School Counseling Newsletter

Happy New Year and Welcome Back! We hope your winter break was filled with all of the things that bring you happiness and that you are feeling refreshed in the new year.

This month's newsletter is jam-packed with important information so I wanted to highlight a few things:

Junior College Planning Night will be held Thursday, January 26th at 6:30pm in the auditorium. This presentation will consist of the SHS Counseling Department talking about the beginning steps of the college search and college application process. There will also be a panel of six college admissions representatives from Bentley University, Boston University, Emerson College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Worcester State University, and WPI. This panel presentation is designed to provide valuable college admissions information to students and their families as they begin narrowing their college search options and gearing up for the application season next fall.

Shrewsbury High School will be hosting a Career Fair for juniors and seniors on Tuesday, Feb. 7th from 8:00-11:00am. Students will be able to sign up to go during one of their class periods.

We're almost in the midst of course selection/scheduling for the 2023-2024 school year! Please expect an email from me within the next few weeks with more information on course registration for your student.

Have a great January.

Angie Flynn

Director of School Counseling

• 2022-2023 Course Registration Timeline
• Senior Class: College Updates
• Scholarships
• Junior College Planning Night
• SAT/ACT Upcoming Dates
• February Job Shadow Opportunity
• Parent Counselor Connection Events
• Opportunities for Students
• Financial Aid Resources & More

January 26th: Junior College Planning Night, 6:30pm

February 8th: AP Informational Night, 6:30pm

February 10: Parent Counselor Connection Presentation on Course Registration, 8:00am

Course Registration for the 2023-2024 school year will begin in February. The dates below will outline the process for course selection and registration.

• February 6 - 10: Presentations in English class to present the Program of Studies and the course selection procedures. Course selection worksheets and time management activity form can be found in the student's Schoology group resource folder. Teachers will put course recommendations in PowerSchool during this time.
• February 14 - 27: Students will complete the course registration in Power School. New this year, there will be a box in Power School for families to agree on a student's course registration. Instructions to do this will be posted in the student's Schoology group resource folder.
• February 28 - March 17: Counselors will meet with all students individually to review selections and register for courses.

More information will be emailed home in February.

Reminder: When you hear back from the college regarding their decision - accept, deny, defer, waitlist - please enter that into SCOIR.

Mid Year Grade Reports

Mid-year grade reports are automatically sent to colleges during February break and the week after. Students can check their SCOIR accounts or directly with their colleges or by emailing Mrs. Murphy or Mrs. Petkauskos in the school counseling office.

Scholarships

All scholarships will be posted on the new School Counseling Resources site as soon as they are received in the school counseling department. Local scholarships will begin with "Local" in the title and will be posted in the early Spring.

Please click here for Scholarship Information

The Junior College Planning Night is the "kick-off" to the college planning process. Junior students and their parents/guardians will learn how to navigate the college search process. Early planning and awareness are essential in finding the best college fit. This program is designed to provide an overview of the next two years. Families will leave with action steps to help students embark on their journey of planning for life after high school. Included in this presentation is a panelist of college admissions representatives to inform students of the college search, application process with topics including finding the best fit and the application process. All juniors and their parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to attend. A recording will be available for families who can not attend.

SAT

March 11, 2023 test date

Deadline for registration 2/10/23 & late registration 2/28/23

Register here

ACT

February 11, 2023 test date

Deadline for registration 1/6/23 & late registration 1/20/23

Register here

Free Practice SAT/ACT tests

Summit Educational Group: http://www.mytutor.com/students/practice-tests/ma

Kaplan: https://www.kaptest.com/sat/free/sat-practice

Are you interested in exploring a career? There will be several job shadow opportunities over February vacation week. A job shadow visit is a great way to observe what someone does in their day. These opportunities entail a one day (either half or full day) experience. Information will be posted in Schoology during the first week of February.

We are pleased to announce that Parent/Counselor Connections (formerly Breakfast With School Counselors) will begin starting in October. These programs will be in person presentations that will serve ninth and tenth grade parents as they traverse the landscape of high school. We are hoping that these sessions covering a variety of topics will help ease 9th and 10th grade parent concerns about their student’s high school experience. Presentations will be recorded for those who can not attend.

Oct. 14: High School 101/Introduction to High School: Recording available here: https://youtu.be/Kden98BB_pg

Nov. 4: SCOIR

Jan. 13: Stress Management. (link for recording will be in next newsletter)

Feb. 10: Course Selection Process

April 7: Navigating the American College System

Parent Connections are scheduled from 8:00-9:00, in the presentation room, each session will be available, first serve basis. A link will be emailed out a few days before to register for the event. All events are recorded and posted.

Nichols College Class

Nichols College has an opportunity for your juniors and seniors to get a head start on their college education by earning college credit while still in high school!

The course details are:

• 3-credit, Criminal Law & Procedure course
• 7-weeks, fully remote
• Thursdays from 6:00pm - 7:30pm, March 2nd - April 13th
• Course fee: $350

Interested students can register here!

UMass Amherst Pre-College Summer Programs Fair

The Association for Pre-College Program Directors is proud to present the Summer 2023 Pre-College Programs Virtual Fair, a virtual event that provides students and their families the opportunity to learn about academic summer programs at top US colleges and universities. At the fair, attendees may visit virtual booths, where you can ask questions via text or video chat with summer program representatives. Registration is free to attendees.

2023 Summer Pre-College Program Fair
Saturday, January 28, 2023
1:00pm - 2:30pm EST

REGISTER NOW

Ladder Internship Program

Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the program, students work 1-1 with supervisors from top start-ups to work on real-world projects in a real start-up environment. Our companies and supervisors come from Y Combinator, Harvard iLabs, Wharton, Google, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company.

No prior working experience is required. The application deadline for the spring cohort is February 1 and this is the application link: https://airtable.com/shrNdEykWdhc4yeSv.

Metro West College & Career Fair

The MetroWest College and Career Fair will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 9:00 – 12:00 pm at the Ashland High School located at 65 E. Union Street in Ashland, MA. The college and career fair is free and open to the public.

The fair will give students and parents from MetroWest area high schools the opportunity to speak with representatives from over 100 colleges, universities and gap-year options, as well as provide students with an opportunity to engage with professionals from over 50 unique careers. In addition, there will be ongoing speakers to discuss topics such as the college application process, financial aid and SAT/ACT’s.

Attached is a flyer to be shared with students, parents and colleagues. For more information regarding the MetroWest College and Career Fair and a complete listing of participating colleges please go to: http://www.mwccf.org.

Decoding and comparing award offers

Resource to help understand financial aid offers

MEFA

MEFA will host live Financial Aid 101 webinars on a weekly basis from September 28th through early December. Webinars will occur during both daytime and evening hours, featuring subject matter experts from MEFA.

Families can view webinar dates and times and register at bit.ly/3eaiKwD. Webinars will be recorded and posted online for families who are unable to attend a live event.

College Bound Citizens™ program

Citizens Bank is offering a free resource to help students and parents/caregivers plan, prepare, and pay for college.

TUITION BREAK PROGRAM

NEBHE’s Tuition Break program, the New England Regional Student Program (RSP), provides significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England and pursue approved programs.