Guidance Updates

The scheduling process for the 2024-2025 school year will start in January. Teachers will have conversations with students about recommended core classes for next year. Grade level meetings will start in February to explain the scheduling process and how to use the scheduling portal. In March, counselors will meet with each student on their caseload to ensure elective choices are entered into the portal correctly and answer any scheduling questions they might have.

We strongly encourage all students to start reviewing the Program of Studies now and make a list of potential courses that they hope to sign up for. The Program of Studies can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18wlRx6yzKLOxXWbew_pQcc3zjhzmWKdl/view

The benefits of volunteering can have a holistic effect on students’ lives—professionally, educationally, and personally. Community service can help students learn leadership, time management, and problem-solving skills while fostering a great connection with the greater Newburyport community. Although community service is not a requirement for graduation at NHS we strongly encourage all students to complete some service learning hours. If you are interested in learning more about community service and volunteer opportunities, take a peek at our Job Board (linked below), check in with Mr. Smith in the College and Career Center, and take a peek at the NHS website linked HERE.

It is extremely important to keep a log of the hours completed as this can be added to your high school transcript. For the first 75 hours completed, students will receive 2.5 credits on their transcript. An additional 2.5 credits can be earned for 75 more hours of service. Any additional hours after the 150 hours will be noted on their transcript. The Service Learning Log is where students should record their hours; This should be turned into Mrs. Vicki Dyer in the main office at the start of each semester.

Registration for Northern Essex Community College Dual Enrollment Spring classes has opened. If you are interested in taking a dual enrollment course, please complete the registration form and return it to your school counselor: Early College Application

If you would like more information about taking dual enrollment classes, please view the presentation, provided by Northern Essex, linked here: Northern Essex Presentation. Email Ms. Gee or see your school counselor with any questions.

The spring dual enrollment course through Endicott, Criminal Law, is currently full. Please be on the lookout for our summer Endicott course which will be announced in the Spring. Courses are offered to NHS students on a “first come, first serve” basis and have a 25 student maximum enrollment. Attendance is mandatory as the courses only meets once per week. Withdrawal after the course begins will result in a $350 processing fee. Students are required to purchase textbooks and classroom supplies, which can vary per course.

Improving executive functioning skills has been shown to decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. This lecture series is all about increasing students’ executive functioning skills and will cover test taking strategies, study skills, time management and work tracking, organization, psychology of learning, stress reduction, and more. This series will be held during Clipper Block on the following dates in the College and Career Center: December 13th, January 3rd, January 8th, February 14th, February 26th, and March 8th, with more dates to come. Please come down to Student Support and see Ms. Kat Blum to sign up and commit to attending this EF Skill Workshop Series. We hope to see many students there!

Newburyport High School has partnered with Girls With Impact to allow our students the opportunity to participate in a 10-week Virtual Business & Leadership Academy.

• Starting the weeks of January 8 & February 12, this program delivers an immersive learning experience for young women aged 14-24. Attend just one class a week from anywhere at any time, and empower yourself with essential Business and Leadership skills. Plus, enrolled students get a shot at the Girls With Impact Venture Competition, where the top winner receives $1,000 in seed funding for their business idea or educational pursuits.

• You may choose one session to sign up for

• In addition to completing this program, you will receive 1.25 credits on your high school transcript

• Please use this link to learn more about this program: Girls with Impact Flyer

• Email Ms. Gee if you are interested in registering

Are you on the hunt for a part-time job, volunteer hours, or community service opportunities? Take a peek at our NHS Job board linked HERE. As businesses reach out with opportunities for our students we will post those here. If your business is hiring or has community service/volunteer opportunities that would be good for our students, please reach out to Aaron Smith in our College and Career Center.

• NHS Showcase Night | December 6th, 6pm-7:30pm
• GAP Year Fair | January 17th, 6-8:30pm (info below)
• Get College Ready: Your Roadmap to Success | January 25th, 6-8pm (info below)
• NHS Program of Studies Night | February 6th (info to come from administration)
• Future Pathways: Alternatives to Success Without a College Degree | March 5th, 1:30pm (info below)
• Greater Essex County College and Career Fair | April 4th, 6pm-7:30pm (info below)

We have reached a very exciting time of the year as many of our seniors are starting to receive decisions back from colleges and universities. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for seniors to update Naviance with college admissions decisions as this helps populate our Scattergrams (which many of you utilized in the college search process) and informs your counselor on where to send your final transcript later this year. As you start to hear back, please head into your Colleges I'm Applying to list and mark whether you were accepted, denied, deferred, waitlisted, etc. Additionally, if you have decided to no longer apply to a college, please send your counselor an email so we can keep your Naviance up to date. Don't hesitate to pop by and share the exciting news with your counselor!

Are you interested in learning about options for a potential GAP Year after high school? Don't miss the opportunity to meet gap year program providers, counselors, and alumni from all over the world. Join us to get the most up-to-date information about exploring gap year options. Whether you're dreaming of Spanish language immersion in Costa Rica, rock climbing in the American Southwest, or pursuing a virtual internship from the comfort of your living room, there are so many gap year options to choose from! Both gap year program providers and counselors will be available to speak with you directly and answer any questions you might have.

GAP Year Fair

Wednesday, January 17th | 6:00-8:30pm

Reading Memorial High School

Click here to register

We welcome students and families to join us for our Get College Ready: Your Roadmap to Success event. Even though the focus of the event will be on juniors, we invite all grades to attend. The first half of the evening will include an overview of the college search and application process here at NHS and the new FAFSA updates / the general financial aid process. The second half of the evening will include a college panel with admissions representatives from MIT, UMass Amherst, Holy Cross, and Worcester State.

Get College Ready: Your Roadmap to Success

Thursday, January 25th 6-8pm

Newburyport High School Auditorium

Are you interested in learning about alternative post-secondary options and you aren't sure where to start? We would love to have you join us for our Future Pathways event. Come learn about Career Paths, Trade Opportunities, Part-Time Jobs, and Internships/Job Shadows.

Future Pathways: Alternatives to Success Without a College Degree

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Newburyport High School College & Career Center

Newburyport High School will host our annual Greater Essex County College and Career Fair this spring on April 4th, 6:00pm-7:30pm in the NHS Gymnasium. More information will be sent out at after the December break surrounding which colleges and universities will be in attendance. All students and families are welcome and encouraged to join us.

Newburyport High School is extremely excited to partner with Revolution Prep to offer free practice ACT/SAT test opportunities, various webinars, and a low cost virtual SAT prep course that is tailored to students' schedules. The current offerings are:

• Low Cost Virtual SAT Prep Course
  Revolution prep is offering a low cost, virtual 6 week SAT prep course for our students at only $300! Students choose a class schedule that works best for them. Get tailored instruction in small groups of only 4-8 students. All courses come with practice tests, and a comprehensive improvement plan.

• Free Digital Practice SAT Test
  Our friends at Revolution Prep are excited to support us by offering a free digital SAT experience that most accurately reflects the official College Board test in format, user experience, adaptivity, and content. The test will be on Saturday, February 10th, from 9am-12pm; It will be proctored online via zoom.

• Understanding the New Digital SAT and PSAT Webinar
  Join Revolution Prep on Wednesday, December 6th at 7pm for a free webinar in which they will cover both the broad strokes of the test’s changes as well as specific nuances that are critical for parents and students alike. This is the most significant change in standardized testing in over ten years, and every family looking to apply to college in the coming years will benefit from our clear explanation and insights into maximizing scores.
  
  

To register or learn more about either of the above offerings, please visit the Revolution Prep NHS landing page at this link.

Newburyport Adult and Continuing Education is offering their yearly SAT prep course for both ELA and Math. You can sign up for either or, or take both courses, depending upon your review needs. If you are interested in learning more or registering, head to their link HERE. Please note, seats are limited and this course does usually fill to capacity.

Newburyport High School is partnering with College Guidance Network (CGN) to provide students and families with even more resources surrounding the college search and application process. Students and parents can create a free account to access the following content:

• Individualized student plan with a virtual librarian search assistant
• Year-round live access to experts: College & Career TV Channel (6-8 events per month during the school year)
• CGN Library: Comprehensive resource library of content
• Customizable content to NHS's specific college planning content and events

To create your account head to this link. Students will log in with their school google information. Parents, watch This video for steps on how to create your free parent account. When it asks for a student or parent pin, please use the following: Student PIN: 486966 || Parent PIN: 352380

Newburyport High School is partnering with College Affordable to offer your family the personalized support necessary to understand the entire financial aid process. College Affordable will be your ally helping you navigate this process throughout the year. Some of the services they offer:

• Create a realistic family budget to measure affordability
• Optimize scholarship and grant opportunities at target colleges
• Assist with completion of aid and grant applications
• Review and interpret financial aid offers to allow for fully informed decisions
• Review potential lenders to select the best opportunity

In addition to the above, they will host a monthly webinar series to provide you timely information throughout the academic year. To register your information with College Affordable and sign up for their webinar series, please complete the form on the page linked below. Please note all responses will be kept confidential.

Head here to register and learn more: https://collegeaffordable.org/newburyporths/

Newburyport High School is partnering with College Aid Pro so our families can save money, time, and stress during the overwhelming college application and funding process. We have invested in CAP's all-in-one financial aid and scholarship platform so our students and families can get free access to:

• An instant (and accurate) net price calculator for every college, so you know approximately what financial aid package each school will give you
• Every scholarship at every college and which ones your students are likely to receive
• $9.1 billion searchable private scholarship database
• Customized guidance on when and how to appeal your financial aid packages at colleges

Head to the website linked HERE to register your account and get started with these awesome resources. The Coupon Code for our school is NEWBURYPORT100

Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) serve as a single entry point for timely, high-quality, mental health and substance use disorder treatment for youth, families, and adults 24/7. Elliot can provide crisis screening and intervention support for families as needed. Watch the fantastic video below to learn more about these services and how they might help your family. Learn More About Their Services Here

Our School Adjustment Counselors put together a great resource with unbiased articles that parents and guardians can use when navigating this tricky conversation with their students. If any students have concerns or worries about the difficult things that are happening around the world please remember we have resources and counselors available in student support.

View the resources HERE

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in children. The rates of children with anxiety have been growing dramatically. This article will help parents address many of their common questions on anxiety, including:

• How do you know if your child has anxiety?
• What are the common anxiety disorders in children?
• Is your child’s anxiety your “fault” as a parent?
• What can you do to help your child?
• When and how should you seek professional help for your child

The article can be viewed at THIS LINK.