BHS Counseling Newsletter

All juniors will be taking the SAT test. This test is free for all seniors in Anne Arundel County Schools. The SAT is a test used by many colleges to determine college admissions. Students have this great opportunity to take the test at Broadneck for free. Students may sign up to take additional SAT tests by registering and paying for them through the College Board. All juniors took the PSAT in October and should have received their score in December. Students can sign in using their College Board account to review their score and take practice questions to be prepared for the SAT on April 2.

Juniors who are interested in taking a class next year at Anne Arundel Community College should sign up in Naviance for a time to meet with an AACC Admissions Advisor on May 16 to secure their spot. Spots are limited and if they fill up, students and parents can still meet with admissions. They are right down the street! We just offer this day as a service to AACC. See a separate email to be sent to all juniors for more details. Students who sign up for the May 16 appointment will receive a pass to attend PRD Preparation on April 8 to learn more about the process listed here!

During our course registration meetings with juniors last month, many students shared their interests in working in the construction trades. We will be offering a field trip on April 30 for juniors to learn more about apprenticeships and job prospects in the trades from local contractors, manufacturers and industry partners. While we have identified many students to contact, any junior interested in this opportunity should contact their school counselor.

GIRLS STATE:

A leadership opportunity for junior young women to attend Maryland's Girls State Program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. This program has been around since 1937 and is being held at Salisbury University from June 15th-20th. This program is for young women who have an interest in the democratic process and how our government works at the state and national levels. We have had many young women from Broadneck attend in the past. It is highly recognized by colleges/military institutions as an excellent leadership program.

Please see the link below which has information about the application and process. Students interested in this opportunity will need to be sponsored by a local American Legion branch. Please search the local American Legion branches and contact them to set up a meeting time. They are always honored to sponsor local students each year.

The application deadline is May 1st. Please visit the website below for further information.

https://mdboysgirlsstate.org/girls-state

BOYS STATE

A leadership opportunity for junior young men to attend Maryland's Boys State Program sponsored by the local American Legion Auxiliary. This program has been around since 1935 and is being held at McDaniel College in Westminster from June 15th-21st. Boys State is for young men who are interested in the democratic process and how our government works at the state and national levels. We have had many young men from Broadneck attend in the past. This program is highly recognized by colleges/military institutions as an excellent leadership program.

Please see the link below which has information about the application and process. Students interested in this opportunity will need to be sponsored by a local American Legion branch. Please search the local American Legion branches and contact them to set up a meeting time. They are always honored to sponsor local students each year.

The application deadline is May 1st. It is best to start now as you will need to be sponsored by an American Legion branch.

http://www.mdlegion.org/boysstate/

See above for April 8 presentation

The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is a standardized test used by the U.S. military to assess aptitude and skills, helping determine an individual's suitability for enlistment and potential career paths within the armed forces.

Even students not interested in a career in the military may benefit from taking the ASVAB test to learn more about their skills and interests to better identify their post-high school options.

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Naval Academy Summer Seminar and Summer STEM applications. These programs offer incredible opportunities for high school students to experience life at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Naval Academy Summer Seminar

This one-week program is designed for rising high school seniors who want to explore life at the U.S. Naval Academy. Participants will immerse themselves in the rigorous academics, athletics, and professional training that prepare the nation’s future leaders.

2025 Sessions:

May 31- June 5

June 7-12

June 14-19

Program Fee: $550

General Program Inquiries should be directed to: SummerSeminar@USNA.edu

Point of Contact: Karin Dolan (kdolan@usna.edu)

Summer STEM Program

The Summer STEM Program offers rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders a chance to engage in hands-on math and science activities with USNA faculty and midshipmen.

2025 Sessions:

June 2-7 for rising 9th graders (current 8th graders)

June 9-14 for rising 10th graders (current 9th graders)

June 16-20 for rising 11th graders (current 10th graders)

Program Fee: $750

General Program Inquiries should be directed to: SummerSTEM@USNA.edu

Point of Contact: Yetanda Massey (ymassey@usna.edu)

These programs are an excellent way for students to experience first-hand the dynamic and challenging environment of the U.S. Naval Academy. As always, we count on you to help spread the word about these exciting opportunities!

For more details, visit Naval Academy Summer Programs

Coming soon for Juniors! College Kick-off sessions for all juniors interested in applying to a four-your college or university next year. Each year the counseling office offers valuable workshops for college-bound students to learn about the application process and here from an Admissions Counselor expert to learn valuable information about the admissions process. More to come!

All 11th graders will take the SAT at Broadneck on Wednesday, April 2. 10th graders will be taking the PSAT 10 on the same date. Reminders about the school schedule that day are sent in the principal's message. See below for the upcoming college entrance test calendar. Juniors should take a look and make their testing plan, if they plan to apply to a four-year college next year.

Students are encouraged to view their PSAT scores on their CollegeBoard accounts to access valuable test-preparation information. See more resources here.

Getting off to a good start for the 2nd semester includes using the habits and resources that worked for you 1st semester and understanding that changes in your schedule, students in your classes and changes in teachers can cause frustration and anxiety in getting used to new experiences. Be kind to yourself, give yourself time to adjust to changes, share your feelings with those who care about you and who you trust. Make a new Bruin Block Schedule and commit to visiting teachers during Bruin Block when you have been absent or need support. Use the academic support and create a Bruin Block plan. Try something new, join a club, talk with someone new in class and commit to improving communication and relationships with those around. You create the Broadneck High School community through your words and actions. Create the community you can be proud of!

Students earn credit based on semester final grades, except for full-year courses (Biology and US Government, see below). See the grading policy below. Set goals for 2nd semester NOW and commit to achieving those goals by reflecting each day on what is working for you and what you need to improve on. Commit to doing the things you know will help you improve to meet your goals.

** Final Grade for full-year courses like Biology and Honors Biology and US Government and Honors US Government are equal to 20% for each of the four marking periods and 20% for the End-of-Course state exam.

Counselors have concluded working with all 9th, 10th and 11th grade students to complete the course registration process for course requests for the 2025-2026 school year. Students' course requests determine staffing the school with faculty to teach the courses that students request. The master school schedule is created over the next few months based on the county's course scheduling timeline. No changes to course requests can be made at this point.

Learn more about ECAP, how to determine if you are eligible, what classes can you take, is it free?....

What are the steps to applying to AACC's ECAP program?

Reminders from Anne Arundel Community College:

Spring Semester has begun, but there are still some classes with open seats that start in the next 2 weeks. If you have applied but need help registering, we have appointments on Tuesday and Thursday for Personal Enrollment Sessions (register here).

If you want help getting started with ECAP or have questions, you may attend an ECAP Information Session on Wednesday and see this ECAP Support document for other types of assistance.

If you are a senior considering AACC for next year, please see these steps to get started.

Learn more about the School of Health Sciences and School of Science, Technology and Education at Anne Arundel Community College

Link to BRUIN Block Options for Spring Semester

Commit to visiting your teachers once a week in courses that are difficult for you. Don't just go to the teacher's room; ask the teacher questions for answers that will help you complete homework, improve test scores and raise your confidence in class. It also shows your teacher you are a conscientious student committed to improvement!

Students in the National Honor Society are available to help students every Wednesday, Maroon Block. Go to C212 and get help from an older student who is happy to help you!

Specific subjects:

English Tutoring: Every Friday during Maroon Block in C211

Math Tutoring: Every Tuesday Gray Block in D226

AACPS will provide Middle and High School evening Virtual Homework Help and Tutoring for targeted subjects in English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, World Languages, and English Language Development (ELD).

Virtual Homework Help and Tutoring will be delivered through Microsoft Teams. Evening offerings for the 2024-2025 school year will begin on September 16, 2024, from 5:00-8:00 pm Monday through Thursday.

Looking for the following information?

Need a workers' permit for a new job? Need the link to get your Driving Learner's Permit? Want to make an appointment with your counselor? Want to view the Bruin Block schedule or Academic or Mental Health Resources? Looking for College and Career Planning Resources? Questions about the College Application Process? Click on our website below...

This is the time of year that colleges and universities may request that seniors applying to their colleges send a "MID-YEAR TRANSCRIPT." This updated transcript includes the seniors' grades from 1st semester and continued work in progress for the 2nd semester. Request your mid-year transcript using this Google Form and your updated transcript will be sent during the week of February 3 - 7.

Encouragement: Ask...

• How's it going? Can I help you? Have you scheduled a senior meeting with your counselor? Counselors are here to help!
• Remember, with a good college list, students are accepted to two thirds of the colleges to which they apply. Be realistic, organized, planful, and follow directions and deadlines.

Research: Check out...

• Use the resources on our counseling website!
• Link to valuable weblink tools to complete college searches, help with applications and financial aid tools.

Financial Aid:

• Here's the latest about applying for financial aid and this year's new FAFSA form (courtesy of our friends at AACC)
• Complete the FAFSA.
• What to do now? Create a StudentAid account

Reviewing the College's Financial Aid Award Letters

• Talk to a Financial Aid representative from the college to understand what the award letter means for your student to make financial decisions about which is the right college financially.

The vast majority of scholarship money comes from the college and university itself. View the College's Admissions/Financial Aid website to understand the process of obtaining the Scholarship $ you can earn. A private college or university costing $60,000 or more may offer far more merit-based scholarship money than a state college or university. Some colleges or universities offer merit-based scholarships based on a student's grades and SAT/ACT scores.

You should never pay for a scholarship search! Use the best two scholarship search engines NOW to apply for the most money available for high school seniors!

FastWeb.com and Scholarships.com

We will advertise scholarships that may be unique to our school or community here.

Even if you think you can afford the total cost of college, you should still complete the FAFSA (Free Access to Federal Student Aid) form to access federally funded financial aid. Although the FAFSA will not be available until December, PLEASE access the Federal Student Aid website and login to your 2024-25 Student Aid account if you have completed the FAFSA for a child who has graduated. If you are completing the FAFSA for the first time to apply for financial aid for your senior's education after high school graduation for the 2025-26 school year, you can create your StudentAid.gov account NOW! The FAFSA for the 2025-26 school year will not open until December 1, 2024.

Colleges want families to be able to afford the cost of attending their college. The best way to take advantage of this opportunity is to review the suggestions and steps provided by the college itself. See the helpful links to some of our local university's Office of Financial Aid for more information:

Towson University

Salisbury University

Google the name of your university's financial aid office and make contact with them to compare costs to make a good decision about accessing all financial opportunities available to you.

The School Counseling Office uses a helpful website, called Naviance, to communicate with students and parents. We access valuable resources on Naviance in classroom lessons to help students further their post-high school plans. Naviance is used a lot in Junior and Senior years. We also advertise events (college admissions representatives visit Broadneck, military branches hold information sessions and other opportunities for students). Access Naviance using the BHS Counseling Website. Students use Single Sign on from their Chromebooks or laptops.