Counseling Updates

Hello Seniors,

This is the third update from the school counseling office. As you can see some of the content is new and some is updated.

To access the School Counseling website, please click HERE.

Contents of this email:

• Senior Scholarships (updated) - new submission/drop off details for next week

• Enrollment Deposit Waiver (NEW!)

• MEFA College Planning Resource (NEW!)

• The Possibility of Additional Financial Aid Funding (NEW!)

• Koplik Scholarships (updated) - new deadline

• Senior Graduation Survey (NEW!)

• AP Exam Information & Exam Cancellation Reminder (updated)

• Online Classes (NEW!)

• Alternate Plan: Gap Year option - Massachusetts Promise Fellowship Program through Northeastern University. (NEW!)

(UPDATED!) SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS

WE ARE NOT COLLECTING SCHOLARSHIPS ON MONDAY DUE TO THE WEATHER FORECAST!!

Ms. Camiel and Mrs. Ross will be at the high school from 1-2pm on Tuesday April 28th to collect remaining senior scholarship packets. It is supposed to rain every other day next week, hence why we are collecting on Tuesday.

If you need more time to complete your applications, the latest we can receive applications is May 1st, unless you have communicated directly with Ms. Camiel in advance of May 1st to make a plan.

REMINDERS:

SUBMITTING PAPER PACKETS:

Please STAPLE the individual scholarship packets. Do not use paper clips.

4 METHODS OF SUBMISSION:

In person at school:

• April 28th from 1 - 2pm

• One student at a time can drop their materials in the box. Pull up to the curb (no need to park) and line up behind the vehicle in front of you. If you see a student outside of their car, stay in your car until they are safely back in their vehicle.

• Your health and safety, and ours, are paramount and as such, we want to control the drop off such that only one student is out of their car at a time.

Mail the scholarship packets to HHS (yes, mail is still being delivered to the school):

• Mail the packets to HHS:

  • Holliston High School

Attention: Valerie Camiel

370 Hollis Street

Holliston, MA 01746

• Email Ms. Camiel to let her know you have mailed your packet.

Google Drive

• Scan your application materials and upload them to Google Drive sharing them with Ms. Camiel.

• Scan each individual scholarship application separately.

• Upload separately and title each upload with the name of the scholarship.

• You can also share a folder with all of the scholarships you are applying for, but make sure each file in the folder is individually named according to the scholarship.

• Having technical difficulties? Contact Mr. Reeve at reevet@holliston.k12.ma.us

Scan and email

• Using your cell phone (instructions linked HERE), scan your application materials and email them to camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us

• Scan each individual scholarship application separately.

• Email each individual scholarship application separately with the name of the scholarship in the subject line of the email.

(NEW!) ENROLLMENT DEPOSIT WAIVER

NACAC (The National Association of College Admission Counselors) just released an enrollment deposit waiver for students who are ready to enroll in a college/university but because of financial challenges are unable to meet the monetary demand of the enrollment deposit.

https://www.nacacfairs.org/learn/fee-waiver/enrollment-deposit-fee-waiver/

There are income guidelines for students who are not Pell Grant eligible. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/income-eligibility-guidelines

The waiver may not be accepted at all schools, so please contact the admissions department at the college/university to confirm.

(NEW!) MEFA RESOURCES

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority is a non-profit that provides excellent resources and certified financial aid advisors who can answer questions for you about paying for college. If you are still in the throes of the financial decision, HERE is a one page outline of the various ways MEFA can help, which includes one-to-one financial aid counseling and help deciphering the differences in award packages

(NEW!) THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL AID FUNDING

With the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many students and their families may be left wondering if college will be affordable. Many institutions have created special funds to help families meet affordability challenges. Please reach out to the Admissions/Financial Aid Office at the institution of your choice to ask if additional financial aid may be available to help bridge the gap. They will be able to answer questions (especially if you were counting on income from a summer job that may no longer be available.)

One recent example of this is Assumption College (as of June 1o Assumption University), which has released 3 million dollars in additional grant funding to make college more affordable for its current students and those entering in the fall.

(UPDATED!) KOPLIK SCHOLARSHIPS

The Seal of Biliteracy has been confirmed by DESE as an academic achievement that can be used for the Koplik scholarship application.

Reminder: Submit your application, even if it is pending AP scores, by June 30th (this deadline has been extended from June 1st). You can take a picture of the application (no score reports are necessary), or scan it at your convenience to rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us.

The Koplik Scholarship is a tuition waiver for a Massachusetts state university. Its value depends on the university it is used at. Students who qualified to apply for the Koplik would have been notified by letter in the spring of junior year. If you are unsure as to whether you qualify, please reach out to Mrs. Ross by email.

The application and more information regarding the scholarship can be found HERE.

(NEW!) SENIOR GRADUATION SURVEY - COMPLETE BY JUNE 1!

Every year, as part of the obligations required to graduate, the school counseling department requests some information from you. The most important information pertains to your post high school plan, i.e., where you are enrolled to go to college (and as such where your final transcript will be sent), or what you plan to do if you aren’t attending college. Some of the information gathered is used to update the data in Naviance regarding where students were accepted to college, where they were waitlisted, denied, where they received scholarships, etc. This information remains anonymous, but the general data is used to populate the scattergrams that will help the students in the grades below make informed decisions about what colleges are a good fit, a reach or a safety.

The survey also asks you for some feedback regarding your experiences in school and with school counseling in particular. Please be honest - your feedback only helps us improve!

All students should login to their Naviance accounts to complete the Graduation Survey. (Instructions are on the Welcome Page once you are logged into Naviance.)

(NEW!) AP EXAM REMINDER

This is the first of a number of reminders you will receive in the weeks ahead in preparation for the AP exams.

THE WEEK AHEAD - REVIEW YOUR COLLEGE BOARD USER PROFILES.

To make sure you are receiving critical information from the College Board, please log into My AP to remind yourselves of the email address and cell phone number you asked the College Board to use to reach you. Update if necessary.

2 days before each exam you take, you will receive an email with a personalized e-ticket which will include your 8-character AP ID code. If you don't receive that email, you can still access the e-ticket through My AP.

Lastly, for those who may be concerned about whether colleges and universities are still offering credit for this year's AP scores, this video created by college admissions officers may give you peace of mind. Click HERE to view.

APRIL 30th is the DEADLINE to CANCEL your AP EXAM REGISTRATION to receive a FULL REFUND.

Process:

• Email cancellation desk at cancel@aptsusa.com and include:

  • Student name

  • Name of their school (including city/state)

  • Title of the exam to cancel

(NEW!) ONLINE CLASSES

If you need an extension to complete your online course from Term 3, please contact your school counselor.

(NEW!) ALTERNATE POST HIGH SCHOOL PLANS? Apply to be a part of the MPF AmeriCorps Program

Have your plans changed for after high school? The Massachusetts Promise Fellowship AmeriCorps Program is a gap year program sponsored by Northeastern University that offers a stipend, loan forgiveness and the opportunity to help guide at-risk youth

Click HERE for the informational flyer regarding the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship AmeriCorps Program.

Click HERE for a detailed program description.

From the College Board on April 15:

Right now, public health officials have made it clear it's not safe to gather students in one place. Many U.S. states have closed schools for the rest of the academic year, and globally there are widespread school closures across 192 countries. As such, we won't be able to administer the SAT® and SAT Subject Tests™ as planned on June 6, 2020.

We're working hard to make the SAT available in school and out of school as soon as the public health situation allows. Students will have opportunities to take the SAT to make up for this spring’s lost administrations.

If it’s safe from a public health standpoint, we'll provide weekend SAT administrations every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. This includes a new administration in September and the previously scheduled tests on August 29, October 3, November 7, and December 5.

Students will be able to register for these administrations beginning in May. We’ll communicate directly with students when the exact date is available. Eligible students will be able to take the exam with a fee waiver. Students who were registered for June and those in the high school class of 2021 who don't have SAT scores will have early access to registration for the August, September, and October administrations.

In the unlikely event that schools don't reopen this fall, the College Board will provide a digital SAT for home use, much as we’re delivering digital exams for three million Advanced Placement® students this spring. As we’re doing with at-home AP® Exams, we would ensure that at-home SAT testing is simple; secure and fair; accessible to all; and valid for use in college admissions.

We're committed to giving students as many chances as we can to show their strengths to admissions officers. As we navigate this evolving situation, we'll continue to rely on your partnership to ensure students have what they need as they apply to college during the 2020-21 school year.

We'll regularly update our webpage with information. Thank you for your partnership during this unprecedented time.

Sincerely,
College Board

Hello Juniors,

This is the second major update from the school counseling office. Most of the content is new and/or updated from our communication to you on March 19th.

To access the original communication from March 19th with a more extensive list of college planning activities, please click here.

For school related/COVID-19 updates, please click here.

To access the School Counseling website, please click here.

Contents of this email:

• The updated override process - overrides due April 17th

• AP Exam Information

• Online Classes

• College planning with counselors continues!

  • What about Demonstrated Interest?

  • Webinars

  • Standardized Testing Update

  • College/University Flexibility in College Admissions (read this if you are anxious about pass/fail)

• Ways to get involved when extracurriculars are not available

UPDATED OVERRIDE PROCESS - OVERRIDES DUE APRIL 17th!

1. Select the original recommended course in PowerSchool.

2. Submit an override request using the online override request form.

3. Your parent/guardian and your teacher will receive an email with your response and an outline of next steps.

4. A conversation between the teacher, parent and student must take place to discuss any concerns regarding the override and skills that you will need to have in order to be successful in the higher level course.

5. After the conversation, the teacher emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

6. After the conversation, the parent/guardian emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

7. Once the school counselor has the online form request and the two emails stated above in #4 and #5, the change to your course will be made manually.

Please remember to review the 2020-2021 Program of Studies for course descriptions and level descriptions.

AP EXAM UPDATE

We encourage you and your family to sit down and carefully review the information available on The College Board website at https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students

(And we recommend you bookmark the link above so you can easily monitor it in the next month for more updates and information as The College Board works to modify the delivery of your AP exam(s).)

A few key items we want to make sure that you review ASAP:

• Your MyAP Account email address - College Board will be communicating with students with active exams DIRECTLY through this email address. If you have not received emails from The College Board in the last two weeks, this may indicate that there is an error in the email you have on your MyAP account.

  • Log into http://myap.collegeboard.org ASAP and navigate to "MyAP Profile" to review that the email address on file is one you ACTIVELY check and use.

  • College Board will be sending the high-security login credentials that you will need to log into the Exam Platform to the student email address on the MyAP account. Without that login access that will be sent by The College Board directly, you will NOT be able to take the AP exam.

• The New and updated AP Exam Schedule of Exams (Linked HERE)

• The Exam Content and Format- What will be focused on for this exam has been drastically adjusted. Review the details regarding each exam's new modified focus as well as the new format (available HERE). Connect with your teachers asap!

• Know that you will be able to take your exams on ANY internet-connected devices - a phone, a tablet, an iPad, a laptop, a desktop computer. More details will be released by the College Board towards the end of April AND you will have an opportunity to try out the exam format and upload of material steps before exam day. Monitor https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students and youtube.com/advancedplacement for tutorial videos and more.

• Access to technology - Complete the College Board assistance form by April 24, 2020, if you need a device or if you need internet access to be able to take your exam(s). The form is linked HERE.

• Exams with Accommodations - if you have already been approved by the College Board for accommodations on your AP exam(s), those accommodations will automatically be applied by the exam content platform (or site). The accommodations are linked via your SSD Number to your AP ID Number and will be automatic.

• Exam Security - this is being taken VERY seriously! The College Board will be applying all the technology resources at their fingertips to maintain the integrity and security of the exams, INCLUDING sending a copy of the work you submit to your AP teacher by May 26, 2020. Review the security details carefully.

• Preparation for the exams - a ton of resources available through MyAP, your teachers, and the College Board directly. Monitor youtube.com/advancedplacement and https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students for resources and updates.

And last but not least, if you do feel that you would like to rather cancel your AP exam due to the extended school closures and how COVID-19 has affected you, please follow the steps below:

AP EXAM REFUNDS - HHS POLICY

100% refund, if canceled by April 30th

To Cancel:

• Email cancellation desk at cancel@aptsusa.com and include:

  • Student name

  • Name of their school (including city/state)

  • Title of the exam to cancel

College Board will NOT be refunding the $40 charged to a student for late registration (i.e., after the deadlines).

ONLINE CLASSES

Online classes will be extended through April 17th, the new end date for Term 3.

If students have difficulty with account access, or have other online course related questions, please email Mrs. Camiel at camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us.

COLLEGE PLANNING CONTINUES!

The school counselors have been busy meeting with juniors via phone or video chat to help answer questions related to college planning. Don’t be shy - reach out to schedule time now. Please email your counselor to find a mutually convenient time.

COLLEGE VISITS

• Take Virtual Tours

  • YouVisit - https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch/ - experience 1,000+ colleges & universities in virtual reality

  • CampusTours - https://campustours.com/ - provides interactive campus maps and college tours

  • YOUniversity - https://www.youniversitytv.com/ - college video tours provided

  • CampusReel - https://www.campusreel.org/ - videos created by students. Not quite as many videos as you can find on YouTube, but they are better organized.

• View Aerial tour or aerial photos - If the college doesn’t have one on their site, google ‘(name of school) aerial tour’ or ‘(name of school) aerial view’. This will give you a good perspective of how large, or how small, a campus will be. You can also see if the campus and community are bicycle and pedestrian friendly, or if you will need to rely on a car or buses to help you get around.

• Visit Daytripper University - a great “go-to” site to get impressions of the communities at many colleges. Not only have its co-owners taken journeys to colleges from the perspective of parents; the site also features student campus correspondents.

• Check out this amazing New Spreadsheet with all of the above resources and College Board data combined! (*This resource was shared by Newton North High School)

• UMass Nursing Expo - This event has moved online and has been recorded.

A video recorded presentation (click HERE) highlighting the different aspects of nursing.

• Information regarding preparing to apply to nursing schools – how you can be ready to apply!

• Links directly to all of the 16 colleges/universities nursing departments that were planning to attend the Expo.

• There will be a space to type your questions about nursing, etc., and a list of responses will be available to view on or around 4/13/2020 on the website.

• Strive Virtual College Exploration Week (sponsored by the New England Assoc. of College Admission Counselors) will provide a unique and diverse program for the students as they begin to navigate their postsecondary options: Monday, April 20 - Thursday, April 23, 2020

• 300+ colleges from 44 states and 10 countries

• 96 sessions over 4 days

• Day and evening options

• Panel presentations on a range of topics for juniors and underclassmen

• Free and open to students nationwide

Registration for students and parents is now live: www.strivescan.com/virtual

WHAT ABOUT DEMONSTRATED INTEREST?

Many (but not all) schools use demonstrated interest as part of their decision making process. Demonstrated interest is how a student signals they are interested in the college such as visiting the school, opening emails, clicking the links in an email, spending time on the website, and crafting well-written school supplemental essays. Since college visits are not an option for many right now, the other measures are likely to become more important. Rest assured, however, that everyone is in the same situation.

What you can do now from home:

• Sign up for college newsletters and updates

• Open every email from the colleges you are interested in

• Click on the links

• Spend time on the school’s website (cookies can track how long you spend on each page)

• Reach out to your admissions officers to establish contact and get any questions you have answered

• Attend Upcoming Virtual College Admission Events including tours and information sessions - Click on this google doc to view a growing list of colleges who have moved their tours and/or information sessions online in the coming weeks: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZOAtzZNAjwxoOQbKzMY2JvMll24LQHBXlpV158qQi0U/htmlview?usp=sharing&urp=gmail_link&sle=true

• Utilize the online resources listed below for your college search process:

The College Website: The college itself is a great place to start, and spending time on the website helps with demonstrated interest. You can learn about programs, majors, and extracurricular activities. Many will have videos of current students. Keep in mind that this is a curated view of the college, and you are unlikely to get a complete picture of the negatives associated with each school.

Admissions Blogs: These can provide a wealth of information. Some have posts from students about their experiences. Others post about how to approach admissions essays or what the college values in an applicant:

• Tufts University - https://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/

• Georgia Tech - http://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/

• Tulane - http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/

YouTube: There is an abundance of information both official and unofficial posted on the web. All you have to do is search “Your favorite college + you tube” or “Your favorite college + your favorite topic.” Colleges and students post about everything on YouTube. If you want to know about the food in the dining halls or what the dorms look like, you can find it online. You can get unofficial campus tours, rants about what students like and do not like, info about specific classes, and much more. Many schools also have official YouTube pages with official tours, lectures, and news. Here are some samples from Northwestern University:

• Northwestern’s official page: https://www.youtube.com/user/NorthwesternU

• Watch the rock in real time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdQPn86BfCE

• Northwestern’s promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOUvOTmLScA

• Here’s an engineering major taking us through a week at Northwestern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTWAJLBKWpE

College Data: https://www.collegedata.com/

Statistics on admissions, cost, majors, housing. This is a great free resource for easy to access data.

Unigo: https://www.unigo.com/

Reviews by students on a range of topics.

College Express: https://www.collegexpress.com

Provides lists of schools based on many factors. You can search by college or by school characteristic. For example: colleges for the outdoorsy student, colleges worth every penny, most vegetarian-friendly colleges. The site also has lots of general statistics on each school.

Cappex: https://www.cappex.com/

Provides scattergrams of past admits and denials based on GPA and ACT/SAT scores. This is a nice visual for where your stats fall in relation to past applicants. This is similar to the scatterplot in Naviance but with national data instead of Holliston data.

Check out this amazing New Spreadsheet with all of the above resources and College Board data combined!

WEBINARS:

A Newton North HS alum created a service that offers webinars about colleges/universities. During the month of April there will be webinars about the following schools: UMASS Amherst, UCONN, Syracuse, WashU, Cornell, University of Michigan, BU, UVM, Tulane, Northeastern, and NYU. Sign up to view these informative webinars on various dates in April at http://desyde.io. You can also subscribe so that when new schools are added you will be notified.

STANDARDIZED TESTING UPDATE:

It remains to be seen if June test dates of SAT or ACT will be cancelled. If you registered for June, you should be able to transfer the registration to a future date.

The good news is that many colleges have already gone test-optional (at least temporarily) for the Class of 2021 and possibly beyond due to ACT/SAT test cancellations: Tufts, Boston University, all University of California universities, and Davidson College to name a few. Click HERE for a chronological view of colleges that have gone test-optional. For a complete list of test-optional colleges please refer to this website - https://fairtest.org/university/optional

Registration for August and beyond test dates are not yet available. Please be prepared to have to take the ACT in July and/or September, and/or the SAT in August and/or October. ACT updates are here and SAT updates are here. Please plan to check for updates regularly, as things have changed very recently.

It will be CRITICAL to register EARLY for the SAT and ACT test dates that lie ahead (particularly August SAT). Seats will fill quickly as many students will need to reschedule their spring testing. As soon as we know the registration date for the August test date, we will let you know.

The College Board is considering adding additional test dates and/or potentially offering an online solution. These may not come to fruition, but it is important to know that they recognize the challenge faced by your cohort.

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY FLEXIBILITY WITH ADMISSIONS FOR STUDENTS AFFECTED BY COVID 19 SCHOOL CLOSURES:

If you are feeling nervous about how pass/fail will affect your transcript and application to college in the future, please read THIS DOCUMENT. We believe it will put you at ease.

WHAT ABOUT MY EXTRACURRICULARS DURING COVID19?

During this pandemic, there are major adjustments to how you spend your time. Although volunteering, some clubs, and sports teams are not meeting, there are ways to adjust and make opportunities out of this time at home.

Some additional ideas include:

• Create virtual workouts for your sports team

• Organize a food drive or provide virtual social connection for the elderly in your neighborhood

• Provide remote tutoring or virtual music lessons for elementary-aged students

• Create an online presence with tutorials on your own YouTube channel - for example, a self-help tip, a how-to lesson, or a stop-motion video

• Students with computer programming skills can do home-based coding, create apps or websites for nonprofits that need help. Check out Code for Social Good, DonateCode, or Benetch.

• Volunteer politically with Rock the Vote which offers opportunities that can be done remotely, or google “remote volunteer internships” for your favorite candidates

• Keep a journal of how and what you are doing during this historic pandemic

• Look for virtual academic volunteering opportunities through the Citizen Science database.

• Another great place with lots of virtual volunteering opportunities is https://www.volunteermatch.org/. Select “Virtual Volunteering” in the banner on the top of the home page, then use the filters on the left-side menu to find options

• Take up running/jogging for exercise - train for that ½ marathon you’ve dreamed about

• Reach out to an area senior center or hospital and ask how you can help. A shout out to Akshara Shankar who did this on her own and is writing cards to lift the spirits of the elderly.

• Get involved with The MasksNow Coalition, an effort to get more protective masks to healthcare providers, including actually sewing them from a pattern provided

• Learn a new skill: Teach yourself how to play an instrument using YouTube videos, learn how to make a flower garden, try a new hobby.

• Audio record public domain audiobooks that were published pre 1923 through https://librivox.org/pages/volunteer-for-librivox/

• Transcribe historical documents for the Smithsonian.

• Help Harvard researchers learn the best ways to break down stereotypes by taking tests with Project Implicit.

• Crochet or knit afghan squares that will help build blankets for both babies and adults. Send them to Warm Up America.

• Sign up as a virtual tutor with Learn To Be. They bring 1-on-1, online tutoring to underserved youth and we have hundreds of high school teenagers who volunteer with us. They work with homeless youth, foster youth and others who are struggling in school.

• Learn sign language using http://www.signlanguage101.com/ and the SignSchool app. For more online resources to learn ASL: https://mashable.com/article/how-to-sign/

• Partner with your parent/guardian and learn one of these 100 important life/soft skills: https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/

• Have fun - check out this website for a long list of ideas for kids - go on...channel your inner child! https://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/content/250-creative-ways-keep-your-family-sane-during-covid-19-crisis

We hope these ideas will inspire you to think in compassionate and creative ways that can actually strengthen your extracurricular experiences down the road. While we certainly are in uncharted territories about what colleges will be looking for, the best thing you can do is stay active and busy doing things that are important to you and your communities. You never know, next year during a college interview or on your college applications, you may be asked, “How did you spend your time during COVID-19?”

Some advice from Emily Roper-Doten, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Olin College of Engineering:

“Treat this time as a gift. We—those of us who will eventually read your application—know that life is slowing down around you and that your plans may be coming undone. Every junior out there is in the same boat: school is online, you can’t participate in your spring sport or try out for a role in the musical, test dates are canceled. Take the time to mourn these things and when you’ve done that, think about what you CAN do in this time.”

Lastly, a final insightful article from the Tulane University Director of Admissions on how to cope during the time of COVID-19: http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2020/03/coping-in-time-of-corona.html

Be well,

HHS School Counseling

Hello seniors -

After many lengthy discussions, a plan is in place for the submission of senior scholarships. We appreciate your patience with us as we ironed out the details.

Survey Responses - “Far from being done”

If you responded to the senior survey regarding scholarships and indicated that you were far from being done with the application, expect to hear from your school counselor. We want to know what we can do to help you, and that might mean more than simply completing this application.

For those who do not have the supplies (printer/paper, etc) to complete the application:

1. Bundles of printer paper and spare copies of the scholarship packets, supplements, etc. will be available for pick up on April 13th from 1 - 2pm outside the high school. We will have 50 bundles of 100 sheets of paper. Please read and follow the instructions later on in this notice regarding pulling up and exiting your vehicle.

2. We are making the application materials electronic to facilitate completion for those students who do not have the tools/materials. We will be in touch with those electronic forms by the end of this week.

DEADLINES:

April 13th - we are keeping the initial deadline of April 13th for those students who are done or close to being done and who are looking to check this off of their list.

April 27th - we are offering a second deadline to help those students who for a VARIETY of reasons, including not having the tools and materials, have not been able to meet the April 13th date. This new situation we find ourselves has affected each person and family differently and this second deadline has been added as acknowledgement of that. If you think that this second deadline is still not doable for you, please contact Mrs. Camiel or Mrs. Ross by email as soon as possible.(camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us or rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us)

SUBMITTING PAPER PACKETS:

Please DO NOT STAPLE the individual scholarship packets. Use paper clips if you have them. If you don’t have paper clips, organize the packets by scholarship and secure the larger bundle (rubber band, binder clip, etc.).

4 METHODS OF SUBMISSION:

In person at school:

• April 13th from 1 - 2pm rescheduled for Friday, April 17 due to weather

• April 27th from 1 - 2pm

• Ms. Camiel and Mrs. Ross will be standing outside the school with collection boxes.

• One student at a time can drop their materials in the box. Pull up to the curb (no need to park) and line up behind the vehicle in front of you. If you see a student outside of their car, stay in your car until they are safely back in their vehicle.

• Your health and safety, and ours, are paramount and as such, we want to control the drop off such that only one student is out of their car at a time.

• The applications will be kept safe in locked storage at the high school.

Mail the scholarship packets to HHS (yes, mail is still being delivered to the school):

• Mail the packets to HHS:

  • Holliston High School

Attention: Valerie Camiel

370 Hollis Street

Holliston, MA 01746

Google Drive

• Scan your application materials and upload them to Google Drive sharing them with Ms. Camiel.

• Scan each individual scholarship application separately.

• Upload separately and title each upload with the name of the scholarship.

• You can also share a folder with all of the scholarships you are applying for, but make sure each file in the folder is individually named according to the scholarship.

• Having technical difficulties? Contact Mr. Reeve at reevet@holliston.k12.ma.us

Scan and email

• Using your cell phone (instructions linked HERE), scan your application materials and email them to camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us

• Scan each individual scholarship application separately.

• Email each individual scholarship application separately with the name of the scholarship in the subject line of the email.

SUPPORT:

We are well aware that many of you need more support in getting these applications completed and we are here to help you do that. And please, DO NOT HESITATE to ask for what you need.

Below are the options for support:

• Text Mrs. Ross using her Google Voice number: (508) 266-5340 anytime (calls need to be scheduled, text first)

• Email Ms. Camiel or Mrs. Ross anytime.

• Join a Live DSB Zoom Scholarship Support Session offered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 - 10:45am from April 13 through April 27 (for specific questions or positive encouragement!)

https://zoom.us/meeting/u5Mvdu6trTMsfPje2MCNtLmA0Y8Px6Y3HA/ics?icsToken=98tyKu-vrDotH9edtlyCf7AtA9r5bM_MkXd-oKYPsTzLFwxeQ1PPbtJaZIssOPmB

Join Zoom Meeting

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As you most likely already have seen in the email sent out to all AP Exam examinees directly by The College Board on April 3, 2020, the AP exams WILL be administered in May 2020, but in a completely new and revolutionary AT HOME and ONLINE format.

We encourage you and your family to sit down and carefully review the information available on The College Board website at https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students

(And we recommend you bookmark the link above so you can easily monitor it in the next month for more updates and information as The College Board works to modify the delivery of your AP exam(s).)

A few key items we want to make sure that you review ASAP:

• Your MyAP Account email address - College Board will be communicating with students with active exams DIRECTLY through this email address. If you have not received emails from The College Board in the last two weeks, this may indicate that there is an error in the email you have on your MyAP account.

  • Log into http://myap.collegeboard.org ASAP and navigate to "MyAP Profile" to review that the email address on file is one you ACTIVELY check and use.

  • College Board will be sending the high-security log in credentials that you will need to log into the Exam Platform to the student email address on the MyAP account. Without that login access that will be sent by The College Board directly, you will NOT be able to take the AP exam.

• The New and updated AP Exam Schedule of Exams (Linked HERE)

• The Exam Content and Format- What will be focused on for this exam has been drastically adjusted. Review the details regarding each exam's new modified focus as well as the new format (available HERE). Connect with your teachers asap!

• Know that you will be able to take your exams on ANY internet-connected devices - a phone, a tablet, an iPad, a laptop, a desktop computer. More details will be released by the College Board towards the end of April AND you will have an opportunity to try out the exam format and upload of material steps before exam day. Monitor https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students and youtube.com/advancedplacement for tutorial videos and more.

• Access to technology - Complete the College Board assistance form by April 24, 2020, if you need a device or if you need internet access to be able to take your exam(s). The form is linked HERE.

• Exams with Accommodations - if you have already been approved by College Board for accommodations on your AP exam(s), those accommodations will automatically be applied by the exam content platform (or site). The accommodations are linked via your SSD Number to your AP ID Number and will be automatic.

• Exam Security - this is being taken VERY seriously! The College Board will be applying all the technology resources at their fingertips to maintain the integrity and security of the exams, INCLUDING sending a copy of the work you submit to your AP teacher by May 26, 2020. Review the security details carefully.

• Preparation for the exams - a ton of resources available through MyAP, your teachers, and the College Board directly. Monitor youtube.com/advancedplacement and https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students for resources and updates.

And last but not least, if you do feel that you would like to rather cancel your AP exam due to the extended school closures and how COVID-19 has affected you, please follow the steps below:

AP EXAM REFUNDS - HHS POLICY

100% refund, if canceled by April 30th

To Cancel:

• Email cancellation desk at cancel@aptsusa.com and include:

  • Student name

  • Name of their school (including city/state)

  • Title of the exam to cancel

College Board will NOT be refunding the $40 charged to a student for late registration (i.e., after the deadlines).

Make sure to monitor https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students for new updates and information. The College Board will be supporting and administering your exams this year directly, and therefore will be your go-to resource.

Dominique Ross
AP Coordinator

This is the second major update from the school counseling office. As you can see some of the content is new and some is updated. There are lots of excellent tools and information that have been added since the first communication on March 19th.

To access the School Counseling website, please click here.

Contents of this post

• Senior Scholarships (nothing new since April 3rd communication)

• Article on College Admissions/Enrollment during a Pandemic (NEW!)

• Waitlisted Information/Instructions (NEW!)

• Resources to make the college enrollment decision (updated since March 19th)

• College Enrollment Decision Tool: Weighted Factors/College Comparison Worksheet (NEW!)

• Deposit Deadline Changes

• College Visits / Virtual Options (updated since March 19th)

• The Student Perspective on Choosing a College

• The Financial Decision (updated since March 19th)

• The Financial Appeal Letter (NEW!)

• Updating Naviance

• Online Classes

• AP Exam Information (updated since March 19th - new information that was released on April 3rd)

• Koplik Scholarships (updated since March 19th)

SCHOLARSHIPS

Click HERE to read the latest update from Friday April 3rd on the senior scholarship program.

Survey: We would like to identify seniors who are lacking resources, materials, time or energy to complete this process. This very brief survey will help us identify how many students plan to apply for scholarships, how many have completed the application and who we need to offer support to. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SURVEY EVEN IF YOU DON’T PLAN ON APPLYING FOR A SCHOLARSHIP.

https://forms.gle/7FT53qWgR58o789RA

(NEW!) ARTICLE TO READ!

HERE is a great article from Forbes.com on making the college enrollment decision during a pandemic.

THE COLLEGE ENROLLMENT DECISION - Where do I want to go?

The National Association of College Admissions Counselors has developed an amazing tool that will let you research how the schools you are deciding between are handling admissions and enrollment at this time.

https://www.nacacnet.uorg/college-admission-status-coronavirus

(NEW!) WAITLISTED - What do I do next?

Please click HERE for important instructions on how to address a college that has waitlisted you.

Interested in historical waitlist data? Please click HERE for a chart using information from the Common Data Set. Unfortunately, 2019 numbers have still not been released by many schools. Please also keep in mind that this year’s waitlist numbers may be larger, and more students will probably be accepted off waitlists in late July & August than in years past.

(NEW!) WEBINARS

A Newton North HS alum created a service that offers webinars about colleges/universities. During the month of April there will be webinars about the following schools: UMASS Amherst, UCONN, Syracuse, WashU, Cornell, University of Michigan, BU, UVM, Tulane, Northeastern, and NYU. Sign up to view these informative webinars on various dates in April at http://desyde.io. You can also subscribe so that when new schools are added you will be notified.

(NEW!) STILL HAVING A TOUGH TIME DECIDING?

Click HERE for a College Comparison Chart. This chart is only available for Holliston Public School users to edit (students must access it through their school account). If you plan to use this tool, MAKE A COPY OF IT BEFORE USING. In the "Comparison" tab of the spreadsheet, use the "Importance (Weight)" column to indicate how important each factor is for you in your decision (usually on a scale of 0 - 10, but pick any scale you like). If a given factor isn't important, give it a weight of zero. If it is really important, give it a weight of 10. You can make up your own factors (categories) by adding more rows. The included rows are just the most common, but we might have left something out that is important to you. The last row (in green) gives you a relative score for each college by simply adding the weighted ratings. See the "Example" tab for a sample of comparing three colleges. The numbers are made up, and you should put in the values as they pertain to you.Trust your gut, even if the numbers favor another college slightly. In the end, going through the process is more important than the final result. Thank you to Bruce Epstein for this handy chart.

DEPOSIT DEADLINE CHANGES

Check the NACAC tool: https://www.nacacnet.org/college-admission-status-coronavirus

**While this tool is very handy, it is always best to check the college website for the most accurate and up to date information.

(UPDATED!) COLLEGE VISITS

• Take Virtual Tours

  • YouVisit - https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch/ - experience 1,000+ colleges & universities in virtual reality

  • CampusTours - https://campustours.com/ - provides interactive campus maps and college tours

  • YOUniversity - https://www.youniversitytv.com/ - college video tours provided

  • CampusReel - https://www.campusreel.org/ - videos created by students. Not quite as many videos as you can find on YouTube, but they are better organized.

• View Aerial tour or aerial photos - If the college doesn’t have one on their site, google ‘(name of school) aerial tour’ or ‘(name of school) aerial view’. This will give you a good perspective of how large, or how small, a campus will be. You can also see if the campus and community are bicycle and pedestrian friendly, or if you will need to rely on a car or buses to help you get around.

• Visit Daytripper University - a great “go-to” site to get impressions of the communities at many colleges. Not only have its co-owners taken journeys to colleges from the perspective of parents; the site also features student campus correspondents.

• Check out this amazing New Spreadsheet with all of the above resources and College Board data combined! (*This resource was shared by Newton North High School)

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE ON CHOOSING A COLLEGE

• www.niche.com - reviews of colleges/universities by the students who attend.

• https://www.mefa.org/making-college-decision-2/

THE FINANCIAL DECISION

There are a number of college financial aid comparison calculators online which help decipher the best package being offered.

• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-awards/compare-aid-calculator

• http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletter.phtml

• https://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/compare-financial-aid-and-college-cost/

• MEFA webinar on paying the college bill: https://www.mefa.org/videos/family-webinar-series-paying-the-college-bill/.

(UPDATED!) FINANCIAL AID WEBINARS

• MEFA, the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, is also providing free "After the College Acceptance" webinars to provide guidance on understanding financial aid letters, making the college decision, and putting together a plan to pay for college. The upcoming webinar dates are listed below. Please click to register for a specific date:

  • April 7 - from 12 - 1pm

  • April 9 - from 7 - 8pm

  • April 16 - from 7 - 8pm

• Please see https://www.mefa.org/collegebound2020/ for additional information.

(NEW!) FINANCIAL APPEAL LETTER

Have your families’ finances changed with COVID-19 pandemic? Click below for a great article from Going Merry about how to write a financial appeal letter with examples: https://www.goingmerry.com/blog/financial-aid-appeal-letter/

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS/RESOURCES

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/making-a-decision/you-got-accepted-now-what

It can also be helpful to look at the RETURN ON INVESTMENT a college will provide. http://www.payscale.com/college-roi?page=94 is a website that offers a list of colleges listed by ROI (20 year ROI / 4 year cost / Average Loan Amount). Be a critical of the institution’s career center. Visit the college again and spend some time in career services. Ask to see sample resumes and cover letters. Take stock of the professionalism in the career center’s staff.

Advice for students: https://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/tip-sheet-making-the-final-college-decision/

DEALING WITH THE REJECTION LETTER

Frank Bruni says it best - https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-how-to-survive-the-college-admissions-madness.html

UPDATING NAVIANCE

Seniors should continue to update Naviance with admissions decisions as this helps populate the scattergrams in Naviance that are so useful in determining which colleges are an academic fit for the grades below as they embark on their college planning journey.

(UPDATED!) ONLINE CLASSES

Online classes will be extended through April 17th, the new end date for Term 3.

If students have difficulty with account access, or have other online course related questions, please email Mrs. Camiel at camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us.

(UPDATED!) AP EXAM UPDATE

An exam update was posted by the CollegeBoard this morning.

• Exams will be given from May 11 - 22

• Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1 - 5

• Students can take exams at home or in schools, if we are open.

• Each subject’s exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.

Testing Schedule: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/educators/taking-the-exams/ap-exam-schedule?SFMC_cid=EM294654-&rid=33370296

Exam Format:

• Most exams will have 1 - 2 free response questions, and each question will be timed separately. Students will need to write and submit their responses within the allotted time for each questions.

• Students will be able to take exams on any device they have access to - computer, tablet or smartphone.

• Students will be able to type and upload their responses, or handwrite their responses and submit a photo using their cell phone

• Most exams will be 45 minutes long with 5 minutes allotted for uploading. Students will need to access the online testing system 30 minutes early to get set up.

• Students taking world language and culture exams will complete two spoken tasks consistent with free-response questions 3 and 4 on the current AP Exam. Written responses will not be required. The College Board will provide additional details in the coming weeks to help students prepare.

Tips on testing on specific devices will be available in late April.

College Board updates: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/?SFMC_cid=EM294654-&rid=33370296

AP EXAM REFUNDS - HHS POLICY

100% refund, if cancelled by April 30th

To Cancel:

• Email cancellation desk at cancel@aptsusa.com and include:

  • Student name

  • Name of their school (including city/state)

  • Title of the exam to cancel

College Board will NOT be refunding the $40 charged to a student for late registration (i.e., after the deadlines).

(UPDATED!) KOPLIK SCHOLARSHIPS

We heard from the state’s Koplik Coordinator today and here is the proposal she has submitted for the Koplik program. She is confident that it will be approved:

1. An extension of the submission deadline to October 1, 2020 to allow students enough time to take SAT subject tests and AP exams

2. An extension of the usage deadline to Fall 2021 to allow students the opportunity to use the tuition credit

3. Allowance of the tuition credit to be retroactive to the start of the fall 2020 semester for students that may receive certificates after the start of school

Once this has been approved we will be in touch regarding next steps for submission of applications. If your application is currently complete (i.e., you have two academic achievements), please scan or email a picture of the application (no score reports are necessary) at your convenience to rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us.

For more information on what academic achievements are submissible, please click HERE.

Hello seniors -

Here is an update on a few key matters that we have received a number of questions on and now have more concrete answers to.

SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS

The senior scholarship program will continue on!

All scholarship materials can be found on the school counseling website. Use this link to access scholarship information: https://guidancehhs.blogspot.com/2020/03/class-of-2020-hhs-hsf-scholarship.html

Deadline: The deadline remains as April 13th, however, we are open to taking late submissions from students who may not have the tools and resources to complete the process at home. We are committed to helping any student in this position.

Collection of the scholarship packets: We have a few ideas rolling around regarding how to efficiently collect the packets without putting anyone’s health or safety at risk. We will be in touch next week with an answer to this question.

Survey: We would like to identify seniors who are lacking resources, materials, time or energy to complete this process. This very brief survey will help us identify how many students plan to apply for scholarships, how many have completed the application and who we needs our support. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SURVEY EVEN IF YOU DON’T PLAN ON APPLYING FOR A SCHOLARSHIP.

https://forms.gle/7FT53qWgR58o789RA

KOPLIK SCHOLARSHIP

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education which runs the Koplik scholarship program has still not determined whether the deadline for applications will be adjusted.

If you plan on applying for the Koplik scholarship:

1. You can take a picture of the application or scan it to rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us.

2. Do not worry about sending copies of MCAS scores, AP scores, or SAT Subject scores as I have access to all of that information online through secure databases.

3. Send completed applications to rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us by June 1st (this is the deadline for students to submit applications to the school - a deadline we can and have adjusted; DESE sets a later deadline for the school to submit the application data and it is that deadline that has not been adjusted yet by the state).

**Remember, a completed application can still have blank academic achievements - simply write in “Pending AP [insert subject] score” or “Pending SAT Subject Test Score”**

4. If you still need to take SAT Subject Tests and were registered for those in May, please reschedule your test for June as soon as possible.

STAMP TESTING

STAMP Testing will take place in April. Monsieur Trotin who manages this test and program will be in touch shortly with all the students registered to take the test.

AP EXAM UPDATE

An exam update was posted by the CollegeBoard this morning.

• Exams will be given from May 11 - 22

• Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1 - 5

• Students can take exams at home or in schools, if we are open.

• Each subject’s exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.

Testing Schedule: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/educators/taking-the-exams/ap-exam-schedule?SFMC_cid=EM294654-&rid=33370296

Exam Format

• Most exams will have 1 - 2 free response questions, and each question will be timed separately. Students will need to write and submit their responses within the allotted time for each questions.

• Students will be able to take exams on any device they have access to - computer, tablet or smartphone.

• Students will be able to type and upload their responses, or handwrite their responses and submit a photo using their cell phone

• Most exams will be 45 minutes long with 5 minutes allotted for uploading. Students will need to access the online testing system 30 minutes early to get set up.

• Students taking world language and culture exams will complete two spoken tasks consistent with free-response questions 3 and 4 on the current AP Exam. Written responses will not be required. The College Board will provide additional details in the coming weeks to help students prepare.

Tips on testing on specific devices will be available in late April.

College Board updates: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/?SFMC_cid=EM294654-&rid=33370296

AP EXAM REFUNDS - HHS POLICY

100% refund, if cancelled by April 30th

To Cancel:

• Email cancellation desk at cancel@aptsusa.com and include:

  • Student name

  • Name of their school (including city/state)

  • Title of the exam to cancel

College Board will NOT be refunding the $40 charged to a student for late registration (i.e., after the deadlines).

RESOURCES and TOOLS FOR MAKING THE COLLEGE ENROLLMENT DECISION:

For access to the school counseling update from March 19, click HERE. It includes good information and resources on tracking deposit deadlines and how to make the college enrollment decision in these unusual times.

March 23, 2020

ABOUT THIS YEAR'S AP EXAMS

• Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place. Students will take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home.

• Students will be able to take these streamlined exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. Taking a photo of handwritten work will also be an option.

• Students who need mobile tools or connectivity can reach out to to the College Board directly.

• The exam will only include topics and skills "most AP teachers and students" have already covered in class by early March. We don't have exact details on this yet.

TEST SECURITY

• The exam questions are designed and administered in ways that prevent cheating; there are a range of digital security tools and techniques, including plagiarism detection software, to protect the integrity of the exams.

• Scoring at-home work for an AP Exam is not new to the AP Program. For years the AP Program has received and scored at-home student work as part of the exams for the AP Computer Science Principles and AP Capstone courses.

WHAT COLLEGE BOARD IS STILL WORKING ON

• What the exam administration dates and times will be

• What this will mean for the administration of exams for students with disabilities who approved for accommodations

• What this will mean in regards to exams that previously conflicted with each other

INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT

Beginning on Wednesday, March 25^th, students and teachers can attend free, live AP review courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. These mobile-friendly classes are:

• Designed to be used alongside work that may be given by schools.

• Will be recorded and available on-demand so teachers and students can access them any time.

• Not dependent on current AP teachers continuing instruction.

• Will focus on reviewing the skills and concepts from the first 75% of the course. There will also be some supplementary lessons covering the final 25% of the course.

Teachers who are providing remote instruction can continue to leverage AP Classroom, which was introduced at the start of the school year.

• Within AP Classroom, free-response questions that were only available for in-classroom use due to security concerns will now be unlocked.

• Teachers will be able to assign questions to students digitally.

March 20, 2020

Hello seniors,

We hope that this email finds you in good health and spirits and maintaining appropriate social distance!

For school related/COVID-19 updates: https://sites.google.com/holliston.k12.ma.us/hhs-coronavirus-info/principal-updates?authuser=0

This email addresses a number of important topics that we know many of you may be wondering about. More communication will be sent later in the week regarding access to your counselor in the weeks ahead should you have further questions about term 4 courses, college applications, college enrollment decisions, etc.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The deadline has been extended to April 13th at 3pm.

Now is a great time to be working on your scholarship applications.

Supplements and extra copies of the scholarship packets are available on a table in the main hallway of the high school for the next two days Thursday and Friday March 19th and 20th from 9am - 12 Noon.

Thursday, March 19

• 9:00AM-10:00AM: Last names beginning with A-H

• 10:00AM-11:00AM: Last names beginning with I-P

• 11:00AM-12:00PM: Last names beginning with Q-Z

Friday, March 20

• 9:00AM-10:00AM: Last names beginning with A-H

• 10:00AM-11:00AM: Last names beginning with I-P

• 11:00AM-12:00PM: Last names beginning with Q-Z

Supplements can also be found on the school counseling website. Use this link to access scholarship information: https://guidancehhs.blogspot.com/2020/03/class-of-2020-hhs-hsf-scholarship.html

For questions about scholarships, please email Mrs. Camiel - camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us. She will be checking email periodically during the day. She will reply to you during the weekdays within 24 hours.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS DECISIONS - What schools have I not heard from?

Some colleges and universities may be impacted in their ability to make admissions decisions in the traditional timeframe. There may be a delay in receiving an admissions decision as a result. Check the college websites for the most up to date information.

THE COLLEGE ENROLLMENT DECISION - Where do I want to go?

The National Association of College Admissions Counselors has developed an amazing tool that will let you research how the schools you are deciding between are handling admissions and enrollment at this time.

https://www.nacacnet.uorg/college-admission-status-coronavirus

DEPOSIT DEADLINE CHANGES:

Check the NACAC tool: https://www.nacacnet.org/college-admission-status-coronavirus

Or…

Check these lists of colleges that have changed deposit deadlines - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I6FRnbfPFmzNzKoPwYSFgLPB23XYdDTNk7bnpp5omjM/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR07DxhjluBjqEtPzEe4udVGiwVidtFRli5spywx5xWsbqQL3kHKPDzapRA

• • Version 2 of the same list - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RIlDMwtaOmudGxMuZsuEfjDW_wH89A_v6EHza5K5HtU/edit?fbclid=IwAR2lTcPt6x8UQQACPpjV6hW57SOKpI5AffoPRUhVcznch0jSDCZc7cB7E90

**REMEMBER - many colleges may still be trying to decide how to proceed and may be waiting to see how things pan out over the next couple of weeks before making such a big decision. Keep checking these tools listed above for updated information.

COLLEGE VISITS:

College tours and on campus events are mostly, if not universally, canceled. With that said, if you are considering a college that is nearby, you may be able to drive on to the campus and walk around, but not enter buildings. This would be suggested if you have not toured the school; sometimes just driving on campus will give you a sense as to whether you see yourself there.

There are also plenty of virtual options for students who have applied to a school but have not yet visited:

• Check the school website for a virtual tour and virtual accepted student activities

• https://www.nacacnet.org/college-admission-status-coronavirus

• https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE ON CHOOSING A COLLEGE:

• www.niche.com - reviews of colleges/universities by the students who attend.

• https://www.mefa.org/making-college-decision-2/

THE FINANCIAL DECISION:

There are a number of college financial aid comparison calculators online which help decipher the best package being offered.

• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-awards/compare-aid-calculator

• http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletter.phtml

• https://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/compare-financial-aid-and-college-cost/

• MEFA webinar on paying the college bill: https://www.mefa.org/videos/family-webinar-series-paying-the-college-bill/.

• Negotiating the aid package - don’t forget that financial aid packages can be negotiated. Typically there is a time frame during which an appeal to a package can be filed. Email financial aid to find out if there is a financial aid counselor you can speak with. Explaining circumstances a family or a student faces can result in a higher award package. Don’t hesitate to ask. What’s the worst they can say? You lose nothing by appealing a package for a college a student is eager to go to.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS/RESOURCES:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/making-a-decision/you-got-accepted-now-what

Sometimes students struggle making a decision on one school because they love more than one! If this is the case, it can help to RETURN TO CONCRETE DECISION MAKING. By clicking HERE, you will access a college characteristics activity that can help take the emotion out of a decision and root it in values and goals.

It can also be helpful to look at the RETURN ON INVESTMENT a college will provide. http://www.payscale.com/college-roi?page=94 is a website that offers a list of colleges listed by ROI (20 year ROI / 4 year cost / Average Loan Amount). Be a critical of the institution’s career center. Visit the college again and spend some time in career services. Ask to see sample resumes and cover letters. Take stock of the professionalism in the career center’s staff.

Advice for students: https://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/tip-sheet-making-the-final-college-decision/

DEALING WITH THE REJECTION LETTER

Frank Bruni says it best - https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-how-to-survive-the-college-admissions-madness.html

UPDATING NAVIANCE

Seniors should continue to update Naviance with admissions decisions as this helps populate the scattergrams in Naviance that are so useful in determining which colleges are an academic fit for the grades below as they embark on their college planning journey.

ONLINE CLASSES

Online classes will be extended through April 9th, the new end date for Term 3.

If students have difficulty with account access, or have other online course related questions, please email Mrs. Camiel at camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us.

AP EXAMS

Per the College Board AP Central website:

The AP Program is developing resources to help schools support student learning during extended closures, as well as a solution that would allow students to test at home, depending on the situation in May. Additional information will be posted by March 20.

KOPLIK SCHOLARSHIPS

Any student who still had to submit SAT Subject Test scores to obtain the academic qualifications required of the Koplik application may have been signed up for the May SATs. The May SATs have been canceled. In addition, if the AP exams are moved then those scores will be delayed. Currently our contact at DESE is trying to extend the deadline which would mean you could take advantage of the June SATs to complete subject tests. This has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more information!

March 20, 2020

Hello Juniors,

We hope that this email finds you in good health and spirits and maintaining appropriate social distance!

For school related/COVID-19 updates, please click here.

To access the School Counseling website, please click here.

Contents of this email:

• Access to your counselor

• Remind.com

• Course Selection and the updated override process

• Mental Health/Community Resources

• Online Connections for the LGBTQ Community

• Food Pantry Information

• AP Exam Information

• Online Classes

• Suggested school counseling related activities for Juniors to do during this time:

  • Updating your Naviance resumé

  • Continuing the college search in Naviance / Colleges I’m Thinking About

  • College visits/virtual opportunities

  • Creating your Common App Account

  • Think about your college essay/personal statement

  • Prep for the SAT/ACT

  • Parent Brag Sheet

  • Ask a teacher for a letter of recommendation

ACCESS TO YOUR COUNSELOR

School Counselors will be available to support a variety of your needs as we would normally do if we were at school. Examples include course selection questions, post high-school planning (college, military, employment, gap year, etc.), college enrollment decisions, etc.

You can make initial contact with your counselor via email. Counselors will be checking email periodically during the weekdays and will respond within 24 hours. The school counselors may respond at times that may not coincide with the traditional school day given their own home and family responsibilities. Rest assured, we are here to support you and will be in touch as soon as we can.

Your school counselor may even offer a phone call or video conference in lieu of email if those options are mutually agreeable and make sense given the support requested or questions asked.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR REMIND.COM! - STUDENTS ONLY

As many of you are aware, HHS School Counseling utilized Remind.com to stay in touch with students during the school day. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we hope to utilize Remind.com to continue to inform our student community of important updates (and communicate with them directly, if necessary). If you are not yet signed up for Remind.com, please consider doing so ASAP:

Last names A-L - Text @21hollis-a to 81010 and follow the subsequent instructions.

Last names M-Z - Text @21hollis-b to 81010 and follow the subsequent instructions.

If you have any questions regarding signing up or about Remind.com, please contact your counselor via e-mail.

COURSE SELECTION AND CHECKING YOUR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The deadline for submitting course requests in PowerSchool has been extended to March 27, 2020 at 9 pm.

We know that many of you will have questions during this time - please reach out to your counselor directly via e-mail. We will do our best to respond to you within 24 hours.

Be sure to check your credits as listed on the transcript provided to you during the course selection assembly. The HHS graduation requirements are posted in the Program of Studies.

The Flag for Counselor Assistance Form is also available for you to fill out with any questions or concerns. It should NOT be used to override a teacher’s recommendation.

UPDATED OVERRIDE PROCESS:

1. Select the original recommended course in PowerSchool.

2. Submit an override request using the online override request form.

3. Your parent/guardian and your teacher will receive an email with your response and an outline of next steps.

4. A conversation between the teacher, parent and student must take place to discuss any concerns regarding the override and skills that you will need to have in order to be successful in the higher level course.

5. After the conversation, the teacher emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

6. After the conversation, the parent/guardian emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

7. Once the school counselor has the online form request and the two emails stated above in #4 and #5, the change to your course will be made manually.

Please remember to review the 2020-2021 Program of Studies for course descriptions.

For more information on the course selection process, please see this presentation. This was shared with students last week during DSB.

For more course selection resources, please see the Forms/Resources section of the School Counseling website.

MENTAL HEALTH / COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Holliston Youth and Family Services:

While they continue to remain open, they are following the guidelines from the CDC. HYFS: Client/Community Information

• Location: 1750 Washington Street

• Phone: 508-429-0620

• Program Director: Jaclyn Winer

Psychiatric Emergency Services Contact Information:

Advocates Riverside

(Residence - Holliston, Natick, Framingham, (Residence - outside Holliston- Medway,

Ashland, Hopkinton, Sherborn, etc…) Millis, Milford, Bellingham, etc…)

508-872-3333 (24 hours) 508-634-3420 (24 hours)

354 Waverly Street, Framingham, MA 32 Hamilton Street, Milford, MA

Interface:

Through the Helpline that operates Monday-Friday from 9 AM- 5 PM, callers will work with a Resource and Referral Counselor who will help them navigate the challenges of finding mental health services. Each caller will be assigned a lead counselor who will provide matches to services. The service will also help find a provider who accepts their insurance and is available for new patients. A match will be located within no more than two weeks time.

For more information about what to expect when you call the Helpline follow this link: What to expect when you call INTERFACE.

To reach the INTERFACE Helpline please dial:

1-888-244-6843 (toll free)

Mon – Fri, 9 am – 5 pm

Remember, 911 is always available in an emergency!

Online Connections for LGBTQ Students:

OUT Metrowest has canceled in person meetings, but online meetings have been set up.

Holliston Pantry Shelf:

• Location: 73 Charles Street

• During this time, the program is DELIVERY ONLY. Please call 508-429-5392 to set up.

• DONATIONS are gratefully accepted during business hours only. Please do not leave donations on the sidewalk. See website for alternate drop off locations during non-business hours.

• TEMPORARY PANTRY USE: If you need to use the pantry during this state of emergency, please go to Town Hall. If you are unable to go to Town Hall, e-mail info@hollistonpantryshelf.org or call for emergency food resources.

AP EXAMS

Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, you can attend free, live AP review courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country.

The College Board is currently working on an exam format that can be taken by students at home. The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP Exam, and additional testing information will be available by April 3.

If you are signed up to take an AP exam and do not have reliable access to a device, please contact Mrs. Ross at rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us.

For a more detailed explanation of how the College Board is responding to the Coronavirus and its impact on schools, please go to the website.

ONLINE CLASSES

Online classes will be extended through April 9th, the new end date for Term 3.

If students have difficulty with account access, or have other online course related questions, please email Mrs. Camiel at camielv@holliston.k12.ma.us.

WHAT CAN I BE DOING DURING THIS TIME?

Update your resumé on Naviance

The resumé feature in Naviance is an excellent tool to keep track of your activities, responsibilities (including family related responsibilities), and accomplishments throughout high school. The counselors also use resumés to aid in the writing of the letters of recommendation. Please update your resumé if you are able.

Continuing your College Search in Naviance

• Use the advanced search feature to research lists of colleges based on your preferences.

• Add schools to Colleges I ‘m Thinking About by clicking the heart/favorite button

• Determine if a college or university is a good fit/target, safety or reach by looking at the scattergrams which show you (by GPA and test score) relative to HHS students who have applied in years past.

College visits

College tours and on campus events are mostly, if not universally, canceled. With that said, if you are considering a college that is nearby, you may be able to drive on to the campus and walk around, but not enter buildings.

There are also several virtual options for students to explore schools:

• Check the school website for a virtual tour https://www.nacacnet.org/college-admission-status-coronavirus

• https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch

• Virtual College Fair on 3/20, 3/23, & 3/24 - more information in the link - register ahead!

Create your Common App Account

• Use the College Search feature to add schools to your list

• Check out the My Colleges section

  • Click on one of your colleges

  • Notice that the main page has deadline information (likely not yet updated for the Class of 2021), contact information, requirements, etc. This information is available for every college you add to your account.

• Check out the questions that each school asks. What research, if any, do you need to add to your to-do list to be able to answer those questions. REMEMBER - Optional prompts are often not optional! If the school asks you why you want to go there and it is optional to answer that question, be advised - it is not optional! Some schools ask for an optional resumé - this is truly an option.

• Check out the sections that make up the Common Application:

  • Profile - easy to complete! All the basics!

  • Family - you will need your parent(s)/guardian(s) on hand to complete a lot of this information.​

  • Education - you can complete pieces of this section, but the GPA and courses cannot be completed until fall of senior year.​

  • Activities - think of EVERYTHING you do outside of school, including family responsibilities!​

  • Testing - most of you won’t be able to complete this section yet, and for those who are applying test optional there is no need to ever complete it!​

  • Writing - check out the sections below the essay prompts. Click on “Additional Information”. Click Yes and hey presto, an open text field appears. This is a great spot to address anything that needs further explanation in your application that you don’t talk about in your essay. Perhaps you can write about that math course that you had to work really hard in to get the grade you got. Perhaps you can write about something you listed in the Activities section that has a profound impact on you. Or perhaps you leave this blank. Just know that it is there and can be useful to paint the full picture of your story!

Thinking about your college essay/personal statement

Check out Essay Prompts for Common App

Remember, this is your voice in the application. What do you want to say? What matters to you? What makes you YOU? This is your heart on paper. This is the admissions counselor’s opportunity to get to know you. Don’t overthink it. It can be a simple concept or topic.

Here are some questions to get your creative juices flowing.

Read this summary of Fiske’s Real College Essays That Work which will help set you up to write a great college essay.

Prep for the SAT or ACT

Free SAT Practice - Sponsored by the College Board

Free ACT Practice - Sponsored by ACT

Parent Brag Sheet

Ask your parent(s)/guardian(s) to submit a parent brag sheet to help in the writing of your counselor letter of recommendation.

LINK FOR PARENTS TO COMPLETE: https://forms.gle/Ka39p3xwbvEGRcao9

Ask for your teacher letter of recommendation

Think of a teacher who knows you. Perhaps it is the teacher who saw you really struggle with the material but saw you work hard. Ask that teacher if they would be willing to write your college letter of recommendation. Email the teacher.

How many do you ask for? One, unless you are certain you are applying to a school which requires two.

Other Resources

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE ON CHOOSING A COLLEGE:

• www.niche.com - reviews of colleges/universities by the students who attend.

• https://www.mefa.org/making-college-decision-2/

RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

It can also be helpful to look at the ROI a college will provide. http://www.payscale.com/college-roi?page=94 is a website that offers a list of colleges listed by ROI (20 year ROI / 4 year cost / Average Loan Amount). Be a critical of the institution’s career center. Visit the college again and spend some time in career services. Ask to see sample resumes and cover letters. Take stock of the professionalism in the career center’s staff.

GREAT ARTICLE ON SURVIVING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS!

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-how-to-survive-the-college-admissions-madness.html

We are here for you during this challenging and unprecedented time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your counselor with any questions or concerns via e-mail, and most importantly, be and stay well!

Be well,

HHS School Counseling

March 20, 2020

Hello Sophomores,

We hope that this email finds you in good health and spirits and maintaining appropriate social distance!

For school related/COVID-19 updates, please click here.

To access the School Counseling website, please click here.

Contents of this email:

• Access to your counselor

• Remind.com

• Mental Health/Community Resources

• Online Connections for the LGBTQ Community

• Food Pantry Information

• Course Selection and updated override process

• AP Exam Information

• Suggested school counseling related activities for Sophomores to do during this time:

  • Updating your Naviance resumé

  • Exploring Potential Career Options (Career Interest Profiler / Holland Code Exploration)

  • Exploring Potential College Options

  • Exploring Your Personality (Do What You Are / Myers Briggs)

ACCESS TO YOUR COUNSELOR

School Counselors will be available to support a variety of your needs as we would normally do if we were at school. Examples include course selection questions, post high-school planning (college, military, employment, gap year, etc.), college enrollment decisions, etc.

You can make initial contact with your counselor via email. Counselors will be checking email periodically during the weekdays and will respond within 24 hours. The school counselors may respond at times that may not coincide with the traditional school day given their own home and family responsibilities. Rest assured, we are here to support you and will be in touch as soon as we can.

Your school counselor may even offer a phone call or video conference in lieu of email if those options are mutually agreeable and make sense given the support requested or questions asked.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR REMIND.COM! - STUDENTS ONLY

As many of you are aware, HHS School Counseling utilized Remind.com to stay in touch with students during the school day. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we hope to utilize Remind.com to continue to inform our student community of important updates (and communicate with them directly, if necessary). If you are not yet signed up for Remind.com, please consider doing so ASAP:

Last names A-L - Text @22hollis-a to 81010 and follow the subsequent instructions.

Last names M-Z - Text @22hollis-b to 81010 and follow the subsequent instructions.

If you have any questions regarding signing up or about Remind.com, please contact your counselor via e-mail.

MENTAL HEALTH / COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Holliston Youth and Family Services:

While they continue to remain open, they are following the guidelines from the CDC. HYFS: Client/Community Information

• Location: 1750 Washington Street

• Phone: 508-429-0620

• Program Director: Jaclyn Winer

Psychiatric Emergency Services Contact Information:

Advocates Riverside

(Residence - Holliston, Natick, Framingham, (Residence - outside Holliston- Medway,

Ashland, Hopkinton, Sherborn, etc…) Millis, Milford, Bellingham, etc…)

508-872-3333 (24 hours) 508-634-3420 (24 hours)

354 Waverly Street, Framingham, MA 32 Hamilton Street, Milford, MA

Interface:

Through the Helpline that operates Monday-Friday from 9 AM- 5 PM, callers will work with a Resource and Referral Counselor who will help them navigate the challenges of finding mental health services. Each caller will be assigned a lead counselor who will provide matches to services. The service will also help find a provider who accepts their insurance and is available for new patients. A match will be located within no more than two weeks time.

For more information about what to expect when you call the Helpline follow this link: What to expect when you call INTERFACE.

To reach the INTERFACE Helpline please dial:

1-888-244-6843 (toll free)

Mon – Fri, 9 am – 5 pm

Remember, 911 is always available in an emergency!

Online Connections for LGBTQ Students:

OUT Metrowest has canceled in person meetings, but online meetings have been set up.

Holliston Pantry Shelf:

• Location: 73 Charles Street

• During this time, the program is DELIVERY ONLY. Please call 508-429-5392 to set up.

• DONATIONS are gratefully accepted during business hours only. Please do not leave donations on the sidewalk. See website for alternate drop off locations during non-business hours.

• TEMPORARY PANTRY USE: If you need to use the pantry during this state of emergency, please go to Town Hall. If you are unable to go to Town Hall, e-mail info@hollistonpantryshelf.org or call for emergency food resources.

COURSE SELECTION AND CHECKING YOUR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The deadline for submitting course requests in PowerSchool has been extended to March 27, 2020 at 9 pm.

We know that many of you will have questions during this time - please reach out to your counselor directly via e-mail. We will do our best to respond to you within 24 hours.

Be sure to check your credits as listed on the transcript provided to you during the course selection assembly. The HHS graduation requirements are posted in the Program of Studies.

The Flag for Counselor Assistance Form is also available for you to fill out with any questions or concerns. It should NOT be used to override a teacher’s recommendation.

UPDATED OVERRIDE PROCESS:

1. Select the original recommended course in PowerSchool.

2. Submit an override request using the online override request form.

3. Your parent/guardian and your teacher will receive an email with your response and an outline of next steps.

4. A conversation between the teacher, parent and student must take place to discuss any concerns regarding the override and skills that you will need to have in order to be successful in the higher level course.

5. After the conversation, the teacher emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

6. After the conversation, the parent/guardian emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

7. Once the school counselor has the online form request and the two emails stated above in #4 and #5, the change to your course will be made manually.

Please remember to review the 2020-2021 Program of Studies for course descriptions.

For more information on the course selection process, please see this presentation. This was shared with students last week during DSB.

For more course selection resources, please see the Forms/Resources section of the School Counseling website.

AP EXAMS

Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, you can attend free, live AP review courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country.

The College Board is currently working on an exam format that can be taken by students at home. The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP Exam, and additional testing information will be available by April 3.

If you are signed up to take an AP exam and do not have reliable access to a device, please contact Mrs. Ross at rossd@holliston.k12.ma.us.

For a more detailed explanation of how the College Board is responding to the Coronavirus and its impact on schools, please go to the website.

WHAT CAN I BE DOING DURING THIS TIME?

Exploring Potential Career Options

Your school counselors have put together a few optional resources that you can utilize during this time. During the sophomore year, we focus on career exploration. The following are a few resources we have compiled to assist you with learning more about your futures! All of these resources are available on the School Counseling website under Sophomore Seminars.

• Watch this short video for an introduction to the Holland Code

• Get a general idea of what your strengths are: Holland Code Worksheet

• Take the Career Interest Profiler in Naviance - directions here

• Explore the 2020-2021 Program of Studies and determine the Holland Code for new courses offered next year - see this worksheet

• Explore college majors by Holland Code

• Complete the Reflection Form - we’d love your feedback on this optional lesson!

Update your resumé on Naviance:

The resumé feature in Naviance is an excellent tool to keep track of your activities, responsibilities (including family related responsibilities), and accomplishments throughout high school. The counselors also view the resumés in Naviance throughout your high school career to help match students with opportunities. Please update your resumé if you are able.

• Log in to Naviance (if you are having trouble doing this, please email your school counselor).

• Go to About Me (menu of options in the top right)

• Under your name that appears in the middle of the next screen, click the link to Resume.
  

Exploring Potential College Options

College tours and on campus events are mostly, if not universally, canceled. With that said, if you are considering a college that is nearby, you may be able to drive on to the campus and walk around, but not enter buildings.

There are also plenty of virtual options for students to explore schools:

• Check the school website for a virtual tour https://www.nacacnet.org/college-admission-status-coronavirus

• https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch

• Virtual College Fair on 3/20, 3/23, & 3/24 - more information in the link - register ahead!

Exploring Your Personality

Naviance also offers students an opportunity to take the Do What You Are assessment - a personality type assessment. It reveals information about a student’s strengths and blind spots, recommended career paths and college majors, as well as tips for conducting the most effective career search. This is a fun activity to do that only takes about 20 minutes and can really build your self-awareness. Follow these instructions for accessing the assessment in Naviance.

We are here for you during this challenging and unprecedented time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your counselor with any questions or concerns via e-mail, and most importantly, be and stay well!

Be well,

HHS School Counseling

March 20, 2020

Hello Freshmen,

We hope that this email finds you in good health and spirits and maintaining appropriate social distance!

For school related/COVID-19 updates, please click here.

To access the School Counseling website, please click here.

Contents of this email:

• Access to your counselor

• Remind.com

• Mental Health/Community Resources

• Online Connections for the LGBTQ Community

• Food Pantry Information

• Course Selection

• Suggested school counseling related activities for Freshmen to do during this time:

  • Updating your Naviance resumé

  • Exploring Your Personality (Do What You Are / Myers Briggs)

ACCESS TO YOUR COUNSELOR

School Counselors will be available to support a variety of your needs as we would normally do if we were at school. Examples include course selection questions, post high-school planning (college, military, employment, gap year, etc.), college enrollment decisions, etc.

You can make initial contact with your counselor via email. Counselors will be checking email periodically during the weekdays and will respond within 24 hours. The school counselors may respond at times that may not coincide with the traditional school day given their own home and family responsibilities. Rest assured, we are here to support you and will be in touch as soon as we can.

Your school counselor may even offer a phone call or video conference in lieu of email if those options are mutually agreeable and make sense given the support requested or questions asked.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR REMIND.COM! - STUDENTS ONLY

As many of you are aware, HHS School Counseling utilized Remind.com to stay in touch with students during the school day. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we hope to utilize Remind.com to continue to inform our student community of important updates (and communicate with them directly, if necessary). If you are not yet signed up for Remind.com, please consider doing so ASAP:

Last names A-L - Text @23hollis-a to 81010 and follow the subsequent instructions.

Last names M-Z - Text @23hollis-b to 81010 and follow the subsequent instructions.

If you have any questions regarding signing up or about Remind.com, please contact your counselor via e-mail.

MENTAL HEALTH / COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Holliston Youth and Family Services:

While they continue to remain open, they are following the guidelines from the CDC. HYFS: Client/Community Information

• Location: 1750 Washington Street

• Phone: 508-429-0620

• Program Director: Jaclyn Winer

Psychiatric Emergency Services Contact Information:

Advocates Riverside

(Residence - Holliston, Natick, Framingham, (Residence - outside Holliston- Medway,

Ashland, Hopkinton, Sherborn, etc…) Millis, Milford, Bellingham, etc…)

508-872-3333 (24 hours) 508-634-3420 (24 hours)

354 Waverly Street, Framingham, MA 32 Hamilton Street, Milford, MA

Interface:

Through the Helpline that operates Monday-Friday from 9 AM- 5 PM, callers will work with a Resource and Referral Counselor who will help them navigate the challenges of finding mental health services. Each caller will be assigned a lead counselor who will provide matches to services. The service will also help find a provider who accepts their insurance and is available for new patients. A match will be located within no more than two weeks time.

For more information about what to expect when you call the Helpline follow this link: What to expect when you call INTERFACE

To reach the INTERFACE Helpline please dial:

1-888-244-6843 (toll free)

Mon – Fri, 9 am – 5 pm

Remember, 911 is always available in an emergency!

Online Connections for LGBTQ Students:

OUT Metrowest has canceled in person meetings, but online meetings have been set up.

Holliston Pantry Shelf:

• Location: 73 Charles Street

• During this time, the program is DELIVERY ONLY. Please call 508-429-5392 to set up.

• DONATIONS are gratefully accepted during business hours only. Please do not leave donations on the sidewalk. See website for alternate drop off locations during non-business hours.

• TEMPORARY PANTRY USE: If you need to use the pantry during this state of emergency, please go to Town Hall. If you are unable to go to Town Hall, e-mail info@hollistonpantryshelf.org or call for emergency food resources.

COURSE SELECTION AND CHECKING YOUR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

The deadline for submitting course requests in PowerSchool has been extended to March 27, 2020 at 9 pm.

We know that many of you will have questions during this time - please reach out to your counselor directly via e-mail. We will do our best to respond to you within 24 hours.

Be sure to check your credits as listed on the transcript provided to you during the course selection assembly. The HHS graduation requirements are posted in the Program of Studies.

The Flag for Counselor Assistance Form is also available for you to fill out with any questions or concerns. It should NOT be used to override a teacher’s recommendation.

UPDATED OVERRIDE PROCESS:

1. Select the original recommended course in PowerSchool.

2. Submit an override request using the online override request form.

3. Your parent/guardian and your teacher will receive an email with your response and an outline of next steps.

4. A conversation between the teacher, parent and student must take place to discuss any concerns regarding the override and skills that you will need to have in order to be successful in the higher level course.

5. After the conversation, the teacher emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

6. After the conversation, the parent/guardian emails the school counselor which serves as their signature.

7. Once the school counselor has the online form request and the two emails stated above in #4 and #5, the change to your course will be made manually.

Please remember to review the 2020-2021 Program of Studies for course descriptions.

For more information on the course selection process, please see this presentation. This was shared with students last week during DSB.

For more course selection resources, please see the Forms/Resources section of the School Counseling website.

WHAT CAN I BE DOING DURING THIS TIME?

Update your resumé on Naviance:

The resumé feature in Naviance is an excellent tool to keep track of your activities, responsibilities (including family related responsibilities), and accomplishments throughout high school. The counselors also view the resumés in Naviance throughout your high school career to help match students with opportunities. Please update your resumé if you are able.

• Log in to Naviance (if you are having trouble doing this, please email your school counselor).

• Go to About Me (menu of options in the top right)

• Under your name that appears in the middle of the next screen, click the link to Resume.

Exploring Your Personality:

Naviance also offers students an opportunity to take the "Do What You Are" - a personality type assessment. It reveals information about a student’s strengths and blind spots, recommended career paths and college majors, as well as tips for conducting the most effective career search. This is a fun activity to do that only takes about 20 minutes and can really build your self-awareness. Follow these instructions for accessing the assessment in Naviance.

We are here for you during this challenging and unprecedented time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your counselor with any questions or concerns via e-mail, and most importantly, be and stay well!

Be well,

HHS School Counseling

From the College Board, March 16, 2020

In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19) and guidance from public health organizations, the College Board is canceling the May 2, 2020, SAT^® administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled March 28) are also canceled. We will provide refunds to all students who are registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores due to an irregularity.

Our top priority is the health and safety of students and educators.

We will provide future additional SAT testing opportunities for students as soon as feasible in place of canceled administrations. We have not yet canceled the June 6, 2020, SAT administration and will continue to assess its status. We are working with local partners and will soon share information about weekday school-based administrations this spring of the SAT, PSAT™ 10, and PSAT™ 8/9.

We will be flexible, thoughtful, and collaborative in exploring ways to continue to support student learning and provide opportunities to test during this challenging time. Thank you for your partnership.

Sincerely,
Test Administration Services

March 15, 2020

We are receiving a lot of questions about course selections for 2020-2021 right now. I appreciate that everyone is still trying to assess their learning and request classes that will enhance their interests for next year. I also recognize that students and families have a lot of questions and do not have the same level of access to their counselors. As a result, we are extending the deadline for course selections to March 27th.

Although email is a helpful way to contact school counselors, we are currently working to find additional ways to grant access to students and families. I hope to have additional information regarding our efforts by mid-week.

Thank you for you patience,

Nicole Bottomley
Principal
Holliston High School