Guidance Dept April Newsletter
COLLEGE READINESS FOR FAMILIES
Thursday, April 8, Framingham State University is hosting a virtual workshop: “College Readiness for Families: What Every Family Member Should Know”
- How to better prepare your child academically for the first year of college?
- The difficulties students face as college first-years?
- Work habits college faculty expect from college first-years?
We would greatly appreciate it if you could share this opportunity with your families.
RSVP can be found here.
Event Summary
Date: Thursday, April 8, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM
Format: Virtual (Free of charge)
2026 NEACAC SPRING COLLEGE FAIR
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) invites students, parents, and counselors to explore the college search process at the NACAC National College Fair in Boston held on Monday, April 27 5:30 PM-8:30 PM and Tuesday, April 28 8:30 AM-12:30 PM. This year, the fair will be held in a new location: Hynes Convention Center.
Complete information about the fair, including free student registration, can be found at
https://www.nacacattend.org/26Boston.
We welcome the High School Graduating Class of 2030 to join us next August for our annual Freshman Orientation. The online registration information for the event will also be sent out from your middle school principals. The date for the event has been set as: Thursday, August 20, 2026 - please mark your calendars. You can register your student using the RSVP link below.
Freshman Orientation activities include opportunities for students to meet peers from both of our incoming middle school classes, bond with their freshman mentor group, tour the building, do team-building/icebreaker activities, experience their class schedule, and meet their upperclass mentors to name a few. It is the best way for students to get acclimated to the school that will become their second home for the rest of their years studying with Natick Public Schools. We look forward to meeting each of our incoming 9th Graders!
RSVP Link:
MCAS
Ninth graders will be taking the Physics MCAS on June 2nd and 3rd. Stay tuned for more information about testing as these dates approach!
MCAS
Sophomores are taking the Math MCAS on May 19th and 20th
Students will be notified of their testing room closer to the test date.
GUIDANCE SEMINAR
Sophomore Guidance Seminar will begin this month. Guidance Counselors are looking forward to seeing their sophomore students once every four days during CDS! Lessons/enrichment activities will be largely committed to helping students explore their personality type and interests as a way to launch their exploration of careers and career-related resources. This will also help guide students with future course-selection and assist in researching possible college majors that relate to students’ interests and strengths.
COLLEGE VISITATIONS
Colleges provide a variety of opportunities for interested students to connect with admissions. While we encourage campus visitations and/or information sessions, there are virtual opportunities as well. It is important to check the Admissions pages for the colleges you are interested in visiting. Even if you cannot sign up for a live tour but are able to get on campus, we encourage you to contact the admissions office so that they are aware you were on campus. Many colleges track student visitations as “demonstrated interest,” which is a factor that may be considered in the review process.
There are several ways that you can show interest virtually. Below are a few ideas:
- Fill out an interest form on the college’s admission website. This will put you on their contact list and show that you want to learn more.
- Open emails that the colleges send you. If they send you a link or a suggestion to interact with them on social media, click on it or follow them. Many colleges do track these interactions.
- Participating in a hosted online campus tour, chat, video presentation, and/or Q&A. You can often find more info about these on a school’s admissions website—and many are actively creating new and improved interactive content.
- Explore virtual campus tour options
In Guidance Seminars, students were asked to consider the top 3-5 criteria that were most important to them. Using these criteria, they set search parameters in the SuperMatch College Search and begin building a list of “Colleges I’m Thinking About.” As students build their list, they should consider adding between 9 and 12 schools including a range of realistic (student’s credentials match that of the college’s), reach (schools with higher credentials than the student), and safety (schools with lower credentials than the student) options. We also strongly recommend that one of the safeties be a “financial safety,” a school the student can not only get into but may also have a more affordable sticker price, such as a Massachusetts state university or college or a Community College. We continue to encourage students to explore colleges using Naviance or other search engines such as Niche or College Board’s BigFuture.
STANDARDIZED TESTING RESOURCES
Students interested in taking the SAT and/or ACT should register at either College Board or ACT respectively. Keep in mind that many colleges have adopted a test optional policy. We encourage you to read the fine print on the policy. For a list of schools that either no longer require or have made standardized testing optional in the college search process, please visit fairtest.org.
ALTERNATIVE POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS
We understand and appreciate that a traditional 4-year college plan is not for every student. We have expanded our Post Secondary Options website to offer students information on a variety of alternative options. There is a path for everyone, and we encourage our students to find the one that is right for them.
AFTER THE COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE WEBINAR
This webinar provides valuable guidance for high school seniors who have received their college acceptance letters and financial aid offers and are trying to make the college decision. Topics include an overview of different types of financial aid, an explanation of how to calculate the balance due at each college, and methods for paying the college bill. You can access the webinar here: After the College Acceptance Webinar
The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, (MEFA), is a helpful website for students and their families. MEFA website Utilize the interactive calculators, and find all the information required to navigate the college financing process.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
There are several more scholarship opportunities for NHS Seniors. Please take a minute to complete an application.
Scholarship opportunities: ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATICK HIGH STUDENTS
A FEW REMINDERS FOR SENIORS
If you have been accepted to a college or program, congratulations! Please remember to do the following as a result:
Thank your teacher(s) for writing a recommendation for you, or helping you with your essay, or just being there for you! A handwritten thank you note means a lot to them.
If you have been accepted via ED (Early Decision), or are just plain certain of where you are going already, please withdraw all of your other applications to give other students across the state and country waiting for decisions a better shot!
Connect with your counselor to let them know your news and plans, including all acceptances, waitlists, deferred, and denied decisions.
Whether you are working on applications, applying for jobs or gap year programs, or just starting to think about what's next for you, that's totally fine. Connect with your counselor and they will help you all along the way.
With many thanks from your guidance counselor!
COMMUNITY SERVICE
As you know, all students complete 30 hours of community service as a requirement for graduation. Students are always able to access the Community Service Section of the Website, where opportunities are posted regularly as they are sent in.
GAP YEAR PROGRAMS
WHAT IS A GAP YEAR? A Gap Year is a period of time between completing high school and beginning college when a student steps outside the traditional classroom experience. This is a time to explore the world, reflect on their personal values and goals, and prepare to take the next purposeful step in life. Gap Year programs give students an opportunity to expand their perspective and gain direction that gives the college years meaning and focus. For many students, Gap Year programs provide them with time to develop independence and confidence as well as pursue various fields of interest.
For more information about Gap Year Programs, please head to the Gap Year Section of the School Website.