Counseling Department Newsletter

The Neshaminy High School Counseling staff offers a variety of support services. Dedicated counselors work with students, families and staff to assist in the academic planning, college and career development and personal/social growth for each student. Our goal is to provide assistance, encouragement and support for students as they develop and prepare for their future. The resources offered through this site will assist students and their parents in gathering information on topics such as colleges, careers, scholarships, financial aid, and academic assistance.

Counselors will meet with their students throughout the course of the year to review their grades and develop an academic and college/career plan. If at any point you or your child would like to meet with their counselor before such meeting occurs, please encourage your child to make an appointment or call the Counseling Center to schedule a meeting.

Counseling Office 215-809-6101 Transcript Office 215-809-6161/6162

Ms. Christina Savage (A-Brot) csavage@neshaminy.org

Mrs. Patience Burton (Brou-Del) pburton@neshaminy.org

Mrs. Jill Ortman (Dem-Gal) jortman@neshaminy.org

Mrs. Casey Rodgers (Gam-H) crodgers@neshaminy.org

Mr. Jeff McCaughey (I-Led) jmccaughey@neshaminy.org

Ms. Traci Hindle (Lee-Me) thindle@neshaminy.org

Mrs. Jennifer Coe (Mi-Perk) jcoe@neshaminy.org

Mr. Erik Styer (Perl-San) estyer@neshaminy.org

Ms. Catherine Bond (Sao-Thom) cbond@neshaminy.org

Ms. Kaitlyn Trainor (Thon-Z) ktrainor@neshaminy.org

March 31, 2023- Last day of Marking Period 3

April 10, 2023- First day of Marking Period 4

May 1, 2022- First day of AP Exams*

May 15, 2023- Algebra Keystone Exam*

May 17, 2023- Algebra Keystone Exam*

May 18, 2023- Literature Keystone Exam*

May 19, 2023- Literature Keystone Exam*

May 22, 2023- Biology Keystone Exam*

May 23, 2023- Biology Keystone Exam*

June 9, 2023- Last day of school for seniors

June 16, 2023- Last day of school for underclassmen

*more information below

Before School help is offered Monday-Thursday from 6:45am-7:10am located in the Library/Media Center.

After School help is offered Monday-Thursday from 2:30pm-4:00pm located in the Library/Media Center.

Come with a question and a teacher will help you!

• Students are expected to report at least 30 minutes before the test time.
• Most AP Exams are held in the library.
• If you have not paid for your exams, please do so at Neshaminy High School - AP Exam Registration.
• If you wish to opt out of your exams, please contact Mrs. Rodgers, crodgers@neshaminy.org / 215-809-6101

The Keystone exams were created to replace the Grade 11 PSSA and serve as one component of Pennsylvania's statewide high school graduation requirement. The exams are end-of-course assessments designed to assess proficiency in the subject areas of Algebra 1, Literature, and Biology. We will run the same schedule as in the past using shortened class periods. Non-testers will be dismissed at noon.

Monday, 5/15 and Wednesday, 5/17: Keystone Algebra 1

Who?

· Grade 9/10 End-of-Course students

· Non-proficient students who choose to retake the test

·Juniors who haven’t taken the Keystone Algebra at all

Thursday 5/18 and Friday 5/19: Keystone Literature

Who?

· Grade 10 End-of-Course students

· Non-proficient students who choose to retake the test

·Juniors who haven’t taken Keystone Literature at all

Monday 5/22 and Tuesday 5/23: Keystone Biology

Who?

· Grade 9/10 End-of-Course students

· Non-proficient students who choose to retake the test

·Juniors who haven’t taken Keystone Biology at all

Naviance Family Connections is a valuable tool for post-secondary planning. It allows students to explore their learning style, personality type, career interests and potential college plans. The college application process will also be mainstreamed through Naviance, allowing us to forward transcripts and letters of recommendation to colleges via eDocs. We encourage parents to become familiar with Naviance Family Connections and use it with their children. You can access your Naviance Family Connections page by going to: https://student.naviance.com/neshaminyhs

Seniors, Juniors- Each week, throughout the school year, numerous post-high school programs visit Neshaminy High School to meet with our students for information sessions. These colleges and trade schools share details about majors and career opportunities on their campuses.

• We encourage families to frequently check Naviance's homepage to see an up-to-date list of the upcoming visits.
• Over the next month, these are the schools who have scheduled visits at Neshaminy, so far (more to come):
• Cairn University will be visiting on Monday, April 10th, 2023 at 12:45pm
  
• Quinnipiac University will be visiting on Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 at 8:25 am
  
• Ursinus College will be visiting on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 at 12:45pm
  
• Lincoln Technical Institute-Philadelphia will be visiting on Monday, April 24th, 2023 at 12:45pm
• To register for a visit, just click on the event in Naviance and hit "Register"

Juniors- If you will need a letter of recommendation for your applications in the fall, you should touch base with your teacher(s) before the end of junior year

• Keep in mind that several schools do not need a letter. So do NOT ask a teacher for a letter if you will not need it. Letters are very time consuming so you don’t want to have a teacher write one if you will not need it.
• For example: Schools such as Temple, University of Pitt, West Chester, Penn State, Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, Bucks County Community College DO NOT require letters of recommendation.
• Also, some schools only want 1 letter, so do not ask more teachers than you need.
  
  

Process for requesting a letter:

1. Ask the teacher in person.
2. Sign on to Naviance. Click on the “About Me” tab and fill out the Recommendation Data Sheet.
3. Then once that is complete, click on the “Colleges” tab in Naviance.
4. Once there, click on the “Letter of Recommendation” link
5. From there, you type in the teacher’s name who is going to write you a letter and send them the official request.

Donna Wilkoski, Director of Financial Aid at Bucks County Community College, spoke to Neshaminy Families regarding ways to reduce the costs of college education. She included tips on applying for financial aid and scholarships. You can access the presentation by clicking here.

In January, the Neshaminy High School Counseling Center partnered with PHEAA for a virtual financial aid webinar: Borrowing for Education. This one hour session reviews costs associated with higher education, how to keep those costs low and the borrowing options available for balances. They also share tips for making affordable choices and explain how borrowing relates to credit scores to create positive results. You can access the presentation by clicking here.

The SAT is a college admissions exam administered by the College Board to help aid colleges in the admissions decision process. The purpose of the SAT is to measure a high school student's college readiness, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.

The ACT is a college admissions exam administered by ACT, Inc. to help aid colleges in the admissions decision process. The purpose of the ACT is to measure a high school student's college readiness, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.

Branches of the military offer more than 1,600 different occupations. If you are considering the military as an option after high school, speak to representatives in each branch of the service to gain more insight of the demands and benefits each branch has to offer.

Students in need of volunteer hours and can find opportunities posted on the Act 158 Canvas page. All hours must be preapproved by Ms. Partlon (mpartlon@neshaminy.org) or Mr. Stout (dstout@neshaminy.org). Please reach out to them with any questions.

There are many scholarship opportunities for seniors currently posted on Naviance. We currently have scholarships for students majoring in education, students who have family in the military (past & present), students who have community service experience, and so many more!

Scholarship applications can be found on your Naviance account by going to the “college” tab and then “scholarships & money” and finally “scholarship search”.

Please be sure to check deadlines as many scholarships have an application deadline of April 10, 2023. Each application will list a specific submission address or e-mail link. Please save and submit all applications as a word document or PDF.

We are updating the scholarship list weekly, so please continue to check the list and apply!

Neshaminy School District will be hosting a virtual Family Connect event this spring discussing social media and online safety. We'll be learning tips for creating healthy boundaries for our children with social media. More details will be coming shortly from district offices.

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Here’s how it works:

• Submit an anonymous tip report through the Safe2SaySomething system
• Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
• Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
• If needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app

The Virtual Calming Room is a safe place for students and families to find strategies for managing emotions and feelings. Access our Virtual Calming Room by clicking the link below:

https://neshaminy.instructure.com/courses/31039/pages/virtual-calming-room