• Testing: If you took the SAT at NHS on 9/23, your multiple-choice results should be available by 10/15, and then your essay results should be available within 10 days after.

• If you have not looked through the Senior Fall Presentation, please review it here.

• College Applications:

• KNOW YOUR DEADLINES

• Verify that your transcripts were sent through Parchment

• Verify that your test scores were sent from College Board or ACT

• Deadlines come up quickly! Make sure you invite your counselors and recommenders at least 10 days before any deadlines!

• Attend any Virtual College Visits that are interesting to you

• Visits through Farmington High School- you’re allowed to attend if their time works better for you, and you don’t miss any class time.

• Attend any College Nights/ Fairs that are available

• The last day to make any requests before winter break is December 7

• Money

• Financial Aid: FAFSA is now open!

• Connect with the colleges that you are interested in and see if there are any specific directions or resources available. For example, U of M has virtual workshops to help future students.

• NHS counselors have coordinated a FAFSA Workshop on December 14th 2020 at 6:30pm. Register at this link you will receive a unique link to join the workshop via zoom. Through the registration link you will be able to reserve your spot, access the FSA ID instructions and the FAFSA Checklist to create the FSA ID and gather the appropriate information prior to the workshop.

• Scholarships: College Based, National Scholarships, Local Scholarships

• Testing: PSAT/NMSQT 11 is all done! You should have access to your results on December 7 through your College Board account. We’ll have more information about National Merit Qualifying scores towards next fall.

• If you’re wondering about how to stay on top of our graduation plans this year, use this timeline to help guide you. Everyone’s plans are different, but read through to make sure that you’re making moves towards your goals.

• If you’re planning to play sports in college, make sure that you look into NCAA and NAIA requirements.

• If you’re headed to college after NHS:

• Start the process of curating your college list! Come up with at least 3- Keep in mind what you want right now, may not meet your needs after graduation!

• Check out a few college’s admissions pages! Make note of any GPA, testing or letter requirements to start planning.

• Decide if you want to enroll in a test prep course before April’s SAT

• Start applying for scholarships

• Have you been involved in clubs, volunteering or work? Start keeping track of your experiences in a document or a journal for future resume/ brag sheet creating.

• Testing: PSAT will be all done by November. You should have access to your results on December 7 through your College Board account.

• We hope your school year is off to a great start! Starting strong in 9th grade is important to making sure that you reach your goals over the next four years.

• Here is a link to our welcome presentation, including the link to the Getting to Know You Survey that we need all freshmen to complete! Please have the survey completed by the first week of November.

• Clubs are a great way to get involved, and meet new people. You can check out the NHS list of clubs here to find something that you are interested in. You can reach out the moderators for the clubs to learn more about joining!

Welcome back, NHS families! I’m excited to join you this year as the Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) counselor at NHS. As you know, school looks and feels a little different this year, and I believe that we all need that social and emotional support more than ever!

Since the beginning of the school year, I have received three common questions regarding SEL:

1. What is SEL? NPS has aligned with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework. According to CASEL, SEL is a distinctive skillset, separate from our cognitive abilities, that allows us to “develop healthy identities, manage emotions, and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” CASEL divides this skillset into 5 interrelated domains, and this interactive CASEL Wheel is a great tool for understanding more about each area:

2. How does SEL fit with academics in school? Decades of research indicates that students with strong SEL skills demonstrate decreased rates of anxiety, behavior issues, and substance abuse -- which, in turn, facilitates improved academic performance. SEL skills don’t just complement cognitive abilities; they are truly foundational to academic success. In other words, a student who has a strong sense of self, a comprehensive set of coping and self-management skills, an ability to build strong and healthy relationships, and the aptitude to make good decisions is both more able to learn and more likely to experience successful academic, career, and personal outcomes.

3. How can I support SEL at home? CASEL offers a wealth of resources -- from videos to books, blogs to articles -- to help build strong SEL skills at home, including supplemental resources to help your teens cope with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Stay tuned to this newsletter throughout the year for additional tips to build SEL skills at home.

I look forward to working with you this year in support of our students’ well-being, and I welcome your questions and feedback at shamusdi@northvilleschools.org.

Here are some resources from Mr. Ferrell, our Senior Career Counselor:

• August Update

• September Update

• October Update

• Article: Ways Families can Prepare for Mental Health Issues in College

• App: Wellnest is a joyful journaling app available for Apple users

• Article for parents: How to talk to children about difficult news

• Northville Youth Network: This organization empowers youth through healthy lifestyle programs and serves as a bridge to services provided by other agencies and businesses. They also host events through the Overbooked Book club, and other events.

• Hegira Health Services: Dedicated to achieving wellness first, through our team’s commitment to excellence in service that embraces all people and does so with integrity and resolve

• New Hope: Bringing hope, healing, and new beginnings to those grieving the death of a loved one

• World Mental Health Day- Check out these resources through Child Mind, including this helpful Tip Sheet for supporting your student through the winter

• Follow us on Twitter! @NHSCounseling2

• Drop In Lunch Zoom

• Schedule an appointment to check in with your counselor