Natick High School Guidance Department Monthly Bulletin

Natick High School Guidance Department Monthly Bulletin
February 2015
Counselors
Karen Dalton-Thomas, Department Head
Jane Bruce
Aimee Cairney
Elizabeth Finocchi
Randy Garry
Alison Gilroy
Sharon Greenholt
Matthew Strother
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of February? Perhaps it is the
month preceding spring (fingers crossed), and the next association is often the number
28. February has 28 days (unless a leap year). Did you know that 28 is the “second” perfect
number? This means that all its divisors add up to 28 (1+2+4+7+14). So welcome to another
perfect month at Natick High!
As we begin Semester 2, this is a great time for all students to reflect upon the first half of the
year and improvements that can be made as we march toward June! We encourage you to
check in with your Guidance Counselor and discuss any academic concerns or future
aspirations. Even though this is a shorter month, it is action packed, and I am not just talking
about the Super Bowl and Oscar Ceremony. Our Seniors must complete and return the local
scholarship packet on February 27th. (Look for it in your mailbox - mailed home on Friday,
1/30.) This deadline is not negotiable. Junior Guidance Seminars begin in earnest,
complemented by our College Planning Night on February 5th for Junior parents and
guardians. Meanwhile, freshmen and sophomores will begin preparing for MCAS Physics, ELA
and Math.
The Guidance Department will also start meeting with students to schedule classes for the
next school year, and we also manage to squeeze in a week of vacation. For those of us really
interested in numerology, the essence of 28 is self-determination, which complements the
typical high school student - moving toward independence and self-sufficiency. With that in
mind, what will you accomplish this month/year to demonstrate these qualities?
MCAS Re-Test
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The MCAS Re-Tests will take place on February 2nd & 3rd for Biology, March 2nd - 4th for
ELA and March 5th & 6th for Math. You will have to take the test if:
you are a student who transferred to Natick High School from out-of-state
you are a student who transferred to Natick High School from a private school
you were absent during last year’s administration of the Math or ELA MCAS
you failed the Science, Math or ELA MCAS as a freshman or sophomore
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Social Media and Creating a Positive Digital Image
After several years of research and developing curriculum, the NYC Department of Education has written and
posted their Student Social Media Guidelines. Although the audience is adolescents, we hope that you, as parents/
guardians will read and discuss these guidelines.
Here are just a few great “tid-bits” to give you a flavor of what’s in this resource:
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Align your online image with your goals
Families can be helpful partners.
Pause before you post
There is no right to privacy when using school-related social media
Click here to review the full publication #SoMeGuidelinesNYC
We are currently in the process of scheduling with the 8th grade.
Below are some important dates to consider during the coming months:
Early February: The middle school teachers will make recommendations on course level recommendations.
Early February - Mid March: The middle school counselors will meet with eighth graders to formulate ninth
grade course requests.
300 × 323 entirely4u.com
March
11th: Transitioning to High School Parent Program, 6:30 pm - 9 pm
March 23rd: Course Request Sheets must be signed and returned to middle school counselors.
April 16th: Course Request Verification Sheets are mailed to all 8th grade parents for signature. Due to NHS
Guidance on May 1st.
May 6th: Step Up Night at the High School, 7 - 9 p.m.
Mid August: Schedules will be mailed to students and be made available on iStudent.
It was a pleasure working with our freshmen and getting to know them better during Guidance Seminars last term.
We encourage you to continue meeting with us in our offices should you need anything!
There will be a mandatory meeting for freshmen on Tuesday, February 3rd during CDS in the auditorium to review
the course selection process for 2015-16. At that time, guidance counselors will be sharing course descriptions of
elective options and freshmen will be provided with a Course Selection Sheet. Guidance counselors will begin
meeting 1:1 with their own freshmen on February 5th in Global Awareness classes, in order to review their
students' individual selection of courses. These meetings will continue throughout the month of February. Parents
should ask their freshmen to show them the blue 10th Grade Course Selection worksheet after they meet with their
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counselor. In mid-April, Course Request Verification forms will be mailed home to all families. Students and
parents are strongly encouraged to review the Program of Studies posted on the Guidance website to familiarize
themselves with the course descriptions.
Advanced Placement - There will be a mandatory Advanced Placement (AP)
Registration Meeting for all students taking the AP Exams in May on February
6th. This meeting has been rescheduled due to the snow days.
* AP Registration will take place February 23rd - March 6th. The registration
process will be online this year. Students need to complete the registration process
via Total Registration. The cost is $95/exam and can be paid online using a
credit/debit card. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit the NHS AP
website or see Mr. Strother in the Guidance Department.
Guidance Counselors will begin reviewing course offerings for the 2015 - 2016
school year in US History classes after February vacation. Please review course
descriptions ahead of time in the Program of Studies.
There will be a mandatory meeting for sophomores on Friday, February 13th during CDS in
the auditorium to review the course selection process for 2015-16. At that time, guidance
counselors will be sharing course descriptions of elective options and sophomores will be
provided with a Course Selection Sheet. Guidance counselors will begin meeting 1:1 with
their own freshmen on February 24th in US History classes, in order to review their
students' individual selection of courses. These meetings will continue throughout the
month of March. Parents should ask their sophomores to show them the purple 11th Grade
Course Selection worksheet after they meet with their counselor. In mid-April, Course
Request Verification forms will be mailed home to all families. Students and parents are
strongly encouraged to review the Program of Studies posted on the Guidance website to
familiarize themselves with the course descriptions.
Advanced Placement - There will be a mandatory Advanced Placement (AP)
Registration Meeting for all students taking the AP Exams in May on February
6th. This meeting has been rescheduled due to the snow days.
* AP Registration will take place February 23rd - March 6th. The registration
process will be online this year. Students need to complete the registration process
via Total Registration. The cost is $95/exam and can be paid online using a
credit/debit card. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit the NHS AP
website or see Mr. Strother in the Guidance Department.
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Guidance Seminar is underway! Each junior student has
seminar 1x/cycle with his/her own counselor. We will cover
the college planning process from A - Z and it is our hope that
this information will enable students to feel more empowered
about their future goals and choices.
February 5th - Junior College Planning Meeting for Parents
7PM - Meet us in the Auditorium for a comprehensive presentation on the college planning process. We will cover
every aspect and leave plenty of time for a Q & A at the end. So if you are feeling anxious, haven’t even begun to
think about the process, have loads of questions, want to clear up what someone else has told you, or just happen
to have a child in their junior year, please attend!
The Guidance Department received rave reviews from past parents that this is one of the most helpful parent
programs we host throughout the year.
College Visits
February break can be a good time to visit college campuses as juniors begin to gather a list of college to
consider. What can be drawn from a college visit you ask?
Location
Student Body
Size
Amenities
Public vs Private
Clubs/Activities
Community
-Surroundings
Check out the college websites to sign up for a tour. If you are not able to make the trip, most schools offer virtual
tours on their websites.
Advanced Placement - There will be a mandatory Advanced Placement (AP)
Registration Meeting for all students taking the AP Exams in May on February
6th. This meeting has been rescheduled due to the snow days.
* AP Registration will take place February 23rd - March 6th. The registration
process will be online this year. Students need to complete the registration process
via Total Registration. The cost is $95/exam and can be paid online using a
credit/debit card. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit the NHS AP
website or see Mr. Strother in the Guidance Department.
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MetroWest College and Career Fair
There is a College and Career Fair at Ashland High School on Saturday, March 21st from 9
AM to 11 AM at Ashland High School. For more information, please click here.
catechistsjourn
ey.loyolapress.
com
Kaplan will be hosting a free ACT practice
test on Saturday, February 7th from 9
AM to 1:00 PM at Natick High School. To
register, click on the following
link: http://www.kaptest.com/act/enroll?z
ip=01760&tab=events
Course Selection
Juniors will complete the course selection process for senior year in Guidance Seminar. Course presentations and
individual meetings will take place throughout the months of February and March. In mid-April, Course Request
Verification forms will be mailed home to all families. Students and parents are strongly encouraged to review the
Program of Studies posted on the Guidance website to familiarize themselves with the course descriptions.
Mid-Year Grades
The Guidance Department will send mid-year grade reports automatically to colleges
for every student. Please know, however, that because the exams and grading period
are a little later than usual this year, due to the snow day delays, our goal is to send as
many mid-year grade reports as possible before the February break; the rest will be
sent after the break. So when colleges contact students asking for these grades, please
let them know to expect them in mid to late February.
College Financial Aid
February 1st and February 15th are common deadlines for applying for financial aid for college. Be sure to check
each college’s financial aid website for necessary information such as deadlines and required financial aid
application materials. Colleges require families to submit a completed FAFSA financial aid application. The FAFSA
can be accessed here.
If you have additional questions related to the FAFSA, please visit the MEFA Family Webinar Series
"Understanding the FAFSA" for a detailed presentation.
The NHS Guidance website and the MEFA website are excellent resources for families in the financial aid
application process.
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LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Donna Slattery, Guidance Administrative Assistant, will be mailing each
senior a packet with all the local scholarships available to them on January
30th. This information will also be available online
(http://www.natickps.org/NatickHigh/NewGuidance/collegeplanning_schol
arship.cfm). There will also be clear instructions for each scholarship and we
encourage the students to look through them to see which pertain to them.
Tips to filling these scholarships out:
1 - Read the directions.
2 - Don’t shy away from applying to the scholarships that require essays.
3 - Read the directions.
4 - Don’t wait until the last minute, give time to gather materials.
5 - Don’t forget resume or list of activities.
6 - Don’t forget the Statement of Financial Need.
Advanced Placement - There will be a mandatory Advanced Placement (AP)
Registration Meeting for all students taking the AP Exams in May on February
6th. This meeting has been rescheduled due to the snow days.
* AP Registration will take place February 23rd - March 6th. The registration
process will be online this year. Students need to complete the registration process
via Total Registration. The cost is $95/exam and can be paid online using a
credit/debit card. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit the NHS AP
website or see Mr. Strother in the Guidance Department.
College Decisions
We appreciate this is an exciting time of year, and want to remind seniors to respect each
other’s privacy as decisions are released. While some students are happy to share the details
of their application results, others may prefer not to publicly disclose this information. Please
remember to keep your guidance counselors aware of all college admissions decisions;
We are here to support you through this entire process.
MetroWest College and Career Fair
There is a College and Career Fair at Ashland High School on Saturday, March 21st from
9 AM to 11 AM at Ashland High School. For more information, please click here.
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CAIRNEY’S CORNER
College and Career Readiness Center
Community Service
To learn about these and many more opportunities visit: Community Service Website
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Counselor in Training at LINX Camp - opportunity for students entering 9th and 10th grade who
can choose to be a CIT within general, sports or speciality camps!
Sereda Dance Works - looking for students interested in social media, marketing and community
engagement to outreach with nursing homes and homeless shelters
Natick Historical Society - looking for students to “adopt a file drawer” helping to organize, clean
out and break down full files
Tutor for 4th Grade Math - Brown Elementary School is looking for a tutor to help a 4th grader
with multiplication, division and fractions
Brookhaven Hospice - receive free training on how to be a hospice volunteer, to provide
companionship, friendliness and a kind heart to end-of-life patients
Employment
To learn about these and many more opportunities visit: Employment Opportunities Website
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Dunkin’ Donuts - 2 locations on the Natick/Wellesley line
C&C Market Research - located in the Natick Mall
Jordan’s Furniture/IMAX - looking for IMAX/Guest Services Representatives
Babysitting Position - Occasional weeknights and weekend days
Seniors
Seniors who signed up for internship should confirm an internship site by February 27, 2015.
Some things to think about before deciding on a location:
 Transportation - how will you get to/from the site?
 Time Management - do you need to return for an AP class, Band/Chorus, Sports, etc? Calculate
how many hours per day you will be able to intern, will it add up to 100 hours?
 Interest - is the internship site a place where you will be happy? Does it relate to your future
career goals?
Steps for reaching out to internship sites:
 Introduce yourself as a senior student at Natick High School.
 Express your passion/interest for why you want to intern at that site.
 Explain the internship is from April 6 - May 12 with a 100 hour onsite requirement.
 You may need to reach out to more than one location.
If you would like assistance with finding an internship site, please sign up for a time to meet with Mrs.
Cairney in Guidance.
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CAIRNEY’S CORNER
College and Career Readiness Center
Parents
Please fill out this brief survey if your employer (or you know of an employer) would be willing to
participate one or more of the programs in the College and Career Readiness Center. CLICK HERE for the
survey.
Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University
The program supports students who have shown academic promise, tenacity, leadership and resilience in
their life experiences but have had limitations to their precollege academic opportunities. For more
information please visit: TYP at Brandeis University
Bright Outlook Occupation of the Month
Computer Systems Analyst
Analyze science, engineering, business, and other data processing problems to implement and improve
computer systems. Analyze user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve
existing systems and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations. May
analyze or recommend commercially available software.
Guidance Events for February
Mon, Feb 2nd:
Tues, Feb 3rd:
Wed, Feb 4th:
MCAS-Biology/Session 1
MCAS-Biology/Session 2
MCAS Make-Up Biology /Session 1
Release Day
Thurs, Feb 5th: Junior Parent College Program @7:00pm/Auditorium MCAS
Make-Up Biology/Session 2
Fri, Feb 6th:
Registration Meeting for all students taking the AP Exams @
7:30am
Sat, Feb 7th:
Kaplan Free ACT Practice Test / 9:00am – 1:00pm
ACT’s NOT@ NHS
Fri, Feb 13th:
Reg deadline for March 14th SAT’s
Mon, Feb 23rd: AP Registration Begins
Fri, Feb 27th:
Local Scholarship Applications are due back by 3:00pm
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