High School Application Process

Dear Parents/Guardians and 8th Grade Students,

Welcome to your 8th grade year! I am Ms. Melendez, the School Counselor at Tompkins Square Middle School. I am very excited to get to know and work with you this year!

This is a busy and important year for our 8th graders, beginning with the High School Admissions Process. Choosing a high school is an exciting time and a huge responsibility that we all know our 8th graders are ready to take on. It is important that your children feel supported during this search and that together a commitment is made to not just find the best high school, but the best match for them.

Your child will be receiving a lot of information regarding high schools in Homeroom and Advisory, as well as from their teachers and myself; please keep your eyes out for these items.

The first item is attending High School Night. This event will provide you with a step by step on what to expect with this process. The second item would be to have some early conversations about expectations for the type of high schools that will be considered on the list. Do you need to register for the SHSAT? Audition? Start taking buses or trains to get to school, etc. During Advisory, Advisor will provide support for each student but ultimately we understand that you are the decision maker so we ask that you check in as a family if you new schools are being considered and why.

The best way to learn about a school is to visit the school's website and attend an open house events, wether in person or virtual tours. Some high schools require parents to register for an Open House or School Tour, so please make sure that you do so as early as possible. I will always share with you any information I receive about scheduled open houses or tours, but it is up to you to do the legwork and schedule your appointments especially as information may be subject to change.

Since many school tours are scheduled during the morning hours, this means that students will arrive to TSMS late. Please make sure that you receive documentation on school letterhead from the high school you are visiting indicating that your child was attending a school tour that day. Students must then bring this documentation with them to the TSMS main office when they arrive at school that day and give it to Magda Irizarry (School Secretary) so that it can be documented.

I would like to point out that you should constantly be on the lookout for any high school information that is distributed. As information comes to me with regards to the high school process, I will in turn disseminate the information to you and your child as soon as possible via email. Please read all information carefully as it will usually contain a lot of information and usually answers most questions.

This process is going to happen very quickly and we want you all to be prepared. We must all be proactive!

Thank you,

Paola Melendez School Counselor