redirected to something better.”
Congrats to those who got the news they were hoping for!
To others did not get news from early application colleges - Grieve…then move on to other possibilities! If you need any guidance, please reach out to your counselor or BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon this Monday or Tuesday to discuss Jan 1 application issues.
Reminder - the BHS Deadline for Jan 1 and 15 college applications is now overdue. If you have not yet applied to any colleges AND want to be sure all of your BHS documents - teacher recommendations, counselor recommendation, and other required documents - are sent to the colleges you are applying to for January 1, 2021 deadlines, WE NEED YOUR TRANSCRIPT RELEASE FORM NOW and you need to be in contact with your counselor and teachers for recommendations! Counselors, teachers, and guidance department secretaries are not in the office during the December break from Wednesday 12/23 afternoon til Sunday January 3.
Reminder - ALL SENIORS MUST EARN WELLNESS CREDIT TO GRADUATE. Spring athlete Seniors who are NOT playing their sport should be scheduled in a Wellness Class now for Semester 2.
With so many seniors remote, we understand that many have decided not to participate on a sports team this year. Seniors are responsible to be in touch with their counselor and make arrangements to earn their final wellness credit to graduate from BHS.
The Brookline High School Scholarship Committee announces that applications are now available for tuition scholarships to Boston University (2 full-tuition renewable scholarships) and Northeastern University (2 half-tuition renewable scholarships). Applications are available online at the BHS homepage under Class of 2021 Scholarship Application. Applications for these need based tuition scholarships should be completed ASAP. Applicants must also submit the CSS Profile to the Brookline Scholarship Fund (CSS Profile code 0424) to complete their application.
The deadline for applying for BHS scholarships for students attending ANY OTHER college is April 1. Please use the same application as above.The Scholarship Committee would like parents to know that we use three criteria 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
Latest BHS December Scholarship Letter attached
Below is an example of another scholarship and remember many other students/ families can apply for through FREE scholarship search engines such as Fastweb.com or GoingMerry.com -
High school seniors nationwide who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship are invited to apply for the 2021 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program. This program annually provides college-bound students with $10,000 renewable scholarships – up to $40,000 total per recipient – and supports them as they lead and serve in college and beyond.
Applications for the 2021 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program are accepted until Jan. 5, 2021. Additional information, eligibility requirements, and a link to the application are available online.
This is a reminder to submit your portrait, baby picture, quote, and activities by January 31st. We are also asking for a selfie so we can create a senior class group picture. You can submit everything here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeT_pigMBuSmLHXsx14S5VL3EhFcsSz4Qnj-fG3bPt8t5qqSQ/viewform
Below, you will also find important dates and links to yearbook resources for ordering books, learning about senior portrait expectations, buying recognition ads, getting involved with yearbook staff and more!
If you would like to have your portrait taken at BHS, you can schedule a photoshoot with Prestige Portraits or emailing [email protected]
to set up an appointment with a student photographer.
If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]
Thinking of changing sending an ACT or SAT test score after you’ve applied test optional?
BHS Counselors are advising students to call each school that they are applying to ask how to manage shifting from test optional to sending scores because there does not seem to be common practice in admissions offices.
SENIORS – READ YOUR EMAILS!
ALSO BE SURE TO FOLLOW ANY APPLICANT PORTAL DIRECTIONS for colleges you will be applying to, if they have a portal protocol. Your efficiency in opening up these accounts after applying is sometimes monitored by admissions offices to gauge your level of interest!
MEFA financial aid events will all be online this fall. BHS Guidance partners with the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority (MEFA) each year to provide families with a wealth of financial aid information. This year, due to the global pandemic, MEFA will not be sending their speakers out to high schools. Please visit https://www.mefa.org/events to investigate upcoming webinars and take a look at their very informative website.
College Application Reminders:
Help the BHS counselors and teachers support your application process by meeting these deadlines. Submit your electronic transcript release forms, your self-questionnaire, your parent/caregiver’s “brag” sheet, and give notice to your teachers who have agreed to write recommendations for you.
If you have college application deadlines for 1/1 or 1/15 and you have not yet completed a transcript release request, please do this step and contact your counselor immediately to confirm. Also connect with your teachers regarding recommendations since you are behind in informing these critical BHS staff people who want to do their best to support your college application process.
College Deadline BHS Deadline
February 1 Wednesday January 6
February 15 Friday January 15
Seniors – When submitting your transcript release forms electronically, please:
JUNIORS and SENIORS
BHS Guidance and USA Gap Year are joining forces to offer the annual Gap Year Fair virtually this year on January 13, 2021 from 6:30-8:30pm. The event will start with a presentation about the gap year experiences, plus offer ideas to students about how to plan and afford this opportunity. Go to this link - https://bit.ly/37IjL83
See the flyer attached to this email for information as well.
USA Gap Year will continue to offer thematic webinars and panel discussions along with the January 13 event. These events will be posted here: https://www.gooverseas.com/gap-year/usa-fairs/schedule
JUNIORS
PSAT score report information - Mr. Libenzon, BHS College Counselor, talked to students about their PSAT scores during X block last Friday 12/11. If you missed the session, you can access it via this link:
http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/guidance/psat-score-report-presentation
https://psbma-org.zoom.us/rec/share/vSJTek1TxELvtPy3S3rro4TUc6qq2OT6BWp9gxzoQ1EooRAIv9NXO8p9f8OvmR4a.CYwOli4aaoj-dUlF
Passcode: !^?M100q
PSAT scores were shared on the College Board website earlier this month. Creating a College Board account will allow juniors to easily access their scores online and unlock a robust set of personalized resources to help them understand their scores.
Juniors - Please review your current unofficial transcript for any missing classes or errors. Contact your counselor with any questions or concerns.
It is your responsibility to be sure your transcript is accurate before giving BHS permission to send to any colleges or post HS grad programs.
You should be checking that you are earning all required credits towards graduation in June 2022.
English- 4 credits
Science - 3 credits
Social Studies/History - 3 credits including US History
Math - 3 credits (4 years required for UMass State colleges/universities)
World Language - 2 credits (same language)
Elective - 3 credits distributed across Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Career/Tech, Community Service
Wellness - .5 Lifetime Wellness, 3 - .25 wellness credits
+ additional credits to earn minimum total credits of 22
College Guidance Network has been offering regular webinars with college search and application themes that are pertinent to current pandemic times. These questions are discussed by various college admissions representatives who directly speak to these topics. Go to this link - https://www.collegeguidancenetwork.com/episodes - for archived webinars on topics such as:
and [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
9th, 10th, and some 11th graders – Need some extra academic support in almost any subject area? Your BHS peers are here to offer excellent tutoring help?
Virtual X Bock Homework Center is now open to 9th graders, sophomores and juniors!
The Homework Center is staffed by some extraordinarily supportive peer tutors who are strong in Math, Science, History and English. The Zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/98810954213?pwd=c01EdmVpYnVMZDNNTEhxWkpMd0tnZz09
Another way to get academic support…..If you would like a specific subject peer tutor, please contact your teacher or counselor to look into getting connected to a National Honor Society BHS senior.
Mental health Supports:
Students - Feeling down? Always anxious or worried? Concerned about someone else in your life – friend, family member? Not sleeping well because your mind can’t shut down? If these questions sound familiar, please don’t worry alone.
Guidance/school counselors and other clinical support staff at Brookline High are here to listen, assess, and support you so you are not carrying these burdens alone. Please reach out to your counselor. You can also reach out to a BHS faculty member (including Darby Neff-Verre – Coordinator of BHS Guidance/Counseling) to start the conversation about how we can help you build strategies or get connected to feel safe and better about your situation. Contact your counselor at their email, zoom visiting hours, or phone.
Family Support Groups offered by BRYT Central:
As a gift to caregivers during this very difficult time, the Family Engagement Team will be offering groups that will focus on mindfulness and tools to manage the holiday season on Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22 and Wednesday 12/23. These will be in place of the regular groups. Please see the attached ParentsSupportingParentsFLYER for holiday schedule changes.
Please join us for one or all of these fabulous offerings!
FYI - the regular weekly BRYT Central Parent Supporting Parents groups will be on hiatus until Monday Jan 4.
New Resource - DownDog is offering their yoga, HIIT and barre classes to teachers and students for free. Now they are offering a MEDITATION APP for free through the lockdown or at least July 2021 for ANYONE.
Need Support? Or Can You Offer Support?
How does Mutual Aid Brookline fit into winter holidays? MAB has been getting lots of December holiday gift assistance requests, so we put together a list of resources!
MAB's primary holiday gift resource is a facebook post in our public group, where folks can comment if they have gifts to give or if they're looking for a gift. That post is linked at the top of our holiday referrals google doc, which also includes information about local toy and clothing drives:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lsL4jGVwzfHNQr-nSdHhPrgWw1AmhGZQVtryEiR8RyM/edit?usp=sharing.
Please let us know if you have a program or drive in mind that we should add to this list: we want to get folks connected with resources. And keep in mind, we are always happy to help with subsidized grocery deliveries within Brookline/West Rox, if covering that expense will help free up $$ for folks to buy gifts for their families.
We recognize that these are only a few of the holidays that people celebrate. Please feel free to reach out to MAB when there are holidays you celebrate if they don't fall into the month of December!
Our delivery team is trying to get a sense of who will be around to lend a hand with grocery and medication deliveries during this crucial time! If you'll be in town, even if you're not sure how much you can help, please fill out this quick availability form: https://forms.gle/jQQ9iZvq9DBB6sKu5.
HandholdMA.org is a new online initiative from DMH/CBHI to provide comprehensive, accessible, multi-lingual mental health information for parents, caregivers, and families. Parents-caregivers know their child better than anyone. You may still have a few questions. COVID-19 is putting incredible pressure on families. You might be noticing your child is struggling in new ways, or that old problems are getting worse.
It answers common questions such as, 'Should I worry?' 'What can I do?' and 'Who can help?'
Here's the link: https://handholdma.org/
Winter Break Meals Schedule - December 2020 - Public Schools of Brookline
Please fill out the Winter Break Meal Order Form so we can get an accurate count. It will only take a few minutes and requires just one form per family (not per child). The form needs to be submitted by December 16th by 5:00pm, to allow us enough time to order and prepare the meals in time for the first distribution.
As we approach the upcoming Winter Break, the Brookline Food Service Department is getting ready to provide breakfasts and lunches to any students and families interested in picking up meals. Because we know the number of meals might pose a storage challenge in refrigerators and freezers, we will be distributing meals in TWO separate pickup times for winter break. To pick up meals to cover all eleven days of winter break, please select both pickup dates.
Pick up dates: Wednesday December 23rd (7 days’ worth of meals) and Wednesday December 30th (4 days’ worth of meals).
Pick up locations and times: https://publicschoolsofbrooklineschoolnutrition.com/
Reminder - Free breakfast and lunch items are available for FREE for ANY STUDENT in the school district for the remainder of the school year. If your student needs a breakfast or lunch, have them stop by the cafe at either 115 or OLS. Special order lunches can be pre-ordered at Meal Ordering Form
Questions/Concerns? Please contact directly with any questions/concerns/feedback - Sasha Palmer
Food Service Director Tel: 617 730 2499 Email:[email protected]
Brookline COVID Testing Site - Mondays through Saturdays - Department of Public Health**
**NOTE: subsidy program for uninsured residents!**
Where: outside the Public Health building at 11 Pierce St.
Who: town residents, Public Schools of Brookline students and teachers, town staff
Test type: PCR swab tests
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments can be made by booking online. The testing program will run until Dec. 31.
How much: COVID-19 testing for symptomatic individuals and close contacts is covered by insurance in Massachusetts, and should be billed to insurance by mPathy (the testing vendor). Uninsured symptomatic individuals and close contacts will have the cost of their test covered by the Town via CARES funding. Asymptomatic individuals will be required to pay $140. Asymptomatic individuals who seek testing may request reimbursement for the expense through their insurance company.**
More information: https://brooklinecovid19.com/2020/11/19/town-of-brookline-makes-covid-19-testing-free-for-uninsured-residents-who-have-symptoms-or-have-been-identified-as-close-contacts/
**Note: this service is not free under all circumstances. It has been included here as there are no-cost services included in the Town's offerings, depending on your insurance provider and now expanded with the uninsured testing subsidies. You can use this map from MEMA to locate other testing options:
https://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=eba3f0395451430b9f631cb095febf13.
Please contact your healthcare or insurance provider, or MAB if you don't have a provider, if you need further assistance finding a testing center. Whether or not to seek COVID testing should not be a financial decision!
Community Service Ideas:
Want to give back to your community? Spend some family time this vacation by doing community service together!
- Try checking out this link from the free resource Teen Life - https://www.teenlife.com/category/volunteer/volunteer-boston/
- Also you can check the BHS specific community service link advised by BHS staff member Lisa Gaffney ([email protected]). It is not updated but has some ideas which may still be timely- http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/community-service
- Holiday community service programs that are safe to do during the pandemic - https://blog.volunteercrowd.com/safe-holiday-volunteer-projects-for-students/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Thanksgiving&utm_campaign=November2020
Other Community Service Ideas – BHS/ Brookline area:
BHS student leaders have started the Language Virtual club. They are a group of high school students who provide free, virtual tutoring sessions to students in Thailand and ESL students in Brookline. Don't worry, the students are proficient enough in English but they just need help with the conversational aspect.
Once a student signs up, they match them with a high school teacher, and the student can contact the teacher directly about scheduling. Usually the teaching sessions are only 30min long and you receive community service hours. You can view our website for more details and the sign ups pages: https://www.languagevirtual.org (Links to an external site.).
If you have any questions, feel free to message me at my email: [email protected]
Dance Marathon Club is holding a holiday fundraiser through December 23. Participate for the chance to win a $50 CVS gift card!
All proceeds from this fundraiser will stay local to fund critical treatments, healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care at Boston Children's Hospital.
Make your donation here: https://events.dancemarathon.com/event/holiday-raffle
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLCMA), a non-profit organization that connects available food to those who need it. Our online calendar posts available “Food Rescue Events” for volunteers to sign up to pick up food from businesses and deliver to organizations and households experiencing food insecurity in the Cambridge, Greater Boston and MetroWest areas, at no cost to the recipient. Lastly, thanks to the City of Boston, RLCMA can reimburse volunteers without their own vehicle for tolls or a cab/Uber/Lyft used for transporting food. Learn more about RLCMA: https://tinyurl.com/Welcome-To-RLCMA Sign up to volunteer with RLCMA: www.rescuingleftovercuisine.org/volunteer
Want to become a tutor? Join Study Buddy Tutoring! We're a non-profit tutoring organization seeking to educate and give back to underprivileged towns and neighborhoods in the greater Boston area. Why should you join:
1. We have students currently awaiting tutors.
2. Community service hours can be earned into school credits. (50 hours= 0.25 credits).
3. It looks great on college apps!
If interested in joining, please fill out this google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SwnI_ud2HSguKt9WJGH5f9I-m26iT2wESyJYZRHH0Rs/edit or email us [email protected]
Please note corrected email for any questions….Letters for Rose is a BHS student-run volunteer organization - We take letters, cards, and artwork made by volunteers and send them to Brookline senior homes. We want to make sure that the Brookline senior residents remember that they are loved and appreciated, especially during the pandemic. We need your help to make sure all those seniors know they are loved! Sign up using this form: https://forms.gle/KCVm6zS3SwoqKK7r5 or look at this document for more info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bSrdA_FLHPRQ8nuMO-o1-WU_9Wuim71t/view?usp=sharing We are also looking for BHS students for leadership roles! If you are interested in being more involved, sign up using this form: https://forms.gle/A4wM2DcwnMdq6KFh6 Please contact us if you need more information at [email protected] or DM us on Instagram: @lettersforrosema
Career Exploration at BHS:
AI Camp (www.ai-camp.org) is offering 10 scholarships for their Introduction to Artificial IntelligenceI lecture series. This lecture series is the same series that offered at Stanford University this summer and will introduce AI and careers in tech to you. No coding experience is needed. The opportunity is first-come, first serve. You can register it here: www.ai-camp.org/free-lesson. AI Camp is founded by Stanford Ph.Ds and advised by a Stanford Professor and CTOs in Silicon Valley.
SENIORS
“As you look back on your life, you realize that every time you thought you were being rejected from something good, you were actually being redirected to something better.”
Congrats to those who got the news they were hoping for!
To others did not get news from early application colleges - Grieve…then move on to other possibilities! If you need any guidance, please reach out to your counselor or BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon this Monday or Tuesday to discuss Jan 1 application issues.
Reminder - the BHS Deadline for Jan 1 and 15 college applications is now overdue. If you have not yet applied to any colleges AND want to be sure all of your BHS documents - teacher recommendations, counselor recommendation, and other required documents - are sent to the colleges you are applying to for January 1, 2021 deadlines, WE NEED YOUR TRANSCRIPT RELEASE FORM NOW and you need to be in contact with your counselor and teachers for recommendations! Counselors, teachers, and guidance department secretaries are not in the office during the December break from Wednesday 12/23 afternoon til Sunday January 3.
Reminder - ALL SENIORS MUST EARN WELLNESS CREDIT TO GRADUATE. Spring athlete Seniors who are NOT playing their sport should be scheduled in a Wellness Class now for Semester 2.
With so many seniors remote, we understand that many have decided not to participate on a sports team this year. Seniors are responsible to be in touch with their counselor and make arrangements to earn their final wellness credit to graduate from BHS.
The Brookline High School Scholarship Committee announces that applications are now available for tuition scholarships to Boston University (2 full-tuition renewable scholarships) and Northeastern University (2 half-tuition renewable scholarships). Applications are available online at the BHS homepage under Class of 2021 Scholarship Application. Applications for these need based tuition scholarships should be completed ASAP. Applicants must also submit the CSS Profile to the Brookline Scholarship Fund (CSS Profile code 0424) to complete their application.
The deadline for applying for BHS scholarships for students attending ANY OTHER college is April 1. Please use the same application as above.The Scholarship Committee would like parents to know that we use three criteria 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
Latest BHS December Scholarship Letter attached
Below is an example of another scholarship and remember many other students/ families can apply for through FREE scholarship search engines such as Fastweb.com or GoingMerry.com -
High school seniors nationwide who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship are invited to apply for the 2021 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program. This program annually provides college-bound students with $10,000 renewable scholarships – up to $40,000 total per recipient – and supports them as they lead and serve in college and beyond.
Applications for the 2021 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program are accepted until Jan. 5, 2021. Additional information, eligibility requirements, and a link to the application are available online.
This is a reminder to submit your portrait, baby picture, quote, and activities by January 31st. We are also asking for a selfie so we can create a senior class group picture. You can submit everything here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeT_pigMBuSmLHXsx14S5VL3EhFcsSz4Qnj-fG3bPt8t5qqSQ/viewform
Below, you will also find important dates and links to yearbook resources for ordering books, learning about senior portrait expectations, buying recognition ads, getting involved with yearbook staff and more!
If you would like to have your portrait taken at BHS, you can schedule a photoshoot with Prestige Portraits or emailing [email protected]
to set up an appointment with a student photographer.
If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]
Thinking of changing sending an ACT or SAT test score after you’ve applied test optional?
BHS Counselors are advising students to call each school that they are applying to ask how to manage shifting from test optional to sending scores because there does not seem to be common practice in admissions offices.
SENIORS – READ YOUR EMAILS!
ALSO BE SURE TO FOLLOW ANY APPLICANT PORTAL DIRECTIONS for colleges you will be applying to, if they have a portal protocol. Your efficiency in opening up these accounts after applying is sometimes monitored by admissions offices to gauge your level of interest!
MEFA financial aid events will all be online this fall. BHS Guidance partners with the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority (MEFA) each year to provide families with a wealth of financial aid information. This year, due to the global pandemic, MEFA will not be sending their speakers out to high schools. Please visit https://www.mefa.org/events to investigate upcoming webinars and take a look at their very informative website.
College Application Reminders:
Help the BHS counselors and teachers support your application process by meeting these deadlines. Submit your electronic transcript release forms, your self-questionnaire, your parent/caregiver’s “brag” sheet, and give notice to your teachers who have agreed to write recommendations for you.
If you have college application deadlines for 1/1 or 1/15 and you have not yet completed a transcript release request, please do this step and contact your counselor immediately to confirm. Also connect with your teachers regarding recommendations since you are behind in informing these critical BHS staff people who want to do their best to support your college application process.
College Deadline BHS Deadline
February 1 Wednesday January 6
February 15 Friday January 15
Seniors – When submitting your transcript release forms electronically, please:
- use the updated link shared by your counselor (on their CANVAS page or by email)
- be sure to list your college names and addresses CORRECTLY AS THEY APPEAR OFFICIALLY ON THE COLLEGE’S WEBSITE OR NAVIANCE. The processing of your request is slowed down by not including the official name of the college or putting in wrong information.
JUNIORS and SENIORS
BHS Guidance and USA Gap Year are joining forces to offer the annual Gap Year Fair virtually this year on January 13, 2021 from 6:30-8:30pm. The event will start with a presentation about the gap year experiences, plus offer ideas to students about how to plan and afford this opportunity. Go to this link - https://bit.ly/37IjL83
See the flyer attached to this email for information as well.
USA Gap Year will continue to offer thematic webinars and panel discussions along with the January 13 event. These events will be posted here: https://www.gooverseas.com/gap-year/usa-fairs/schedule
JUNIORS
PSAT score report information - Mr. Libenzon, BHS College Counselor, talked to students about their PSAT scores during X block last Friday 12/11. If you missed the session, you can access it via this link:
http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/guidance/psat-score-report-presentation
https://psbma-org.zoom.us/rec/share/vSJTek1TxELvtPy3S3rro4TUc6qq2OT6BWp9gxzoQ1EooRAIv9NXO8p9f8OvmR4a.CYwOli4aaoj-dUlF
Passcode: !^?M100q
PSAT scores were shared on the College Board website earlier this month. Creating a College Board account will allow juniors to easily access their scores online and unlock a robust set of personalized resources to help them understand their scores.
Juniors - Please review your current unofficial transcript for any missing classes or errors. Contact your counselor with any questions or concerns.
It is your responsibility to be sure your transcript is accurate before giving BHS permission to send to any colleges or post HS grad programs.
You should be checking that you are earning all required credits towards graduation in June 2022.
English- 4 credits
Science - 3 credits
Social Studies/History - 3 credits including US History
Math - 3 credits (4 years required for UMass State colleges/universities)
World Language - 2 credits (same language)
Elective - 3 credits distributed across Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Career/Tech, Community Service
Wellness - .5 Lifetime Wellness, 3 - .25 wellness credits
+ additional credits to earn minimum total credits of 22
College Guidance Network has been offering regular webinars with college search and application themes that are pertinent to current pandemic times. These questions are discussed by various college admissions representatives who directly speak to these topics. Go to this link - https://www.collegeguidancenetwork.com/episodes - for archived webinars on topics such as:
- Admissions in the TIme of COVID
- Crafting Great College Admissions Essays
- Money Matters
- Navigating the New Normal of Optional Testing