November 2026 Newsletter

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

Free tutoring by National Honor Society members for Westford Academy students will begin October 6th in the WA library. No appointments necessary. Come by if you need a helping hand. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursdays - starting right after school - 2:30- 3:20

November is National Career Development Month, making it the perfect time to start thinking about what comes after high school. Whether you are a freshman just beginning to explore your interests or a senior preparing for your next big step, taking control of your future doesn't have to happen all at once—it starts with small, intentional actions.

Your future starts now—let’s make it count! 🚀

💡 3 Ways to Take Action This Month

• Take a career interest survey! O*Net Online, CareerOneStop , Career Search

• Schedule a Job Shadow: Spending a few hours shadowing a professional is one of the best ways to see what a job actually looks like day-to-day.

• Volunteering and Local Internships: Build soft skills and test out industries by volunteering with local non-profits or finding a local business to intern with.

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

• 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.

• 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 for a non-commonapp school.
• 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.

Many questions have come up regarding SCOIR's predictive chances. Please note that these projections are calculated using national data, test scores, and demographic information; they do not incorporate or reflect WA-specific data.

When evaluating whether a college is a reach, target, or comfortable option, we strongly encourage referencing the scattergrams for more relevant insight. While no tool can guarantee admission outcomes, scattergrams generally offer a clearer and more helpful picture than the general predictive chances.

Scattergrams and predictive chances also do not account for major, meaning a college that might be a target for one major can become a reach for a more competitive major (nursing, engineering, etc).

Please see your counselor with any questions!

Individual Senior Meetings:

Our meeting will last approximately one hour. Students: please book 1-hour time slots. Please make sure your senior data sheet is complete before you sign up! Please select your counselor’s booking link below to schedule your senior meeting:

Mr. Greg Speliotis

Mrs. Susan Lynch

Mrs. Nikki Morrissey (Mr. Doherty's caseload)

Mrs. Samantha DeMagistris

Ms. Jenna Grossman

Mrs. Heidi Hider

Mrs. Lauren Clark

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

Save the Date: Junior Parent/Caregiver Post-Secondary Planning Presentation - February 10 at 6pm!

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

High school juniors interested in STEM research can apply for the prestigious Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University. High schools may nominate up to 3 students, so if you are interested, please fill out this google form. This will be a lottery. Please fill out by December 1 if you are interested in being selected. Learn more on the Simons SRP Application Page.

In an effort to promote the health and well-being of students at Westford Academy, students will be periodically provided with two screeners: (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale/GAD-7 and the Patient Health Questionnaire/PHQ-9). These scales assess symptoms of anxiety and depression. The information gained will support the school's ability to provide comprehensive and timely support for your child if they require assistance. Students can opt-out of filling out any questionnaire, survey, or screener that they are not interested in taking and you can opt-out your child at any time by contacting your child's school counselor. We are committed to ensuring your child is supported academically, socially, and emotionally, and we look forward to partnering with each of you towards achieving this goal.

Juniors are scheduled to take the screeners during the November 18 advisory.

Please review the Class of 2029 timeline for an overview of what to expect during sophomore year.

Looking for a job? There is an online job board for help! Here is information about Work Permits

During the first advisory, Mr. Spelitois presented to students about the transition to Westford Academy. Here is a copy of the presentation also posted in the counseling google classroom.

Please review the Class of 2030 Timeline for an overview of what to expect during freshman year.

Westford Academy has partnered with Cartwheel Care for the 2026–2027 school year. Cartwheel offers telehealth mental health services for students and parents/caregivers. Here is the family interest form.

Upcoming Cartwheel Webinars

Helping Kids Get Started: Supporting Motivation for School, Homework, and Learning

• November 18, 2026 l 7pm ET

• December 9, 2026 | 7pm ET

*Recordings of past webinars are also available*

Cartwheel has expanded their Care Programs with new specialized support for Screens & Social Media and Big Behaviors, Big Feelings, alongside our existing School Avoidance Program. View more information about each program here.

Services include teletherapy, family check-ins, and psychiatric care with licensed clinicians—no waitlists, no hassle. Learn more in the Cartwheel FAQ handout.

For questions, contact your student’s school counselor.

Life can be tough, especially for our kids. You might be noticing your child is struggling in new ways, or that old problems are getting worse. But what can you do right now to help your child with their mental health? We’ve curated a collection of resources that you can try at home today and organizations that we know can help. Learn more here!

NAMI Family Support Groups are free groups for family members, friends, and other caregivers of people diagnosed with mental health conditions. Family Support Groups provide a nonjudgmental environment where caregivers can discuss concerns, learn about local resources, and benefit from one another’s collective knowledge and experience. Learn more here!

Direction’s programs offer mental health services for children and teens to improve how kids with a variety of differences and challenges improve their function at school, home, in sports, and in groups. They offer weekly free parenting groups. Learn more here!

InStride Health offers specialized outpatient care for kids, teens, and young adults struggling with anxiety and OCD. Their evidence-based treatment combines CBT and ACT with a focus on exposure therapy, and families can typically begin care within 1–4 weeks. Each personalized care plan includes therapy, exposure coaching, parent and skills groups, and, if needed, medication management.

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.

No matter your age or income – community college is now free in Massachusetts! 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.

*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.

For more information, please see HERE.

Admission representatives from colleges and universities across the U.S. and around the world will be ready to connect with you at these upcoming NACAC Virtual College Fairs:

November Virtual College Fair
Sunday, November 8, 2026
1:00–6:00 p.m. ET
Register: https://www.nacacattend.org/26virtualnov8/begin

Take this opportunity to learn what skills are needed to succeed in the trade program of your choice as well as gain insight into future career opportunities by joining us at 350 University Ave in Westwood, MA on November 21st from 9am-12pm. Our classrooms and labs will be open for demonstrations and instructors will be available to answer questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Explore the Trades registration link

SAT

Nov 7, 2026 test date

Registration closed

Dec 5, 2026 test date

Deadline for registration 11/20/26 & late registration 11/24/26

March 6, 2027 test date

Deadline for registration 2/19/27 & late registration 2/23/27

May 1, 2027 test date

Deadline for registration 4/16/27 & late registration 4/20/27

June 5, 2027 test date

Deadline for registration 5/21/27 & late registration 5/25/27

Register for SAT tests here

ACT

Register for ACT tests here

Free Practice SAT/ACT tests

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

CollegeBoard: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/practice/practice-tests

ACT: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/free-act-test-prep.html

Explore resources to support students with learning differences, ADHD, and IEPs, including accommodations, organization, self-advocacy, and academic success.

WA Resources

Colleges with Strong Learning Support Services

Colleges for students with Learning Disabilities, AD/HD, and other disabilities

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
• Westfield 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/massachusetts-state-seal-biliteracy

College Affordable:

College Affordable, an organization dedicated to helping Westford families navigate the financial aid process with personalized support, has partnered with WA. College Affordable presented to WA families last month. Here is a copy of the presentation.

For additional information on family registration and free monthly webinars, please visit the links below:

November 12 @ 6:30 pm: Dissecting Financial Aid Offers

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 available now!

Click here for more information: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support

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