Counseling Corner
Brighton High School Counseling Office
Updates for BHS Students & Families
June 2021
Dear Families,
WOW- what a year! CONGRATS TO EVERYONE for getting through the most unique school year any of us have ever experienced...or will likely experience again in our lifetime!
To the seniors- Congrats to all of you! We wish you all the best of luck as you enter a new phase of your life. Enjoy the journey ahead and remember to keep us posted on how you are doing.
We wish you all health, wellness and a RESTFUL summer break! We look forward to seeing you again in the fall!
Best,
BHS Counseling Office
(585) 242-5000 x4526
END OF YEAR PUSH!
Grades are updated in Schooltool for the LAST TIME TOMORROW before the end of the year.
- See your teachers ASAP to ensure you are on track to pass the quarter.
- Talk with your counselor if you are worried about not passing classes so you can discuss options for credit recovery/summer school.
- Remember- Last day of classes is June 18th (M-Z) or June 21st (A-L)
If you have any questions regarding grades, please reach out to the individual teachers for more information.
2021-2022 Schedules
Counselors will be working on schedules and conflicts over the summer, but there are a lot of moving parts to this process so we appreciate your flexibility in knowing the schedule is never perfect.
- If there is a major core-subject conflict in your schedule, your counselor will connect with you to resolve it.
- If an elective class doesn't fit in your schedule, we will work to add one from the list of alternative course options that your provided to your counselor.
- Otherwise, expect to see your finalized schedule late August.
Career Connections & Community Programs
Geneseo HEROS Mentorship Program
Hello! Our names are Claire Bressette and Jasmine Haug, and we are the current Community Outreach and Network Coordinators for the Geneseo Higher Education Resource Opportunities in Schools (HEROS) program. HEROS is a mentorship program centered around helping high school students navigate their post-high school paths. We believe that the aspirations of students should not be limited due to lack of information, finance or other resources; therefore, the HEROS program is dedicated to providing help to any student who desires or can benefit from our assistance.
Students from SUNY Geneseo will serve as mentors for these high school students and assist them in searching and applying to colleges, researching scholarship opportunities and finding a path that ultimately suits their interests. In addition to providing these resources, our mentors will serve as a positive role model building a supportive and trusting relationship with their mentee and providing valuable firsthand insight into the college experience. It should be noted our mentorship sessions will be held virtually through Zoom.
We are reaching out today in hopes that we can extend our help to the students of Brighton High School. As current college students, we can attest to the stress and challenges that arise when planning for life after high school, and want to provide the mentorship we wish we had.
For more information, please view the attached flyer which overviews our program, the guidelines for mentorship sessions and mentor expectations. Also attached below is the enrollment form for students. For any other questions, please visit our website at geneseo.edu/volunteer_center/heros.
We hope you consider working with us in our mission to help students work towards their post-high school goals, and look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Claire Bressette and Jasmine Haug
Enrollment form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfN_UMEZk1cMGvJChU920auzbaNqS9u8AF7lWGrmcmwu9vpug/viewform?usp=sf_link
Explorer Posts
Explorer posts are a GREAT way to get hands-on learning experiences in careers- they can also count as INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE HOURS! Many Explorer Posts ARE RUNNING.
Please take a minute to complete this quick survey. It will help our Explorer reps create experiences based on WHAT YOU WANT: https://scouting.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dmL5MyDXlCAyNVz
Visit swcexploring.org to learn more about the Exploring programs!
Class of 2022
Class of 2021
Don't forget to complete your SENIOR EXIT SURVEY! We need this to send your final transcript to the right destination and to keep our Naviance Scattergrams up to date. You CANNOT pick up your cap and gown until you have completed this!
- Log into Naviance via Class Link
- Under “About Me” choose “Surveys from your school”
- Complete the “Senior Exit Survey- 2021”
- Make sure to enter ALL of the outcomes for all colleges you applied to- we want accurate Scattergrams for future Bruins!
- Be sure to click "Attending" and "Send Final Transcript" for the school you are attending.
Not sure what to do after HS? Check out the great opportunity in the accelerated machining program!
This 22 week program is a fantastic opportunity for students that want to pursue a CTE career. This 22-week program will start in July and end in December. Students are able to attend courses Monday thru Friday at night (4:00-10:00) and earn a certificate. We have had great success with this program and are goal is to get students hired by the new year! This is a financial aid eligible program and some additional funding opportunities may exist to help limit student cost.
Currently job requests in the machining field are outpacing the supply of students we have enrolling and graduating from our programs. This is a great opportunity for students to be trained and enter into a great paying career by next year!
Please feel free to send my contact information to any interested student and please let me know if you have any questions regarding this great opportunity!
Thanks,
Nick Wockasen
Program Coordinator/Recruiter
Monroe Community College
Applied Technologies Center
2485 West Henrietta Rd.
Rochester, N.Y. 14623
WE ARE STILL HERE FOR YOU! As your plans are coming together, we would love to help you in your decision making. Please see us any time to talk through your options, ask questions and keep us in the loop.
Please check out the Senior Information Page on the BHS Counseling Website for more information!
Brighton Continuing Ed- SAT prep and NYS 5 Hour Pre-Licensing Course
BHS students can register for SAT exam preparation and NYS’s Five Hour Pre-Licensing Zoom classes through Brighton Community Education at https://brightonschools.revtrak.net.
SAT classes are scheduled for April and May. Additional preparation classes will be offered before the August exam.
If you plan to schedule your driving test soon, you must have completed the pre-licensing class before registering. If you take an approved NYS Driver Education class, you meet the pre-licensing certificate requirement and do not need to register for the pre-licensing class. We continue to await guidance as to when BHS can begin offering our quarterly driver education classes again.
Mentors needed for student job shadow and internship experiences!
Hello Brighton Community,
My name is Courtney Stern, College and Career Counselor at Brighton High School. Together with Sam Rizzo, Business Teacher/CTE Coordinator, we oversee Brighton High School’s Work Based Learning Programs. We are finishing our second year working together in this capacity and are hoping to grow the wonderful opportunities available to our students. These include:
- Job Shadowing - a one-time experience for a student to get a snapshot of a career.
- Professional Internships - students would complete 54 to 108 hours of on-site, unpaid career experience. Hours can be flexible and completed summer, nights, weekends, breaks.
- General Work Experience - students complete 150+ hours of paid work experience.
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. 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. 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, please do not hesitate to contact either of us any time. Thank you in advance for considering to host a student shadow or intern in the future!
Take good care,
Courtney Stern
Sam Rizzo
Virtual Reality Headsets!!
Interested in touring a campus but can’t seem to get there due to travel constraints, jammed schedule or lack of time?
Make an appointment in the Counseling Office to use our new Virtual Reality Headsets to tour whatever campus you like, here’s how:
- Download the free “YouVisit” app to your smartphone. (If you do not have a smartphone you can use your lab top to take a similar 360 experience for multiple colleges
- Complete the 1 page registration.
- Turn your phone’s Bluetooth on – and pair it with “SI VIRTUAL” (adjust Velcro head straps and ear pieces)
- Turn your phone’s “DO NOT DISTURB” mode on/ Turn volume to a comfortable level
- Type in a college you wish you visit
- Click on the GOGGLES icon
- Place phone into docking station of goggles and press firm until you hear click (may need to take off aftermarket phone case in some instances)
- Follow onscreen prompts using the pointer to navigate from location to location and enjoy your tour!
- Hand back in the googles
We have been testing it out in the office and having a blast, while also learning some great information about some schools. We hope you all will be able to take advantage of these great new assets to the department!
Work Permits
It's a good idea to apply for a work permit prior to seeking employment!
Please follow the steps below for a work permit:
Step 1: AT-17 Form
Complete Part 1 only at the top of the AT-17 form. This can be picked up in the Counseling office or using the following link: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/documents/AT176-19.pdf
It requires a parent signature. This can be done with pen or with a digital signature using Acrobat reader or a hand signature. The following link can be used if you chose a digital signature: https://get.adobe.com/reader/
Step 2: Health Form
A health form from a physical dated within the last 12 months is necessary.
Step 3: Email both forms
Drop off or Email the AT-17 form to Jane_Ingle@bcsd.org
Email the health form to Janet_Fitzpatrick@bcsd.org
**All questions can be directed to Jane Ingle, Counseling Office Secretary
Step 4: Student signature
Once the appropriate forms have been received and approved by the school nurse, please see Mrs. Ingle in the Counseling Office to pick up your work permit.
Due to Covid 19, New York State has waived the requirement of having the student sign the permit in the presence of a school staff member. The card should be signed by the student upon receipt and prior to being presented to an employer.
**REMEMBER- IF YOU WILL BE A JUNIOR OR SENIOR NEXT YEAR, YOU CAN EARN CREDIT FOR YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE! See Mrs. Stern for more details!!
Virtual College Exploration Experiences
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
SAT & ACT Updates
As of today, all upcoming SAT & ACT exams are on track to happen at BHS
Students must bring a copy of the Health Screening Form (https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2086) with them or they will not be allowed into the test. Temperatures will be taken and students MUST WEAR a MASK for the entire test.
If you have any questions moving forward, please contact Kristin Haughey at 242-5000 ext. 4537 or 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
_________________________________________________________________
UPDATES FROM SAT- no more subject tests or essay portion
SAT Subject Tests:
As part of our ongoing effort to simplify our work and reduce our demands on students, we have decided to stop administering SAT Subject Tests in the United States (including all US Territories) as well as sovereign nations covered under the Compact of Free Association with the United States (Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau), effective immediately. SAT Subject Tests will stop being administered internationally after the June 2021 test administration.
We will automatically convert your SAT Subject Test capacity to SAT capacity for May 2021 and June 2021 (if offered), with no action required on your end. If you would like to make any additional adjustments to your capacity, please contact TAS directly at 866-502-6384 or +1-212-520-8570, or by email at tas@ets.org.
Students who are registered for Subject Tests in May 2021 or June 2021 in the United States or other states and sovereign nations listed above will have their registrations canceled and refunded automatically.
SAT with Essay:
We will be discontinuing the Essay portion of the SAT after the June 2021 test administration (both within the United States and internationally). No action is required on your part, as students can still take the SAT with Essay through the June 2021 test administration if offered.
Students who are registered for the SAT with Essay in Spring 2021 can cancel the Essay portion at any time, free of charge.
For more information on these updates, please visit https://allaccess.collegeboard.org/update-simplifying-our-work-and-reducing-demands-students
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/
Health and Wellness
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