Junior Newsletter
February 2020
Talk to Your Parents/Guardians
Ms. Scully has met with many families over the past month to discuss post high school plans and courses for next year. If your parent/guardian would like to meet with you and Ms. Scully, please have them contact the guidance office by calling 437-5593 or emailing sjablonski@hr-k12.org.
If you know that your family is not able to come in for a meeting, contact Ms. Scully to set up an individual student meeting to discuss your plans for after high school. Ms. Scully plans to meet one on one with each student over the next few months.
Job Shadow Days in March
Job Shadows
Upcoming Events at HRHS
Course Scheduling
College Admissions Representative Visits
We have two colleges visiting our school this spring. If you are interested in meeting with either college, please come to the counseling office to sign up.
University of Maine - Machias
March 9th at 7:45 (period 2)
Niagra University
April 14th at 10:00 (period 2)
4-Year College Field Trip-April 8th
In order to help students explore options for after high school, the junior class will participate in a field trip to visit a 4-year college. Students will have the option of visiting either UMass Amherst or Springfield College. This is a great opportunity for students to go onto a college campus during the school year and to get a feel for the school while college students are in session. Students will receive a tour of the campus, meet with admissions representatives and eat lunch on the campus.
The cost of the field trip is $7 for the UMASS field trip (students on free/reduced lunch are not required to pay). This fee is for lunch in the UMASS dining commons. Click here to check out the majors at UMASS.
The Springfield College field trip is free but students must bring money to buy lunch or bring a bag lunch. (students on free/reduced lunch can get a bag lunched through HRHS). Click here to check out the majors at Springfield College.
All juniors are expected to attend. Please return your permissions slips and money to the Guidance Office no later than Monday, March 23rd.
Click here for the permission slip or stop by the office for a copy. Return the permission slip a.s.a.p. (and a check to HRHS for $7 for the Umass trip) to ensure that you get to visit the school of your choice. The UMASS trip usually fills up fast!
Junior Workshops - March 24th & 25th
Information for Four-Year College Bound Students
College Admissions Advice from MIT
Here are some great tips about how to help your self stand out in the competitive admissions process.
NACAC College Fair
The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) will be holding a college fair at the Big E. Attendance is free of charge. Click here to register for the event.
After registering, students can print out a barcode that college representatives can scan in order to obtain students’ contact information. This will allow students to spend their time talking with representatives instead of filling out their name and address multiple times.
Monday, April 6th - Springfield (Big E)
Young Building
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Scattergrams on Naviance
Via Naviance, you can have access to college admissions data of past HRHS graduates. This information can be found when you select a college and click on the link located under the college admissions rate that says "scattergrams" . This data can be helpful as you are deciding which schools are a good fit, reach or safety school.
When looking at these scattergrams, keep in mind that your honors classes have been weighted with 5 additional points instead of the 10 additional points like the previous graduating classes that are represented in the data. If you have taken multiple honors classes each year add between .2 or .3 points to your GPA to get an accurate comparison.
RPI PREFACE Program
Application Deadline: March 27th
Click here for more information or to apply for the program.
SAT & ACT Information
SAT Essay - Should I take it?
SAT & ACT Test Dates
SAT
Test Date: March 14 (only recommended for students who have completed Algebra II)
Register By: Feb 14
You can pay a fee to register late until Mar 3
Test Date: May 2*
Register By: April 3
You can pay a fee to register late until April 21
Test date: June 6*
Register By: May 8
You can pay a fee to register late until May 27
*Subject tests are available during both of these testing dates*
Click here to register for the SAT
ACT
Test Date: April 4
Register By: Feb 28
You can pay a fee to register late until March 15
Test Date: June 13
Register By: May 8
You can pay a fee to register late until May 22
Click here to register for the ACT
SAT Fee Waiver
Fee waivers are available for the SAT and Subject Tests for students on Free or Reduced Lunch.
Students who took the PSAT with a fee waiver have already been registered for SAT fee waivers. When you log into your collegeboard.com account you will not need to pay to sign up for the tests. You can take the SAT for free each time and you will receive fee waivers for college applications as well.
Please see Ms. Scully if you did not take the PSAT and you need a fee waiver for the SAT.
SAT & ACT Prep Options
SAT Online Prep - Khan Academy
Students can link their CollegeBoard account to Khan Academy to personalize test prep: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
ACT Online Prep
http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/
ACT Academy
Local SAT Courses
SAT Prep at Hampshire
(Class meets Monday nights starting February 24th and ends before the May 2nd test)
There is still room to sign up for this class taught by Brian Leaf, a local SAT expert who has written 10 SAT prep books. Click here to register.
Westfield State
Westfield State offers interactive on-line prep courses for both the SAT and ACT. There is also a week long SAT summer course that offers in-person instruction. Click here for more information about both of these options.
Internships
Internships - Any Field
Students may participate in an internship of their choice over the summer or during the school year. Students will be responsible for finding their own internship site, but will have support during this process. Interested students should attend the “Activity Resume” workshops during the Junior workshop days in March and meet with Ms. Scully to get help identifying possible internship sites.
Dual Enrollment
Steps to register for Dual-Enrollment
Whether you are interested in taking one college class or attending a community college full-time next year, here are the enrollment steps:
1. Return the Dual Enrollment (full-time college) or Joint-Admissions (one or two classes) application to Ms. Scully.
2. Meet with Ms. Scully to talk about your plans and course options.
2. Fill out the Dual Enrollment application at the college of your choice.
3. Contact the college's Dual Enrollment Coordinator to set up a meeting
HCC Dual Enrollment Coordinator - Jena Cochran 413-552-2321
GCC Dual Enrollment Coordinator - Tiffany Hardy 413-775-1208
4. Take the college placement test and register for classes.
5. Meet with Ms. Scully to review your classes.
6. Attend a Dual Enrollment Orientation at the college.
Career Spotlight
Careers in the Food Science Industry
Do you have an interest in ensuring a quality, equitable, safe, and sustainable food system. Or creating new food products and flavors? And do you love science?
If so, check out the food science program at UMASS. This program draws upon multiple fields of science to understand food processes, production, and consumption with the goal of providing abundant, high-quality foods for the population. It is quite interdisciplinary, drawing on a number of sciences such as biology, chemistry, microbiology, physiology, engineering, and others.
Click here to learn more about the award winning Food Science program at UMASS.