It’s still May, so the focus on Mental Health Awareness continues….and will continue through every weekly update moving forward. It seems many students, educators and support staff, and parents/family members I have been in contact with this past week are feeling the “stuckness” of our quarantine. As an antidote to this vibe, I find many of the short stories shared on the online Grown and Flown app to be relevant and often add some humor to important topics. The short article “How to Get Up and Go When Your Motivation Got Up and Went” by Elizabeth Spencer may hit the mark for many BHS students, colleagues, and parents this week. The full article is here, with these highlights of her “pep talk”:
Feel free to check the Student and Family Mental Health and Social Services Resource List on the BHS homepage for regularly updated resources for anyone in the Brookline community. As always, be sure to reach out to a counselor, dean, or other caring BHS staff member if you have any questions or concerns about school or ways to manage during this quarantine time. We’re here for you!
- Aim for better than zero.
- Plan for something you’re pretty sure you can count on.
- Just start.
- Do the works (aka get the dreaded thing done!)
- Make someone else’s day.
Feel free to check the Student and Family Mental Health and Social Services Resource List on the BHS homepage for regularly updated resources for anyone in the Brookline community. As always, be sure to reach out to a counselor, dean, or other caring BHS staff member if you have any questions or concerns about school or ways to manage during this quarantine time. We’re here for you!
Again, this week’s complete Counseling/Guidance department weekly update will again be shared with all BHS students and guardians so everyone can see announcements for the entire community. Be well!
Parents – Click this link for free webinars for parents (FreeWebinars) with topics such as:
Here are the groups we will be offering this week. You can always click this link for more information - Parent Support Group Flyer - Note that Wednesday groups have moved to 9:00 am. They update this document weekly.
Monday - Mindful Monday
Tuesday - Open Support
Wednesday - Open Support
Thursday - "I always love my kids. I don't always like them." Parenting during COVID-19
Friday - Spanish speaking group
Remember if a parent can't attend a group we have free mini webinars they can access for support. We are adding each week so check back.
From B-PEN- PARENTING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC: A DIGEST OF HELPFUL PARENTING ARTICLES 9. B-PEN has researched and compiled a digest of helpful articles to support parents. The current pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for families, and all of us can use a little reassurance and guidance at times. And follow us on Facebook for the latest info as it arrives!
STUDENTS……Going a bit stir crazy? Check out this list of ways to have fun and relax and other great ideas to stay sane. Created by (the amazing!) BHS Peer Leaders.
Student to Student- Surviving and Thriving COVID19
CDC Taking Care of Your Emotional Health - https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/selfcare.asp
Look out for these common signs of distress:
Career of the Week (from the BHS Career Counselor – Kate Kennedy):
Dentistry: Are you interested in becoming a dentist or a dental hygienist? Why not hear from a dentist themselves? To learn more about becoming a dentist and what this profession entails contact:
Dana Lazowski, [email protected]
J. Alan Sasson, Boston Smile Center, [email protected]
Don't forget the BHS Job/ Career Fair will be up for the remainder of the year and every 2 weeks new vendors will be added to explore! Want to further explore a career field? Visit your Naviance page and explore different careers under the "Careers" tab! You have access to careers, their job outlook, and there are even videos from professionals in the field talking about their experiences! Need help logging onto Naviance? Email Ms. Kennedy at [email protected]!
Cool career exploration opportunity… The Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania presents the JA Inspire Virtual Career Fair. A LIVE event on May 21st on YouTube Live with host Troy Podell. Speakers will talk about their careers and how they got where they are today! Interested in learning more? Check out their webpage: https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-delaware-valley/ja-inspire-virtual to find the speaker schedule, pre recorded career videos, and other career related resources to explore!
Questions? Email Ms. Kennedy at [email protected]
Summer student experiences – None of us know exactly what Summer 2020 will be like. To that end, we’ll add ideas that pop up on our radar over the next weeks, plus work on updating the BHS Summer Planning Experiences list shared earlier in the spring. Please note that sharing this information is NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF PARTICULAR PROGRAMS. Here’s an example: Banson NYC Virtual Fashion Career Camp (also camps focusing on Fashion Design and Fashion Styling) This week-long program will teach students the fundamentals of the fashion industry by providing an insider's perspective. We will design each camp to spotlight a wide variety of careers in the industry - merchandising, media, design, styling, buying, blogging, public relations, production to name a few. Each week will also include interactive activities like a Master Class in Beauty with your own personal beauty box, a sustainable design project with a chance to win a prize and tips on successful interviewing techniques and appropriate attire to wear. We will end the program with a panel discussion from former students on how they landed internships and advice they have for making your college choice the right fit for you. Each camp will be 18-20 hours long. We will have an orientation on Sunday afternoon and then begin the program on Monday at 11:00 am (NYC time). We accept applications on a first come, first served basis.
The cost is $650.00 per student but use code STAYWELL to receive 20% off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Session A: June 14, 2020 - June 19, 2020
Session B: July 12, 2020 - July 17, 2020
AP exams – We know there have been some glitches and some successes for BHS students taking online AP exams over this past week. College Board has been mad aware of concerns. Big thanks to our Brookline High AP Coordinators - Alexia Thomas and Kate Kennedy – who continue to field questions, listen to complaints, and advocate for fixes to problems that have happened so far! As we move into week #2 of APs, we hope things continue to improve for all. Here’s information from the well-respected COMPASS Educational Group website about colleges’ acceptance of the new 2020 AP exams for placement: “The [new AP policy] announcement… prompted questions about whether colleges would accept the 2020 exams, and if so, how enthusiastically, and on what terms? Nearly two months after the announcement, many colleges have announced their policies; we’ve tracked, assembled, and coded the policies for over 100 competitive National Universities, and 25 Liberal Arts Colleges, in the table below. We will continue to update this resource as schools release statements about their AP credit policies.”
SENIORS
BE SURE TO GO TO YOUR NAVIANCE PAGE AND COMPLETE THE SENIOR EXIT SURVEY BEFORE JUNE 7. By completing this survey, you are giving us the needed permission to share your transcript with the school you have chosen to attend. We cannot send a final transcript to the college or program of your choice after graduating without student permission and student completion of this survey. You can find the survey by logging in to Naviance, clicking on About Me; Surveys; Surveys Not Completed; Senior Survey.
THANKS!
City Year, a Gap Year program, is still looking for volunteers for next year. This program is not only free, but it has a stipend. Deadline is May 29. Contact Lenny Libenzon, BHS College Counselor, for more info. [email protected]
The Chronicle of Higher Education is one of the standards in higher education information sharing. Their site is now offering the latest updates on individual colleges’ plans for fall 2020 re-opening. Bookmark this site and check back regularly - it is updated daily with the latest on individual college plans for the fall.https://www.chronicle.com/article/Here-s-a-List-of-Colleges-/248626?cid=wcontentgrid_hp_1b
DUE May 22! Brookline American Legion Post 11 local scholarship opportunity-
We are awarding a $2,500 College Scholarship for college attendance (2 year or 4 year college) to students who will be attending college in the Fall.
Students are eligible if they will be enrolled in college next year and meet one or more of the following criteria:
- are a resident of Brookline
- are a graduate of or current student at a high school (public or private) located in Brookline
- are a US military veteran or currently serving
- are otherwise affiliated with Brookline American Legion Post 11
To compete, students will prepare a two to four minute video about one of the 16 Memorial Squares in Brookline (see https://www.brooklinema.gov/253/Memorial-Squares for a list). The video should educate the viewer about the veteran for whom the square is named. The best video will win, as judged by the current members of Post 11.
The event is designed to raise awareness of the contributions of veterans from Brookline.
Submissions are due May 22.
For more information, visit https://go.brooklinepost11.com/2020.
MEFA Navigating the College Process resources, including virtual presentation of Paying the Bill, previously scheduled at BHS.
https://image.s1.sfmc-content.com/lib/fefc16747c6004/m/2/5074961b-f0bb-4ecd-bff8-062cc3028b12.pdf
Citizens Bank is offering a series of live, remote learning sessions focused on financial education topics including understanding your award letter, financial aid, and credit. The information on when and how to join, as well as the topics being discussed is listed below
Webinars for Students and their Families
Understanding Your Award Letter - Designed especially for College Bound Seniors and their families to help them understand their financial aid package, answer questions that come up after the acceptance, and explore both federal and private options for financing any gap not met by free aid. Helpful tools to compare costs here:
· Wednesday, May 27th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Financial Aid Basics - Designed for rising Seniors and their families to help understand financial aid, preparing for and starting the FAFSA form this fall, and understand financial aid components like scholarships, grants, federal loans and how to finance the gap. This live session includes time to ask questions and have
· Wednesday, May 20th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
· Tuesday, May 26th, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Understanding Credit - Designed to help students and their families understand how building and maintaining credit is critical to achieving financial well-being. Your credit score is an important number that influences the ability to finance major life events such as paying for college.
· Thursday, May 28th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Anyone interested in participating in any of these sessions may register here.
For additional resources, please visit College Bound Citizens website at citizensbank.com/collegeboundcitizens.
Rejection and moving on.... - https://www.collegedata.com/en/prepare-and-apply/apply-yourself/your-final-answer/rejected-how-to-cope-and-what-to-do/
Koplik update- The MA Dept of Education (DESE) has made a decision to extend the current May 1 deadline to June 30 and deadlines for the Koplik Scholarship process. The following changes are still tentative according to 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
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
Westborough High School offered a College Admissions Webinar where several private college admissions professionals answered common questions pertaining to being accepted to and applying to college next year. The webinar can be accessed here - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHmuHoh5kWg&feature=youtu.be). For the list of topics with the times when they are discussed, go to bit.ly/whscollegewebinar41320
Westborough also put together a webinar on MA State Colleges and Universities and the Impact of COVID-19 dated April 13. MA State Colleges represented in this webinar include: Westfield State, UMass Amherst, Framingham State, and Quinsigamond Community College. For your reference, this document lists when during the video certain topics are discussed.
BHS Guidance and Special Education Departments hosted the virtual "College Supports for Students with Learning Differences" panel last week. We discussed supports available at colleges and then answered questions from the audience. The panel included representatives from BHS Guidance & Special Education Departments, and Admission Counselors from Curry College and UMass Lowell. This webinar was recorded and will be available in the next week or so.
JUNIORS
HAVE YOU ASKED 2 OF YOUR CURRENT JUNIOR YEAR TEACHERS FOR A COLLEGE RECOMMENDATION FOR NEXT YEAR? NOW IS THE TIME TO REACH OUT TO 2 TEACHERS WITH A WELL WRITTEN, KIND EMAIL TO SEE IF THY WOULD BE WILLING TO WRITE A RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU NEXT YEAR. Talk to your counselor if you have any questions. Thanks!
Virtual College Road Trip panel video by Applerouth (test prep organization not endorsed by BHS) - Virtual College Road Trip webinar. While high school students may not be able to visit colleges right now, being able to hear from college students about their own experiences can be a good alternative and a great way to add to a junior’s college search. The recording from this recent online event can be downloaded here.
BHS Grad is offering a FREE College Exploration Opportunity!
Are you beginning the college search process just to find out all your college tours are cancelled? Do you wish you still had a way to learn about the colleges you’re interested in? StudentSide is a free service that allows you to talk to over 600 current college students at more than 50 schools around the country! My name is Nick Dahlborg, and I’m part of the BHS class of 2019, as well as a freshman at Duke University. I’m developing StudentSide to help simplify the college search process using real insights from real students. You can find someone just like you at the school of your dreams and chat with them, completely free of charge. If there are any questions, I can be reached at [email protected] or at [email protected]. I hope this is a valuable resource that the BHS community can use in these strange times, and hope it can help some of you learn things you never knew before about your favorite colleges!
Book a chat at today!https://www.studentside.org/book-online
Summit Test Prep organization is moderating a panel that includes both college admissions counselors and high school college counselors next Wednesday 5/20 to discuss the current admissions landscape. The link to register for the webinar is below. If you cannot make the date and time but are interested, please register and you will be sent a recording of the webinar to view at another time.
Here is the information for the college panel:
Wednesday, May 20th from 7-8:15PM
How to Plan Ahead for Applying to College This Fall
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/801301391288064270
Panelists include:
· Kelly Bellavance, Associate Director of Admission, Boston College, Boston, MA
· Henry Marrion, Senior Admission Counselor, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
· Jan Suter, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
· Susan Davidson, Associate Director of College Counseling, Rye Country Day S
Need some reassurance? These messages are similar to the many emails BHS counselors are receiving EVERY DAY from colleges about the admissions process for 2020-21. WPI Admissions Dean - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/20/college-admissions-dean-writes-open-letter-panicked-high-school-juniors/?fbclid=IwAR2D_hi6NrTu8iSdFFkf0XclURlzsnpnR_xV8l1-Wu_OS-Tf41KiXMYJix0GA Tech - 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 being packaged for mail delivery to your homes during the week of May 25. BHS Guidance will also be offering a zoom score report presentation, led by BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon – BHS College Counselor, during that week. Kate Kennedy – BHS Career Counselor- will also join this zoom presentation to discuss the PreACT career interest inventory and things you can do to build from the results of your inventory. Stay tuned for more details and thanks for your patience as we’ve worked on PreACT score distribution during the pandemic!
NINTH GRADERS
The OLS counselors continue to post 2 videos each week on CANVAS to touch base with their students and keep them informed. Students – be sure to check them out and also share with your parents-guardians!
Counselors of 9th graders also shared a survey with all OLS students last week on CANVAS to gather questions from freshmen about 10th grade. As of last Friday, many 9th graders had responded but we want more to check it out! OLS Counselors and Deans will be answering these questions in upcoming parent and student events and communications.
Parents – Click this link for free webinars for parents (FreeWebinars) with topics such as:
- Parents are NOT All Right
- Creating Realistic Routines
- Managing Depression and Anxiety at Home
- Parenting During the time of COVID: Is This a Dream?
- Finding Hope in Uncertain Times
Here are the groups we will be offering this week. You can always click this link for more information - Parent Support Group Flyer - Note that Wednesday groups have moved to 9:00 am. They update this document weekly.
Monday - Mindful Monday
Tuesday - Open Support
Wednesday - Open Support
Thursday - "I always love my kids. I don't always like them." Parenting during COVID-19
Friday - Spanish speaking group
Remember if a parent can't attend a group we have free mini webinars they can access for support. We are adding each week so check back.
From B-PEN- PARENTING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC: A DIGEST OF HELPFUL PARENTING ARTICLES 9. B-PEN has researched and compiled a digest of helpful articles to support parents. The current pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for families, and all of us can use a little reassurance and guidance at times. And follow us on Facebook for the latest info as it arrives!
STUDENTS……Going a bit stir crazy? Check out this list of ways to have fun and relax and other great ideas to stay sane. Created by (the amazing!) BHS Peer Leaders.
Student to Student- Surviving and Thriving COVID19
CDC Taking Care of Your Emotional Health - https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/selfcare.asp
Look out for these common signs of distress:
- Feelings of numbness, disbelief, anxiety or fear.
- Changes in appetite, energy, and activity levels.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares and upsetting thoughts and images.
- Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes.
- Worsening of chronic health problems.
- Anger or short-temper.
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.
Career of the Week (from the BHS Career Counselor – Kate Kennedy):
Dentistry: Are you interested in becoming a dentist or a dental hygienist? Why not hear from a dentist themselves? To learn more about becoming a dentist and what this profession entails contact:
Dana Lazowski, [email protected]
J. Alan Sasson, Boston Smile Center, [email protected]
Don't forget the BHS Job/ Career Fair will be up for the remainder of the year and every 2 weeks new vendors will be added to explore! Want to further explore a career field? Visit your Naviance page and explore different careers under the "Careers" tab! You have access to careers, their job outlook, and there are even videos from professionals in the field talking about their experiences! Need help logging onto Naviance? Email Ms. Kennedy at [email protected]!
Cool career exploration opportunity… The Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania presents the JA Inspire Virtual Career Fair. A LIVE event on May 21st on YouTube Live with host Troy Podell. Speakers will talk about their careers and how they got where they are today! Interested in learning more? Check out their webpage: https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-delaware-valley/ja-inspire-virtual to find the speaker schedule, pre recorded career videos, and other career related resources to explore!
Questions? Email Ms. Kennedy at [email protected]
Summer student experiences – None of us know exactly what Summer 2020 will be like. To that end, we’ll add ideas that pop up on our radar over the next weeks, plus work on updating the BHS Summer Planning Experiences list shared earlier in the spring. Please note that sharing this information is NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF PARTICULAR PROGRAMS. Here’s an example: Banson NYC Virtual Fashion Career Camp (also camps focusing on Fashion Design and Fashion Styling) This week-long program will teach students the fundamentals of the fashion industry by providing an insider's perspective. We will design each camp to spotlight a wide variety of careers in the industry - merchandising, media, design, styling, buying, blogging, public relations, production to name a few. Each week will also include interactive activities like a Master Class in Beauty with your own personal beauty box, a sustainable design project with a chance to win a prize and tips on successful interviewing techniques and appropriate attire to wear. We will end the program with a panel discussion from former students on how they landed internships and advice they have for making your college choice the right fit for you. Each camp will be 18-20 hours long. We will have an orientation on Sunday afternoon and then begin the program on Monday at 11:00 am (NYC time). We accept applications on a first come, first served basis.
The cost is $650.00 per student but use code STAYWELL to receive 20% off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Session A: June 14, 2020 - June 19, 2020
Session B: July 12, 2020 - July 17, 2020
AP exams – We know there have been some glitches and some successes for BHS students taking online AP exams over this past week. College Board has been mad aware of concerns. Big thanks to our Brookline High AP Coordinators - Alexia Thomas and Kate Kennedy – who continue to field questions, listen to complaints, and advocate for fixes to problems that have happened so far! As we move into week #2 of APs, we hope things continue to improve for all. Here’s information from the well-respected COMPASS Educational Group website about colleges’ acceptance of the new 2020 AP exams for placement: “The [new AP policy] announcement… prompted questions about whether colleges would accept the 2020 exams, and if so, how enthusiastically, and on what terms? Nearly two months after the announcement, many colleges have announced their policies; we’ve tracked, assembled, and coded the policies for over 100 competitive National Universities, and 25 Liberal Arts Colleges, in the table below. We will continue to update this resource as schools release statements about their AP credit policies.”
SENIORS
BE SURE TO GO TO YOUR NAVIANCE PAGE AND COMPLETE THE SENIOR EXIT SURVEY BEFORE JUNE 7. By completing this survey, you are giving us the needed permission to share your transcript with the school you have chosen to attend. We cannot send a final transcript to the college or program of your choice after graduating without student permission and student completion of this survey. You can find the survey by logging in to Naviance, clicking on About Me; Surveys; Surveys Not Completed; Senior Survey.
THANKS!
City Year, a Gap Year program, is still looking for volunteers for next year. This program is not only free, but it has a stipend. Deadline is May 29. Contact Lenny Libenzon, BHS College Counselor, for more info. [email protected]
The Chronicle of Higher Education is one of the standards in higher education information sharing. Their site is now offering the latest updates on individual colleges’ plans for fall 2020 re-opening. Bookmark this site and check back regularly - it is updated daily with the latest on individual college plans for the fall.https://www.chronicle.com/article/Here-s-a-List-of-Colleges-/248626?cid=wcontentgrid_hp_1b
DUE May 22! Brookline American Legion Post 11 local scholarship opportunity-
We are awarding a $2,500 College Scholarship for college attendance (2 year or 4 year college) to students who will be attending college in the Fall.
Students are eligible if they will be enrolled in college next year and meet one or more of the following criteria:
- are a resident of Brookline
- are a graduate of or current student at a high school (public or private) located in Brookline
- are a US military veteran or currently serving
- are otherwise affiliated with Brookline American Legion Post 11
To compete, students will prepare a two to four minute video about one of the 16 Memorial Squares in Brookline (see https://www.brooklinema.gov/253/Memorial-Squares for a list). The video should educate the viewer about the veteran for whom the square is named. The best video will win, as judged by the current members of Post 11.
The event is designed to raise awareness of the contributions of veterans from Brookline.
Submissions are due May 22.
For more information, visit https://go.brooklinepost11.com/2020.
MEFA Navigating the College Process resources, including virtual presentation of Paying the Bill, previously scheduled at BHS.
https://image.s1.sfmc-content.com/lib/fefc16747c6004/m/2/5074961b-f0bb-4ecd-bff8-062cc3028b12.pdf
Citizens Bank is offering a series of live, remote learning sessions focused on financial education topics including understanding your award letter, financial aid, and credit. The information on when and how to join, as well as the topics being discussed is listed below
Webinars for Students and their Families
Understanding Your Award Letter - Designed especially for College Bound Seniors and their families to help them understand their financial aid package, answer questions that come up after the acceptance, and explore both federal and private options for financing any gap not met by free aid. Helpful tools to compare costs here:
· Wednesday, May 27th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Financial Aid Basics - Designed for rising Seniors and their families to help understand financial aid, preparing for and starting the FAFSA form this fall, and understand financial aid components like scholarships, grants, federal loans and how to finance the gap. This live session includes time to ask questions and have
· Wednesday, May 20th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
· Tuesday, May 26th, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Understanding Credit - Designed to help students and their families understand how building and maintaining credit is critical to achieving financial well-being. Your credit score is an important number that influences the ability to finance major life events such as paying for college.
· Thursday, May 28th, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Anyone interested in participating in any of these sessions may register here.
For additional resources, please visit College Bound Citizens website at citizensbank.com/collegeboundcitizens.
Rejection and moving on.... - https://www.collegedata.com/en/prepare-and-apply/apply-yourself/your-final-answer/rejected-how-to-cope-and-what-to-do/
Koplik update- The MA Dept of Education (DESE) has made a decision to extend the current May 1 deadline to June 30 and deadlines for the Koplik Scholarship process. The following changes are still tentative according to 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
SENIORS AND JUNIORS
Westborough High School offered a College Admissions Webinar where several private college admissions professionals answered common questions pertaining to being accepted to and applying to college next year. The webinar can be accessed here - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHmuHoh5kWg&feature=youtu.be). For the list of topics with the times when they are discussed, go to bit.ly/whscollegewebinar41320
Westborough also put together a webinar on MA State Colleges and Universities and the Impact of COVID-19 dated April 13. MA State Colleges represented in this webinar include: Westfield State, UMass Amherst, Framingham State, and Quinsigamond Community College. For your reference, this document lists when during the video certain topics are discussed.
BHS Guidance and Special Education Departments hosted the virtual "College Supports for Students with Learning Differences" panel last week. We discussed supports available at colleges and then answered questions from the audience. The panel included representatives from BHS Guidance & Special Education Departments, and Admission Counselors from Curry College and UMass Lowell. This webinar was recorded and will be available in the next week or so.
JUNIORS
HAVE YOU ASKED 2 OF YOUR CURRENT JUNIOR YEAR TEACHERS FOR A COLLEGE RECOMMENDATION FOR NEXT YEAR? NOW IS THE TIME TO REACH OUT TO 2 TEACHERS WITH A WELL WRITTEN, KIND EMAIL TO SEE IF THY WOULD BE WILLING TO WRITE A RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU NEXT YEAR. Talk to your counselor if you have any questions. Thanks!
Virtual College Road Trip panel video by Applerouth (test prep organization not endorsed by BHS) - Virtual College Road Trip webinar. While high school students may not be able to visit colleges right now, being able to hear from college students about their own experiences can be a good alternative and a great way to add to a junior’s college search. The recording from this recent online event can be downloaded here.
BHS Grad is offering a FREE College Exploration Opportunity!
Are you beginning the college search process just to find out all your college tours are cancelled? Do you wish you still had a way to learn about the colleges you’re interested in? StudentSide is a free service that allows you to talk to over 600 current college students at more than 50 schools around the country! My name is Nick Dahlborg, and I’m part of the BHS class of 2019, as well as a freshman at Duke University. I’m developing StudentSide to help simplify the college search process using real insights from real students. You can find someone just like you at the school of your dreams and chat with them, completely free of charge. If there are any questions, I can be reached at [email protected] or at [email protected]. I hope this is a valuable resource that the BHS community can use in these strange times, and hope it can help some of you learn things you never knew before about your favorite colleges!
Book a chat at today!https://www.studentside.org/book-online
Summit Test Prep organization is moderating a panel that includes both college admissions counselors and high school college counselors next Wednesday 5/20 to discuss the current admissions landscape. The link to register for the webinar is below. If you cannot make the date and time but are interested, please register and you will be sent a recording of the webinar to view at another time.
Here is the information for the college panel:
Wednesday, May 20th from 7-8:15PM
How to Plan Ahead for Applying to College This Fall
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/801301391288064270
Panelists include:
· Kelly Bellavance, Associate Director of Admission, Boston College, Boston, MA
· Henry Marrion, Senior Admission Counselor, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
· Jan Suter, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
· Susan Davidson, Associate Director of College Counseling, Rye Country Day S
Need some reassurance? These messages are similar to the many emails BHS counselors are receiving EVERY DAY from colleges about the admissions process for 2020-21. WPI Admissions Dean - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/20/college-admissions-dean-writes-open-letter-panicked-high-school-juniors/?fbclid=IwAR2D_hi6NrTu8iSdFFkf0XclURlzsnpnR_xV8l1-Wu_OS-Tf41KiXMYJix0GA Tech - 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 being packaged for mail delivery to your homes during the week of May 25. BHS Guidance will also be offering a zoom score report presentation, led by BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon – BHS College Counselor, during that week. Kate Kennedy – BHS Career Counselor- will also join this zoom presentation to discuss the PreACT career interest inventory and things you can do to build from the results of your inventory. Stay tuned for more details and thanks for your patience as we’ve worked on PreACT score distribution during the pandemic!
NINTH GRADERS
The OLS counselors continue to post 2 videos each week on CANVAS to touch base with their students and keep them informed. Students – be sure to check them out and also share with your parents-guardians!
Counselors of 9th graders also shared a survey with all OLS students last week on CANVAS to gather questions from freshmen about 10th grade. As of last Friday, many 9th graders had responded but we want more to check it out! OLS Counselors and Deans will be answering these questions in upcoming parent and student events and communications.