ALL STUDENTS/PARENTS- CARETAKERS
Please note - all new updates are highlighted in red each week for quick review. I have included a helpful online article from last year’s Grown and Flown website on “10 things to say to your stressed out teen”. Hoping these suggestions can offer some reassurance to parents as they do their best to support their high schoolers. 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. And….Happy Halloween!
THE TRUTH ABOUT VAPING – UPDATED PRESENTATION FOR FALL 2019
From nicotine addiction to life-threatening respiratory illness, the health risks of e-cigarettes (vapes, juuls) have been all over the news lately, and Brookline is not immune. In fact, vaping among our middle and high school students is on the rise. What do parents need to know? And what can we do to hel
Please note - all new updates are highlighted in red each week for quick review. I have included a helpful online article from last year’s Grown and Flown website on “10 things to say to your stressed out teen”. Hoping these suggestions can offer some reassurance to parents as they do their best to support their high schoolers. 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. And….Happy Halloween!
THE TRUTH ABOUT VAPING – UPDATED PRESENTATION FOR FALL 2019
From nicotine addiction to life-threatening respiratory illness, the health risks of e-cigarettes (vapes, juuls) have been all over the news lately, and Brookline is not immune. In fact, vaping among our middle and high school students is on the rise. What do parents need to know? And what can we do to hel
p our kids fully understand that these products are not harmless? Through the generosity of a Brookline community member in collaboration with PSB/ BHS Counseling-Guidance Department, Caron Treatment Centers will present a special informational parent event tomorrow, Monday October 28 at 7 p.m. in the Brookline High School Auditorium. Reminder to enter the BHS Auditorium through the Tappan St entrance – see map below. Registration requested at https://thetruthaboutvaping.eventbrite.com
Lunch Lounge is now scheduled FOR ALL LUNCHES EVERY WEEKDAY in Room 277 at the 115 campus and LUNCHES on Wednesdays 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. Check it out!
The midpoint of Quarter 1 has arrived.
Quarter 1 IPRs are now available on the Aspen portal. Need help accessing Aspen?
Official info for students to register and/or change the password (if you have not done so already) is here: http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/netid-registration.html
This also links to instructions for accessing the parent portal.
Community Service opportunity in Greater Boston area:
The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) is currently recruiting for our 2019-2020 Youth Leadership Corps (YLC). BARCC’s Youth Leadership Corp is an opportunity for young people to take leadership around the issues of sexual violence prevention and healthy relationship promotion. YLC members will learn about and discuss the ways in which sexual violence impacts their community, as well as how different forms of oppression contribute to the development of sexual violence. This knowledge is then used to create YLC led trainings for other teens, design social media campaigns and engage in community activism.
YLC members will receive a stipend for their position. This could be an amazing service opportunity, but not that, because of the stipend, the community service hours acquired cannot count towards BHS community service credits.
We are looking for young people who are:
-14-19 years old
-Interested in developing awareness around sexual violence as it affects their community
-Eager to develop their skills in leadership, advocacy, and social change
-Capable of working on a team of diverse and open-minded individuals
-Open to laughing, with a good sense of humor
-Able to meet once every week from 5:00pm-7:00pm; Day of week TBD
Attached is more information detailing responsibilities and commitments, as well as the BARCC website and YLC application which are hyperlinked above. Please share the attached flyer with students via email, in the classroom and around the school.
We are currently accepting applications through November 1st! More info here:
If you have any questions or would like BARCC to come in and speak more about the YLC please contact: L. Co (Coco) - Youth Outreach Coordinator, [email protected]
Splash! 2019 at Brandeis University on Saturday, November 16th, 2019.
Splash! is an event where Brandeis students share what they are passionate about to middle and high school students! This fun and exciting educational event strives to help middle and high schoolers learn and grow about themselves and their interests - the best part is….IT’S FREE! This is a great opportunity to learn from eager Brandeis students!
To register as a student, click here: https://brandeis.learningu.org/learn/register.html
If you have any additional questions feel free to email us at [email protected]
Girls STEM Summit-Statewide 2020
DURING THE SUMMIT STUDENTS WILL:
Hear an inspirational keynote speech by a local female leader in a STEM field.
Meet successful women working as experts in STEM fields, and work directly with them in hands-on career-specific workshops.
Expand knowledge of STEM industries and emerging career paths.
Be inspired to continue taking STEM high school courses applicable to college STEM programs.
Date: Sunday, April 5, 2020
Fee: $70.00
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology
Time: 8:00 am–4:00 pm (lunch included)
https://juniortech.org/2020-girls-stem-summit-statewide/
Academic Help Centers at BHS 115 and OLS campuses – see attached for updated info for students in grades 9-12
ACE of Greater Boston© is a program run by professionals in the design and construction fields working together to inspire high school students in all grades to pursue careers in the industry. ACE of Greater Boston is your local chapter within the ACE Mentor Program of America. Students just like you are participating all over the country. For more information- contact Ms. Cordner, BHS Career Counslor, at [email protected]
Interested? Register here! at http://www.acementor.org/students/new-student-registration/
Attention current AP Students:
If you are not taking an AP course this year, and don't plan to take an AP exam this year, please disregard this information.
Important new information is now available for the May 2020 AP exams, and new available resources for teachers and students provided by the College Board.
AP exam registration period is from:
Wednesday, Oct. 9th - Friday, Nov. 8th. Students will register for their exams online with Total Registration and pay online using a credit card.
www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/220445
The cost of each test is $98, and students on free/reduced lunch have a fee of $20. In order to access the new, free online resources provided by the College Board, all students (and teachers) must also register for their class on the collegeboard website.
Step #1 - Register for your exam via Total Registration
Step #2 - Join your AP Class Section - www.myap.collegeboard.org and use your College Board student account login, as well as your course join code, and fill out the information needed. (Join codes are given to you via total registration or via your teacher).
Please contact Ms. Thomas and Ms. Cordner, AP exam coordinators
For more information for parents on vaping and its dangers:
https://view.info.childrenshospital.org/?qs=bcdcce90ef50254511ab372d98d776a6f1ef5611442f741d4e725132c9bae4fe1094f3ef9cbee5620da0902ea761476ff8f2c5b983cce7accf9e5f7d0a661e1e6cf21c0d39dd05a6
School Pictures/ ID Makeup Day – Scheduled on Wed, November 6.
SENIORS
Important message to seniors who have applied for EA/ED October/November applications – Please try to avoid INCs or need for grade changes for Quarter 1. The turnaround time for the guidance office to send out all Quarter 1 grades for early appliers is very short before all staff head out for Thanksgiving break in November.
Also for students applying Early Decision- It is your responsibility to notify your counselor about your ED contract and remind the counselor to sign off on your contract. When you hear back with the college ED decision, please also inform your counselor. We cannot send any grades to other colleges until we know your ED contract no longer applies (ie you did not get accepted to your ED school).
All Seniors Seminars have now been offered in your advisories since mid-September. If you missed these advisory overviews, please contact your counselor or Lenny Libenzon, BHS College Counselor – room 279/280, for a copy of the BHS College Application Quick Guide and other important details to help you follow the steps for a successful application process.
L Grade – This BHS policy is most impactful for seniors. If you are struggling in a course and considering moving to a different curriculum level at this time, you will have an L grade on your transcript for colleges. The L grade policy states:
L = If a course level change occurs within ten class periods of the end of a marking period the student will earn a grade of “L” (Late entry) in the new course for that marking period.
Online College Admissions Test Prep ideas…. FREE! – See attached power point information offered by the amazing Brookline High Librarians!
Please note that college representatives are coming to BHS daily through mid-November. Check your Naviance homepage or stop by the College-Career Center Room 279 for a full listing of all reps and the date/time they will be available in the College-Career Center to meet you! You must have a signed pass from your teacher if you plan to attend during one of your classes. See Mr Libenzon (Room 279/280) or your counselor if you have any questions.
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 Nov 1 or Nov 15 deadlines – your transcript release form and other important documents are now overdue. Counselors and department staff are working hard during and outside of the school day to get your documents ready for these deadlines. If you got your completed transcript release to your counselor by BHS deadlines and did FERPA and “matching” steps with your Naviance and Common App accounts, then we will meet your deadlines. If you did these steps after BHS deadlines, we will do our best to meet your deadline whenever possible. Thank you!
Upcoming due dates (attachment of dates below):
College deadline BHS Deadline
December 1 Monday, November 4
December 15 Friday, November 15
January 1 Tuesday, November 26
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
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).
Thanks to all who attended the Financial Aid Information for BHS Seniors, Juniors and their parents/guardians last Wednesday, Oct 16. This seminar, offered through MEFA, the state’s authority on planning, saving, and paying for college, provided an overview of the college financing process, including types of financial aid, how to apply, and financing options. If you could not attend, please check out MEFA’s website — mefa.org — to download a copy of the seminar presentation in English or Spanish.
International College Options Evening College Fair – NOT SPONSORED BY BHS but great opportunity!
Admission representatives from 40 colleges & universities outside the U.S. will present information about their schools and application
processes. To view the list of institutions attending, click here: https://www.internationalcollegeoptions.org/boston-participants-2019
College Fair for Students and Families:
Thursday, November 21
- 7:00-9:00PM
- Embassy Suites Waltham
- 550 Winter Street
- Waltham, MA 02451
The fair is free and we encourage students to pre-register here: https://ico.gotocollegefairs.com/. For further questions about the college fair, please contact us at [email protected].
JUNIORS
Congratulations to the 350 students who took the PSAT on Saturday 10/19! Please pay attention to the email you provided with your online registration since scores will be directly reported to you via that email around mid December. The BHS counselors and College/Career Counselors will begin focusing on the post high school/college planning with juniors in December and January.
FRESHMEN
We encourage all 9th grade students to meet their assigned guidance counselor. Please encourage your 9th grader to stop by their counselor’s office between classes or during HUB or X block if needed. Students can also email their counselor to set up a meeting time - [email protected]
Lunch Lounge is now scheduled FOR ALL LUNCHES EVERY WEEKDAY in Room 277 at the 115 campus and LUNCHES on Wednesdays 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. Check it out!
The midpoint of Quarter 1 has arrived.
Quarter 1 IPRs are now available on the Aspen portal. Need help accessing Aspen?
Official info for students to register and/or change the password (if you have not done so already) is here: http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/netid-registration.html
This also links to instructions for accessing the parent portal.
Community Service opportunity in Greater Boston area:
The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) is currently recruiting for our 2019-2020 Youth Leadership Corps (YLC). BARCC’s Youth Leadership Corp is an opportunity for young people to take leadership around the issues of sexual violence prevention and healthy relationship promotion. YLC members will learn about and discuss the ways in which sexual violence impacts their community, as well as how different forms of oppression contribute to the development of sexual violence. This knowledge is then used to create YLC led trainings for other teens, design social media campaigns and engage in community activism.
YLC members will receive a stipend for their position. This could be an amazing service opportunity, but not that, because of the stipend, the community service hours acquired cannot count towards BHS community service credits.
We are looking for young people who are:
-14-19 years old
-Interested in developing awareness around sexual violence as it affects their community
-Eager to develop their skills in leadership, advocacy, and social change
-Capable of working on a team of diverse and open-minded individuals
-Open to laughing, with a good sense of humor
-Able to meet once every week from 5:00pm-7:00pm; Day of week TBD
Attached is more information detailing responsibilities and commitments, as well as the BARCC website and YLC application which are hyperlinked above. Please share the attached flyer with students via email, in the classroom and around the school.
We are currently accepting applications through November 1st! More info here:
If you have any questions or would like BARCC to come in and speak more about the YLC please contact: L. Co (Coco) - Youth Outreach Coordinator, [email protected]
Splash! 2019 at Brandeis University on Saturday, November 16th, 2019.
Splash! is an event where Brandeis students share what they are passionate about to middle and high school students! This fun and exciting educational event strives to help middle and high schoolers learn and grow about themselves and their interests - the best part is….IT’S FREE! This is a great opportunity to learn from eager Brandeis students!
To register as a student, click here: https://brandeis.learningu.org/learn/register.html
If you have any additional questions feel free to email us at [email protected]
Girls STEM Summit-Statewide 2020
DURING THE SUMMIT STUDENTS WILL:
Hear an inspirational keynote speech by a local female leader in a STEM field.
Meet successful women working as experts in STEM fields, and work directly with them in hands-on career-specific workshops.
Expand knowledge of STEM industries and emerging career paths.
Be inspired to continue taking STEM high school courses applicable to college STEM programs.
Date: Sunday, April 5, 2020
Fee: $70.00
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology
Time: 8:00 am–4:00 pm (lunch included)
https://juniortech.org/2020-girls-stem-summit-statewide/
Academic Help Centers at BHS 115 and OLS campuses – see attached for updated info for students in grades 9-12
ACE of Greater Boston© is a program run by professionals in the design and construction fields working together to inspire high school students in all grades to pursue careers in the industry. ACE of Greater Boston is your local chapter within the ACE Mentor Program of America. Students just like you are participating all over the country. For more information- contact Ms. Cordner, BHS Career Counslor, at [email protected]
Interested? Register here! at http://www.acementor.org/students/new-student-registration/
Attention current AP Students:
If you are not taking an AP course this year, and don't plan to take an AP exam this year, please disregard this information.
Important new information is now available for the May 2020 AP exams, and new available resources for teachers and students provided by the College Board.
AP exam registration period is from:
Wednesday, Oct. 9th - Friday, Nov. 8th. Students will register for their exams online with Total Registration and pay online using a credit card.
www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/220445
The cost of each test is $98, and students on free/reduced lunch have a fee of $20. In order to access the new, free online resources provided by the College Board, all students (and teachers) must also register for their class on the collegeboard website.
Step #1 - Register for your exam via Total Registration
Step #2 - Join your AP Class Section - www.myap.collegeboard.org and use your College Board student account login, as well as your course join code, and fill out the information needed. (Join codes are given to you via total registration or via your teacher).
Please contact Ms. Thomas and Ms. Cordner, AP exam coordinators
For more information for parents on vaping and its dangers:
https://view.info.childrenshospital.org/?qs=bcdcce90ef50254511ab372d98d776a6f1ef5611442f741d4e725132c9bae4fe1094f3ef9cbee5620da0902ea761476ff8f2c5b983cce7accf9e5f7d0a661e1e6cf21c0d39dd05a6
School Pictures/ ID Makeup Day – Scheduled on Wed, November 6.
SENIORS
Important message to seniors who have applied for EA/ED October/November applications – Please try to avoid INCs or need for grade changes for Quarter 1. The turnaround time for the guidance office to send out all Quarter 1 grades for early appliers is very short before all staff head out for Thanksgiving break in November.
Also for students applying Early Decision- It is your responsibility to notify your counselor about your ED contract and remind the counselor to sign off on your contract. When you hear back with the college ED decision, please also inform your counselor. We cannot send any grades to other colleges until we know your ED contract no longer applies (ie you did not get accepted to your ED school).
All Seniors Seminars have now been offered in your advisories since mid-September. If you missed these advisory overviews, please contact your counselor or Lenny Libenzon, BHS College Counselor – room 279/280, for a copy of the BHS College Application Quick Guide and other important details to help you follow the steps for a successful application process.
L Grade – This BHS policy is most impactful for seniors. If you are struggling in a course and considering moving to a different curriculum level at this time, you will have an L grade on your transcript for colleges. The L grade policy states:
L = If a course level change occurs within ten class periods of the end of a marking period the student will earn a grade of “L” (Late entry) in the new course for that marking period.
Online College Admissions Test Prep ideas…. FREE! – See attached power point information offered by the amazing Brookline High Librarians!
Please note that college representatives are coming to BHS daily through mid-November. Check your Naviance homepage or stop by the College-Career Center Room 279 for a full listing of all reps and the date/time they will be available in the College-Career Center to meet you! You must have a signed pass from your teacher if you plan to attend during one of your classes. See Mr Libenzon (Room 279/280) or your counselor if you have any questions.
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 Nov 1 or Nov 15 deadlines – your transcript release form and other important documents are now overdue. Counselors and department staff are working hard during and outside of the school day to get your documents ready for these deadlines. If you got your completed transcript release to your counselor by BHS deadlines and did FERPA and “matching” steps with your Naviance and Common App accounts, then we will meet your deadlines. If you did these steps after BHS deadlines, we will do our best to meet your deadline whenever possible. Thank you!
Upcoming due dates (attachment of dates below):
College deadline BHS Deadline
December 1 Monday, November 4
December 15 Friday, November 15
January 1 Tuesday, November 26
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
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).
Thanks to all who attended the Financial Aid Information for BHS Seniors, Juniors and their parents/guardians last Wednesday, Oct 16. This seminar, offered through MEFA, the state’s authority on planning, saving, and paying for college, provided an overview of the college financing process, including types of financial aid, how to apply, and financing options. If you could not attend, please check out MEFA’s website — mefa.org — to download a copy of the seminar presentation in English or Spanish.
International College Options Evening College Fair – NOT SPONSORED BY BHS but great opportunity!
Admission representatives from 40 colleges & universities outside the U.S. will present information about their schools and application
processes. To view the list of institutions attending, click here: https://www.internationalcollegeoptions.org/boston-participants-2019
College Fair for Students and Families:
Thursday, November 21
- 7:00-9:00PM
- Embassy Suites Waltham
- 550 Winter Street
- Waltham, MA 02451
The fair is free and we encourage students to pre-register here: https://ico.gotocollegefairs.com/. For further questions about the college fair, please contact us at [email protected].
JUNIORS
Congratulations to the 350 students who took the PSAT on Saturday 10/19! Please pay attention to the email you provided with your online registration since scores will be directly reported to you via that email around mid December. The BHS counselors and College/Career Counselors will begin focusing on the post high school/college planning with juniors in December and January.
- Junior Assembly with Lenny Libenzon and counselors on Dec 12 advisory – REQUIRED for all juniors to attend
- Junior Seminar Round 1 will happen through January/early Feb in advisories
- Junior Seminar Round 2 will happen in March during MCAS mornings. More details on times/dates to come soon!
FRESHMEN
We encourage all 9th grade students to meet their assigned guidance counselor. Please encourage your 9th grader to stop by their counselor’s office between classes or during HUB or X block if needed. Students can also email their counselor to set up a meeting time - [email protected]