BHS School Counseling Newsletter
November 2026
November Events
3 - PD Day - No School for Students - Remember to Vote!
4 - Fall Conferences, Evening - Early Dismissal
5 - Fall Conferences, Daytime - Early Dismissal
5 - PSAT/NMSQT Score Reports are available to grades 10 & 11
11 - Veteran's Day
12 - PSAT 9 Score Reports are available to grade 9
25 - Early Dismissal
26 & 27 - Thanksgiving Recess - No School for Students
What We've Been Up To
During the month of October...
Hosted 43 college representatives this month alone!
Coordinated, planned and proctored the PSAT/NMSQT for all grade 9,10 & 11 students, Scores will be available after November 5
Continued 9th grade DBT lessons on Mindfulness
Hosted Financial Aid webinar with Barnum Financial
This Season of Gratitude. 🍂
With Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaching, November is a great time to practice gratitude. We challenge you to recognize someone who has made a positive difference in your life. Offering our gratitude to others is an incredibly fulfilling action we can take to not only boost the mood of someone else, but ourselves too!
Activity: How about writing a brief journal entry or note in your phone responding to the following question: "What is one thing that went well today, and why?" If you can make this a daily habit, you may find that despite all the things we wish went differently in our day to day, there are also probably many small moments to be grateful for. It is often easier to recognize the negative aspects of our day but if we work on it, we can become better at recognizing all the moments of joy as well.
All that said, we do also recognize that the holidays bring up all kinds of emotions and experiences for everyone. It’s important that you take care of yourself as the holiday season ramps up. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or caught up in stressful thoughts, try a grounding technique. Grounding simply means getting your mind back to the current moment, not wandering in thoughts of the past or future.
One common grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
Use your senses to help ground you in the current moment. Identify:
👀5 things you can see
🫶4 things you can feel
👂3 things you can hear
👃2 things you can smell
🍇1 thing you can taste
Activity: Try mindful breathing. Spend one minute simply sitting and noticing your
natural breathing. When your mind wanders, gently return your attention to your breath.
Mindfulness activities like these help us redirect our thoughts so that negative/anxious thoughts lose their ability to impact our bodies in the way they do (racing heart, sweating, etc).
The holiday season can also bring pressure to meet social and family expectations. Here are some mindset shifts you can consider in those moments when you need them:
INSTEAD OF...
"I have to make everyone happy." TRY...
"I can be considerate of others while recognizing my own needs."
INSTEAD OF...
"Everyone else seems to have it together." TRY...
"I don't know what others are experiencing behind the scenes. I can focus on my own journey."
October's BHS Student of the Month!
Reminder!
First Quarter is in the books!
No, the semester isn’t over yet…but we’re about halfway through! Let’s keep going strong 💪. This is your reminder to check PowerSchool/Google Classroom for missing assignments and upcoming deadlines/tests/quizzes. ⌚
Volunteer Opportunity!
Ann's Place - Volunteers Needed for Festival of Trees Fundraiser
Ann’s Place is recruiting volunteers for their annual Festival of Trees fundraiser for Ann's Place Community-Based Cancer Support Services. The event is November 20 - 22 at The Summit in Danbury. Sunday night cleanup is always a huge need. Please see links below to sign up:
COLLEGE AND CAREER CORNER
Interested in attending an Open House?
Interested in attending an Open House? Check out this list of events in CT, NY, RI, MA, PA, NJ, NH, ME, VT, DE. The list will be updated as more dates are announced-check back often!
Huntington Learning Testing Webinar
Start Smart, Prepare with Purpose: The First-Time Test Taker Guide to the SAT/ACT
For students who haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. This webinar breaks down the basics of both tests, explains how the PSAT and PreACT can provide a helpful starting point, and shares how students can prepare with greater confidence before their first official test date.
Learn why a student’s first official SAT or ACT shouldn’t be their first full experience with the test, and how establishing a realistic baseline, building the right skills, and allowing time to adjust can lead to a more focused and effective test prep plan.
📅Thursday, November 5, 2026 📅 🕦 2:00 PM ET or 7:00 PM ET 🕦
Can’t join the webinar? Register anyway so you’ll receive a free webinar recording.
TuitionCents Financial Aid Webinar
How to Find Scholarships That Your Child Can Actually Win
November 2026 TuitionCents Financial Aid Webinar
TuitionCents 2026: How to Find Scholarships That Your Child Can Actually Win
📅November 19, 2026 7:00-8:00 PM 📅
This lively session helps parents and students focus on scholarships that fit their strengths and profiles—not just those with thousands of applicants. We’ll share proven tools and insider tips for identifying local, niche, and merit-based opportunities where your student has a real chance to win.
Attendees leave with a practical scholarship search strategy and curated resource list. View more details and register here.
Big News from Assumption University!
Larry Lucchino Institute for the Study of Sports
Made possible by an historic gift from the Lucchino Family Foundation, Assumption University is proud to announce the Larry Lucchino Institute for the Study of Sports, which will honor the celebrated baseball executive's legacy by connecting the study of sports with liberal arts education, leadership, and civic life.
"It's a method of study that goes beyond your major. It goes beyond your required courses,” said Dr. Charles Steinberg, the Institute's inaugural director and president of the WooSox. “Your major might be finance, but you can study ballpark financing. Your major might be philosophy, but you might study the ethics of sport."
The Institute will offer students mentorships, internships, discussions with industry speakers, and, in partnership with Assumption’s Center for Civic Friendship, explore how sports can build common ground across differences. An advisory board that includes Mike Barnicle, Joshua Kraft, Janet Marie Smith, Lesley Visser, Dan Shaughnessy, and George F. Will will help connect students to the field.
Complementing Assumption’s existing Sport Management minor and in-development Sports Marketing major, the Lucchino Institute will leverage sports as a lens through which students can explore ethics, management, marketing, analytics, communication, culture, and beyond.
Beginning in Fall 2027, the program will award renewable $4,000 scholarships annually to incoming first-year students who demonstrate an interest in sports and a commitment to these core values, providing a total potential value of $16,000 per student.
Mrs. Usher visited campus early in 2026, so feel free to reach out with any questions about the campus or academic programs!
Our School Counselors
Contact 203-775-7725
Mrs. Gioglio (A-DI) extn. 4023 (gioglioj@brookfieldps.org)
Ms. Nesello (DO-K) extn. 4026 (nesellob@brookfieldps.org)
Ms. Cordes (L-Q) extn. 4022 (cordesj@brookfieldps.org)
Mr. Falcone (R-Z) extn. 4025 (falconem@brookfieldps.org)
Mrs. Usher (College & Career) extn. 4027 (ushern@brookfieldps.org)