Counseling Corner

Dear Families,

We hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather and time off! We've been taking some much needed breaks here and there, but we're also hard at work preparing for the fall.

To our new students and 9th grade families- WELCOME TO BHS! We look forward to meeting you in the near future. We use this monthly newsletter to keep families informed of what is going on in our office and the community as related to academic, career and social-emotional learning.

Our department works closely with one another to support you throughout your time in high school. Here are the counseling team members who will be helping you in the coming school year:

School Counselors

Mary Crelley

Maggie Klem

Mardie Vella

Jennie Viggiani (Counseling Coordinator)

Travis Figueroa

Holly Juliano

Tricia Zeller (Aspire)

College & Career Counselor

Courtney Stern

School Social Worker

Lance Mitchell

School Psychologists

Erin Merydith

Heather Gabriel

Counseling Secretaries

Jane Ingle

Marielle Ziegler

Registrars

Charlotte Kimberly-Haag

Gwendolyn Parks

Below are a few reminders from our office. We also have some great updates of things happening this summer throughout the newsletter.

• The Counseling Office is open Monday-Friday, 8am-3pm.
• Counselors and mental health staff are in regularly throughout the summer, but not every day.
• Please use the BHS Counseling Office phone number and school emails to connect with your counselor. If we are not in the office on a given day, we will get back to you as soon as we are. Contact information can be found on our website: https://bhs.bcsd.org/46697_3
• If you would like to schedule an appointment with your counselor (in-person or via Teams), you can do so using our Booking links on the Counseling Website.

We'll be back in touch with another newsletter in September after school begins. We wish you all peace and wellness, and relaxing rest of summer!

Best,

BHS Counseling Office

(585) 242-5000 x4526

We are so excited to have Maggie Klem and Mardie Vella join our Counseling team this year! Both Ms. Klem and Mrs. Vella have hit the ground running and have been in working hard already this summer. They are eager to meet their students and families.

• Ms. Klem will be taking over Mrs. Drake/Mr. DiGiacomo's caseload.
• Mrs. Vella will be taking over Mrs. Maxson's caseload.

Both of their conact information is posted on our website if you need to connect. They are a wonderful addition to our team and we look forward to welcoming them to officially welcoming them to the BHS family this fall!

9th Grade Students and NEW Transfer Students’ Orientation

Thursday September 3, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM in BHS Gym.

This orientation is for all incoming 9th grade students and transfer students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Students will meet in the BHS GYM at 8:00 AM. LINK CREW leaders will assist freshman and new students in grades 9-12 with their transition to BHS. Link Crew is a nationally recognized program that pairs high school student leaders with freshmen.

Please contact the main office if you have any questions regarding orientation.

We are proud to share our Counseling Family Night Series for this coming school year. These nights are open to all families (yes, parents/guardians and students!), but strongly suggested for certain grades (see below). With the exception of one presetnation, all are held IN PERSON at BHS. We look forward to seeing you all at these informative nights!

BHS Open House (all grades)

• September 17th
• 6pm - High School Planning Counseling Dept. Presentation
• 6:40pm - Traditional Open House Begins

BHS College Application Process (12th grade)

• September 17th
• 6:30pm

Financial Aid 101 & FAFSA Completion Workshops (12th grade)

• October 7th, 6:30pm
• December 3rd, 6:30pm

Little Known Secrets of Paying for College Webinar hosted by the College Funding Coach (6th-12th grades)

• January 28th, 6:30pm - VIRTUAL Meeting

College & Career Night (9th-11th grades)

• March 11th
• 6pm - Post-Secondary Planning Presentation (11th grade)
• 6:45pm - College & Career Night Sessions Begins

See our website for descriptions: https://bhs.bcsd.org/46748_3

We are working hard to balance student schedules and resolve student course conflicts that have developed since the creation of our master schedule.

You will be given access to view your schedules in mid-August.

Administration has asked us to limit any new adjustments to student schedules until further notice, unless a student:

• does not have enough courses to meet full-time enrollment requirements (minimum of five classes plus physical education per semester)
• is missing a required course for graduation
• has scheduled too many courses and wants to make adjustments to free up time
• is requesting a level change
• are missing Counseling Seminar- 12th & 10th- fall semester, 11th- spring semester or Link Crew - 9th - Fall semester.

Our staffing and course assignments for the school year have been determined based on student course selections from January to June 1. Due to this, we will not be able to honor requests to switch electives or select teachers. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the classes they have chosen for the first six days of classes. We greatly appreciate your understanding.

A summer edition of our Senior Newsletter will be sent to you mid-August, and we will resume weekly editions September through December. This will be packed with information and updates from our office, so be sure to read it!

We hope to see you at Senior Summer Office Hours!

This fall we will be offering Instant Decision days with 17 phenomenal institutions!

Students will have the chance to meet with an admissions representative and receive instant feedback on their application- most students will be informed of their admissions decision that day!

We will provide much more detail in Senior Seminar, but below are the general instructions. This is SUCH a great opportunity to learn more about what the college has to offer you and get some early feedback. Save the dates if you are interested!

If interested, please follow the instructions below:

1. Use the link on the Junior/Senior Information Page to sign up for your 15 min admissions appointment with any of the institutions you are interested in.
2. We encourage you to submit your college application at least 1 week prior to the instant decision date, but no worries if you can't! An official application will need to be submitted for official acceptance.
3. An admissions counselor will review your materials and could provide an admissions decision and estimate of your scholarship package that day! (some colleges may require a few additional days to process materials)
4. Please note- Geneseo, URochester & RIT are an ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW ONLY. This will be used as part of your application to be reviewed later. No decision will be made that this time. If interested in these schools, we highly recommend taking advantage of this.

Reps will be visiting in-person and virtually, and all BHS students are welcome to talk with them! Colleges have already begun to schedule appointments at BHS, so check Naviance regularly for our schedule.

• If a rep is in person, they will be in room 257 (the conference room across from the Counseling Office)
• If they are virtual, you will be able to access a link to their zoom via Naviance. You may come to the Counseling Office and we can help find you a quiet space to attend if needed.
• You will need teacher permission to attend if the visit takes place during a class.

You are welcome to sign up for as many visits as you'd like! We encourage you to sit in on the ones you know, as well as some that you've never heard of before. There are so many INCREDIBLE institutions all over the country with phenomenal opportunities. You just don't know about them yet!

When the school year starts, we will list the next week's visits in the newsletter. Be sure to check out Naviance & the College Visits page on the BHS Counseling Website for a complete list of ALL visits this season starting in September. Check often- we get new visits scheduled every day!

College Fairs at BHS!

College Admissions in the Rochester Area Fair

• Wednesday September 23rd, 7th Period
• 15 Colleges & Universities in the Rochester Area all at BHS

WNY Consortium of Higher Education

• Friday November 6th, 4th Period
• 21 Colleges & Universities will be here to chat with you!

​​​​NACAC Virtual College Fairs are a great opportunity to connect with colleges and universities from the comfort of your own home. Have a quick video chat with a representative, drop-in on a virtual presentation, send a question through the chat — make a connection your way.

Tips for making your college fair experience productive and fun:

1) Representatives from each college will be waiting to meet you! Make sure you are ready to put your best foot forward and interact with reps when visiting college booths! Not sure what to say? Here are some suggestions:

• What do students like/dislike most about your school?
• What kinds of students are happiest at your school?
• What is the average amount of student loan debt for graduates?
• If I am awarded a grant or scholarship, can I expect it to remain constant all four years (assuming my financial circumstances don’t change)?

2) Make sure to reference your College Matchmaking® email to connect with the schools that best align with your interests!

At the time of registration, you selected the attributes that were most important to you in a college. You then should have received an email that best matched specific colleges and universities to your criteria. Reference this email on the day of the fair to connect with your best fits!

Learn more about College Matchmaking®

3) Don't sweat the small stuff!

Everyone is at a different stage in their college search process. Keep an open mind and enjoy yourself. These events are all about helping you connect and learn about lots of colleges in a short amount of time to help you land at your dream school. Have a quick video chat with a rep, drop in on a virtual presentation, send a question through chat - make a connection YOUR way!

Below is the link to our BHS JOB BOARD- your new home for any information about work permits, available jobs or internship opportunities.

This will be updated weekly as opportunities come in. Check it often!!

**REMEMBER- IF YOU ARE A JUNIOR OR SENIOR, YOU CAN EARN CREDIT FOR YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE! See Mrs. Stern for more details!!

Will you be a junior or senior this fall? Please see below if you are interested in any of our WBL programs:

General Work Experience

• Have a job this summer or during the school year?
• Will you work at least 150 hours?
• Are you a rising junior or a senior?
• If you answered yes to the questions above, contact Mrs. Stern about earning HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT next year just for having a job!

Professional Internship/Job Shadowing

We can work together to figure out a career exploration plan!

For more detailed information on either programs, please check out our site: https://bhs.bcsd.org/46761_3

Email Mrs. Stern if you are interested in either of these programs.

If you have questions specific to BHS testing procedures, please reach out to Deirdre Carter: deirdre_carter@bcsd.org. As things are changing so often, please refer to the testing sites for updated information:

SAT

Collegeboard.org

• Designed to measure academic aptitude in verbal and numerical reasoning.
• Test Content: Reading, Math and Writing.

ACT

Actstudent.org

• Designed to measure academic achievement.
• Test Content: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning.

Visit www.fairtest.org for a list of colleges that do not require standardized tests. Check in with your counselor about a Fee Waiver , if needed, to help cover the costs of the exams.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (504s & IEPS)

SAT- The BHS Counseling Office applies for all College Board test mods prior to your sophomore year (this summer). If approved, these will apply to all future SAT & AP Exams

ACT- you MUST REGISTER FOR AN ACT EXAM before we can apply for your test mods. Be sure to sign up early, indicate you will be requesting accommodations, and let your counselor know ASAP so we can get them processed before the test date. This typically takes 6-8 weeks.

Remember- both College Board and ACT are private companies. They have the right to approve or deny any test modifications you may have. If you have any questions, please reach out to your counselor or College Board/ACT for more information.

If you want to build a powerful foundation for SAT & ACT success in just one day, this SAT/ACT Boot Camp is the class for you. Taught by Chariot Learning.

• July 22 and 23 from 2-5pm
• August 15 from 9am-3pm

Students can register through Brighton Community Education: https://brightonschools.revtrak.net/rw-summer-enrichment/#/list

BHS Mental Health Staff are here to support students with short-term, acute counseling as related to a child's needs in school. All students are welcome to schedule meetings with their counselor, our school psychologists or social workers at any time. Please reach out to your child's School Counselor with any concerns or questions.

Email: courtney_stern@bcsd.org
Website: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2063
Location: 1150 South Winton Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: (585) 242-5000