HRHS Senior Newsletter
September 2021
WELCOME BACK!
Welcome to your senior year!
Please read below for some important news and tasks to work on this month.
There are three sections in this newsletter:
1. Information that will be helpful to all seniors
2. Information for four-year college bound students
3. Scholarship information
Information for All Seniors
MCAS Scholarships - for students attending state universities or community colleges
As you know the MCAS requirement has been waived for the class of 2022 but there are a couple of reasons you may want to take the test anyway! Students who are planning to apply to a Massachusetts four-year state university and/or a Massachusetts community college should especially consider taking the MCAS retest this November.
Students who take the retest and earn certain scores (see chart below) have a great shot at earning the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship.
- This is an automatic scholarship for tuition (worth between $700-$1400 per year depending on the college) for students whose scores meet the requirements below and whose scores are in the top 25% of the total number of students in the class.
- Since not everyone will be taking the test, the competition to earn a score in the top 25% will be less than in a typical year.
For those students who have the scores outlined below but do not score in the top 25% there is another way to qualify for a tuition scholarship.
- These students can apply for the Koplik Award by submitting additional qualifications including grades from college classes, proof of advanced coursework, proof of community leadership, and/or AP scores. Click here for more detailed information about the requirements for these qualifications.
Score requirements for scholarships:
Earn the minimum score listed below on ONE of the tests:
· ELA–501, Mathematics-504
Earn the minimum score listed below for each remaining test:
· ELA–472, Mathematics–476
If you wish to take the MCAS in order to qualify for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship or Koplik Award, please click here to sign up for the test. You need to register by September 20th at 2:30.
Individual Planning Meetings
College/Career Planning Information on Google Classroom
Don't forget that you have access to the Career/College Planning C'2022 Google Classroom which contains forms and resources you need to complete the college application process as well as information about a variety of non-college options for after high school.
Workshops for All Post-Secondary Options
Ms. Scully will be hosting workshops/information sessions in order to ensure that all students have the information they need to pursue their post-secondary plans. Sign ups for these workshops will be based on your answers to the Senior Questionnaire that was emailed on September 2nd. Please use this link to fill out the questionnaire if you haven't already done so.
Four Year College Workshops - Students who plan to apply (or are thinking about applying) to four-year schools are required to attend one of the upcoming four-year college planning workshops. Students will get a pass to the workshop that is scheduled during their study hall.
Here are the dates for the workshops:
Friday, September 10th - Periods 4, 5, 7, 1
Monday, September 13th - Periods 2, 3, 6
During these workshops, we will go over the four-year application process including how to set up Naviance so that your application materials (transcripts, letters of rec.) can be sent to colleges.
Community College Workshops - These will be schedule sometime in November. All students planning to apply to a community college, or those who are applying to a community college as a back up plan, will be required to attend this meeting in order to learn about the community college application steps.
Military Workshops - The military workshop will be scheduled later this fall.
The workshop will consist of an online panel of military representatives from the various branches of the military. More information will be coming soon.
For students entering the world of work or looking for a career training program: Ms. Scully will meet with you individually to support you with your plans.
Community College Applicants - Reminders
Financial Aid Night/Workshops
The Massachusetts Educational Financial Authority (MEFA) is offering a number of financial aid information sessions for families (see links below). The presenters will give an overview of the financial aid process and will also discuss the sources of financial aid, loan options and the various applications for financial aid, including the FAFSA and CSS Profile. If families have additional questions about the financial aid process they can reach out to Ms. Scully or contact the financial aid office at their college of interest.
Financial Aid Workshops Dates:
Please RSVP by clicking the links below:
College Financing: September 21, 2021
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | 6:30pm - 7:30pm
This webinar, presented by Gail Holt of Amherst College, demystifies the entire college financial aid application process, breaking it down into straightforward concepts that every family can understand.
Understanding the FAFSA: September 23, 2021
Thursday, September 23, 2021 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm
This webinar, presented with Amy Staffier, Director of Financial Aid at Simmons University, will provide information and clarity on the entire college financial aid application process.
What to Know About the CSS Profile: September 28, 2021
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm
This webinar 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.
College Financing: September 29, 2021
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 | 6:30pm - 7:30pm
This webinar demystifies the entire college financial aid application process, breaking it down into straightforward concepts that every family can understand.
College Financing: October 6, 2021
Wednesday, October 06, 2021 | 6:30pm - 7:30pm
This webinar, presented with Amy Staffier, Director of Financial Aid at Simmons University, will provide information and clarity on the entire college financial aid application process.
Information for Four-Year College Applicants
Responsibilities During the College Application Process
Student responsibilities:
Research colleges in order to find those that are the best fit for your academic and personal interests.
Keep track of all application deadlines.
Ask teachers and counselors for letters of recommendation with sufficient notice before deadlines.
Update college application deadlines on Naviance.
Communicate with Ms. Scully if you need help with the application process.
Counselor responsibilities:
Meet with each senior in the fall to discuss their post graduation plans.
Help students to acquire the strategies and skills needed to complete college research and applications.
Answer student questions about the college application process.
Provide encouragement for students throughout the college application process.
Common Application Workshops
During Common Application Workshops Ms. Scully will review tips for filling out the application and answer any questions students may have. There will be a number of these workshops throughout the fall. Keep an eye out for an email next week with the workshop dates and sign up instructions.
College Essay Writing Workshop and Other Helpful Workshops
Siena College will be hosting the College Talk Tuesday series which will provide weekly workshops to help guide students and families through the different aspects of the admission process. If interested in signing up for one of the free online events, please go to https://live.siena.edu/. Each event begins at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 7: How the Pandemic Changed College Admissions
Tuesday, September 14: Essay Workshop
Tuesday, September 21: Finding the Perfect Major
Tuesday, September 28: Affordability and Financial Aid
Tuesday, October 5: Application Walkthrough
Sunday, October 10: Majors Night
Sunday, November 7: Majors Night II
Sunday, November 21: FAFSA Walk Through
College Representative Visits for HRHS Students
Throughout the fall, over 45 college representatives will visit HRHS to meet with interested students. These information sessions are a great way to learn important admissions information about each college and to also learn more about the programs that are offered. The representatives who visit HRHS will often, later in the fall, be deciding whether or not students are admitted into the college. Students have a better shot at admissions when a counselor can put a face to the name on an application.
If interested in meeting with one of the representatives, students should sign up in the counseling office or on Naviance and ask their teacher for permission to miss class.
Here is the link to the Counseling Department's website which contains the calendar with the list of the college visits that are scheduled. The calendar is on the bottom center of the page.
Letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation are an important part of the college admissions process and have become even more of an integral part of college admissions decisions since most students in the country will no longer submit SAT scores.
Most four-year colleges will require a letter of recommendation from a school counselor and a letter from one or two teachers. If you haven’t already done so, please follow the steps to acquire letters of recommendation.
Counselor letters of recommendation
Both Ms. Scully and Mrs. Pietrzak will be writing letters of recommendation. Once students submit their Brag Sheet (also found on the Google Classroom), they will reach out to students to set up individual meetings to discuss the letters.
Parent/Guardian Brag Sheet
We would love families to provide more information about their student in order for the counselors to have a full picture of each student when they write their letter. Families, please consider filling out the Parent/Guardian Brag Sheet.
Online College Fairs
NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counseling) is offering a number of virtual college fairs on the following dates:
- Sunday, Sept. 12: Signature Fair
- Tuesday, Sept. 28: Northeastern US Fair
- Sunday, Oct. 3 Signature Fair
- Sunday, Oct. 24: Signature Fair
- Tuesday, Nov. 2: Arts & STEM Fair
- Sunday, Nov. 14: Signature Fair
During each college fair, students will have an unparalleled chance to explore their options. More than 300 colleges and universities will be accessible each day to offer live and interactive Zoom sessions and more. To register for one of the fairs go to:
NEACAC (New England Association for College Admissions Counseling) will be offering in person and virtual fairs on the following days:
In-Person Fair Locations and Dates:
New! Worcester State University: October 3 from 11:00am-1:00pm
Western New England University: October 5 from 6-8:00pm
University of Maine (Orono): October 6 from 6:30-8:30pm
University of Maine (Orono): October 7 from 9-11:00am
Saint Michael's College: October 12 from 9-11:00am
Saint Michael's College: October 12 from 6:30-8:30pm
Virtual Fairs:
October 21 from 6-8:00pm
November 7 from 1-3:00pm
NEACAC will be posting their registration link on their website, NEACAC.org soon.
SAT and ACT Test Information
SAT Dates
Here are the upcoming SAT test dates.
Test Dates:
October 2nd - registration deadline 9/21
November 6th - registration deadline 10/28
December 4th - registration deadline 11/14
ACT Dates
Test Dates:
October 23rd - registration deadline 9/17
December 11th - registration deadline 11/5
SAT and ACT Prep
Students can continue to use collegeboard.org and khanacademy.org to review for upcoming SAT exams and actstudent.org to review for the ACT.
Scholarships
Each month, a variety of scholarships will be listed in the Senior Newsletter. Students are also encouraged to use Going Merry to search for local and national scholarships. All local scholarships that are unique to HRHS students will be posted on Going Merry this spring.
College Board Opportunity Scholarships
Don't forget that College Board gives away scholarships for students as they complete their steps in the college application process.
Horatio Alger Scholarship - $7,000-$22,000
(Deadline: October 25, 2021)
To be eligible a student must:
1) Be a US citizen and be enrolled full-time as a senior in the US with plans to enter a college and pursue bachelor’s degree at a non-profit public or private institution in the US no later than the fall following 2021 graduation.
2) Demonstrate critical financial need ($55,000 or lower adjusted gross family income is required).
3) Be involved in co-curricular and community service activities and display integrity and perseverance in overcoming diversity.
4) Have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Applications can be found by going to:
https://scholars.horatioalger.org/scholarships/about-our-scholarship-programs/