Guidance Updates

The scheduling process for the 2024-2025 school year is well underway. Students attended a presentation surrounding the course selection process in February and are now able to enter their elective choices in their Aspen X2 portal. This must be completed no later than March 8th. We strongly encourage all students to review the Program of Studies and be mindful about the courses they are signing up for.

Students are currently able to view teacher recommendations for next year's core courses in their Aspen X2 portal. It is important to note, this is not visible in the parent's side of the portal. Students should review their recommendations with their parents while entering elective classes for next year.

Throughout the month of March, counselors will meet with each student on their caseload to ensure elective choices are entered into the portal correctly, make any needed changes, and answer any additional scheduling questions they might have. Please note, if a student wishes to waive into a higher level course than they were recommended for they must complete the waiver process. The waiver is due to their school counselor no later than March 8th.

Important Links

Course Selection Presentation

Course Selection Directions

Program of Studies

New courses for the 2024-2025 school year

Course Recommendation Waiver

Registration for Northern Essex Community College Dual Enrollment Summer classes has opened. If you are interested in taking a dual enrollment course, please complete the registration form and return it to your school counselor: Early College Application. Students can view the available courses in the course catalog on their website; be sure to filter for term and subject you are interested in.

If you would like more information about taking dual enrollment classes, please view the presentation, provided by Northern Essex, linked here: Northern Essex Presentation. Email Ms. Gee or see your school counselor with any questions.

The Seacoast Promise Scholarship is designed to offer financial assistance to senior students who have successfully completed Early College at Newburyport High School. The scholarship covers tuition, books, and course materials to facilitate a smooth transition to Northern Essex Community College (NECC) upon graduation. The program provides ongoing support to students throughout their academic pursuits, including the completion of an associates and/or certificate program, all at no cost to the recipients. Their flyer is linked here.

For more information on learning about or applying to the Seacoast Promise Scholarship, please contact Lauren Gee at: lgee@newburyport.k12.ma.us

The summer dual enrollment course through Endicott will be Social Media: Theory and Practice. This course provides an overview of the role of social media in society. The course uses a research-based focus to examine the internet and digital communication technologies, exploring their intersection with other aspects of communication. Historical, cultural, and theoretical facets of social media are also covered. Students evaluate strategies for effective uses of social media. Additionally, students are expected to utilize social media clients and participate in online communities. The course will run from 5/28/2024 through 7/17/2024.

Please be on the lookout for an email from Ms. Gee in March with information on how to register. Courses are offered to NHS students on a “first come, first serve” basis and have a 25 student maximum enrollment. Attendance is mandatory as the courses only meets once per week. Withdrawal after the course begins will result in a $350 processing fee. Students are required to purchase textbooks and classroom supplies, which can vary per course.

Join Endicott College's Beverly campus from June 26 through June 28, 9am-3pm for their Young Writers Workshop! Open to Newburyport High School students entering grades 9 through 12, this workshop offers a variety of writing focuses including poetry, fiction, young adult writing, screenwriting, and music writing. Novice and advanced writers are welcome to attend.

Participants will have the opportunity to work with Endicott faculty members to create and refine new writing, receive constructive peer feedback, and learn tips on promoting and publishing their work in a supportive environment.

The workshop costs $300 and includes a t-shirt, lunch, snacks, and activities for all three days. Register through the QR Code on the flyer linked here: Endicott College Young Writers Workshop

Virtual High School (VHS) is an additional opportunity for NHS students to take courses that we might not offer within our curriculum. VHS hosts courses that are 100% online with weekly deadlines and due dates to help students stay on track for successful completion. Courses are asynchronous and run on a weekly scheduled basis. NHS pays for 50 seats per semester for students to take courses such as Criminology, Meteorology, Sports in Literature, Investing in the Stock Market, AP European History, and so many more. The complete course listing can be found on their website.

You can learn more about Virtual High School by viewing their presentation linked here. Additionally, if you are interested in signing up for a VHS course for next year, please see your school counselor.

The benefits of volunteering can have a holistic effect on students’ lives—professionally, educationally, and personally. Community service can help students learn leadership, time management, and problem-solving skills while fostering a great connection with the greater Newburyport community. Although community service is not a requirement for graduation at NHS we strongly encourage all students to complete some service learning hours. If you are interested in learning more about community service and volunteer opportunities, take a peek at our Job Board (linked below), check in with Mr. Smith in the College and Career Center, and take a peek at the NHS website linked HERE.

It is extremely important to keep a log of the hours completed as this can be added to your high school transcript. For the first 75 hours completed, students will receive 2.5 credits on their transcript. An additional 2.5 credits can be earned for 75 more hours of service. Any additional hours after the 150 hours will be noted on their transcript. The Service Learning Log is where students should record their hours; This should be turned into Mrs. Vicki Dyer in the main office at the start of each semester.

Are you on the hunt for a part-time job, volunteer hours, or community service opportunities? Take a peek at our NHS Job board linked HERE. As businesses reach out with opportunities for our students we will post those here. If your business is hiring or has community service/volunteer opportunities that would be good for our students, please reach out to Mr. Smith in our College and Career Center.

Sophomores and freshmen students will participate in MCAS testing this semester; specific test dates are listed below. More information surrounding MCAS testing is provided by DESE at this link.

Sophomores: ELA MCAS on March 26th and 27th.

Sophomores: Math MCAS on May 21st and 22nd.

Freshmen: Biology MCAS on June 4th and 5th.

• Alternatives to Success Without a College Degree | March 5th, 1:30pm (info below)
• Whittier Tech Community Career Fair | March 21, 6pm-8pm @ Whittier Tech Gym
• Post-Secondary Fair for Students Who Learn Differently | March 28th, 6pm-8pm (info below)
  
• Greater Essex County College and Career Fair | April 4th, 6pm-7:30pm (info below)
• NHS Spring Break | April 15-19 (No School)
• Credit For Life Fair | May 23, 10:00am-12:30pm (info below)

Are you interested in learning about alternative post-secondary options and you aren't sure where to start? We would love to have you join us for our Future Pathways event. Come learn about Career Paths, Trade Opportunities, Part-Time Jobs, and Internships/Job Shadows.

Future Pathways: Alternatives to Success Without a College Degree

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Newburyport High School College & Career Center

Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School will be hosting a Community Career Fair at their school gym. This event is open to all senior students of the 11 sending cities and towns within the Whittier Tech District. Senior students will have the opportunity to connect with over 40 industry partners, employers and local companies.

Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Community Career Fair

Thursday, March 21, 2024 6pm - 8pm

115 Amesbury Line Rd, Haverhill, MA

Whittier Tech Gymnasium

The Landmark School is hosting a college fair for students who learn differently on March 28th from 6-8pm. Meet representatives from college and university admissions and student support services, gap year programs, technical schools, and other non-traditional options. To learn more information about this event and to register, visit their website linked here. By registering at the bottom of the website you will receive links to helpful articles about the college process, including a whole series from Landmark on Navigating the College Admissions Process for Students with Learning Disabilities. Landmark also shared a great resource on Questions to ask a disability services office to reference while you are visiting for a campus tour.

Newburyport High School will host our annual Greater Essex County College and Career Fair this spring on April 4th, 6:00pm-7:30pm in the NHS Gymnasium. This is a great opportunity to meet with representatives from many colleges and universities along with local community partners. All students and families are welcome and encouraged to join us.

This year, we will utilize a program called Strive Scan to help the fair rely less on handouts and paper. Students who will attend can register HERE. Students will enter information about themselves and will receive a QR code that they can share with each college (rather than filling out information cards). We are excited to see how much smoother the college fair experience is with this technology.

Here is the recording from our Get College Ready: NHS College Planning Night from January. This event included an overview of the college process at NHS, a Q&A panel featuring admissions representatives from local colleges and universities, and much more! Take a peek at the video below if you were unable to attend.

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for seniors to update Naviance with college admissions decisions as this helps populate our Scattergrams (which many of you utilized in the college search process) and informs your counselor on where to send your final transcript later this semester. As you continue to hear back, please head into your Colleges I'm Applying to list and mark whether you were accepted, denied, deferred, waitlisted, etc. Additionally, if you have decided to no longer apply to a college, please send your counselor an email so we can keep your Naviance up to date. Don't hesitate to pop by and share the exciting news with your counselor!

The scholarship process is well underway, and we strongly encourage all of our students to apply to as many scholarships as possible. Mrs. Crupi, our Scholarship Coordinator, will email home on a weekly basis with updated scholarship information, new scholarships students can apply for, and a weekly list of scholarships in due date order for students to utilize.

Keep in mind that if you need an official transcript for a scholarship, you must request that at least 1 week in advance in Naviance. Instructions on how to request transcripts are on page 3 of the Scholarship Instructions linked below. Additionally, if you need a letter of recommendation please be sure to give the recommender at least 2 weeks notice. Your recommender will send the letter directly to the scholarship source, so be sure to let them know where/how they can submit it when finished.

There are a lot of pieces to this process, so do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Crupi with any questions: phone: 978-465-4440 x5003 | Email: acrupi@newburyport.k12.ma.us. School Counselors and Mr. Smith are also available to walk students through this process.

Here are a few important links you might need for this process:

Scholarship Instructions

Interactive spreadsheet to organize your scholarships

We are so excited to participate in the Credit for Life fair again this year on May 23rd at Salem State University from 10:00am to 12:30pm. The intent of Credit for Life is to prepare students to survive financially in the everyday world BEFORE they leave high school. Students choose professions, assume the roles of 25-year old 'professionals with paychecks' and use their monthly ‘salaries’, ‘credit cards’ and ‘savings accounts’ to purchase everything they will need to live as adults. NHS juniors attended a Credit for Life orientation on February 29th with the Institution for Savings to learn about the event, how it works, and what to expect in May. Be on the lookout for an email from Mr. Smith with more information.

Here are the digital SAT test dates for Spring 2024. Please note, the May 4th SAT will take place at NHS. Please head to your CollegeBoard account to register; Registration takes about 30 minutes. You will provide identifying information, upload an appropriate photo, and process payment.

Here are the Spring/Summer 2024 ACT test dates. Please head to the ACT website for more information and to register for one of these test dates. Registration takes about 30 minutes, and you will need to provide identifying information, an acceptable photo, high school course details, and payment.

• Junior Quick Facts Sheet
  FAQ's and important info surrounding the planning process including senior scheduling, letters of recommendation, admissions glossary, the college essay, etc.

• Junior College Planning Timeline
  A quick breakdown on what students should work on when for the post-secondary planning process with links to more information on each step.

Newburyport High School is excited to partner with the following organizations to assist students and families through the college search, application, and financial aid processes: College Guidance Network, College Affordable, and College Aid Pro. Take a peek at our Winter Newsletter which outlines what each program does for our students and how to register for their support. More information can also be found on the College and Career Website.

The first-of-its-kind program to help young people quit vaping, This is Quitting has helped over 600,000 youth and young adults on their journey to quit vaping. Learn more about how it works and the additional resources available for parents of young vapers and for adults who want to quit.

Teens and young adults can join for free by texting DITCHVAPE to 88709

https://truthinitiative.org/thisisquitting

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new MPY Parenting Solutions Library. The MPY Parenting Solutions Library is offered at no charge, in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families, and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The trainings are presented by experts with advanced degrees and the trainings focus on child and adolescent development, including difficulties in school, mental health challenges, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ identity formation, racism, and grief. These trainings present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change.

Ellie Mental Health, Andover MA

Ellie Mental Health is located in Andover, Ma and will be opening this Spring. They currently accept Blue Cross, Optum, United, and Aetna and are awaiting a few more contracts including MassHealth. They provide in person and virtual appointments. If you are interested in learning more about their services, please reach out to them at the contact information below:

elliema19401@elliementalhealth.com | #978-396-9866 | https://elliementalhealth.com/

Erin Deery, Salisbury MA

Erin Deery reached out to our office to share that she currently is accepting new clients. She is a Clinical Social Worker with a local private practice and specializes in working with teens, college students and young adults specifically around anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Below is a link to her Psychology Today profile. Please reach out to her directly with any questions or to inquire about services.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/erin-m-deery-salisbury-ma/721978

InStride Health provides specialized outpatient treatment for pediatric anxiety, school avoidance, and OCD. Their model includes evidence-based care (CBT, ACT, components of DBT) with an emphasis on exposure therapy for young people ages 7 to 22 and their families. They have a comprehensive, dedicated care team that includes a psychiatrist, therapist and exposure coach who activate the family, physicians and school to surround the patient with everyday support.

Currently, they have no waitlist and therapy starts within 1-4 weeks. Their intake team reaches out within 24 hours of an application. They accept the following insurances at this time: access to in-network care including Anthem BCBS (including Empire), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, UniCare and UnitedHealthcare. Learn more about their services at their website.

After a holiday or school break, transitioning back to school can be particularly challenging for kids who have anxiety. Join InStride Health and pediatric mental health experts Drs. Wilmer and Villere, as they share strategies and practical tips for how families and school counselors can navigate school avoidance and successfully help kids return to the classroom in the webinar linked below.