Guidance Updates

Please click on this link to view the counselor assignments.

Also, as a reminder, if there are any issues or concerns with a student’s schedule please email your school counselor. Students have until September 22nd when they return to school to meet with their counselors for schedule changes if they are under-enrolled or enrolled in the wrong classes.

Recognizing how quickly calendars fill-up once summer ends, we wanted to provide you with some dates of interest. Please click on this 2023/24 Important Dates Link to see this information which was shared by Adminstration.

Beginning in the fall of 2023, the PSAT/NMSQT will make a full transition from a paper/pencil exam to a digital exam. We will hold the Digital PSAT on Thursday, October 5th at the high school for all tenth and eleventh grade students. Please feel free to take a look at resources from our school partnership with Revolution Prep, which includes a free practice test.

Newburyport High School will host our annual Greater Essex County College and Career Fair on September 27th in the NHS Gymnasium from 6:00-7:30pm. All students and families are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Join the ACT on Wednesday, September 13 at 7:00pm ET as they team up with Collegewise for a crash course in college admissions. Informed by Collegewise's diverse, experienced staff of college application counselors (many of whom were admissions officers themselves), students will walk away with:

• A clear understanding of what to expect as they begin their college application journey
• Straight answers about what an admissions committee evaluates on an application
• Next steps to take to prepare for submitting their college applications (especially in time for early admission)

Click HERE if you would like to reserve your spot or learn more about the webinar.

From September 25th through November 17th the College and Career Center will host college admissions representative visits at NHS. Juniors and Seniors interested in learning more about a specific college or program should take a peek at the list of upcoming visits that Mr. Smith has already lined up. Students should sign up to attend the visit in Naviance and then see Mr. Smith for a pass to the CCC. The list is automatically updated daily. We will also post weekly reminders of upcoming visits on our instagram account.

MEFA will host their Financial Aid 101 webinar on a weekly basis from October 5th through early December. Webinars will occur during both daytime and evening hours. The presentation will provide an overview of the entire financial aid process, including: financial aid applications and eligibility, types of financial aid, and how colleges determine the details of financial aid offers. They will also highlight key features of the new FAFSA debuting in December.

Families can view webinar dates and times and register at mefa.org/events/financial-aid-101.

All NHS students will have access to College Aid Pro to support them in their college search and figuring out which colleges they will be able to attend and afford. Thank you to the Newburyport Education Foundation for supporting us with this program for the year. If you have any questions about College Aid Pro, please reach out to Mr. Smith in the College and Career Center.

On September 7th, InStride Health, Child Mind Institute, and Fort Health are hosting a special back-to-school webinar to help families understand the signs and triggers of back-to-school stress and anxiety in children. Leading pediatric mental health experts, including InStride Health’s Chief Medical Officer and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Mona Potter, will address:

• Simple steps that caregivers can take to support a child’s transition back-to-school

• How to know when a child’s behavior could indicate more than ‘normal’ fears and where to find help if needed

• How caregivers can cope with their own stress associated with back-to-school

September 7th @5:30pm

Click here to register.

Cassidy “Cassie” LaPointe is a Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMHC) in the area seeking new clients at her own private practice, Cloud Counseling Services. Cassie was a clinician at Moving Forward Counseling Services in Newburyport before it abruptly closed, and so she is familiar with the area as well as still sees clients from the tri-city schools.

Cassie is currently in the process of setting up an office at the Cummings Center in Beverly, and will be back to in-person sessions by the end of September. She is available for telehealth sessions Monday through Friday, and when her office opens she will be available for in-person sessions Monday through Thursday. Cassie specializes in anxiety, depression, ADHD, and trauma. She accepts the following insurance providers: Harvard Pilgrim, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, Mass General Brigham, Cigna, Aetna, and UnitedHealthCare.

Alma Page: https://secure.helloalma.com/providers/cassidy-lapointe/

PsychologyToday: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/cassidy-erin-lapointe-beverly-ma/1159333