BHS School Counseling Newsletter
2018-2019 Volume 5 Issue 2
It is hard to believe that a quarter of the year is already complete! We hope that everyone has settled into a good routine. We are looking forward to the counseling groups and individual meetings that are planned for this quarter. While all counselors follow a timeline for these services, we encourage all students to come by the School Counseling office at anytime.
Thank you,
The BHS School Counseling Department
Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
December 17th - Midpoint of the 2nd quarter marking period
December 24th - January 1st - School Vacation
JANUARY
January 22nd-25th - Midterm Exams *Dates are subject to change pending inclement weather
January 25th - End of the 2nd Quarter marking period
CLASS NEWS
Freshmen
- December/January: Begin organizing your class materials so that you will be ready to study for your midterm exams. Look at your schedule and develop a plan for meeting with teachers if you are looking for extra help for midterms. Do not wait until the last week of the semester.
- Did you know that BHS operates on a semester system when issuing grades and credits?
For semester grades, each quarter counts as 40% and your midterm exam counts as 20%.
Semester Grade = (Q1)(0.40) + (Q2)(0.40) + (Exam)(0.20)
Sophomores
- December/January: Counselors will meet with all sophomores individually in order to check in with them and see how they are doing academically, personally, and socially.
Juniors
- November/December: Counselors will be meeting with all juniors individually in order to help them develop a schedule for taking the SATs and/or ACTs this year as well as to help them begin their college exploration using Naviance.
- December - Be on the lookout for an email from the College Board. Score Results from the October PSAT should be available in early December. Once you view your scores on your College Board account, please see your school counselor if you need any help using the details from your PSAT score report to study and prepare for the SAT.
Seniors
- Remember to BREATHE! Please take each day one at a time and remember that we are here to support you. As you continue to progress through the Senior Project deadlines, we are here to help you meet your regular decision application deadlines and/or outline plans for pursuing a career or trade.
- SCHOLARSHIPS - Be sure to review the list of available scholarships on our website. This list is updated often as new scholarships become available and after the holidays is typically when this list grows quickly.
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL COUNSELING GROUPS
The School Counseling department will be running several counseling groups throughout the year.
Below is a list of groups that counseling staff will run if we have enough interest:
• Anxiety (general)/Stress
• Grief
• COA - Children of Addiction
• Newcomers - Students new to the district
• Connections - Students experiencing difficulty making friends and/or building relationships
• Substance Use - Students who want to decrease/stop using substances
• Senior Transition - Students experiencing anxiety related to the demands of senior year
If you or someone you know would benefit from participating in a counseling group, please contact your school counselor for more information.
Each group will meet once per week for six weeks.
Student Assistance Program News
Mental Health Awareness Day
BHS students and staff celebrated Mental Health Awareness Day on November 15th by learning about the public health initiative “The Campaign to Change Direction”. Information about mental health and Change Direction was shared with everyone during an advisory lesson. Students learned the 5 Signs of Emotional Suffering and the 5 Healthy Habits for Emotional Well-Being. They viewed videos from The Maudsley Institute “What is Mental Health” and www.changedirection.org. To conclude the advisory, students were given bracelets with “Be Kind to your Mind” written on them and they were asked to take the Change Direction pledge.
Distracted Driving Program
The Attorney General’s “It Can Wait” program about distracted driving will be presented to all sophomores on November 30th. Students will hear from the RI Attorney General, a R.I. state trooper and a representative from AT&T about the dangers of texting while driving and driving under the influence.
Vaping
The use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS products) continues to grow in popularity among high school and college students. The device that is most popular among our students is the Juul, a small device that looks like a flash drive. New research shows that the liquid used in these devices has harmful effects on the lungs, leading to a condition called “popcorn lung”, which damages the bronchioles, the lung’s smallest airways. Please remember that the use of e-cigarettes is illegal for anyone under 18 years of age and is prohibited at BHS.
Counselors Care...
Contact Information:
Barrington, RI 02806
(401) 247-3154
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