November 2025 Newsletter

• November Calendar at a Glance
  
• Counselor Assignments
• Class Updates
• Mental Health Resources
• College & Career Resources

Due to the federal government shutdown, it is likely that November SNAP benefits for all recipients will not be sent.

Clients facing immediate need can access resources through the Project Bread Food Source Hotline at (800) 645-8333 and local food pantries. DTA offices remain open to provide other services.

State funded programs including HIP, TAFDC, and EAEDC will continue operating normally. EBT cards will continue to function in November with any carryover benefits, though no new funds will be added.

You can find more information on mass.gov/SNAPupdates and additional resources here. Here is a link for Food Banks and Free Meals.

Reminders:

• You should submit your application when you are ready - you do not have to wait for your school counselor to send your records.

• Don't forget to pay the one-time $8 transcript processing fee - you can pay here or cash to Mrs. Willsie

• Each college will most likely send you a login for an application portal. Please make sure to login and track the document status from the colleges’ side.

• You can see when a document was sent in your “My Colleges” section if you click on the college's tile. From there, scroll down and find the Application Document Status section.
• Please check SCOIR to see the dates when your counselor submitted the supporting documents and contact the college directly if it's been three weeks from the application deadline and the college is still telling you a document is missing. Please be patient!
• Make sure once you apply to a school, it is moved to the applied column.
• When you hear back from the college regarding their decision - accept, deny, defer, waitlist - please enter that into SCOIR as well.
• Due to the integration of SCOIR and the Common Application, quarter 1 grades will be available to all Common App colleges on your list. Whether or not colleges decide to access them would depend on each school’s policy.
• If submitting test scores, you must send from CollegeBoard or ACT directly.

The annual AFL-CIO Scholarship and Labor Education Program is in its 68th year. Through the program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and affiliated unions are proud to award financial resources to high school students pursuing trade union programs or college/university study.

The AFL-CIO offers an exam for their annual scholarship, if interested, please register by Dec 19th. The deadline is firm, and no late registrations will be accepted. To qualify students must be a senior in high school, fill out the online application and take the exam.

The scholarship exam info is below.
Exam Registration here: https://massaflcio.org/scholarships
A study guide is available: https://www.learnlaborhistory.com/

The exam consists of 30 multiple choice questions and one written essay. All questions will be selected from the information in the study guide.
Location/time/Date : TBD

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Mr. Doherty - Counseling Department

Individual Senior Meetings:

Our meeting will last approximately one hour. Students: please book 1-hour time slots. Please select your counselor’s booking link below to schedule your senior meeting:

Mrs. Leah Birnkrant

Schedule Senior Meeting with Mrs. Birnkrant

Mrs. Susan Lynch

Schedule Senior meeting with Mrs. Lynch

Mr. Brian Doherty

Schedule Senior meeting with Mr. Doherty

Mrs. Samantha DeMagistris

Schedule Senior Meeting with Mrs. DeMagistris

Ms. Jenna Grossman

Schedule Senior Meeting with Ms. Grossman

Mrs. Heidi Hider

Schedule Senior Meeting with Mrs. Hider

Mrs. Lauren Clark

Schedule Senior Meeting with Mrs. Clark

Please review the Class of 2026 Senior Timeline for an overview of what to expect during senior year.

Here is webinar featuring Rick Clark from Georgia Tech entitled The Truth About College Admission. The webinar will take place on Thursday, November 13th at 7PM EST.

Please review the Class of 2027 Junior Timeline for an overview of what to expect during junior year.

Please review the Class of 2028 Sophomore Timeline for an overview of what to expect during sophomore year.

Please review the Class of 2029 Freshman Timeline for an overview of what to expect during freshman year.

Here is a link to the presentation by Mr. Manning, Counseling Intern, in the First Advisory

WA School Counseling Website

This month is dedicated to exploring your future! National Career Development Month is the perfect time to learn more about different careers, set goals, and discover what paths match your interests and strengths. Take advantage of job shadows, career fairs, and career surveys. Your future starts now—let’s make it count!

Career Surveys & Resources

O*Net

Career One Stop

Senior Capstone -- more information coming soon!

Westford Academy has partnered with Cartwheel Care for the 2025-2026 school year. Cartwheel is a mental health service available via telehealth to students and parents/caregivers. For more information, please see Cartwheel FAQ handout here.

If you think your child could benefit from some extra support during this back-to-school season, visit: https://www.cartwheel.org/families to learn more about how Cartwheel partners with schools to support students and families. Family interest form can be found here.

Check out the first webinar of the 2025-2026 school year: How Parents & Caregivers Can Support Kids' Mental Health

If you have any questions, you can also reach out to your student's school counselor.

The parent support group, Westford Supportive Parent Solutions, is meeting the 3rd Tuesday of every month 6:30pm – 8:00pm. The group will be held at the Roudenbush Community Center, 3rd floor Recreation Department. The attached flyer has additional details.

The Massachusetts Partnership for Youth (MPY) Parenting Solutions has created a list of proven resources to help students' families thrive. Parents can watch or just listen to experts who get right to the point solving big and small challenges. Each Library includes 10-minute videos and handouts.

Click HERE to access the videos and handouts in each library.

Parents Supporting Parents: Family Learning Sessions held first Tuesday of the month from 7-8pm

Need additional support? Check out our Family Support Resources

Learn how to strengthen communication with your teen through active listening. This Newport Academy article shares five practical tips to help parents/caregivers build trust, empathy, and stronger connections.

No matter your age or income – community college is now free in Massachusetts if you have earned your high school diploma! The MassEducate and MassReconnect programs allow all Massachusetts residents who have not yet earned a bachelor's degree to attend a MA community college for free. No tuition. No fees.

For more information, please see HERE.

*There is a fee to enroll in a dual enrollment class as a WA student. Here is a link to learn about the dual enrollment program through WA.

College Admissions Rep Visits started the week of 9/15.

100+ Colleges and Universities are scheduled already with more every day!

Many of you have already received notification that one of your schools is visiting. You must register on SCOIR to take part.

Maximum in-person during school visits per senior: 8

No limit on afterschool virtual visits

Late requests are only accommodated if there is an extra seat that day. If you register but cannot attend, please reach out to Mrs. Willsie in the counseling office.

SAT

November 8, 2025 test date

Registration deadline closed

December 6, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 11/21/25 & late registration 11/25/25

March 14, 2026 test date

Deadline for registration 2/27/26 & late registration 3/3/2026

Register for SAT tests here

ACT

December 13, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 11/7/25 & late registration 11/24/25

February 14, 2026 test date

Deadline for registration 1/9/27 & late registration 1/23/26

Register for ACT tests here

Free Practice SAT/ACT tests

Summit Educational Group: http://www.mytutor.com/students/practice-tests/ma

Kaplan: https://www.kaptest.com/sat/free/sat-practice

The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) will take place on Friday, January 9, 2025 at 7:30 am in the Lecture Hall. This is open for students in grades 10-12.

For more information, or to sign up, please contact Mr. Doherty in the Counseling Department (bdoherty@westfordk12.us).

The ASVAB is an aptitude test that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success for military careers.

The ASVAB Career Exploration Website (test takers are given access after they finish the test):

https://www.asvabprogram.com/. The ASVAB Program is widely used as a career aptitude test and the government has created a great career research website that test takers may review their results on and research career pathways that match their interests and aptitudes.

Westford Academy is proud to participate in the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy program. The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded at graduation to seniors who demonstrate literacy in two or more languages, a partner language as well as English. Please note that the partner language does not have to be one that a student has studied in the Westford Public Schools. The Seal of Biliteracy Program encourages students to develop their language skills and expand their cultural understandings to be better prepared to enter the workforce and contribute to a global society. Please see HERE for more information regarding the program and for information about how seniors can apply to take the qualifying language exams. Students must begin by filling out the application form located on the World Language Department page on the Westford Academy website by TBD.

The following colleges and universities have established policies to award college credit for the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy:

State Universities

• Worcester State University
• Bridgewater State University
• Salem State University

Community Colleges

• Bunker Hill Community College (PDF)
• Cape Cod Community College
• Massachusetts Bay Community College
• Middlesex Community College
• Mount Wachusett Community College
• North Shore Community College
• Northern Essex Community College

Bentley

If you have been awarded The Seal of Biliteracy in any foreign language, you may be awarded Intermediate Modern Language credit at Bentley. If you have been awarded the Seal of Biliteracy with distinction, you may be awarded Intermediate Modern Language II credit at Bentley.

https://www.bentley.edu/undergraduate/advanced-standing-credit

UMass Amherst

Beginning Fall 2024, UMass Amherst will award 12 credits for the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy and 15 credits for the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction.

https://www.umass.edu/registrar/students/transfer-information/massachusetts-state-seal-biliteracy

https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/learning-support-services

https://www.concordspedpac.org/Colleges-Disabilities.html

College Affordable:

College Affordable, an organization dedicated to helping Westford families navigate the financial aid process with personalized support, has partnered with WA. The Executive Director of College Affordable will be joining our Senior Parent/Caregiver College Application Seminar on September 10th to give a brief overview of their services. For additional information on family registration and free monthly webinars, please visit the links below:

https://collegeaffordable.org/westfordacademy/

https://collegeaffordable.org/webinar-schedule/

MEFA

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority is a state run organization, committed to helping students and their families plan, save, and pay for college and reach financial goals

Families can view webinar dates and times and register HERE. Webinars will be recorded and posted online for families who are unable to attend a live event.

TUITION BREAK PROGRAM

NEBHE’s Tuition Break program, the New England Regional Student Program (RSP), provides significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England and pursue approved programs.

FAFSA 2026-2027 is now AVAILABLE!

The 2026–27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is now available to everyone. Click here for more information: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support

Outside Scholarship Listing (updated often)

Follow us on Instagram for important updates @wa_counseling

Email: laurenclark@westfordk12.us
Website: https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/counseling-department
Location: 30 Patten Road, Westford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-692-5570