The Big Blue Blast
The Official Newsletter of Swampscott High School
January 13, 2020
January 17-Quarter Two Concludes
January 21-January 24: Mid-Year Exams
January 27: Quarter Three Begins
February 3: Quarter Two grades and Mid-Year Exam scores posted on Aspen X2
Congratulations
Congratulations to SHS Band student Nick Parsons and SHS Chorus students Parker Christian, Krista Dariotis, Audrey Pilotte, Elsa Ramdas, and Joshua Shilo on being accepted by audition to participate in the 2020 Massachusetts Music Educators Senior District Music Festival.
419 students were accepted out of the 1062 who auditioned (39%). Krista, Nick, and Audrey attained scores that earned them a recommendation to audition for the All State Festival.
The SHS Visual Arts Dept. would like to announce three photography students whose work was accepted into the Massachusetts Amazing Emerging Artists Exhibition through the Massachusetts Art Education Association. Congratulations Ben Quigley (2020), Hollis Howard (2021), and Alexa Szczawinski (2021). Work will be on display at the State Transportation Building in Boston February 10th through March 26th. Congratulations to the deserving
photographers!
DECA
23 SHS students placed at the DECA competition on January 7. The following students earned first place in their respective categories:
Isabel Lanzilli - 1st Place Accounting Applications
Jake Petras & Roger Soley - 1st place Business Law & Ethics Teams
Ella Slavin-Reker - 1st Place Restaurant and Food Service Mgmt
Anna Nazarenko & Madeline Schmidt - 1st Place Travel & Tourism Marketing Teams
Piper Hall - 1st Place Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
NEWS FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
JANUARY 16th: 6-8:30pm ish. JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT with Summit Educational Group (PSAT/SAT/ACT reports and planning). Check out last year’s film from our event: College Admissions Testing: A roadmap presented by Summit Educational Group
JANUARY 16th: 730pm: PSATs-score reports and more, SAT and ACT planning with Summit Educational Group. Come learn more about the PSAT score report, how to utilize the scores and develop a standardized testing schedule for you/your child.
FEBRUARY 12TH: 6:00pm SOPHOMORE PARENT NIGHT: Counselors will review upcoming seminars with students, essential skills (interpersonal, communication), and the importance of extracurricular activities on relationships within the community, identity development,and post-secondary planning.
SCHOOL COUNSELING UPDATE:
The School Counselors recently finished up the two Growth Mindset Sessions with the 9th graders. It has been wonderful to spend so much time with them.
On Wednesday, January 8th, our department hosted an admissions director from Salem State University who offered on the spot admissions interviews to almost ten students.
Over the last three years, the 93 students have applied to Salem State University and 27 have enrolled.
Next week, on January 16th at 6pm, the school counselors will host our JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT. The counselors will give an overview of the post-secondary planning process, college admissions planning and timelines, and how to enjoy the journey. Summit Educational Group will piggyback on the counselors’ presentation and discuss how to interpret PSAT score reports, their connection to SATs, and how to prepare for the college admissions standardized tests---the SAT and the ACT.
Starting the week of 1/27, the counselors will be meeting with all junior students in the English classes and will chat with students about the college admissions process, considering standardized testing timelines, asking teachers for a recommendation, and planning for the summer of 2020. The counselors will be sure that all students have access to Naviance, our career and college exploration and application support platform. Parents/caregivers also have their own login and credentials will be redistributed by next week.
Starting in February, the counselors will also have the chance to visit with the sophomore students in their English classes for seminars. The focus of these meetings will be on essential skills like communication, interpersonal skills, planning, and follow through; the counselors review real and interactive scenarios with students, discuss the critical elements of extracurricular activities, and the importance of community relationships within the context of post-secondary planning.
PSAT SCORES RELEASED
Many sophomores and juniors took the PSAT test this past October. The PSAT is considered to be a practice SAT test, which helps students prepare for college in a number of ways. Click here for a list of benefits to taking the test. The scores from the October, 2019 test were released this week.
For students who shared their email address on the PSAT answer sheet this past October PSAT test day, they will receive an email reminder with instructions on how to access and understand scores. If a student did not receive an email, they can still access and view scores by creating a College Board account and accessing their score that way. If a student does not see their score in their online profile, they may need to enter an access code. The guidance office will have a copy of that as well.
Taking the PSAT is great practice, but it’s important to view and understand your score once you get access. The scores will show you which areas students demonstrate strength and which areas can be a focus for improvement. Khan Academy, a partner of Collegeboard, offers many free resources to help students strengthen their skills and improve their score in future college admissions tests like the SAT.
Host Families Needed
In September, a group of 15 students and 2 teachers from our sister school in Aranjuez, Spain will be coming to Swampscott. We are looking for families who can host one or two students. The Spanish students will arrive on September 5 and stay through September 15, 2020. During the day, the Spanish students will be taking excursions with their teachers to Boston, Salem, Plymouth Plantation and more. They will also shadow their Swampscott students during school for a day or two. We are aware that a lot of our students are involved in sports and other fall activities. In the past, this has not been an issue because there are always other things the Spanish students can do. Students do not need to be enrolled in Spanish to host. The Spanish students are very proficient in English. This is a really enriching experience for everyone in the host family and our school community. It is a chance to learn about another country, culture, and to make a new friend. This is part of an ongoing partnership with the Aranjuez school. In April 2021, our students will have the opportunity to travel to Aranjuez, visit their school and stay with families. Students who host are not required to travel to Spain.
If you have any questions, or if you are interested in hosting, please visit our website: https://sites.google.com/swampscott.k12.ma.us/cultural-exchange-program/home
You man also contact Alejandra Baralt, the teacher in charge of the trip, by emailing her at:
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Principal Dennis Kohut @swampkohut
Assistant Principal Colleen Cull-Finn @cullfinnshs
Dean of Students Chris Norkun @cnorkunshs
Swampscott High School Guidance Department @SHSguidancedpt
Swampscott High School Athletics @sportsbigblue
Superintendent Pamela Angelakis @sps01907