April Newsletter
WA Counseling Department
WHAT'S AHEAD
- Grade Updates at a Glance
- Meetings in Session: Important Reminders
- Junior Job Shadow Program
- Junior Meeting Information & Teacher Recommendation Requests
- College Essay Workshop & Resources
- Senior Capstone Updates
- AP Exam Schedule
- NHS Peer Tutors
- ACT/SAT Registration Deadlines & Important SAT Update
- College/Career Resources
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Meetings in Session
Thank you for understanding!
Junior Job Shadow Program
Attention class of 2023!
The Junior Job Shadow Program is officially back this year. The job shadow program is a structured career exploration activity where a student follows an employee at their workplace to learn more about a particular occupation or industry. The purpose of job shadowing is to help students explore a range of career options. For this to be a meaningful experience, a student should shadow someone who works in a career that is of potential interest to that student.
Job shadowing helps students accomplish the following goals:
- Gain information about possible future career interests
- Observe the daily routine of their site mentor
- Observe the system of the mentor’s company or business
- Gain insight on the academic, technical and personal skills required by a particular occupation
- Gain an understanding of the connection between school and work
- Gain information to assist students in goal setting and education planning.
Friday, March 4th: Job Shadow Presentation
Friday April 1st at 2 PM: Job Shadow Agreement Form Due (please email Mrs. DeMagistris if you need an extension)
Wednesday May 18th: Job Shadow Day
Helpful links:
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. DeMagistris.
Junior Meetings
Attention Juniors & Parents/Guardians:
Meetings are still underway. If you have not scheduled your junior meeting yet, please see below!
IN ORDER TO SCHEDULE THE MEETING, YOU MUST HAVE COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING TASKS:
Submit the Junior Questionnaire (in SCOIR under "Surveys") - please be detailed! Your answers to this survey will be a resource for your counselor to help write your counselor statement that gets sent to colleges next fall when you apply.
Add colleges of interest to “Following” in SCOIR
Complete the "Activities/Achievements" section in SCOIR, or upload a resume
Review Junior Meeting presentation here
Optional and helpful, but not necessary:
Complete and save a college search in SCOIR
Review your YouScience report and upload it to your SCOIR drive
Parents/Guardians: we have uploaded the parent survey to your SCOIR account. If you do not see the survey, please reach out to your student's counselor.
Students will meet with their counselor in-person (parents/guardians are invited to join via google meet).
Here are the links where students can schedule their meeting with their counselor:
Mrs. Birnkrant: mrsbirnkrant.youcanbook.me
Mrs. Halloran: khalloran.youcanbook.me
Mrs. Lynch: mrslynch.youcanbook.me
Mr. Doherty: bdoherty.youcanbook.me
Mrs. DeMagistris: mrsdemagistris.youcanbook.me
Mrs. McLaughlin: tracymclaughlin.youcanbook.me
Mrs. Hider: mrshider.youcanbook.me
Mrs. Clark: mrsclark.youcanbook.me
Students must book time slots that would equal to one hour (and please schedule the meeting during a DLT or elective class). All meetings will be scheduled during the school day. We look forward to meeting with you soon!
Juniors: Teacher Recommendation Request(s)
Note about Westford Academy’s teacher recommendation policy:
It is expected that students will seek teacher recommendation(s) for college applications before the end of junior year.
Teacher recommendation request form(s) will be distributed during advisory on Friday, April 8th. Please speak directly with your teacher(s) and secure a signature indicating their willingness to write on your behalf. Once the form is completed, please hand the form into your counselor to put the request in your SCOIR account.
Please note that the vast majority of colleges only require one teacher letter of recommendation (green form). If at least one of the colleges you are applying to requires more than one teacher recommendation, you must see your counselor for a second (red) form. Please refer to https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/recommendation-requirements for a list of colleges that require two letters.
College Essay Workshop & Resources
During advisory on April 8th the WA Counseling Department is hosting a College Essay Writing Presentation given by Drew Carter, Holy Cross Admissions Representative. WA has also paired up with The College Essay Guy to bring lessons around the essay to our juniors. The College Essay Guy (aka Ethan Sawyer) is a nationally recognized college essay expert and author– and since 2003 has helped students develop personal statements. He has also partnered with SCOIR! Each week, the counseling department will be pushing out various posts around the college essay– from starting it to completion. The college essay is something juniors can work on over the summer but these lessons will get juniors started! Be on the lookout for these weekly posts in your counseling google classroom starting on April 12th!
Senior Capstone updates
Important Upcoming Dates
April 8 (Friday)- Capstone Orientation Meeting 8:45 am- 10:00 am
May 24 (Tuesday) and May 25 (Wednesday)- ALL DAY- Capstone Presentations
May 27 (Friday) - Capstone Exhibition 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Capstone runs from April 11 through May 20, 2022.
*April vacation is April 18-22, 2022. Westford Academy expects the student to discuss this week with his/her site. While Westford Academy does not expect students to participate in their experience this week, some students may choose to work on site this week. We encourage the student to communicate his/her plans with the site prior to April vacation.*
*Doctors/College visits and other appointments: We encourage the student to schedule these appointments outside of his/her time on site. If it is necessary to schedule during the student’s time on site, we expect the student to communicate his/her appointment with the site supervisor in advance and create a plan to fulfill the hours at another mutually agreed upon time.
Please consult the assignments page under each domain (community service, internship, research paper, research project) for specific deadlines for assignments.
AP Exam Schedule
AP Students:
Please remember to join the AP 2022 Google Classroom using join code: mav4zcc
See AP exam schedule for more information!
NHS Peer Tutors & Floating Tutoring
NHS is also offering floating tutoring every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2-3 PM in the WA Library. The floating tutoring that will be offered each week will be updated on this calendar (also found on the NHS website).
SAT/ACT
May 7th, 2022 test date (latest deadline for registration 4/26)
Summer ACT Test Dates
June 11 and July 16
Registration Deadline for June 11 ACT Test: May 6
Registration Deadline for July 16 ACT Test: June 17
Free Practice SAT/ACT tests
Summit Educational Group: http://www.mytutor.com/students/practice-tests/ma
Kaplan: https://www.kaptest.com/sat/free/sat-practice
The SAT is going digital starting in 2024! Read here for an article that provides a comprehensive analysis of the changes to the SAT.
College Webinars
17 Things You NEED To Do Before College (for students and parents)
Date: May 4, 2022 at 7pm ET (Wednesday night)
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I7mJg-ghTDGzMN_y3iZBew
Program Details: Join New York Times bestselling author Harlan Cohen with this info-packed interactive live virtual event. Harlan will deliver tips and strategies that are foundational for college success. Learn about the latest research, trends, and plans college campuses are making to welcome the class of 2026. This event is perfect for high-school seniors, parents, and juniors in the college planning process. Visit www.HarlanCohen.com to learn more.
NACAC Virtual College Fairs
Registration for spring 2022 virtual college fairs is now open! Register here.
College Guidance Network
Click here for on demand webinars offered by the College Guidance Network.
FAFSA DAY
Get FREE Help Applying for College Financial Aid!
FAFSA Day is a non-profit, volunteer driven program providing free assistance to students and families seeking to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).If you have questions about completing the FAFSA, please call us weekdays at (800) 449-6332 (9:00 am – 4:00pm) or email fafsaday@gmail.com
For recorded sessions and additional resources, please see here.
Test-Optional Admissions
Outside Scholarships
We are consistently adding outside scholarships to our website in case students/current college students would like to review their criteria and apply. See here for list of scholarships!
Career and Aptitude Assessments
Here are some other great career assessments that can help students identify their interests, skills and values:
WA Counseling Department
Email: laurenclark@westfordk12.us
Website: https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/counseling-department
Location: 30 Patten Road, Westford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-692-5570