MHS School Counseling Newsletter
October Edition
Happy fall!
- We went into the 9th grade freshman rotation classrooms early this month to introduce ourselves to thew new 9th graders and discuss the differences between middle and high school
- We administered the PSAT on 10/12 to all of our juniors and some sophomores
- We went into the 12th grade Senior Project classrooms to talk to students about their post-secondary plan
- We have been continuing to meet with the seniors individually regarding their post-secondary plan
Attention Seniors!
Last month we went into the Senior Project Classrooms to talk to students about the college application process and what to expect this fall while getting those applications done. If any students have not yet spoken to their school counselor about their plan for next year, please set up a meeting with us! You can sign up on our appointment sheets outside of our offices or send us an email to schedule something.
Important Senior Forms
- Brag Sheet for Counselor Recommendation - please fill this out in as much detail as possible so that your school counselor has all of the information to write a great letter of recommendation!
- Caregiver Brag Sheet - a questionnaire for parents to fill out in case they want to provide us with some additional background information that would be helpful for us to know for the letter of recommendation, optional but appreciated!
- Transcript Release Form - in order to send any students' transcript to a college or scholarship program, we must legally receive permission to do. If under 18, a parent must also electronically sign
- Student Brag Sheet for Teachers - teachers may require different information in order to write students' letters of recommendation, but this student brag sheet for teachers from the Common App is a great form to fill out and give to teachers you are asking for a letter of recommendation so that they have additional information for your letter
College Admissions Representative Visits
Visits from college admissions representatives are underway! These are open to all seniors. These visits are done by the admissions representatives who typically read applications for our high school, so please attend! Sign up sheets are available a week in advance for the colleges that are visiting. Please continue to listen to the announcements and check out the Class of 2023 Google classroom to see which colleges have scheduled visits.
MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority) Webinars
MEFA is offering a handful of different webinars related all aspects of the financial aid process throughout the fall. Here are some in particular to consider attending:
Financial Aid 101 - will provide information and clarity on the entire college financial aid application process, offered many times throughout the fall, for dates and times see event calendar
Understanding the FAFSA - will provide a detailed overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the main application for college financial aid. Watch the webinar here
What to Know about the CSS Profile - will introduce the nuts and bolts of the CSS Profile, a financial aid application required by approximately 250 colleges, universities, and scholarship agencies across the country. Watch the webinar here
FAFSA Festival - Join to receive help with your FAFSA. Experts will be available to meet with you one on one in a private break-out room to answer your questions and walk through any components of the application on which you need assistance., Tues. Oct. 25th at 4pm, sign up here
College Visit Form
If you are planning to go on a college visit and will be absent from school because of it, please follow our college visit procedure in order to have the absence approved. Seniors are allowed 3 excused college visits their senior year and juniors are allowed 3 college visits beginning the second semester of their junior year. Students are responsible for making up all missed work while they are out.
The process is:
- Get the college visit form from the school counseling office (the forms are located on the filing cabinets in front of Ms. Fernald and Ms. Petroskey's offices) or from the main office
- Check in with your school counselor to get the form signed and the visit approved - this must be at least 48 hours in advance
- At your college visit, check in at the admissions office when you visit the college to get confirmation/proof of your visit
- Bring back the confirmation/proof of your visit to the main office and then your absence will be excused
PSAT Update
We will be in touch with students when scores are available to talk to them about how to use their scores to prepare for the SAT. Each PSAT score report comes with an access code for students to connect with Khan Academy for a completely personalized study guide based on each individual students' scores.
AP Test Fees
We are currently collecting AP test fees in the main office. Test fees can be paid by check made out to Maynard High School, cash, or money order for $97/exam. If students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, the fee is $15/exam. Please let your student's school counselor know if you have any questions or if the fee will pose a financial hardship. AP test fees are due by October 31st.
HEARTPlay Grief Program
HEARTplay's programs begin this month and their Saturday groups are offered in person at
Good Shepherd Community Care, 160 Wells Ave, Newton, MA 02459.
HEARTPlay's online offerings, HEARTPlay at home, have a range of groups for young people who are grieving from ages 6-adult. Please see this flyer for details. All of the programs are offered at NO COST to all participants.
Preparing High School Students with Disabilities for College
The Banacos Academic Center at Westfield State University invites students and families to join one of their virtual discussions on preparing students with disabilities (SWDs) for college.
The session is an hour long with time for a Q&A after. All are held via Zoom. The times are below:
-Monday, Oct 24: 11:30 am - 12:45 pm
-Monday, Oct 24: 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm
-Thursday, Oct 27: 11:30 am - 12:45 pm
-Friday, Oct 28: 3:45 pm - 5:00 pm
-Wednesday, Nov 2: 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm
For more information and to register for any of the session, please click here.
MHS School Counseling
Nicole Fernald nfernald@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3209
Dana MacPhee dmacphee@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3105
Amy Petroskey apetroskey@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3210
Abigail Kilcommins akilcommins@maynard.k12.ma.us (978) 897-8891 ext. 3111