BHS Counseling Newsletter

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. 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!

Ms. Spears is excited to start working with our BHS Counseling Staff. She replaces Ms. Swonger and will work with students whose last names start between: Sj and Z.

During their English classes several weeks ago, students viewed the directions to assist them in the process for requesting their courses for the 2025-2026 School Year. Students and parents are encouraged to access the general course registration information on our website as well as more specific resources including our Parent Presentation from last week.

On Tuesday, January 27, school counselors started working with students through their English classes, beginning with our 9th graders. Students are encouraged to access their PowerSchool portal to identify core courses their teachers recommended for next year, review their course history and review the AACPS Graduation Requirements to determine their additional course requests (non-core graduation requirements and electives) for next year.

Counselors meet with EVERY 9th, 10th and 11th grader from now until early March to review course histories, guide academic decisions, and help choose courses that further a student's four-year plan toward meeting graduation requirements, balancing an appropriate course load and identifying courses that fit a student's interest and goals.

The first semester ended Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Students and parents are encouraged to view report cards on the PowerSchool Student/Parent Portal. 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.

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.

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.

As a follow up, all 11th graders will take the SAT at Broadneck on Wednesday, April 2. 10th graders will be taking the PSAT on the same date. 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.