Counseling Corner
Brighton High School Counseling Office
Updates for BHS Students & Families
Welcome to our weekly update! June 12, 2020
Dear Families,
3 DAYS LEFT WITH THE 19-20 SCHOOL YEAR! We officially end June 17th- have you done all you can or need to do? Remember, while teachers will accept work through mid-day on Wednesday, that does not mean you should wait that long. Touch base with your teachers if you need help- they are all here to support you.
Let's finish Brighton Strong!
A few updates/reminders (more information below in newsletter):
- SAVE THE DATES FOR OUR INSTANT DECISION DAYS! See the UPDATED College & Career Flyer!!
- Applications OPEN for military academies & ROTC
- We need experiential learning mentors!!
- Seniors- DO NOT FORGET TO COMPLETE YOUR SENIOR EXIT SURVEY. You will not be able to pick up your cap and gown if this is not completed.
- Juniors- be sure you've sent your pink sheet requests to teachers and finished your Junior Survey & resume in Naviance.
- We are currently updating our website so check periodically for lots of great information!
Wishing you all peace and wellness.
Sincerely,
The BHS Counseling Department
Junior Class of 2021
PINK SHEETS
One piece of your application is the Counselor Letter of Rec. To write these, we need a few things from you:
- Complete your JUNIOR SURVEY & RESUME in Naviance.
- PINK SHEETS- Please ask 2-3 teachers, advisors, coaches, employers etc. to fill this out for you. Since we don’t get to see you in class or know who you are as a teammate or employee, we want to hear from those that you know in that way! We can then add this information to our letters of rec and include a holistic view of who you are.
- Please email this link to 2-3 teachers: https://tinyurl.com/BHSPinkSheet
- Use the email subject heading: Pink Sheet Request- YOUR NAME HERE (ex: Pink Sheet Request- Courtney Stern)
A PINK SHEET REQUEST IS NOT A REQUEST FOR A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION! These are two separate things. For now, we are focused only on Pink Sheets.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your counselor. We would be so happy to talk to you!
PARENT BRAG SHEETS
Parents- WE NEED YOUR HELP! YOU are the ones who know your kids the best, so please take a few minutes to brag about them to their counselor. We love hearing your stories and often use your comments in our letters of rec:
Please complete this by July 15th.
SAVE THE DATES FOR COLLEGE & CAREER MONDAYS!
Monday afternoons this coming fall will be dedicated to YOU! Please see the flyer below for details and a few Summer Mondays with Mrs. Stern. Some Instant Decision Days have been scheduled! Please see below, more to come!
Senior Class of 2020
COMPLETE YOUR SENIOR EXIT SURVEY
As those admission decisions are coming in and you are making your final decisions, we also need to know WHAT you plan to do and WHERE you are heading this fall. This will determine where we send your final transcript.
Please take a few minutes to complete your BHS Senior Exit Survey- 2020 in Naviance. This needs to be completed in order to pick up your cap & gown!
Log into CLEVER and choose link to Naviance
Click on the About Me tab
Choose My Surveys
Choose Surveys Not Started
The link to the BHS Senior Exit Survey should then show up. This will ask you to fill out your plans for next year and update your admissions information if you applied to colleges. Please be honest (admit, deny, waitlist) as the data is anonymous and creates our scattergrams for future Barons to utilize in their college searches.
IF YOU NEED SUPPORT WE CAN HELP! Reach out to our amazing Registrars- Mrs. Schultz & Mrs. Leyens- or your counselor. maryellen_schultz@bcsd.org
COLLEGE OPENINGS UPDATE: OPTIONS FOR QUALIFIED STUDENTS
The update provides information on colleges and universities that are still accepting applications from qualified freshmen and/or transfer students for the fall 2020 semester.
NACAC's update is a helpful resource for counselors, parents, and teachers assisting students who have not yet found a college to attend. The update also includes information about financial aid and housing.
The number of colleges reporting openings for fall 2020 is substantially larger than previous years, which likely reflects the unprecedented level of disruption in the admission process caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Because many colleges that typically observe the May 1 national response date have extended their reply deadlines, NACAC will provide additional outreach and promotion of the update after June 1.
NACAC's College Openings Update is available until July 30 and will continue to be refreshed as colleges provide additional information.
College & Career
Calling all mentors- we need placements for student interns!
Hands on experiences are the best way to learn more about the career opportunities available to our young adults. And our students are asking for them! When we thought about who our students could learn from, we wanted to first look to the professionals in our own back yard.
PARENTS- If you are interested in possibly hosting a student for a Job Shadow experience or Professional Internship, we encourage you to fill out the survey below. There is no obligation to host a student shadow or intern currently. It is merely helping us to create a network of professionals in our community. If you have paid jobs available for students, please email Courtney Stern directly.
If you have any questions regarding the programs below, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. Thank you in advance for considering hosting a student shadow or intern in the future!
Students- if you are interested in a Job Shadow, Internship or earning credit for your Work Experience next year, reach out to Mrs. Stern and we can see what we can do!
Courtney Stern, College & Career Counselor
Sam Rizzo, CTE Coordinator
Military Academies & ROTC
Service Academies
For students who want to experience a military environment while getting a first-class education, the five service academies offer a fully-funded tuition that includes books, board and medical and dental care.
The competition to get in is fierce. Admissions criteria include:
- High school academic performance
- Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT)
- Athletics and extracurricular activities
- Leadership experience and community involvement
- A congressional letter of recommendation (not required by the Coast Guard Academy)
Graduates of all academies receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as officers in their respective Service branches. After graduation, they are obligated to serve a minimum of five years.
ROTC Programs
The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program offered at more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States that prepares young adults to become officers in the U.S. Military.
In exchange for a paid college education and a guaranteed post-college career, participants, or cadets, commit to serve in the Military after graduation. Each Service branch has its own take on ROTC.
Learn more about both opportunities at: https://www.todaysmilitary.com/education-training
Overview of the College Search Process
Virtual College Experiences
SUNY 2020 Summer Virtual Information Sessions!
Information Sessions include:
- Which SUNY are You?
- Educational Opportunity Program Information Sessions
- Financial Aid Events
- FAFSA Completion Workshops (for Seniors)
Students can register at www.suny.edu/studentevents or by calling 1.800.342.3811. We will continue to provide you with monthly updates on programming.
Ways to get "on campus"
- Individual college websites
- Naviance (many of the colleges have videos and interactive information posted there)
- www.campusreel.org - over 15,000 real videos, tours and experiences from 300+ college campuses, created by current students
- Thanks to an incredible colleague in a College Admissions Counselor group who put together this working excel file. Including demographic data from College Board, she lists colleges in the US and Canada who offer virtual tours, youtube channels, etc. UK coming soon! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sO7pVos0EvK0BvXoMbnyg00K6r7hXbOQE0HNXF4N4eM/htmlview
Coming This Fall- NACAC's Virtual College Fairs
Get ready for a dynamic, new, digital meeting space for high school students and college admission reps!
For more than 40 years, National Association for College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) has offered the largest and most effective in-person college fairs. Now, we're taking that vast experience and applying it online through NACAC Virtual College Fairs. Learn more at VirtualCollegeFairs.org.
NACAC's inaugural season of virtual college fairs for students starts in September. Please let your students know about these fall dates:
• Sept. 13 — Students Fall Kickoff
• Oct. 12
• Nov. 8
Powered by VisitDays, the NACAC Virtual College Fairs platform is designed from the ground up to provide meaningful interactions between students and college representatives. Students get the chance to learn about different institutions via a mobile experience that is totally intuitive, informative, interactive, and fun.
Student registration for NACAC Virtual College Fairs will open later in the summer. For now, students can sign up for our email list and we'll let them know as soon as registration opens.
Scholarships
Summer Experiences
Check out our BHS Counseling Website "Summer Program" page for some ideas: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2089
Explorer Posts are gearing up for summer!
Exploring is a career-education program that allows you and your friends to learn more about a particular career through hands-on activities led by people out in the real world.
First Responders are the at the forefront of keeping us safe during COVID. Exploring First Responder Camp is for Explorers and Posts seeking a focused program in EMS, Police and Fire knowledge, skills and attitude. You will be immersed in the first responder’s lifestyle, living with career and volunteer first responder instructors and likeminded Explorers, learning, practicing, building new skills and responding to emergencies in this six-day, five-night immersive camp experience. First Responder Camp is designed to refine your skills, challenge your limits, and help Explorers develop a deeper understanding of the Emergency Services field. Camp life and all activities are conducted with an emphasis on individuals and emergency services teams working together for the benefit of our friends, neighbors and loved ones in the community while enjoying a full summer camp experience. Registration is open to all Explorers age 14 - 21 years of age.
SIGN UP FOR MORE INFORMATION OR REGISTER senecawaterways.org/expeditioncamps
Check out all of their opportunities at http://www.swcexploring.org/ or contact Mr. Bradley Rickman at Bradley.Rickman@scouting.org
JUNIORS- Sign Up For The ONLINE Summer College Essay Writing Course through Brighton Continuing Ed!
Multiple one-week sessions offered, beginning the week of July 13th, Monday – Friday!
AM Session: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
PM Session: 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Brighton High School, 1150 Winton Road S.
Fee: $89 (financial assistance is available! Just let your counselor know!)
This summer enrichment class is designed to help students write the college essay, generate ideas for short answer questions and provide an overview of how to address the entire college application. Students will read and critique model essays, be provided with written feedback on work, have one to one conference time with the instructor and complete at least one full essay in five days.
Sign up at https://brightonschools.revtrak.net
Questions may be directed to Brighton Community Education at ce@bcsd.org or 585-242-5200 ext.5595.
Work Permits Are Still Available!
SAT & ACT Updates
WEEKLY ONLINE PARENT SAT AND ACT Q&A
Join Mike Bergin of Chariot Learning every Wednesday from 6-7pm EST for a full review of the state of the SAT and ACT, their importance in the admissions process, and how the situation is evolving right now. No matter where you live, you are invited to attend one of these free parent seminars.
Attendance is free, but advance registration is required. Register here: https://forms.gle/xfg9qVDL7Fv2v6Mk6 and specify the Online SAT/ACT Q&A for Parents. He will reply to registrants by email with the invitation to this Zoom seminar.
FREE Online Proctored SAT & ACT Exams
Our friends at Chariot Learning will be running free online practice tests every Saturday until we can go back to in-person testing. All the details will be on their calendar: https://chariotlearning.com/events/
** PLEASE NOTE- Since BHS is closed through summer school, we will NOT be hosting the June or July ACT.
At this time, we still hope to be able to host the August SAT.
If you have questions specific to BHS testing procedures, please reach out to Kristin Haughey: kristin_haughey@bcsd.org. As things are changing so often, please refer to the testing sites for updated information:
ACT- www.actstudent.org
SAT- www.collegeboard.org
Seminars
Please check out the BHS Counseling Website (https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2068) for all of the seminar packets for grades 9-12. Log into Naviance (use CLEVER), take some of the assessments, explore careers and update your resume!
Junior Seminars 5-7 "LIVE" with Mrs. Crowley & Mr. Donohue
In order to help keep you guys on track for planning your life after high school, we've condensed Junior Seminars 5-7 into one presentation. Please take the time to watch this seminar and reach out to your counselor with ANY questions.
https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/eea26cd3-30ae-4fdf-b37e-504d7f217823
Health and Wellness
Take Care of Yourself!
We have updated our BHS Counseling Department Mental Health page with resources specific to managing stress and anxiety related to this pandemic and counseling supports available in the community. Please check them out here: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2076
Brighton High School Counseling Department
Email: courtney_stern@bcsd.org
Website: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2063
Location: 1150 South Winton Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: (585) 242-5000