ALL STUDENTS/PARENTS- CARETAKERS
The goal 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. This time with COVID19 challenges all of our stress levels, our patience, and our strength. There are important messages in this week’s update but the MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE TODAY IS TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! REACH OUT IF YOU NEED SUPPORT! BHS COUNSELORS AND OTHER STAFF ARE HERE FOR YOU… AT A DISTANCE BUT WITH AS MUCH CARE AS EVER! PLEASE DO NOT WORRY ALONE.
Some BHS students are working to put together an easily accessible resource list for our social/ emotional well-being and basic needs. That resource will come soon. In the meantime, please check out the resources listed below and do not hesitate to contact your counselor, dean, or caring BHS adult. We are here to help and support every BHS student!
The goal 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. This time with COVID19 challenges all of our stress levels, our patience, and our strength. There are important messages in this week’s update but the MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE TODAY IS TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! REACH OUT IF YOU NEED SUPPORT! BHS COUNSELORS AND OTHER STAFF ARE HERE FOR YOU… AT A DISTANCE BUT WITH AS MUCH CARE AS EVER! PLEASE DO NOT WORRY ALONE.
Some BHS students are working to put together an easily accessible resource list for our social/ emotional well-being and basic needs. That resource will come soon. In the meantime, please check out the resources listed below and do not hesitate to contact your counselor, dean, or caring BHS adult. We are here to help and support every BHS student!
The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC) creates conditions that support healing and growth for individuals and the community as a whole through learning opportunities, advocacy, peer-to-peer support and the development of regional and national networks.
We know how important it is to engage in healthy and preventative practices to support our emotional well being during this quarantine. One of our BHS social workers suggests: If you do reach out for your own outpatient therapy, many insurances are doing away with co-pays for this period of telehealth and phone appointments.
Depending on your insurance, there may be no co-pays from quarantine dates of service (and possibly telehealth appointments after that). Take a moment to call your insurance company to check!
Eyal Arkin, David Carmel, Anat Katz, Noah Schwartz, Benja Rosenzweig, Liam Smolyar - BHS students - working in combination with several other BHS students, has created a web-based service to take, purchase, and deliver grocery orders for people who are not able to get to the grocery store themselves (primarily the elderly and the immunocompromised). The website (https://projectdriveway.org/home) lists the current team and a link for others to join them, provides a way to order, explains how the team is complying with sanitary measures and cleanliness, and provides a page of other resources. If you know of anyone who might be in need of this service please consider sending this to them or publicizing this in some way.
Career Conversations at Home… Check out these resources-
-- DreamWakers, a national nonprofit that connects students to real-world professionals via free video conferencing services is providing FREE online career exploration tools for high school students!
DreamWakers Daily: Career Conversations from Home continues this week with another all-star lineup of professional role models. Streaming on Facebook Live each weekday at 1pm ET, we'll feature Q&A sessions with inspirational role models in diverse careers, and you can help guide the conversation: each flashchat will highlight questions submitted by students, educators, and supporters from across the U.S.
For more information: https://mailchi.mp/dreamwakers.org/now-streaming-daily-dreamwakers-new-flashchat-series-launches-today-2627230?e=3dda1a086c
Check back next week for more interesting resources from DreamWakers!
-- Financial Literacy: Want to learn about balancing a check book? or how to open a credit card? Register for FREE Financial Literacy Courses on EverFi here: https://platform.everfi.net/.
-- Now is a great time to take 20 minutes out of your day and take a Career Interest Inventory to find out about different careers you may be interested in! You can use your results to research a number of careers!
To take an inventory sign into your Naviance account here: https://student.naviance.com/auth/fclookup (Links to an external site.), go to "About Me" in the top right corner, "My Assessments" and then chose "Career Interest Profiler". If you have any questions about your results PLEASE reach out to Ms Kate Kennedy, BHS Career Counselor, or your assigned guidance counselor.
Career Spotlights from BHS Career Counselor – Kate Kennedy
Public Policy/ Government: Are you interested in learning what careers relate to a degree in public policy or working in your local government?
To learn more contact:
Jill Harvey: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator of Arlington, MA: [email protected]
OR
Caitlin Starr: Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations - Town of Brookline, Assistant Director: [email protected]
- Museum/Science Education: Do you love science, but are you not sure what to do with this love? Working at a museum could be your answer! Museums need educators to help facilitate programming, and educational experiences for students and adults. Want to learn more?
To learn more contact:
Meghan Carter [email protected]
Education Associate II, School and Youth Programs
Museum of Science
- Law Enforcement: Are you interested in becoming a police officer or working in public safety? Want to learn more? Reach out to individuals in the Brookline community who know what it takes!
To learn more contact:
Lieutenant Jennifer Paster, Crisis Intervention Team/Community Service Division
Brookline Police Department [email protected]
Did you know that Police Officers, on average, make $63,380 per year and in order to become a police officer you must be 21 years old with at least a High School Diploma. In Brookline, Police Officers are hired through the Massachusetts Civil Service System. To find out more information visit: http://www.brooklinepolice.com/166/Apply-for-Jobs
Help your Brookline neighbor! See this message from Brookline Strength in Distance - We are a small group of Brookline-ites who got together to create the “Strength in Distance” fundraiser to support the Brookline Food Pantry. The food pantry receives and distributes more than 12,000 pounds of fresh produce, frozen items, dry goods, and hygiene products to our neighbors EACH WEEK and has just opened a third location to help meet demand.
In order to ensure that all of us have the food we need to stay healthy and strong during this crisis, the Food Pantry needs your help! Please visit brooklinestrengthindistance.com to purchase a “Strength in Distance” t-shirt to support the Brookline Food Pantry as well as a local print shop. Or, if you prefer, you can donate directly to the Brookline Food Pantry or the Brookline Community Foundation’s Safety Net Fund (linked on our site).
If you know any students, friends or fellow community members who are in need of support in these difficult and uncertain times, please visit the Brookline Mutual Aid Google Doc to get plugged into Brookline’s community services network. Feel free to send this message to other Brookline community members as well!
Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions. Thank you for all of your hard work during these times!
SENIORS
Koplik - The MA Dept of Education (DESE) is reworking both expectations and deadlines for the Koplik Scholarship process. The following tentative changes are in process at DESE in regard to the Koplik Certificate of Mastery With Distinction Tuition Credit:
** An extension of the submission deadline to October 1, 2020 to allow students enough time to take SAT subject tests and AP exams
** An extension of the usage deadline to Fall 2021 to allow students the opportunity to use the tuition credit
** Allowance of the tuition credit to be retroactive to the start of the fall 2020 semester for students that may receive certificates after the start of school
Getting into college is the first step. Navigating all the MAJOR changes ahead is the next. This Thursday 4/16 at 8pm, EST join New York Times bestselling author Harlan Cohen, as he helps students and parents prepare and plan for all the BIG changes ahead. Harlan came to the Brookline High School campus last year and personally delivered his engaging message to seniors about ways to get ready for college life. During this year’s interactive event, Harlan will share the latest in college news and offer a step-by-step approach to help soon-to-be high school grads succeed in college. LIVE Q & A included as part of this interactive free event. Register here: https://harlancohen.com/webinar041620
EXTENDED - Deadline for BHS Scholarship applications is this IMPORTANT REMINDER - Applications are available online at the BHS homepage under 2020 BHS Scholarship Application. The deadline for applying for BHS scholarships for students attending ANY college is Friday, April 24. 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
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
A college counselor from another school district posted a link to a Google sheet that she created, listing information for hundreds of colleges nationwide about virtual tours, info sessions, etc by college. With her generosity, we have included the link below. It may be of use in directing seniors to find information on some of the colleges they are considering and juniors to find out virtual college visit strategies. If you have Google suite you can access the worksheet through Google docs. Please always check each college’s website for the most up-to-date information.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sO7pVos0EvK0BvXoMbnyg00K6r7hXbOQE0HNXF4N4eM/htmlview
JUNIORS
Read this excellent quick article from an admissions representative at GA Tech. Admissions folks are genuinely understanding of the dilemma that high school juniors are worried about regarding college. This article may hopefully reassure you - http://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2020/04/02/being-seen-this-one-is-for-the-juniors/
JUNIORS AND SOPHOMORES
PreACT score update - PreACT score reports are only available in paper format and were delivered to the BHS building which no one has access to at this time. I have contacted ACT and they will be delivering another set of score reports to my home in the next weeks. I will be doing some envelope stuffing at my home and then send out these score reports by mail to student homes.
We will also be offering a zoom score report presentation, led by BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon, likely during the week of 4/27 – close to the time that score reports should be arriving by mail.
Thanks for your patience as we develop a new plan with PreACT score distribution.
We know how important it is to engage in healthy and preventative practices to support our emotional well being during this quarantine. One of our BHS social workers suggests: If you do reach out for your own outpatient therapy, many insurances are doing away with co-pays for this period of telehealth and phone appointments.
Depending on your insurance, there may be no co-pays from quarantine dates of service (and possibly telehealth appointments after that). Take a moment to call your insurance company to check!
Eyal Arkin, David Carmel, Anat Katz, Noah Schwartz, Benja Rosenzweig, Liam Smolyar - BHS students - working in combination with several other BHS students, has created a web-based service to take, purchase, and deliver grocery orders for people who are not able to get to the grocery store themselves (primarily the elderly and the immunocompromised). The website (https://projectdriveway.org/home) lists the current team and a link for others to join them, provides a way to order, explains how the team is complying with sanitary measures and cleanliness, and provides a page of other resources. If you know of anyone who might be in need of this service please consider sending this to them or publicizing this in some way.
Career Conversations at Home… Check out these resources-
-- DreamWakers, a national nonprofit that connects students to real-world professionals via free video conferencing services is providing FREE online career exploration tools for high school students!
DreamWakers Daily: Career Conversations from Home continues this week with another all-star lineup of professional role models. Streaming on Facebook Live each weekday at 1pm ET, we'll feature Q&A sessions with inspirational role models in diverse careers, and you can help guide the conversation: each flashchat will highlight questions submitted by students, educators, and supporters from across the U.S.
For more information: https://mailchi.mp/dreamwakers.org/now-streaming-daily-dreamwakers-new-flashchat-series-launches-today-2627230?e=3dda1a086c
Check back next week for more interesting resources from DreamWakers!
-- Financial Literacy: Want to learn about balancing a check book? or how to open a credit card? Register for FREE Financial Literacy Courses on EverFi here: https://platform.everfi.net/.
-- Now is a great time to take 20 minutes out of your day and take a Career Interest Inventory to find out about different careers you may be interested in! You can use your results to research a number of careers!
To take an inventory sign into your Naviance account here: https://student.naviance.com/auth/fclookup (Links to an external site.), go to "About Me" in the top right corner, "My Assessments" and then chose "Career Interest Profiler". If you have any questions about your results PLEASE reach out to Ms Kate Kennedy, BHS Career Counselor, or your assigned guidance counselor.
Career Spotlights from BHS Career Counselor – Kate Kennedy
Public Policy/ Government: Are you interested in learning what careers relate to a degree in public policy or working in your local government?
To learn more contact:
Jill Harvey: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator of Arlington, MA: [email protected]
OR
Caitlin Starr: Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations - Town of Brookline, Assistant Director: [email protected]
- Museum/Science Education: Do you love science, but are you not sure what to do with this love? Working at a museum could be your answer! Museums need educators to help facilitate programming, and educational experiences for students and adults. Want to learn more?
To learn more contact:
Meghan Carter [email protected]
Education Associate II, School and Youth Programs
Museum of Science
- Law Enforcement: Are you interested in becoming a police officer or working in public safety? Want to learn more? Reach out to individuals in the Brookline community who know what it takes!
To learn more contact:
Lieutenant Jennifer Paster, Crisis Intervention Team/Community Service Division
Brookline Police Department [email protected]
Did you know that Police Officers, on average, make $63,380 per year and in order to become a police officer you must be 21 years old with at least a High School Diploma. In Brookline, Police Officers are hired through the Massachusetts Civil Service System. To find out more information visit: http://www.brooklinepolice.com/166/Apply-for-Jobs
Help your Brookline neighbor! See this message from Brookline Strength in Distance - We are a small group of Brookline-ites who got together to create the “Strength in Distance” fundraiser to support the Brookline Food Pantry. The food pantry receives and distributes more than 12,000 pounds of fresh produce, frozen items, dry goods, and hygiene products to our neighbors EACH WEEK and has just opened a third location to help meet demand.
In order to ensure that all of us have the food we need to stay healthy and strong during this crisis, the Food Pantry needs your help! Please visit brooklinestrengthindistance.com to purchase a “Strength in Distance” t-shirt to support the Brookline Food Pantry as well as a local print shop. Or, if you prefer, you can donate directly to the Brookline Food Pantry or the Brookline Community Foundation’s Safety Net Fund (linked on our site).
If you know any students, friends or fellow community members who are in need of support in these difficult and uncertain times, please visit the Brookline Mutual Aid Google Doc to get plugged into Brookline’s community services network. Feel free to send this message to other Brookline community members as well!
Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions. Thank you for all of your hard work during these times!
SENIORS
Koplik - The MA Dept of Education (DESE) is reworking both expectations and deadlines for the Koplik Scholarship process. The following tentative changes are in process at DESE in regard to the Koplik Certificate of Mastery With Distinction Tuition Credit:
** An extension of the submission deadline to October 1, 2020 to allow students enough time to take SAT subject tests and AP exams
** An extension of the usage deadline to Fall 2021 to allow students the opportunity to use the tuition credit
** Allowance of the tuition credit to be retroactive to the start of the fall 2020 semester for students that may receive certificates after the start of school
Getting into college is the first step. Navigating all the MAJOR changes ahead is the next. This Thursday 4/16 at 8pm, EST join New York Times bestselling author Harlan Cohen, as he helps students and parents prepare and plan for all the BIG changes ahead. Harlan came to the Brookline High School campus last year and personally delivered his engaging message to seniors about ways to get ready for college life. During this year’s interactive event, Harlan will share the latest in college news and offer a step-by-step approach to help soon-to-be high school grads succeed in college. LIVE Q & A included as part of this interactive free event. Register here: https://harlancohen.com/webinar041620
EXTENDED - Deadline for BHS Scholarship applications is this IMPORTANT REMINDER - Applications are available online at the BHS homepage under 2020 BHS Scholarship Application. The deadline for applying for BHS scholarships for students attending ANY college is Friday, April 24. 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
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
A college counselor from another school district posted a link to a Google sheet that she created, listing information for hundreds of colleges nationwide about virtual tours, info sessions, etc by college. With her generosity, we have included the link below. It may be of use in directing seniors to find information on some of the colleges they are considering and juniors to find out virtual college visit strategies. If you have Google suite you can access the worksheet through Google docs. Please always check each college’s website for the most up-to-date information.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sO7pVos0EvK0BvXoMbnyg00K6r7hXbOQE0HNXF4N4eM/htmlview
JUNIORS
Read this excellent quick article from an admissions representative at GA Tech. Admissions folks are genuinely understanding of the dilemma that high school juniors are worried about regarding college. This article may hopefully reassure you - http://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2020/04/02/being-seen-this-one-is-for-the-juniors/
JUNIORS AND SOPHOMORES
PreACT score update - PreACT score reports are only available in paper format and were delivered to the BHS building which no one has access to at this time. I have contacted ACT and they will be delivering another set of score reports to my home in the next weeks. I will be doing some envelope stuffing at my home and then send out these score reports by mail to student homes.
We will also be offering a zoom score report presentation, led by BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon, likely during the week of 4/27 – close to the time that score reports should be arriving by mail.
Thanks for your patience as we develop a new plan with PreACT score distribution.