Counseling Department Newsletter

• Upcoming Counseling Events
• WRHS Spring Job Fair
• For Freshman and Sophomore Students
• Early College Awareness Presentation Slides & Recording
• For Junior Students:
• NEACAC Spring College Fairs
• NACAC Spring College Fairs
• College Visit Checklist
• For Senior Students
• Financial Aid Presentation & Scholarships
• Making Sense of the Financial Aid Letter
• Transcript Fees
• Mental Health Matters!
  

Attention Juniors!

On Tuesday, April 30th during Activity Period, there will be a College Planning presentation for junior students. We will be discussing how you can prepare for spring/summer college tasks. Students should report to the following locations, dependent on their counselor:

Auditorium - Mr. Dubzinski, Mrs. Reilly, and Mrs. Toupin

Black Box Theatre - Mrs. Knorring

Media Center - Mrs. Connors

H103 - Ms. Lee

K105 - Mrs. Freeman

K111 - Mrs. Hanna

Other Upcoming Events:

Saturday, May 4th: SATs at Wachusett & Junior Prom

Monday, May 6th - 10th, May 13th - May 17th: AP Testing

Monday, May 6th: Midpoint of Q4 for Grades 9, 10 and 11

Tuesday, May 7th: School Wide Mental Health Awareness Council Lesson in Activity Period

Wednesday, May 8th: Junior College Presentation - Encore Presentation for Parent/Guardian in auditorium at 6:00 pm

Wednesday, May 15th: Professional Development Day. Half Day for Students

Thursday, May 16th: Academic Awards Night, 6:00 pm in the auditorium

Tuesday, May 21st: MCAS Math Session 1, Grade 10

Wednesday, May 22nd: MCAS Math Session 2, Grade 10 & Seniors Last Day of Classes

Thursday, May 23rd: Senior Class Meeting & Senior Barbecue

Monday, May 27th: Memorial Day, No School

Tuesday, May 28th - Thursday, May 30th: Senior Final Exams, Period 1 - 4

Friday, May 31st: Senior Final Exams, Periods 1 & 2

We had an amazing turnout at our second WRHS Job Fair on April 5th. Here are some notable takeaways from this wonderful event:

• Approximately 161 job applications were submitted to employers
• Approximately 53 job offers were made to students, with more going out closer to summer break
• The positions that were filled across the companies include: kitchen/ice cream, groundskeeper, farmhand, after-school childcare support program, grocery clerk, farmers, guest services, food/beverage team.

We are so thankful to School Counselors Mrs. Hanna and Mr. Dubzinski who organized this event and made it happen! We can't wait for next year's Job Fairs!

If you were not able to join us for our recent Early College Awareness Presentation for freshman and sophomore families on the evening of April 11th, please review the slides and audio recording (embedded in the last slides) HERE.

New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) has scheduled some college fairs that will be taking place between May and June.

Three fairs that will be held in Massachusetts

1. Monday, May 6th at Quabbin Regional High School in Barre, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
2. Tuesday, May 7th at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
3. Wednesday, May 29th at Assumption University in Worcester, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
4. Thursday, May 30th at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, 9:00 am - 10:00 am, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, and 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

If you are interested in registering or learning more information, click the link here

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) invites students and parents to explore the college search process at the NACAC National College Fair in Boston held on Thursday, May 2nd from 9 am - 12 pm and 6 pm - 8:30 pm and Friday, May 3 from 9 am - 12 pm. The fair will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and registration is free!

Highlights of this year's fair include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) focused areas, workshops covering topics such as college essays and financial aid, and access to the College Advising and Financial Aid Center.

If you register early, you can take advantage of their MatchMaking feature*. *What is MatchMaking? At the time of registration, students will select the attributes that are most important to them in a college. They will then receive an email that best matches them to the specific colleges and universities based on the criteria they provide. They will then reference this email on the day of the fair to connect with their best matches!

Complete information about the fair, including free student registration, directions, a list of colleges exhibiting at the event, and tips to help students prepare for the fair, can be found HERE.

With the weather getting warmer, spring is a great time to plan college visits! Talk with your family about visiting colleges. We have a College Visit Checklist to bring with you that can help you when you start making decisions on which colleges you want to apply to. Click here for the checklist and make sure to print it out to bring with you!

On Tuesday, March 19th, the school counselors held a presentation about financial aid and scholarships for interested senior students. The presentation slides are linked HERE for your review.

If you are still looking to apply for scholarships, be sure to visit our website to browse the many options! Many of our local scholarship deadlines are coming up fast on Friday, April 26th and Friday, May 3rd!

Have you received financial aid award letters? Going Merry has an article to help you understand your award letter. Due to the issues with the FAFSA, many schools are delaying the Decision Deadline from the typical deadline of May 1st to June 1st. Be sure to check the websites of the schools you are considering attending for their specific acceptance deadline.

If you are a senior student who applied to colleges, transcript fees are due. If you have not already paid the $12.00 transcript request fee, please do so online through RevTrak, the school's online payment system. To pay, please follow these steps:

• Go to the WRHS Online Payment Center
• Click on the Wachusett Regional High School block
• Click on the Transcripts block
• Enter Student's last name, Student's first name and student i.d. #
• Proceed to payment options (credit card)

The transcript fee will need to be paid as soon as possible in order to avoid delays in obtaining your cap and gown for graduation. Please see your school counselor with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

As April is National Stress Awareness month, we invite students and families to review this article regarding how to manage stress with the 'Four A's' - Avoid, Alter, Accept, and Adapt!

In May, we celebrate National Mental Health Awareness Month! Here at Wachusett, students will be asked to help mental awareness bloom at Wachusett by placing a paper flower on the wall outside of the auditorium with the following:

1. A healthy coping strategy that works them

2. A positive change that they could make to support their own mental wellness

3. A message of hope and support for others struggling with mental health challenges.

We can't wait to see all of the positive messages in our Wellness Garden!

Book an appointment with your counselor here!

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