HVCHS Counseling Newsletter
February '24
As we head into semester two...
In the coming months our counseling team will be working with students in a number of areas, in addition to the usual supports they provide. For example, during February counselors will begin helping students navigate the course selection process for the 2023-24 school year. Counselors will also continue to assist juniors through the post-secondary planning process as senior year approaches. This month's newsletter will cover these topics and more.
Notes for Seniors applying to college:
- Mid-Year Grade Reports: You may be hearing from colleges in the coming weeks as they request your mid-year reports for senior year. These mid-year reports include your final grades for the first semester, as well as indication of any course changes that may have occurred since your initial transcript was sent. It is best practice for you to make colleges aware of any such course changes so that they are not surprised upon receiving your mid-year report. Please know that we will automatically send your mid-year report to any colleges for which you have submitted transcript request forms. If you have applied to a school and we already sent them your transcript, then you do not need to do anything in order for your mid-year report to be sent once grades are finalized.
Keep your counselor updated: As you begin to receive admissions decisions from your colleges, please notify your counselors so that they can update your Naviance accounts with those results! We rely on this information to keep the data in Naviance (ie. scattergrams for each college) as accurate as possible for seniors in future years.
- A note on deferral: Those of you who applied to colleges via Early Action and/or Early Decision may have seen this word on a decision notification in the past few weeks. Please understand that (while disappointing) being deferred still gives you a very legitimate chance for acceptance. Deferral essentially means that the school was not quite ready to make a final decision yet, and that your application will be reviewed again with the Regular Decision pool. This article from the Princeton Review discussed strategies that may help your chances of acceptance following a deferral. Most importantly - stay positive!!
- HVCHS Scholarship File: The HVCHS Counseling Department coordinates a Local Scholarship Program every year for the graduating seniors. Last year, over $80,000 in scholarship monies was awarded to the Class of 2022! The Local Scholarship application will be posted on the HVCHS Counseling Department website beginning February 23rd. The deadline to submit the application is March 15 at 3pm.
In Case You Missed It: Junior Planning Night!
The HVCHS Counseling Office recently hosted its annual Junior Planning Night, to helps students and families in the Class of 2025 explore post-secondary options, including the college application process. A recording of the event can be found here and the slides that were presented can be found here.
Please do not hesitate to contact your School Counselor with any questions you may have, or to discuss these topics further.
Important Upcoming Dates
We have several important programs planned for the month of February, including:
- Feb 7 - Career Lunch & Learn - Art / Entrepreneurship
- Feb 12 - Communication to students & families re: course selection process
- Feb 13 - Course requests for 2024-25 school year available in OnCourse
- Mid-Feb - Mid-year grade reports will be sent via Naviance to all colleges that each senior has applied to
- Feb 21 - HVCHS Summer Job & Service Fair
- Mar 13 - "Writing the College Essay" webinar
2024-25 Course Selection Process
On February 12th, all students and their families will receive an email from the Counseling Office containing important information about the course request process, including specific instructions for making selections in OnCourse.
From February 13th to March 4th, the OnCourse course request window will be open and students will have access to choose their electives. Making course selections is mandatory, and must be completed prior to your individual meeting with your counselor!
Counselors will meet with each student individually, based on the following timeline:
- 2/20 - 2/27: Counselors meet with 8th grade students
2/28 - 3/7: Counselors meet with 9th grade students
3/8 - 3/19: Counselors meet with 10th grade students
3/20 - 3/28: Counselors meet with 11th grade students
HVCHS Summer Job & Community Service Fair
When: February 21, 2024 (10:15a - 12:45p)
Where: HVCHS Media Center
What: Each year Hopewell Valley Central High School students are invited to participate in the annual Summer Job and Community Service Fair. Over 25 employers and service organizations provide jobs and community service opportunities to our students. A flyer for the event can be found below.
Why: Summer employment and/or service is a great way to stay busy, explore existing passions and discover new ones, and support the community while also bolstering those college applications (for those who plan on applying to college during senior year)
"Writing the College Essay" webinar
The college essay can be a vital piece of the admissions puzzle, often the applicant's only chance to speak to the admission team through their own voice and explain what makes them unique. Each March we host a webinar to explore the topic, and on March 13th we will be joined by Ms. Amy Baskin, HVRSD's Supervisor of ELA.
Please click here to register for the webinar in advance. A recording of the program will be emailed to all members of the Class of 2025 and their families following the event, in case you are unable to attend.
Sources of Strength
Sources of Strength is a strength-based program that focuses on suicide prevention but impacts other issues such as substance abuse and violence. The program is based on a relational connections model that uses teams of Student Leaders mentored by Adult Advisors to change peer social norms about help seeking and encourages students to individually assess and develop strengths in their life. The mission of Sources of Strength is to empower a well world and prevent suicide by increasing help-seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults.
Trained student leaders use their network of friends to:
- Have one-on-one conversations;
- Develop a Hope, Help, Strength messages using local faces and voices; and
- Present peer-to-peer presentations.
Contact Info:
HVCHS - 609.737.4003
Mari Buono - School Counselor - mariangelabuono@hvrsd.org x3520
Kevin Maldonado - School Counselor - kevinmaldonado@hvrsd.org x3525
Nicole Getman - School Counselor - nicolegetman@hvrsd.org x3521
Jaclyn Coppola - School Counselor - jaclyncoppola@hvrsd.org x3518
Betsy Lee - School Counselor - elizabethlee@hvrsd.org x3522
Chris Velderman - Student Assistance Counselor - chrisvelderman@hvrsd.org x3539
Ryan Stingel - Student Assistance Counselor - ryanstingel@hvrsd.org
Sarah Golkov - Virtual Pathways Counselor - sarahgolkov@hvrsd.org
Samantha Awadallah - ACCESS Clinician - samanthaawadallah@hvrsd.org x3456
Jennifer Hastings - Administrative Assistant - jenniferhastings@hvrsd.org x3519
Debbie Linthorst - Administrative Assistant - deborahlinthorst@hvrsd.org x3523
Dan DeStefano
Email: dandestefano@hvrsd.org
Website: https://hvchs.hvrsd.org/o/hvchs/page/counseling-services
Phone: 609-737-4003 3524
K-12 Supervisor of School Counseling Hopewell Valley Regional School District