HRHS Senior Newsletter
September 2019
WELCOME BACK!
The Counseling Office wishes you a fun and successful senior year!
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
Welcome Mrs. Keefe
Mrs. Keefe will be taking Mrs. P.'s place for the next few months as Mrs. P. enjoys time home with her new daughter Penelope.
Mrs. Keefe has been working as a school counselor in Chicopee for the last two years. She is eager to get to know the students at HRHS so stop by and say hello.
Here is a sweet picture of Penelope Pietrzak who was born on August 16th.
Workshops for All Post-Secondary Options
Ms. Scully will be hosting workshops 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 you filled out in advisory.
Four-Year College Workshops:
Students who are planning to apply (or thinking about applying) to four-year schools will be assigned to one of four workshops next week. The workshops will run on Tuesday (9/9) during periods 5 and 7 as well as on Wednesday during periods 6 and 7. Students will be booked into workshops during study halls whenever possible. These workshops are mandatory as we will review all of the steps you need to take in order to submit your applications and supporting materials.
Common Application Workshops:
Common Application Workshops will provide students time to fill out their applications with assistance from Ms. Scully. At the workshop, Ms. Scully can also review any completed applications and answer questions.
The first Common Application workshops will be on September 20th during period 6 or 7. You must sign up for these workshops on Naviance or in the Counseling Office if you want to attend. More Common Application Workshops will be planned in October, November and December for students who are not quite ready to fill out their application.
Two-Year College and Military workshops will be scheduled later this fall.
Financial Aid Night/Workshop
Financial Aid Night will be held on Wednesday, October 2nd at 6:30pm in the HRHS Media Center. The presenter, from The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, will give an overview of the financial aid process and she will also discuss the sources of financial aid, loan options and the various applications for financial aid, including the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
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.
Request transcripts for each college application.
Communicate with your counselor if you need help with the application process.
Counselor responsibilities:
Meet with each senior in the fall to discuss his/her after 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.
Four Year College Bound Information
Open Houses
Counselor Letters of Recommendation
Most four-year colleges require a counselor letter of recommendation. If you plan to apply to four-year colleges and you have not submitted your Brag Sheet please see Ms. Scully ASAP.
For Parents/Guardians - in order to help Ms. Scully and Mrs. Piertrzak write letters of recommendation that most accurately reflect your student's strengths, we are asking for parents/guardians to provide information about your student. Please fill out the Parent Brag sheet and return it to Amy Scully at ascully@hr-k12.org as soon as possible.
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
Students applying to four-year colleges should ask one or two teachers for letters of recommendation. All teacher recommendations will be submitted online via Naviance. In order to ask a teacher for a letter, students should create a resume in Naviance and fill out the “Recommendation Form” (located here).
Transcript Release Form
College Representatives Visiting HRHS
Throughout the fall, 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 guidance office or on Naviance and ask their teacher for permission to miss class.
Here is the schedule of visits for the Fall. This schedule is updated on Naviance daily. We will talk more about how to make the most of these visits in Advisory on Monday.
College Fairs
Consider visiting an upcoming college fair to learn about a large number of colleges and universities in one day. Admissions and financial aid counselors will be available to answer questions.
NEACAC College Fair: Sunday, Sept 15th, 3:00-5:00 pm
Western New England University
Alumni Healthful Living Center
Optional Admissions and Financial Aid Workshop begins at 2:00-2:45
Some other smaller college fairs (check each school's website for more information)
Williston Northampton College Fair
Monday, September 23 at 2:45 PM
Easthampton, MA
Northfield Mount Hermon College Fair
Sunday, September 22 at 3:00 PM
Mount Hermon, MA
SAT and ACT Test Information
Students must request to have their SAT and ACT scores sent to colleges directly from the testing agency. The guidance office cannot send out test scores.
When students register for the SAT students have the option to send their scores to four colleges for free. There will be a $12.00 fee for each additional college.
If you are unhappy with your PSAT scores or June SAT scores, you may want to consider taking the ACT. Check out your Pre-ACT scores to find ways to prepare for the test. To register for the ACT, go to actstudent.org.
SAT Dates
*There is an additional late fee if you register after the regular deadline.
Test Dates:
Oct 5: Registration Deadline, Sept 6 (Sept 24th - late reg. deadline)
Nov 2: Registration Deadline, Oct 3
Dec 7: Registration Deadline, Nov 8
ACT Dates
Test Dates:
Oct 26: Registration Deadline Sept 20
Dec 14: Registration Deadline Nov 8
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.
Various other organizations run review classes for the SAT and ACT, such as Brian Leaf in Northampton (brianleaf.com). Listen to announcements for other courses if they become available.
Common Application Help
Collegewise provides a free guide to the Common Application. The guide is designed to support students who:
- Have not yet started filling out the Common App and want to save time by ensuring it is filled out correctly the first time through
Have already completed the Common App and want to do a line-by-line review before submitting
Are struggling with just a particular section or two and need some help
Go to this link to access your free copy.
College Essay Writing Workshop
Scholarships
Each month, a variety of scholarships will be listed in the Senior Newsletter. Next month, the newsletter will also include information about a new scholarship portal (Going Merry) that will include local HRHS scholarships as well as national scholarships.
Horatio Alger Scholarship - $7,000-$22,000
(Deadline: October 25, 2019)
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 2020 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/