Sept/Oct Counseling Newsletter

We hope everyone had a fun and restful summer break and that everyone is acclimating nicely to the new school year! The counseling department is here to support students with academic, college/career and personal/social concerns. Please be sure to reach out when needed and take a moment to review this newsletter which will be shared in Mr. Covert's BULLetin and updated monthly. Looking forward to a great year ahead!

We have some udpates to the counselor caseloads. Please see below...

Counselor Caseloads:

Ms. Slezak- Last names A-F

Ms. Zegers-Last names G-Mi

Ms. Sanacore- Last names Mo-R

Ms. Jahries- Last names S-Z

Ms. Kovack- College and Career

Student Records: Cathy Schene cschene@bcps.org

Office Secretary: Janie Bennett jbennett4@bcps.org

1. Make an appointment through Microsoft Bookings (can be found in counselors email signature or by scanning QR code below).

2. Come to the counseling office and schedule an appointment with your counselor through the counseling secretary, Ms. Bennett

3. Send your counselor a Schoology message to request an appointment.

• Resume
• Parent Reflection
• Transcript Release Form (also known as the “green paper”)
• Recommendation Letter Brag Sheet (submitted through your caseload counselor’s link)

We strongly recommend getting started on these ASAP if haven't already begun.
All materials should be submitted no later than September 19th.

📌 Please Note: You will not be able to meet with your school counselor until all of this information is received.

Information about letters of recommendation!

Students who have contacted teachers can add/send requests for their (2) teacher recommendations. Note this is in addition to selecting the school counselor. Ms. Sanacore's seniors should select the counselor assigned to them for senior planning.

Questions about Xello? Please refer to the Xello folder under "Resources" in the class Schoology group. This folder will be updated regularly!

1. One on one meetings with counselor in the fall

2. College Bootcamp sessions everyday during enrichment

3. Classroom lessons through English classes in September

Senior College Information Night: Took place on Thursday, September 17th at 6pm. See attachments below for a copy of the presentation and resources shared.

Financial Aid Information Night: BCPS will be hosting multiple in person and online sessions in lieu of each high school having their own night. See flier below for details.

FAFSA Help Sessions:

We will offer a couple times for parents to come into the school and have support with completing the FAFSA. These dates are TBD. Stay tuned! Keep in mind, the FAFSA will open on October 1, 2025

CCBC Update!

BCPS is proud to announce the continuation of the Direct Admit partnership with CCBC. ALL graduating seniors now have a smoother, faster and more accessible path to early acceptance at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) through a partnership called Direct Admit. This opportunity provides a simplified path to early admission, information, resources, and financial aid and streamlines the admission process at CCBC. For most students, CCBC tuition will be low-cost or free!

What if one of your college options was already waiting for you? Follow the steps below to begin the process!

Watch this video!

Now, CHECK YOUR BCPS EMAIL. You have an important email waiting for you!

1. Open the Google browser; two tabs will pop up automatically. The second tab is the Apps Dashboard (myapps.microsoft.com).

2. Click on the Apps Dashboard tab.

3. Find the Outlook tile in the list of apps.

4. Select the Outlook tile. This will automatically open your BCPS email account.

5. Look for an email from directadmit@ccbcmd.edu.

6. Open the Direct Admit email and follow the instructions.

You have an important message waiting for you with information about Direct Admit to CCBC — an exciting opportunity that can give you a simpler path to college, career training, and your future.

Students who watch the video, check their BCPS email and complete the CCBC survey through the imbedded link in the email, will be eligible for a special senior giveaway!

So don't wait. Your future is calling – check your BCPS email to start your journey.

The School Counseling Department would like to remind parents/guardians to be sure to access to our career and college planning tool called Xello (zell-o). Xello resources will be integrated into school counseling lessons in grades 9-12 and is an essential tool for the college application process. Students already have access to Xello through the apps portal in BCPS.

The Counseling Department will store important information in each class Schoology group under the "Resources" tab on the left. Simply click on the purple School Counseling folder to access relevant resources for each grade level (i.e. appointment information, senior packet, etc...)

Hereford High School will again be hosting a College and Career Fair. Be sure to save the date of Tuesdaay, October 27th during periods 1, 2 and enrichment. Last year, we hosted approximately 50 different college, career and military representatives to speak with our students. We are excited to host this awesome event again!

If your student would like to attend, they must see Mrs. Kovack for a permission form and registration details.

Counselors will be visiting the classrooms in the month of September.

9th grade: Counselor introductions and information about how the counselors support students

12th grade: Post-high school planning and the college application process.

9th/10th Grade Post High School Planning Parent Night - October 8th @6pm

12th grade Senior College and Career Information Night- September 17th @6pm

Scan QR code on flier to learn more and register.