BHS Counseling Dept Weekly Update

This week of 9/23 is a regular 5 school day week. See below for the schedule.

The week of 9/30 will be a 4 school day week due to the Rosh Hashanah holiday on Thurs 10/3. Please see the 4 day week schedule shared on the regular week schedule document below - Monday 9/30= Day 1, Tues 10/1= Day 2, Wed 10/2 = Day 3 and Friday 10/4 = Day 4.

• Q1 Progress Reports – “IPRs” uploaded to Aspen Portal - October 11

• Q1 ends – November 6 ---> Q1 Report Cards uploaded to Aspen Portal approx 11/15

• No School for students on: 10/3 (Rosh Hashanah), 10/14 (Indigenous Peoples Day) and 11/5 (Staff Professional Development day)

Students love to stop by our offices when we have snacks available!

We have snacks for the counselor and social worker offices to last into late October.

We appreciate your generosity!

Parents & guardians heard updates shared with seniors earlier the same school day, plus had the opportunity to hear about the excellent collaboration between the BHS Counseling Dept and College Affordable - an invaluable resource for seniors and their families regarding college affordability and financial aid info and support.

You can find the powerpoint presentation of this event by going to the BHS Guidance blog.

And here is the recording of the event. Not the best version but we did our best in a limited wifi situation.

Parents & Students Grades 11 & 10 -

Please join the BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon from 6:30- 8pm for an overview of the Junior Post High School Planning timeline, plus a presentation on the current College Admissions Testing landscape with SUMMIT expert Drew Heilpern on everything you need to know regarding ACT and the College Board's SAT testing.

This presentation will be recorded.

** Please note that BHS does not explicitly promote any test prep organization**

EDIT....

This year, planners are not free!

@115 - on sale in room 267 in main building (115 Greenough)

@22 - on sale during lunch in the 22 Tap Commons

Planners are $10.00

Custom BHS planners are on sale this week for $10 cash or check (payable to BHS Planners) @22 Tappan - in main office and during lunch @115 - in room 267 during the day or in the main office after school

Locker Requests

There's a locker request form for all grades.

Here's a shortened url: https://rb.gy/lyv5v3

Families may request a long-term loan chromebook here.

• Long term loan form to be signed by families
• Lost charger? Buy an approved replacement
  
  

Information about Student Technology Accounts

9th Grade / New Student Photos were taken last Friday in the 22 Tappan Street building with their English classes. If your student missed this opportunity, they can to the next photo session at BHS on...

Wednesday, October 9th in the Schluntz Gym from 8:30 AM-2:30 PM. Gr 10 & 11 students will go with their English teachers during their class time.

Seniors should take photos only if they do not have one or need a replacement.

We wish all BHS students the best as tryouts for the Fall Sports teams is underway!

If you are a 10th, 11th, or 12th grader and you make a BHS team, be sure that team is listed on your schedule and transcript. You need to be in touch with your assigned counselor (email or office visit or note at your counselor's office) to let them know to add this team to your schedule so you can get wellness credit.

If you added a team sport last year, but did not try out or did not make the team, you MUST let your counselor know! You can change to another BHS team sport in winter or spring OR add a wellness class to your schedule where there's room.

9th graders - All 9th graders are REQUIRED TO TAKE LIFETIME WELLNESS for .5 credits. 9th graders can join BHS teams, but this cannot count for wellness credit in your freshmen year.

Counselors will be moving back and forth with less frequency between the 22 Tappan and 115 Greenough buildings this school year. SEE THE COUNSELOR PERMANENT OFFICE LOCATION (with office numbers, work phone numbers, emails and QR codes) below.

Of course, counselors will be in their offices whenever possible... and let's keep working on students leaving a note on the counselor's/social worker's door if they stop by and no one is available at that time. The counseling staff won't know if a student stopped by and they are in another meeting, etc if a note is not left by the student!

Just a reminder that BHS counselors are here if a student has questions/concerns or just wants to say hello to their counselor. Students are encouraged to stop by their counselor’s office when not in class. Students can be in touch with their counselor for any questions or concerns – school related, post high school planning related, extracurricular activities related, or life related.

We’re here and ready to support EVERY BHS student!

Public Schools of Brookline Updated Health Guidance for respiratory viruses including Covid-19

Please refer to PSB guidelines on When to Keep Students Home
The continued DESE, DPH and DESE guidance for respiratory viruses including Covid-19

• ● Stay home and away from others, returning to normal activities only when symptoms are improving and the person has been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

• ● Get tested for COVID-19 and flu. Talk to your healthcare provider about getting treatment if you test positive.

• ● Stay away from others in your household. Wear a mask when you have to be around them

• ● Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand

  sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

• ● Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue or your inner elbow, not your hands.

• ● Clean high touch surfaces (such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs) often.

  There is no requirement for a 5-day isolation if testing positive for Covid-19

  You should stay home even if you don’t know what virus is making you sick.

  Upon returning to normal activities, individuals are encouraged to take these additional measures for 5 days to prevent disease spread:

  ● enhancing hygiene practices,
  ● wearing a well-fitting mask,
  ● keeping a distance from others, ● increasing ventilation to clean air, ● utilizing indoor air filters

Please email Darby Neff-Verre - Coordinator of the BHS Counseling/Guidance Dept - individually for feedback on the Weekly Update.

And always check out the BHS Counseling Dept "Guidance Blog" on the BHS website for past Weekly Updates and info on career exploration, job finding, shared guidance documents and other great resources.

Thank you!

More detailed teacher extra help availability for 9th graders listed in "9th grader" section below

The Day of Disability Education (DoDE) planning team is looking for students to get involved with planning! This year the event happens on Wednesday December 18th during A, C, T, and X blocks. Please FILL OUT THIS FORM if you are interested in helping with DoDE in any way!

Some ways to get involved include:

• Helping to plan lessons/activities
• Coordinating with clubs and outside resources
• Interviewing & video editing
• Providing feedback and ideas

Please FILL OUT THIS FORM if you are interested in getting involved with DoDE, and email kathleen_bernier@psbma.org or laura_honeywood@psbma.org if you have any questions!

DORRS will happen at BHS on December 4, 2024 and planning is underway....

Students can participate beyond "telling our stories" - see below for 1st planning meeting below. The DORRS planning team is trying to do a student panel of "what action looks like" and need moderators for the keynote speaker too.

Students had a good time last Wed 9/11 at the BHS Club Fair, learning and signing up for clubs of interest.

Keep in mind that students can join most clubs during any point in the school year, not just on the sign up day at the Club Fair. The current list of clubs has been updated. Take a look - https://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/clubs-and-activities-list.html

Study Buddy Tutoring (SBT) is a non-profit student-run tutoring organization for students of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels in the Greater Boston area. Our mission is to provide a free, high-quality learning experience to help students of all kinds. We look to support students with the difficulties brought by the pandemic, including the shortcomings of remote learning. We also aim to combat inequality in education by assisting disadvantaged students through tutoring and fundraising for local education charities.

Although the organization was founded during the pandemic, tutors and students can meet in person in addition to our remote program. Our program provides tutoring for students of all ages and they can be tutored in any subject. Tutors and students will be matched up depending on subject and teaching preferences.

Reasons to Apply:
1. We have students currently awaiting tutors and we are expecting more soon.

2. Community service hours can be earned into school credits. (50 hours = 0.25 credits).

3. To gain experience in teaching.

4. You and your student will get to know each other well (and you might even receive a gift from your student!)

5. It looks great on college apps!

If interested in applying as a tutor, please fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/29cJYYLQq68m9F7q7 or email us at tutoringstudybuddy@gmail.com. For more details, check out our website at tutoringstudybuddy.weebly.com.

Community service hours are not a requirement to graduate from Brookline High, but there is great research that confirms that "giving back" is a great way to promote your positive mental health.

In this NACE (Natl Assoc of Colleges and Employers) article, Susan Albers, Psy.D - psychologist for the Cleveland Clinic - says that volunteering can be great for a person’s mental health, too. According to Albers, when you help other people, it activates the reward center in your brain and releases serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, which is why many people often feel better after volunteering.

Think about experiences you may know of in Brookline or check out this TeenLife Boston area community service info. See your counselor for BHS Community Service talk about possible opportunities. And here's the link to the Community Service page with more options and the required form to get service experiences approved for possible BHS credit.

Read the fine print carefully. There are certain restrictions to the BHS community service for credit options, so read the fine print.

The College Essay Writing Workshop, offered to BHS Seniors each year, will be held on SATURDAY SEPT. 28, 2023, 9am-12:30pm.

• Rising Seniors - this is a great, FREE opportunity to get help on your college essays from BHS teachers and community volunteers, wherever you are in the writing process.
• BHS parents and community members - this is a rewarding way to support our students during the college application process.

Register TODAY for this FREE event! This registration link works for both students and volunteers. This workshop is supported by the BHS PTO.

Senior year is jam packed. Here's some powerful thoughts about being the parent of a 12th grader and moving away from "wishing the year away".

https://grownandflown.com/senior-year-high-school-beginning-end/?

Open the link below

College Admissions representatives from multiple universities have started their visits to BHS to meet with seniors almost every block until early Nov. This is open to SENIORS ONLY (no parents).

Students can see the list of visits & sign up for them on Naviance, under College Visits. Parents can view the list on BHS Calendars page, scroll down (https://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/calendars.html)

In order to attend the visits, students need to sign up on Naviance and then get their teachers to sign the college visits absence form at least a day before the meeting. Please give the signed form to Mr. Libenzon during the meeting. No form is needed if you are not missing the class. Please note that absences from class do count towards the N rule, so plan your time well!

Seniors should consider doing BOTH campus visits (in-person or virtual on college websites) whenever possible. The college reps who will show up for the rep visits at BHS are often the initial readers in the admissions offices for our students. It's a great opportunity to hear more (some info may be repeated from the campus visit), but really helpful for students to introduce themselves in person. If they have some questions that have come up re: that particular school, then this is a perfect time to ask.

College reps do keep track of both who visits their campuses (if the visit included the official college info session and tour) as well as who the students are who come to the rep visits at BHS.

If a college tracks demonstrated interest in their application process (not all do!), these signs of interest can be valuable.

Of course, this is all balanced with the senior not missing too much class time since the MOST important thing college admissions will be looking at are the applicant's grades on their transcript, including their 1st and 2nd quarter grades in senior year.

ASVAB

If you are considering enlisting in the US Armed Forces, you will be required to take the ASVAB. The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. Newton North High School will be offering the ASVAB test on Thursday, October 24th.

REGISTER: To register please email Mr. Larry Allen at allenl@newton.k12.ma.us no later than October 17th. Parent permission will be required if the student is not 18 years old.

Please view the College Affordable information sheet below.

To access this critically important resource, please register with College Affordable!

We’re excited to continue our partnership with College Affordable for the 2024-25 academic year. For those of you who are not familiar with the program, they offer financial aid support for our members of our community. In addition to being your resource for all questions related to the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and financial aid eligibility, they also hold monthly webinars specifically designed to support families where they are in the financial aid process.

This month they will present two webinars in September explaining how to complete the CSS Profile and FAFSA. They will review both forms in detail and highlight the common issues and areas most likely to result in errors.

Last Thursday, 9/12/2024 (register to have access to this recorded webinar)-

Part 1: Errors are costly - completing the CSS Profile

Thurs 9/26 (Back to School Night at BHS) -register with CA to have access to recorded webinar-

Part 2: Errors are costly - completing the FAFSA

All families who are new to College Affordable and their support, should click on this link and continue to our school icon to register with the program. This page is also a great resource for you and will house information related to different program aspects you can take advantage of and contain all their contact information.

If you previously registered with College Affordable and need to just sign up for these webinars, please follow this link.

All questions can be directed at College Affordable via email financialaid@collegeaffordable.org or call/text 781-343-1941.

- Senior seminars have started in some advisories and will continue through mid Oct. Please attend advisory so you don't miss more important info!

- Seniors can make 1:1 meetings with their counselor. If parents want to join these 1:1 meetings, please talk to your senior and contact their counselor.

- BHS College Counselor is available for additional support after the student has met with their assigned counselor.

- Counselor Kate Kennedy's seniors should be in touch with Darby Neff-Verre and/or Lenny Libenzon for post high school planning support while Kate is out on maternity leave.

On October 1st, Curry College will be hosting their annual 'Navigating the College Search for Students With Learning Differences' Workshop on campus from 6:00-7:30pm.

By attending 'Navigating the College Search,' students and families will receive critical information to support their college search process as they pursue institutions with the proper academic support to help them succeed. Although Curry College faculty and staff are excited to highlight some key offerings of Curry's Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL), the workshop aims to support student's college search process as a whole - not only their consideration of Curry College.

Students may register for the workshop here.

The PSAT - practice SAT - will be offered at BHS on Saturday Oct 26. This is the only time BHS can offer this practice test, based on College Board tlmelines.

Juniors and parent / guardians should check out the Oct 6 BHS Counseling Dept Weekly update for registration and payment information from 10/7-10/18. Stay tuned!

EDIT

October 5, 2024 - Digital SAT

October 26, 2024 - Digital PSAT
November 2, 2024 - Digital SAT
December 7, 2024 - Digital SAT
December 14, 2024 - Paper ACT
February 8, 2025 - Paper ACT
March 8, 2025 - Digital SAT
April 5, 2025 - Paper ACT
May 3, 2025 - Digital SAT
June 7, 2025 - Digital SAT
June 14, 2025 - Paper ACT
July 12, 2025 - Paper ACT

Please view the College Affordable information sheet below.

We’re excited to continue our partnership with College Affordable for the 2024-25 academic year. For those of you who are not familiar with the program, they offer financial aid support for our members of our community. In addition to being your resource for all questions related to the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and financial aid eligibility, they also hold monthly webinars specifically designed to support families where they are in the financial aid process.

This month they will present two webinars in September explaining how to complete the CSS Profile and FAFSA. They will review both forms in detail and highlight the common issues and areas most likely to result in errors.

Last Thursday, 9/12/2024 (register to have access to this recorded webinar)-

Part 1: Errors are costly - completing the CSS Profile

Thurs 9/26 (Back to School Night at BHS) -register with CA to have access to recorded webinar-

Part 2: Errors are costly - completing the FAFSA

All families who are new to College Affordable and their support, should click on this link and continue to our school icon to register with the program. This page is also a great resource for you and will house information related to different program aspects you can take advantage of and contain all their contact information.

If you previously registered with College Affordable and need to just sign up for these webinars, please follow this link.

All questions can be directed at College Affordable via email financialaid@collegeaffordable.org or call/text 781-343-1941.

Parents & Students Grades 11 & 10 -

Please join the BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon from 6:30- 8pm for an overview of the Junior Post High School Planning timeline, plus a presentation on the current College Admissions Testing landscape with SUMMIT expert Drew Heilpern on everything you need to know regarding ACT and the College Board's SAT testing.

This presentation will be recorded.

** Please note that BHS does not explicitly promote any test prep organization**

Here is the recording for folks who were not able to attend this event or want to hear info again. This is the passcode if you need it: #04@9JLL

The 10th grade counselor team invites you to view the recording.

Please encourage your sophomore to reach out if they have questions- either stopping by the counselor's office, sending an email or leaving a note on the counselor's door.

They will be trying to stop by advisories over the next opening days for a quick intro, plus the 1st round of guidance seminars in your advisories will happen from early Oct to mid Nov.

The 2 counselors whose offices are permanently in the 115 Greenough buidling - Mr Gorman and Ms Aggeler - will be spending time in the 22 Tappan building too. They will spend 1 full day / week in the 22 Tappan building through Term 1 - Ms Aggeler will be there on Wed and Mr Gorman on Thurs, starting next week. Their location will be shared in next Sunday's weekly update.

Of course, stop by their offices in the 115 Greenough counseling suite too when you are in the main building!

Click here