WHS Guidance News

Hello students and families!

We know you are receiving quite a bit of information these days about the start of the school year, so we'll keep this newsletter as brief as possible. Read on for information about:

• Our New School & Community Resources Website
• Remote Learning Student Survey
• Preparing for Remote Learning
• 9th & 12th Grade Seminars
• College Rep Visits
• Upcoming Events

We have recently launched our School & Community Resources website. This website provides students and families a list of helpful contacts at WHS and in the community.

In addition, our WHS Guidance website houses information about:

• Scheduling appointments with a student's school counselor (updated soon!)
• Mental Health & Well-Being
• Career & College Planning
• Course Selection
• Past Evening Guidance Programs
• ...and more

Each student will be receiving a brief survey from their guidance counselor on Monday, September 14. The goal of this survey is to provide students with an opportunity to share their experiences during remote learning and this summer with their guidance counselor so that we are better positioned to support them when school begins. We are more than happy to speak with parents/guardians about concerns, as well.

Students will have a number of opportunities to gather tips and tricks for a successful remote learning experience. These include:

• Advisory lessons dedicated to setting up a remote learning space, building a weekly schedule, and organizing asynchronous learning time
• Guidance seminars focused on stress relief, Zoom/email tips, and developing routines
• Office hours with teachers
• Academic Support/PUSH Academic Support/Resource classes for some students

Our 9th and 12th-grade Guidance Seminars will kick off on Friday, September 25. Students will receive an email from their guidance counselor with a Zoom link and information about a Guidance Google Classroom. Students will be assigned to specific sessions. These sessions will meet for 30 minutes each Friday through the end of October. Topics will include:

• Who's Who at WHS (9th Grade)
• Building a High School Profile (9th Grade)
• Stress Relief
• Successful Zoom/Email Tips and Tricks
• Post-Secondary Planning (12th Grade)
• Financial Literacy (12th Grade)

10th and 11th-grade students will begin their seminars later this fall. We can't emphasize enough how excited we are to have this time with our students!

While we are not able to host our annual Fall College Fair this year, there are a number of opportunities to participate in virtual college rep visits this fall. So far, we have more than 70 colleges and universities scheduled to host virtual visits with WHS students. These visits are only for WHS students and are often lead by the admissions representative assigned to work with Watertown students.

To sign up, students should:

• Log in to Naviance
• Click on "College" near the top right of the page
• Click on "Colleges - Home" from the dropdown menus
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Show More" under "College Visits"
• Once you see the full list of visits, just click "Register" and you'll be signed up! The Zoom links for these meetings will be provided 15 minutes before the meetings.

The visits begin on Monday, September 21. The colleges and universities visiting WHS during the last two weeks of September are:

MONDAY (9/21/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• The University of Tennessee-Knoxville - Knoxville, TN
• Simmons University - Boston, MA

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• University of Tampa - Tampa, FL
• Roger Williams University - Bristol, RI

TUESDAY (9/22/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Blacksburg, VA
• Suffolk University - Boston, MA

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• George Mason University - Fairfax, VA

• Villanova University - Villanova, PA

WEDNESDAY (9/23/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• Syracuse University - Syracuse NY

• Western New England University - Springfield MA

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• Skidmore College - Saratoga Springs, NY

• Queen's University Kingston - Kingston, ON
  

THURSDAY (9/24/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• Sarah Lawrence College - Bronxville NY

• University of New Haven - West Haven CT
  

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• Oberlin College - Oberlin, OH

• Lesley University - Cambridge, MA
  

FRIDAY (9/25/2020)

11:00am - 11:45am

• Quinnipiac University - Hamden, CT

• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - Dartmouth, MA
  

11:45am - 12:30pm

• Stony Brook University, State University of New York - Stony Brook, NY

• North Shore Community College - Danvers, MA
  

12:30pm - 1:15pm

• Dickinson College - Carlisle, PA

• Massachusetts Maritime Academy - Buzzards Bay, MA
  

1:15pm - 2:00pm

• Saint Michael's College - Colchester, VT

• Davidson College - Davidson, NC
  

MONDAY (9/28/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts - North Adams, MA

• American International College - Springfield, MA
  

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• Mount Holyoke College - South Hadley, MA

• Anna Maria College - Paxton, MA
  

TUESDAY (9/29/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• William and Mary - Williamsburg, VA

• Babson College - Wellesley, MA
  

WEDNESDAY (9/30/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• Colby College - Waterville, ME

• Franklin W Olin College of Engineering - Needham, MA
  

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• University of Connecticut - Storrs, CT

• University of New Hampshire-Main Campus - Durham, NH

THURSDAY (10/1/2020)

3:30pm - 4:15pm

• Husson University - Bangor, ME

• University of Rhode Island - Kingston, RI
  

4:15pm - 5:00pm

• University of Limerick - Limerick
  

  
  

FRIDAY (10/2/2020)

11:00am - 11:45am

• Dean College - Franklin, MA

• Curry College - Milton, MA
  

11:45am - 12:30pm

• Springfield College - Springfield, MA

• Johnson & Wales University, Providence - Providence, RI
  

12:30pm - 1:15pm

• University of Vermont - Burlington, VT

• Fairfield University - Fairfield, CT
  

1:15pm - 2:00pm

• University of Massachusetts-Amherst - Amherst, MA

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Worcester, MA
  

We will continue to share the most up to date list via Smore, but students can always check Naviance.

September 24 - Senior Future Planning Night, 6:30PM (via Zoom)

September 25 - 9th and 12th Grade Guidance Seminars begin

Ongoing (September 28-November 5) - MEFA Live (Virtual) Financial Aid Seminars (Visit mefa.org/events to register) *Unfortunately, we will not be hosting an in-person MEFA Financial Aid Night this Fall.