BHS Counseling Dept Weekly Update

This week of 10/7 is a regular 5 school day schedule.

Next week of 10/14 will be a special schedule 4 school day week due to the Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday 10/14. Check the 4 day schedule on the right of the visual below. Day 1= Tues 10/15, Day 2= Wed 10/16, Day 3 = Thurs 10/17, Day 4 = Fri 10/18.

• Q1 Progress Reports – “IPRs” uploaded to Aspen Portal this Friday October 11

• Q1 ends – November 6 ---> Q1 Report Cards uploaded to Aspen Portal approx 11/15

• No School for students on: 10/14 (Indigenous Peoples Day) and 11/5 (Staff Professional Development day)

Open this link for more information about scams that are happening currently.

Another school district administrator shared this info - "parent reached out to us yesterday stating that they received a call from the College Board looking for their credit card information for a product ordered. They thought something was wrong and asked for a number to call back and the caller hung up"

New International Parents and Guardians,

Please consider joining the International Student staff this Tuesday, October 8th from 6:30-7:30 to learn more about academic and student life at BHS. I will present an overview on the following topics:

-Grading

-Academic Support

-Student Support

-Extracurricular Life

-College Preparation

-State Testing (MCAS)

I will also answer questions that have arisen for you and it's always a nice time to connect with other new families from other countries at the high school. We hope to see you there!

Note: While we can't guarantee an interpreter for this event, we will try to arrange one for the evening. It's important that if you request one, you commit to coming! Please fill out this form to request one.

THIS WEDNESDAY....ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY: THE PARENT VERSION - OCT 9
On Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in the MLK Room, Joanie Geltman presents her popular and insightful "Adolescent Psychology: The Parent Version," discussing adolescent development and how to navigate tricky conversations with teenagers. Designed for freshman parents, the presentation is relevant for all caregivers of young adolescents and provides a welcome opportunity to meet other parents in person.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS BHS is a public school setting in a somewhat urban environment, with open campus allowing students to venture out at specific times during the school day and lots of after-school and nighttime activity. Given some of the recent incidents around BHS, B-PEN (Brookline Parent Education Network) encourages parents to have a chat with their teens about situational awareness. The Brookline Police Department offers this helpful Social Awareness Primer to share with your teens.

The next time to get photos taken is....

Wednesday, October 9th in the Schluntz Gym from 8:30 AM-2:30 PM.

Gr 10 & 11 students will go with their English teachers during their class time.

Seniors should take photos only if they do not have one or need a replacement.

New students who entered school after the 1st photo session should get their photo taken on 10/9. Go to the Schluntz gym during a free block or lunch!

- Talk to your child to support and find out what may be going on.

- Reach out to someone on your student's BHS school support team - counselor, dean, if appropriate - program coordinator, special education liaison, school clinician.

- Consider outside of school counseling support using either:

* Cartwheel Care - Virtual counseling for adolescents and/or parent guidance (contact your child's school counselor)

* Care Solace - therapy referral resource to find a provider that meets your child's needs in the Boston area. See below for more information

Please read BHS Head of School Anthony Meyer's messaging about student support for ANY student struggling with the anniversary of Oct 7, 2023 and the ongoing world conflicts impacting so many people. See a caring adult at BHS or come to the MLK room in the 115 Greenough building to check in if needed from 8:15-12:30. Support staff will be available.

SEE THE COUNSELOR PERMANENT OFFICE LOCATION (with office numbers, work phone numbers, emails and QR codes) below.

Of course, counselors will be in their offices whenever possible... and let's keep working on students leaving a note on the counselor's/social worker's door if they stop by and no one is available at that time. The counseling staff won't know if a student stopped by and they are in another meeting, etc if a note is not left by the student!

Just a reminder that BHS counselors are here if a student has questions/concerns or just wants to say hello to their counselor. Students are encouraged to stop by their counselor’s office when not in class. Students can be in touch with their counselor for any questions or concerns – school related, post high school planning related, extracurricular activities related, or life related.

We’re here and ready to support EVERY BHS student!

Public Schools of Brookline Updated Health Guidance for respiratory viruses including Covid-19

Please refer to PSB guidelines on When to Keep Students Home
The continued DESE, DPH and DESE guidance for respiratory viruses including Covid-19

• ● Stay home and away from others, returning to normal activities only when symptoms are improving and the person has been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

• ● Get tested for COVID-19 and flu. Talk to your healthcare provider about getting treatment if you test positive.

• ● Stay away from others in your household. Wear a mask when you have to be around them

• ● Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand

  sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

• ● Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue or your inner elbow, not your hands.

• ● Clean high touch surfaces (such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs) often.

  There is no requirement for a 5-day isolation if testing positive for Covid-19

  You should stay home even if you don’t know what virus is making you sick.

  Upon returning to normal activities, individuals are encouraged to take these additional measures for 5 days to prevent disease spread:

  ● enhancing hygiene practices,
  ● wearing a well-fitting mask,
  ● keeping a distance from others, ● increasing ventilation to clean air, ● utilizing indoor air filters

Please email Darby Neff-Verre - Coordinator of the BHS Counseling/Guidance Dept - individually for feedback on the Weekly Update.

And always check out the BHS Counseling Dept "Guidance Blog" on the BHS website for past Weekly Updates and info on career exploration, job finding, shared guidance documents and other great resources.

Thank you!

The Brookline Police Dept is still looking at dates in October and November. Please fill out this form for availability by Wednesday, 10/9. The BPD will then decide dates based on this information and sign-ups will be shared in a follow-up email, first come-first served. Class sizes are limited to 15 students, and if there is enough interest, BPD will run multiple sessions.

https://forms.gle/WtR1nhBZa8PuRR3C8

DORRS will happen at BHS on December 4, 2024 and planning is underway....

Students can participate beyond "telling our stories" - see below for 1st planning meeting below. The DORRS planning team is trying to do a student panel of "what action looks like" and need moderators for the keynote speaker too.

Deadline to get involved extended to this Tues 10/8!

Students can officially sign up for the May 2025 AP exams.

Here is some quick info....

- Any BHS student can self-study for any AP exam and sign up

- We don't accept students who live out of town and want to take AP exams at BHS.

- Deadline to register is Nov. 14th, before the College Board adds a $40 late fee.

- Final deadline to register is March 14th

- Cost of each exam = $105

- Students can request financial aid if needed

More specific info is in the info letter below.

Congressman Jake Auchincloss’ office encourages students’ participation in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge.

The Congressional App Challenge is the official computer science competition of the House of Representatives. Since its inception in 2013, the Congressional App Challenge has become one of the most prestigious prizes in computer science. Over 30,000 students have participated in the Congressional App Challenge across 340 Congressional Districts in 50 states and five U.S. territories. This year, we are pleased to announce that the Office of Congressman Jake Auchincloss will be participating in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge.

From now until November 1st, Congressman Auchincloss will be hosting a Congressional App Challenge for middle school and high school students (grades 6-12) of all coding skills who reside in the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District. All students are encouraged to enter the competition, regardless of previous computer science experience.

To learn about the rules, prizes, and more, you can visit the Congressional App Challenge website here.

Kian Dana | District & Constituent Services Representative
Pronouns: he/him/his; Office of Congressman Jake Auchincloss, MA-04

More detailed teacher extra help availability for 9th graders listed in "9th grader" section below

The Day of Disability Education (DoDE) planning team is looking for students to get involved with planning! This year the event happens on Wednesday December 18th during A, C, T, and X blocks. Please FILL OUT THIS FORM if you are interested in helping with DoDE in any way!

Some ways to get involved include:

• Helping to plan lessons/activities
• Coordinating with clubs and outside resources
• Interviewing & video editing
• Providing feedback and ideas

Please FILL OUT THIS FORM if you are interested in getting involved with DoDE, and email kathleen_bernier@psbma.org or laura_honeywood@psbma.org if you have any questions!

This is not a Brookline High specific organization, however BHS students and staff have had a long collaborative connection with this terrific project.

Keep in mind that students can join most clubs during any point in the school year, not just on the sign up day at the Club Fair. The current list of clubs has been updated. Take a look - https://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/clubs-and-activities-list.html

The Junior Economic Club of Boston is offering the opportunity to apply to be a part of this Greater Boston area organization.

** This is not a BHS specific organization**

The Junior Economic Club of Boston was founded in 2021 by students from Lexington High School who saw a need to help the state combat the lack of economic and business education and opportunities for youth. With a fast-growing population and a strong financial culture, Massachusetts has the potential to foster resilient and outspoken leaders in the next generation. As a part of the National Junior Economic Club, the Boston Chapter hopes to provide students in Massachusetts with opportunities to explore finance, business, marketing, and entrepreneurship by working with like-minded students, meeting industry professionals, and advancing leadership skills. Our chapter currently has 80 members from 32 schools in MA, NH, and RI. The club provides the ability to further explore their interests.

They offer all members the opportunity to write articles for the Boston Junior Economist Publication. Writing for our publication enables students to explore various parts of the economic world and showcase their knowledge.

Additionally, they offer numerous opportunities for students to meet with industry professionals by hosting virtual meetings with a range of guest speakers. Guest speakers include politicians, entrepreneurs, and finance professionals. Attending these meetings enables students to ask questions and gain valuable insight into the real industry.

Finally, the Junior Economic Club is planning to run the High Returns Program, allowing students to make a real-world impact, regardless of their interests. The high returns program involves visiting underserved public schools for a day to run a financial literacy workshop for students. There is also a virtual option for more consistent financial literacy classes for some underserved communities.

Click the link above to learn more and apply.

Venture Camp organizes programs and free workshops for students interested in business, entrepreneurship, and real-world impact.

This October and November, all students can access a series of virtual workshops from young entrepreneurs and industry leaders from companies like OpenAI.

We are offering 2 merit-based scholarships, the Young Women in Business Scholarship and the Social Impact Scholarship.

We're also currently accepting applications for 2 programs this winter. Innovation Connect allows high school students to tackle a real-world problem for leading companies and Launch a Startup pairs students with a 1:1 startup mentor to develop their own small business project. www.venturecamp.org

Community service hours are not a requirement to graduate from Brookline High, but there is great research that confirms that "giving back" is a great way to promote your positive mental health.

In this NACE (Natl Assoc of Colleges and Employers) article, Susan Albers, Psy.D - psychologist for the Cleveland Clinic - says that volunteering can be great for a person’s mental health, too. According to Albers, when you help other people, it activates the reward center in your brain and releases serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, which is why many people often feel better after volunteering.

Think about experiences you may know of in Brookline or check out this TeenLife Boston area community service info. See your counselor for BHS Community Service talk about possible opportunities. And here's the link to the Community Service page with more options and the required form to get service experiences approved for possible BHS credit.

Read the fine print carefully. There are certain restrictions to the BHS community service for credit options, so read the fine print.

- Set up a meeting with your assigned counselor (If you are a senior who has Kate Kennedy, contact Darby Neff-Verre or Lenny Libenzon).

- Follow the steps listed on the BHS College Application Guide - see below for digital version

- Be sure to complete the transcript release form link FOR YOUR COUNSELOR and include ALL of the information requested on this link. See the digital BHS College Guide below for these links or contact your counselor. You can add one school at a time or up to 5 schools that you know you're applying to. Use this link again if you apply to more colleges later on.

By completing this link, you are giving BHS permission to send all of your needed school documents to these colleges - transcript, BHS school profile, counselor recommendation and 1-2 teacher recommendations. In addition, you are agreeing that BHS guidance will send your 1st and 2nd term grades to these schools when available (usually starting around Nov 18). Last, you will inform us which college you are planning to attend in May and this permission link allows us to send your final transcript after graduation to that college.

- Be sure to do the FERPA waiver and the "Matching" steps (see the BHS College Application Guide for easy instructions) to allow BHS guidance to send your BHS documents - transcript, school profile, counselor recommendation and teacher recommendations. WE CANNOT SEND YOUR DOCUMENTS TO COLLEGES UNTIL YOU DO THESE STEPS!

- Reminder - students cannot add the colleges they are applying to to Naviance. This step is done by the dept staff after a transcript release form has been shared.

- Senior seminars have started in some advisories and will continue through mid Oct. Please attend advisory so you don't miss more important info!

- BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon is available for additional support after the student has met with their assigned counselor.

with your counselor 3 weeks before your 1st college deadline date. See below for a copy of that questionnaire or complete a digital version by going to your Naviance account and look under "school surveys".

YOUR COUNSELOR CANNOT WRITE A RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU WITHOUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE BEING COMPLETED AND SHARED WITH THEM IN A REASONABLE TIME BEFORE YOUR APPLICATION DUE DATE.

See below for this form. When done, please share directly with your senior's counselor or have your student drop it off to the counselor's office.

This Brag Sheet is available in other languages if needed. See your counselor or Lenny Libenzon for more info.

College Admissions representatives from multiple universities continue their visits to BHS to meet with seniors almost every block until early Nov. This is open to SENIORS ONLY (no parents).

Students can see the list of visits & sign up for them on Naviance, under College Visits. Parents can view the list on BHS Calendars page, scroll down (https://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/calendars.html)

In order to attend the visits, students need to sign up on Naviance and then get their teachers to sign the college visits absence form at least a day before the meeting. Please give the signed form to Mr. Libenzon during the meeting. No form is needed if you are not missing the class. Please note that absences from class do count towards the N rule, so plan your time well!

Seniors should consider doing BOTH campus visits (in-person or virtual on college websites) whenever possible. The college reps who will show up for the rep visits at BHS are often the initial readers in the admissions offices for our students. It's a great opportunity to hear more (some info may be repeated from the campus visit), but really helpful for students to introduce themselves in person. If they have some questions that have come up re: that particular school, then this is a perfect time to ask.

College reps do keep track of both who visits their campuses (if the visit included the official college info session and tour) as well as who the students are who come to the rep visits at BHS.

If a college tracks demonstrated interest in their application process (not all do!), these signs of interest can be valuable.

Of course, this is all balanced with the senior not missing too much class time since the MOST important thing college admissions will be looking at are the applicant's grades on their transcript, including their 1st and 2nd quarter grades in senior year.

ASVAB

If you are considering enlisting in the US Armed Forces, you will be required to take the ASVAB. The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. Newton North High School will be offering the ASVAB test on Thursday, October 24th.

REGISTER: To register please email Mr. Larry Allen at allenl@newton.k12.ma.us no later than October 17th. Parent permission will be required if the student is not 18 years old.

Please view the College Affordable information sheet below.

To access this critically important resource, please register with College Affordable!

We’re excited to continue our partnership with College Affordable for the 2024-25 academic year. For those of you who are not familiar with the program, they offer financial aid support for our members of our community. In addition to being your resource for all questions related to the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and financial aid eligibility, they also hold monthly webinars specifically designed to support families where they are in the financial aid process.

This month they will present two webinars in September explaining how to complete the CSS Profile and FAFSA. They will review both forms in detail and highlight the common issues and areas most likely to result in errors.

Last Thursday, 9/12/2024 (register to have access to this recorded webinar)-

Part 1: Errors are costly - completing the CSS Profile

Thurs 9/26 (Back to School Night at BHS) -register with CA to have access to recorded webinar-

Part 2: Errors are costly - completing the FAFSA

All families who are new to College Affordable and their support, should click on this link and continue to our school icon to register with the program. This page is also a great resource for you and will house information related to different program aspects you can take advantage of and contain all their contact information.

If you previously registered with College Affordable and need to just sign up for these webinars, please follow this link.

All questions can be directed at College Affordable via email financialaid@collegeaffordable.org or call/text 781-343-1941.

This is the only date that BHS will offer this practice test, based on College Board tlme lines.

The PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) will be administered at Brookline High School on the morning of Saturday, October 26th from 7:45 am- 12:15 pm.

The PSAT will be offered in digital form for all students.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills. Brookline High School recommends that juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT in order to receive feedback about strengths and weaknesses in verbal and mathematical abilities and be able to compare their performance with that of thousands of juniors across the country who also take the test. The PSAT helps prepare students for the SAT later on in their school experience. Lastly, juniors are also automatically entered into the National Merit Scholarship competition.

For the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT, students at Brookline High School will be registering online. This registration will take a few minutes and can be completed from any computer with internet access using the link: www.TotalRegistration.net/PSAT/220445

• ● Registration deadline is Friday October 18, 2024

• ● Students must answer all of the questions in the registration to complete the process. A confirmation page will show up at the end of registration to confirm you’ve fully completed the process.

• ● Because the PSAT is now digital, be sure to indicate if you plan to bring your own device (laptop or iPad) or you want the school to provide you with a Chromebook just for this practice test. Visit this link to see if your device is approved for testing (https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/students/approved-devices)

• ● If you plan to bring a school-issued Chromebook, the Bluebook app is already uploaded. TEST IT BEFORE COMING TO PSAT - https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/students

• ● If you choose to bring your own device, YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THE “BLUEBOOK” APP AND TEST IT BEFORE COMING TO PSAT - https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/students

• ● Brookline High School is excited to offer families the convenience of paying exam fees online at the time of registration. The cost to take the PSAT is $25. Please be sure to have a debit or credit card available before beginning registration. Paying online is a great way to make sure that payment has been made while avoiding mailing payment. If you have not paid for your testing by October 23rd, your test registration will be cancelled.

  If you feel you qualify for a fee waiver, please indicate that on the online form or contact Ms. Hatzieleftheriadis at Bonnie_hatz@psbma.org

  Here are the important dates for the registration process:

• ● Monday, Oct 7, 2024 at 6:00 AM - Registration Begins

• ● Friday, Oct 18, 2024 at 11:59 PM - Registration Ends

• ● Wednesday, Oct 23, 2024 at 11:59 AM - Registrations that have not been paid for will be cancelled and exams will not be ordered.

October 26, 2024 - Digital PSAT

November 2, 2024 - Digital SAT
December 7, 2024 - Digital SAT
December 14, 2024 - Paper ACT
February 8, 2025 - Paper ACT
March 8, 2025 - Digital SAT
April 5, 2025 - Paper ACT
May 3, 2025 - Digital SAT
June 7, 2025 - Digital SAT
June 14, 2025 - Paper ACT
July 12, 2025 - Paper ACT

Please view the College Affordable information sheet below.

We’re excited to continue our partnership with College Affordable for the 2024-25 academic year. For those of you who are not familiar with the program, they offer financial aid support for our members of our community. In addition to being your resource for all questions related to the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and financial aid eligibility, they also hold monthly webinars specifically designed to support families where they are in the financial aid process.

This month they will present two webinars in September explaining how to complete the CSS Profile and FAFSA. They will review both forms in detail and highlight the common issues and areas most likely to result in errors.

Last Thursday, 9/12/2024 (register to have access to this recorded webinar)-

Part 1: Errors are costly - completing the CSS Profile

Thurs 9/26 (Back to School Night at BHS) -register with CA to have access to recorded webinar-

Part 2: Errors are costly - completing the FAFSA

All families who are new to College Affordable and their support, should click on this link and continue to our school icon to register with the program. This page is also a great resource for you and will house information related to different program aspects you can take advantage of and contain all their contact information.

If you previously registered with College Affordable and need to just sign up for these webinars, please follow this link.

All questions can be directed at College Affordable via email financialaid@collegeaffordable.org or call/text 781-343-1941.

Parents & Students Grades 11 & 10 -

Please join the BHS College Counselor Lenny Libenzon from 6:30- 8pm for an overview of the Junior Post High School Planning timeline, plus a presentation on the current College Admissions Testing landscape with SUMMIT expert Drew Heilpern on everything you need to know regarding ACT and the College Board's SAT testing.

This presentation was recorded - https://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/guidance/standardized-testing-night3428005

Thank you for your patience with the recording since wifi continues to be challenging in the BHS Aud.

** Please note that BHS does not explicitly promote any test prep organization**

They will be trying to stop by advisories over the next opening days for a quick intro, plus the 1st round of guidance seminars in your advisories will happen from early Oct to mid Nov.

The 2 counselors whose offices are permanently in the 115 Greenough buidling - Mr Gorman and Ms Aggeler - will be spending time in the 22 Tappan building too. They will spend 1 full day / week in the 22 Tappan building through Term 1 - Ms Aggeler will be there on Wed and Mr Gorman on Thurs, starting next week. Their location will be shared in next Sunday's weekly update.

Of course, stop by their offices in the 115 Greenough counseling suite too when you are in the main building!

Click here