CHS Counseling Office Updates

The CHS School Counseling Office has tons of information to share during these times of virtual learning! We'll send out a monthly update with all the information you need to know.

Please feel free to reach out to us at any time for assistance! We'd love to hear from you!

At this point, we are officially halfway through the first quarter. You can view your child's interim (or current grades) by logging on to HAC. The first quarter ends on November 9. Please work with your child to make sure they are passing all classes. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher.

We are so excited to announce that CHS School Counselors will be offering virtual lunch workshop sessions in October! These sessions are open to ALL CHS students and are designed to help students become their best selves! Virtual workshops will be held on Thursdays from 12:30 - 1 PM on Teams. Registration is limited to the first ten students who sign up for each session - first come, first serve! Students can choose to attend all three sessions or just one or two. Registration for each workshop will close on the Friday before the scheduled session.

Virtual Workshop Schedule

• Thursday 10/15: Be Virtually Amazing - Get tips and tricks to ROCK online school! Facilitated by Mrs. Ponti
• Thursday 10/22: A Diet of Good Mental Health - Tips for self-care during these crazy times. Facilitated by Ms. Aris
• Thursday 10/29: Agree to Disagree - Learn how to work through conflicts with others. Facilitated by Mr. Verlich

To register, click here: https://bit.ly/CHSWorkshopSignUp.

Have questions about paying for college? Chesapeake College Plan is hosting two virtual financial aid nights!

October 21 at 6 PM

• Email collegeplan.mk@gmail.com for the link to join the presentation

November 4 at 6 PM

• Email collegeplan.mab@gmail.com for the link to join the presentation

Senior Interviews

During the past few weeks, counselors have been meeting individually with seniors to make sure students are on track to meet graduation requirements and to plan for life after graduation. If your senior hasn't already met with their counselor, please encourage them to reach out to their counselor to make an appointment for their senior interview.

Application Deadlines

College application deadlines are quickly approaching! We ask that students submit transcript request forms and recommendation request forms to their counselor AT LEAST 10 SCHOOL DAYS in advance of any deadlines! If students turn the forms in later than that, we cannot guarantee that the documents will be sent to the college on time. The transcript request form and recommendation request form can be found on the CHS Counselor Schoology page.

*PLEASE NOTE: If your child is planning to apply to University of Maryland or any other college with a November 1 deadline, their completed transcript request form and/or recommendation request form is due to their counselor by Friday, October 16!*

FAFSA

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is a form that both seniors and their parents will need to complete in order for students to receive financial aid at most colleges (including CSM – this is how you apply to get the Promise Scholarship aka FREE community college!) and trade/technical schools. We recommend that ALL seniors complete the FAFSA! There’s limited availability of some grants/scholarships, so it’s important to complete this quickly. You can complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Attached are three documents that may be helpful to you as you complete the FAFSA – one covers things you’ll need to complete the FAFSA, one covers the step-by-step process of how to complete the FAFSA and one explains the Promise Scholarship program.

If you need help with this or have questions, please reach out to your child's school counselor. Mrs. Kidwell, CHS’s representative from Chesapeake College Plan, is also available to answer any questions you may have about the FAFSA. She can also schedule one-on-one virtual appointments to help you complete the FAFSA. She can be reached at collegeplan.mk@gmail.com.

Wall of Acceptance

Don’t forget to share your acceptance letters with your school counselor! We love hearing your good news! 😊 Check out where the Class of 2021 has been accepted so far: https://bit.ly/CHSclassof2021wallofacceptance.

Senior Information Video

In September, counselors presented information to seniors about graduation requirements and planning for life after graduation. This presentation included information about requesting letters of recommendation and how to request transcripts to be sent to colleges. You can view that presentation here: https://youtu.be/cMb5NU7ZBwc.

Mrs. Sinclair - Students Last Names A-E

sinclairk@calvertnet.k12.md.us / 443-550-8896

Link for student appointments: https://bit.ly/CHSSinclair

Ms. Aris - Students Last Names F-J

arisb@calvertnet.k12.md.us / 443-550-8894

Link for student appointments: https://bit.ly/CHSAris

Mrs. Ponti - Students Last Names K-Q

pontij@calvertnet.k12.md.us / 443-550-8895

Link for student appointments: https://bit.ly/CHSPonti

Mr. Verlich - Students Last Names R-Z

verlichd@calvertnet.k12.md.us / 443-550-8897

Link for student appointments: https://bit.ly/CHSVerlich

All CHS students and parents have been added to the CHS Counselor Schoology Page. You can access our page by logging into Schoology, clicking on 'Groups' in the upper left hand corner, and then clicking on the page titled 'Calvert High School Counselors'. We've posted a TON of information for students and families in the 'Resources' section - please be sure to check it out!

Learn more about CSM's Mechanical & Electrical Engineering partnership with University of Maryland at the virtual Night of Engineering on October 27 at 6:30. Registration is required. Visit www.csmd.edu/NOE to register.

Chesapeake College Plan is a great resource for our juniors and seniors and their families. Our representative, Michelle Kidwell, is available to meet with students and their families to help with all the aspects of the journey to college, like applications, scholarships, and financial aid.

Mrs. Kidwell offers weekly virtual meetings (on Google Meet) every Wednesday from 12 - 1 PM for students. To request an invitation, email Mrs. Kidwell at collegeplan.mk@gmail.com.

Mrs. Kidwell is also available to meet with students or families via an individual virtual appointment. To request a meeting, email Mrs. Kidwell at collegeplan.mk@gmail.com.

Email: pontij@calvertnet.k12.md.us
Website: https://chsweb.calvertnet.k12.md.us/guidance
Location: 520 Fox Run Boulevard, Prince Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: 443-550-8893
Twitter: @CalvertGuidance