MHS School Counseling Newsletter

The school counseling department has compiled a list of mental health resources on our website. Please keep this link handy in case you ever need it. If there’s something you think we’re missing, please let us know. We want to continue to improve the resources we share.

Do you know that Massachusetts has hospitals specifically designed to provide mental health services? Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHC) are open 7 days a week and designed specifically to provide outpatient clinical services and crisis support for mental health and substance use. Our closest centers are Advocates CBHC in Framingham (1094 Worcester Rd) and Advocates CBHC in Waltham (675 Main St). The 24/7 phone number for both clinics and the crisis line is 800-640-5432.

Starting the week of November 12th, 9th grade students will participate in a mental health lesson to raise awareness around adolescent mental health issues. The aims of the lesson include how to reduce stigma associated with mental health challenges, and to provide students with tools to identify how to access support for themselves or someone else. The lessons will take place on November 14th-20th, determined by the students' 9th grade rotation class. The mental health lesson will be followed by a mental health screener for anxiety and depression which will be distributed to students November 20th and 21st. The screener will help counseling staff identify students who may need additional support and resources.

We administered the PSAT for the 11th grade and 10th grade students who opted in on Tues. 10/22. Scores for the PSAT are now available! Students who provided a mobile phone number during testing will receive a text prompting them to view their scores on the BigFuture School app. Students should have also received an email from the College Board directly letting them know that they can access their scores through the College Board website. This will prompt students to either create a College Board account in order to access the scores, or log into their College Board account to see them. Students should already have a College Board account if they are in an AP class or if they took the PSAT last year and viewed their scores.

College Board has a 'PSAT/NMSQT: Understanding Scores for Students and Families' document that outlines how to interpret scores and information about next steps. They also have a helpful 'Understanding Your Digital PSAT/NMSQT Scores' video. Once students have their scores, they can use the data to help decide if they will take the actual SAT when the times comes (as many colleges and universities are now test-optional) and what they need to focus on in terms of studying.

**Attention Seniors** The first big early action deadline, Nov. 1st, has passed, but there are more deadlines coming up on Nov. 15th and Dec. 1st. If you are applying to schools with either of those deadlines, please make sure you have connected with your school counselor ASAP. If you are applying to schools with any regular decision deadlines (typically Jan. 1st to Feb. 15th), please set up a meeting with your school counselor so we can help make sure you are on track with your applications.

Brag Sheet for Counselor Recommendation - please fill this out in as much detail as possible so that your school counselor has all of the information to write a great letter of recommendation! **counselors will need this to be completed at least two weeks before the first deadline**

Caregiver Brag Sheet - a questionnaire for parents to fill out in case they want to provide us with some additional background information that would be helpful for us to know for the letter of recommendation, optional but appreciated!

Teacher Letter of Recommendation Form - this is a form that students can fill out and give to the teachers who are writing their letters of recommendation. Teachers may want some additional information from students in order to write their recommendations

Transcript Release Form - in order to send any students' transcript to a college or scholarship program, we must legally receive permission to do. If under 18, a parent must also electronically sign

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will become available in December. The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) is a great resources for all things financial aid and financing college. Here are some specific resources from MEFA we want to highlight:

- FSA ID Workshop, Nov. 14th at 4pm - With the FAFSA’s delayed launch to December 1st this year, you’ll want to be ready as soon as the application opens! And that means taking the time now to create your FAFSA username and password, called the FSA ID. Both the student and parent(s) will need one. Join this workshop where you will be paired with an expert who will provide one-on-one help creating your FSA ID. Then you’ll be ready to go when the FAFSA opens in December! Sign up for the event here

- FAFSA Festivals, various dates from Dec. to Feb. - Log in to a MEFA FAFSA Festival to receive help from an expert on completing your FAFSA. Before joining, you are encouraged to start filling out the FAFSA at fafsa.gov. See the flyer here with links to sign up for the various dates

- Financial Aid 101, various dates through Dec. - This webinar will provide information and clarity on the entire college financial aid application process. You’ll learn about financial aid applications and types of financial aid, the factors that determine your aid eligibility, how colleges determine the amount of aid to offer, and the details of financial aid offers. Live transcription will be available. Sign up here

CSS Profile

Some students may also need to fill out the CSS Profile, which is an additional financial aid application used by 200+ colleges in the country. Typically the schools that use the CSS Profile are more selective private schools, however this year there are some public schools that are requiring the CSS Profile, too. Be sure to check out each of your school's individual financial aid websites to see if the CSS Profile is required.

- What to Know about the CSS Profile recorded webinar - This webinar, recorded in September 2024, will introduce the nuts and bolts of the CSS Profile, a financial aid application required by approximately 200 colleges, universities, and scholarship agencies across the country. Topics will include tips on completing the Profile, specific financial and household data collected, and how colleges and universities use the application information. View the webinar here.

Similar to college applications, the timing of scholarships becoming available is cyclical. Scholarships typically pick up during the second semester, but there are some larger scholarships that students can apply for in the fall. Whenever we learn of a scholarship available to students, we will post it on the Class of 2025 Google classroom. Every year in February, the local Maynard Scholarship Application will open up and we will come into the senior English classes to talk to students about the importance of applying.

In the meantime, please check out this Scholarship Handout which has information about scholarship search engines and where to get started on your own.

Community college is now free in Massachusetts through the MassEducate program! MassEducate covers the full cost of tuition and fees for all eligible students. Students may qualify for an allowance of up to $1,200 for books and supplies based on income level. Some students may also be eligible for an additional allowance (up to $1,200) to help with other costs of attending college.

Please reach out to your school counselor if you have any questions about this program and we can help support you through the application process.

Students taking AP classes are signed up to take their exams in May 2025. All students should have paid their fees to the Main Office by now, if they haven’t please do that ASAP as we are submitting the order next week.

Please check out the AP exam schedule below and note exam times and ½ days. Especially note the day of prom, May 9th, as you make your plans for that special event. All students signed up for AP classes are required to take the AP exam on the day it is scheduled. This year most of the tests will be taken on school issued computers (no personal devices are allowed).

If you have any questions please reach out to Nicole Fernald nfernald@maynard.k12.ma.us

The AP exam schedule is attached below.

Nicole Fernald nfernald@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3209

Dana MacPhee dmacphee@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3105

Amy Petroskey apetroskey@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3210