Counseling Updates

The Council Rock High School Program Planning Guide (PPG) for the 2026-2027 school year is now available online. It is accessible on North's home page and also by scanning the QR code in the flyer below. The information remains the same as the PPG booklet, but is more easily navigable in its new format. Read on to to find the information you need to make decisions for your course selection meeting.

The landing page for the Program Planning Guide (PPG) gives you a vertical blue menu which helps you find information easily and also lists important dates for this year's course selection season. (see below)

Grading and Requirements- This section informs how GPA and decile are calculated, as well as the requirements needed to graduate. Please note that Financial Literacy is NOT a graduation requirement for the Classes of 2027, 2028, or 2029.

State Accountability Requirements- Other than core graduation requirements, the state of Pennsylvania requires students to participate in Career Readiness Activities throughout high school and to take Keystone Exams in English, Algebra 1 and Biology.

Guidelines for Program Planning- To read about the recommendations for the course selection process, click here or scroll down further in this newsletter. This section also contains a page which lists all of the Alternate Day courses available to students.

Alternate Programs and Educational Opportunities- This page lists the various programs available to students throughout high school, such as Advanced Placement courses, programs at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, the College Accelerated Program and more!

General Information- Students who are interested in playing sports at the D1 or D2 level should review this page for NCAA requirements. Also included in this page is information on classroom materials.

Under Course Descriptions, make sure to visit the Academic Planning page to review course sequences, and the Career Preparation page to identify courses related to your future area of study in college.

Each department lists the possible Course Progressions for core classes from grade to grade as well as a list of electives. Specific information on each course can be found by clicking the other three tabs.

Finally, to translate the PPG into a different language, click on 'Select Language' in the top left corner to choose your desired language preference.

At the start of the third marking period, counselors will begin meeting with all students in grades 9, 10, and 11 to begin choosing their courses for the 2026-2027 school year. Below are the guidelines and resources for the course selection process, including links to necessary forms found here FORMS

• Please request/discuss with your teacher the most rigorous course you are considering. If it is determined that your overall course selection is too rigorous, you can always replace a class with a less rigorous course, without teacher approval; however, you cannot do the opposite! Counselors will assist you in balancing your overall course load.
• Have three elective choices ready when you meet with your counselor. Alternate day electives can be found here
• Current 11th graders who wish to take Senior Seminar next year must have a signed parent permission form from the PE department. Please bring this signed form to your course selection meeting. FORMS
• Students in current grades 10 and 11 who wish to take Critical Viewing must have a signed parent permission form from your English teacher. Please bring this signed form to your course selection meeting. FORMS
• Override forms are not distributed during course selection time. Please discuss with your teacher the criteria necessary to earn the teacher’s recommendation for a higher level class, and work hard during the 3rd marking period to demonstrate the necessary improvements. Toward the end of the third marking period, return to your teacher to discuss his/her recommendation. If the teacher recommends you for a higher level class, he/she will contact the counseling office and your counselor will make the change in your course requests. If the teacher still cannot recommend you, and you would like to override, please make an appointment with your counselor to obtain the proper form. The override window take place from March 17th-April 13th.
• Students who wish to take Physical Education/Health outside of Council Rock must fill out an Alternate Credit Approval form. No online PE classes will be accepted toward this core graduation requirement. Only live, ‘brick & mortar’, accredited movement classes that are pre-approved by the Health/PE District Curriculum Coordinator will be accepted. This form will be available in the counseling office starting January 29th.
• Students who would take a virtual class next year must have a signed permission slip. Please see your English teacher for a form and bring it to your course selection meeting. FORMS
• Students who would like to apply to the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology for the 2026-2027 school year should fill out the online application found here. Applications are due on January 31st. MBIT Application Process
• College-bound student athletes who would like to compete at a Division I or Division 2 college or university must meet certain academic requirements. Please let your counselor know of your intentions, so he/she can make sure you are enrolled in classes that meet the NCAA standards.
• Course Requests will be available in HAC on March 2nd. Students will have until April 13th to make any changes to their course requests.

Please note that April 13th will be the final opportunity to make changes in course requests.

• Keep in mind that the counseling office requires ten school days to process each transcript request. Submit your transcript requests early!
• You can keep track of your transcript requests by visiting your Naviance Student Account>colleges tab>manage transcripts.
• You must still check your college and your common application accounts to verify that all of your documents have been received.
• To send any midyear grades to your colleges, please fill out google form Midyear Grade Request Form. Midyear grades will be sent electronically to the colleges once report cards for the second marking period are released on February 12th.
• Keep your counselors informed of your admissions decisions.
• Keep a record of your scholarship offers from the various colleges. We do keep track of scholarship offers that are accepted by each senior class.

Council Rock North coordinates over 80 scholarships sponsored by local individuals, families and organizations. This list includes both need-based and non-need-based scholarships. The scholarship information and application will be available on Canvas. Seniors will receive an invitation to the Scholarship Canvas page the end of January. The application opens on February 19, 2026. Students should read the list carefully, checking to see if they meet the individual criteria for the various scholarships. The deadline for the application and all accompanying documents is March 26th at 3:00pm.

Applications for MBIT are now open for the 2026-2027 school year. Middle Bucks offers a variety of career, technical and pre-professional courses of study. Students who are interested in attending this three-year program must complete an online application. Selection is based on prerequisites, transcript, aptitude, interest, attendance and a personal statement. Students who would like to shadow a program should fill out this MBIT Shadow Request form. To access the MBIT Program of Studies and the application, visit MBIT Application Process. The application deadline is January 31, 2026.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that every student complete career competencies throughout high school. As a 10th grader, there are three brief surveys that are required as a part of this program, which will assist you in identifying potential careers. We ask that you complete these surveys by logging onto your Naviance account Naviance Log On Directions.

To access the surveys, please view the directions here Career Planning Worksheet.

The surveys are brief, and should not take long. We ask that you complete these surveys prior to your course selection appointment with your counselor in February.

If you have any questions accessing Naviance or any of these tasks, please come down to the Counseling Office or contact Ms. DeGulis, cdegulis@crsd.org, for assistance.

Counselors have been meeting with juniors on the college exploration process. This information is available to parents through the following Power Point presentation here: Postsecondary Options

Juniors who are interested in taking the SAT or the ACT this spring should review the upcoming dates and registration deadlines. The SAT and the ACT are two standardized tests that assess students’ abilities in the critical reading, math and writing skills that students will need in college. Students typically take one or both of these exams during their junior year. Registration for these exams are online at the links provided below, not in the Counseling Office. If you are unsure about when you should take any of these tests, please schedule an appointment with your counselor.

Registration

SAT Registration, Dates & Deadlines

ACT Registration, Dates & Deadlines

January 28 End of the Second Marking Period

January 29-March 6 Course Selection Meetings for 9th, 10th, 11th graders

February 12 Second Marking Period Report Cards open in HAC

February 19 Senior scholarship application available on Scholarship Canvas Page

March 3 Third Marking Period Interims open in HAC

March 12 College Panel at Council Rock High School South

March 26 Senior Scholarship Applications due

April 13 End of the Third Marking Period

April 13 Last day to make changes in course requests for the 2026-2027 school year

Maureen Auerbach, Counselor, maureen.auerbach@crsd.org

Joseph Demaio, Counselor, jdemaio@crsd.org

Stephen Hrabyk, Counselor, stephen.hrabyk@crsd.org

Lori Katz, Counselor, lori.katz@crsd.org

Bryan McKeever, Counselor, bryan.mckeever@crsd.org

Cristina Rabayda, Counselor, crabayda@crsd.org

Abby Rogers, Counselor, arogers@crsd.org

Leigh Ann Doyle, CARES, ldoyle@crsd.org

Stephanie Warshaw, CARES/Social Worker, swarshaw@crsd.org

Cindy Degulis, Secretary, cdegulis@crsd.org

Ann Grace, Secretary, agrace@crsd.org

Kathy Moritz, Secretary, kmoritz@crsd.org

Website: https://www.crsd.org/Page/59345
Location: 62 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-944-1317