HHS Counseling Newsletter

Senior Parent Night (Held on September 26, 2024)

Link to Senior Parent Night Slideshow

Link to Video of Senior Parent Night Presentation

Financial Aid Information

Parents are encouraged to register with MEFA at www.mefa.org/login in order to access video tutorials and presentations by financial aid experts on the financial aid application process and to receive regular emails with deadline reminders. MEFA’s excellent presentations on College Financing are available in English, Chinese and Spanish.

We recommend parents watch the following MEFA videos from the comfort of their home at a time that is convenient:

College Financing

Understanding the FAFSA

90 Seconds with MEFA - Creating a FSA ID

What to know about the CSS Profile

Financial Aid Night

Thursday, October 17th, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, HHS Auditorium

Kevin Fudge of MEFA will present on the financial aid process and what you need to know about financial aid eligibility and awards, as well as provide updates on the FAFSA. This evening presentation will be helpful for parents/guardians of juniors and seniors.

AP Exams

Registration Deadline November 1st

Online Registration and payment through Total Registration.

(www.totalregistration.net/AP/221060)

$110.00 per exam due at time of registration.

Follow the link on the HHS Website.

There is a $42 late fee added by the College Board for late registrations after November 16th.

Students should already have enrolled in AP Classroom to access class resources. Registering and paying for the exam is a separate and additional step!

UPCOMING SAT/ACT Test Dates and Deadlines

Register for SAT (if needed)

Register for ACT (if needed)

SAT

Test Date: November 2, 2024 Deadline: October 18, 2024

Test Date: December 7, 2024 Deadline: November 22, 2024

ACT

Test Date: December 14, 2024 Deadline: November 8, 2024

**Register ASAP as test site availability is limited.**

UPCOMING COLLEGE FAIRS

Sunday October 6th @ Worcester State University from 11am-1pm: NEACAC College Fair

UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS @ HHS

Students can sign up through Naviance, must get permission from teacher before attending, and are responsible for making up any missed work.

REMINDERS FOR SENIORS DURING THE POST-SECONDARY PLANNING PROCESS:

**Schedule your senior meeting with your counselor to discuss your post-secondary options and devise a plan.**

If you are applying to college:

*Work with your counselor to create a well-balanced list of roughly 6-12 colleges.

*Complete your Common Application and/or school specific applications when applicable. Here is some helpful info.

*Finish your college essay and create a list of supplemental essays. You can use this tracker for supplements.

*If your ACT or SAT scores are above the college's reported average, send the scores to the college through act.org or collegeboard.org. DO NOT put scores into the Common App unless you want them to be seen by all colleges.

*Thank the teachers writing letters of recommendation for you and remind them of your earliest deadline.

* Complete and print out a TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM and return to your counselor one month ahead of your deadlines with a one-time flat fee of $5 (and an additional $5 for school for international colleges/universities) to ensure that all documents (transcript, school profile, and letters of recommendation) are sent to your colleges on time.

*FERPA and Recommenders: Step 1: In Common App, complete Education section then click on the “FERPA and Recommenders” link under one of your colleges. Complete the Release Authorization (make sure to waive your rights).Step 2: Login to Naviance, click on “Colleges I’m Applying To”, “Match Accounts”, log into Common App, agree and connect. This will ensure that your Common App and Naviance accounts are linked and that you have waived your rights to access your letters of recommendation (what the colleges prefer).

*Submit applications at least 7 days before deadlines.

Junior Parent Webinar--SAVE THE DATE: Take a look ahead at junior year--presented by the HHS Counseling Department on Tuesday, November 19th at 12pm. Registration and link will be posted in the November newsletter.

PSAT Date: Saturday, October 26th, 7:30am (Registration deadline has passed.)

Hopkinton High School will be offering a special administration of the New Digital

PSAT for juniors only on Saturday, October 26, 2024. The PSAT/NMSQT, or Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, is a practice test for the SAT, one of two college entrance exams available to students. The PSAT/NMSQT will help students better understand their abilities, determine eligibility for national scholarship and recognition programs, and enable them to receive information directly from colleges. This opportunity is for Hopkinton High School juniors only.

On the day of the test:

*Students should report to the high school by 7:30 a.m. for check-in.

*The test is approximately 2 hours and 14 minutes long (50% longer for students with extended time testing.) The exam will begin at 8 a.m. Students are expected to be released at approximately 10:45 to 11 a.m. Extended time students should finish up closer to noon.

*Students are required to bring the following on the day of the test:

• Your fully charged laptop with the BlueBook app installed (more details to follow.)

• A power cord and/or a portable charger.

• A pen or pencil

• A calculator is optional (There’s a graphing calculator built into the app, but you can bring your own if you like.)

Please direct any questions to Katie Kampersal, kkampersal@hopkinton.k12.ma.us. Thank you!

AP Exams:

Registration Deadline November 1st

Online Registration and payment through Total Registration.

(www.totalregistration.net/AP/221060)

$110.00 per exam due at time of registration.

Follow the link on the HHS Website.

There is a $42 late fee added by the College Board for late registrations after November 16th.

Students should already have enrolled in AP Classroom to access class resources. Registering and paying for the exam is a separate and additional step!

Junior Parent College Admissions Night: Thursday, February 6th at 7pm, HHS Auditorium

Financial Aid Information

Parents are encouraged to register with MEFA at www.mefa.org/login in order to access video tutorials and presentations by financial aid experts on the financial aid application process and to receive regular emails with deadline reminders. MEFA’s excellent presentations on College Financing are available in English, Chinese and Spanish.

We recommend parents watch the following MEFA videos from the comfort of their home at a time that is convenient:

College Financing

Understanding the FAFSA

90 Seconds with MEFA - Creating a FSA ID

What to know about the CSS Profile

Junior Seminars and Meetings:

Counselors will meet with their juniors in monthly seminar classes, beginning November through March, to learn about post-secondary options and the college admissions process.

UPCOMING SAT/ACT Test Dates and Deadlines

SAT collegeboard.org

Test Date: December 7, 2024 Deadline: November 22, 2024

Test Date: March 8, 2025 Deadline: February 21, 2025

Test Date: May 3, 2025 Deadline: November 22, 2024

Test Date: June 7, 2025 Deadline: May 22, 2025

ACT act.org

Test Date: December 14, 2024 Deadline: November 8, 2024

Test Date: February 8, 2025 Deadline: January 3, 2025

Test Date: April 5, 2025 Deadline: February 28, 2025

Test Date: June 14, 2025 Deadline: May 9, 2025

Test Date: July 12, 2025 Deadline: June 6, 2025

**Register ASAP as test site availability is limited.**

AP Exams:

Registration Deadline November 1st

Online Registration and payment through Total Registration.

(www.totalregistration.net/AP/221060)

$110.00 per exam due at time of registration.

Follow the link on the HHS Website.

There is a $42 late fee added by the College Board for late registrations after November 16th.

Students should already have enrolled in AP Classroom to access class resources. Registering and paying for the exam is a separate and additional step!

*For Sophomores enrolled in AP Art History, AP Biology or AP Computer Science Principles only. AP US History I students will take the AP US History exam in May 2026 after completion of APUSH II.

Sophomore Seminars

Sophomores meet with their counselors for 2 seminar sessions during the Spring 2025 for career exploration seminars focused on interests and skills.

**PreACT Date: Saturday Morning, March 22nd, 2025

The PreACT is a practice ACT that measures college readiness in the areas of English, Reading, Math, and Scientific Reasoning.

Registration will be in the Counseling Office: February 24th through March 7th.

$45 fee due at time of registration.

** This is the only date for the PreACT administration at HHS (no alternate date.)

School Counselors:

A-Car: Michael Flanagan mflanagan@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Cas-F: Patrick O’Brien pobrien@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

G-Kn: Kristen Wurster kwurster@hopkinton.kj12.ma.us

Ko-Mo: Ryan Wasilik rwasilik@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Mu-Sam: Mark Awdycki mawdycki@hopkinton.k21.ma.us

San-T: Victoria Bellomo vbellomo@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

U-Z: Deirdre King dking@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Adjustment Counselors

Kara Salvucci ksalvucci@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Kerry Simpson ksimpson1@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Anne Tomasz (START) atomasz@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Bethany Hadley (EMPOWER) bhadley@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Developmental Counseling Program

Freshman Seminars are devoted to building connections with our new ninth graders during their transition to HHS.

Sophomore Seminars focus on career exploration related to strengths and interests.

Junior Seminars explore post-secondary options and the college admissions process.

Senior Seminars help students finalize their post-secondary plans.

Annual Check-Ins

Counselors meet with their students for annual, individual check-ins to offer support during high school while continuing to develop strong relationships with students. These check-ins occur predominantly during the first semester for freshman and seniors and during the second semester for sophomores and juniors. Counselors are available for appointments as needed.

Mental Health

In addition to academic advising and post-secondary planning, school counselors are experienced in assisting students with mental health concerns, such as managing stress, anxiety, and depression, developing self-calming and emotional regulation skills, teaching mindfulness, and helping students set goals, make good decisions, and find balance in their lives. Please reach out to your counselor with any questions or concerns.