September 2025 Newsletter

• September Calendar at a Glance
  
• Counselor Assignments
• Meet our new School Counselor Ms. Grossman and Counseling Intern Mr. Manning!
• AP Exam Schedule
• PSAT Information
• Class Updates
• Mental Health Resources
• College & Career Resources

Ms. Grossman is our new School Counselor who has taken over Mrs. McLaughlin's caseload. We are so excited to have her on our team!

A bit more about Ms. Grossman!

What inspired you to become a school counselor, and what do you enjoy most about working with students?

I was inspired to become a school counselor by the many dedicated educators I've worked with over the years. I love working with others and meeting students! I especially love working with high school students by helping them explore their future goals and building meaningful relationships along the way.

What’s one fun fact or hobby you have outside of school that students might not expect?

One fun fact about me is that I am terrified of heights, but I have been skydiving twice. My hobby is photography and I love jigsaw puzzles.

What is one piece of advice you would give to students as they begin (or continue) their high school journey?

One piece of advice I would give to students is to go outside of your comfort zone. Try a new club or activity because you may enjoy it more than you thought.

Where are you from, and where did you go to college (or where are you currently studying)?

I am from Boxborough, went to Acton- Boxborough! Went to Roger Williams University and then Merrimack College for my masters in education.

Mr. Manning is our new School Counselor intern. He will be helping us through the end of this year!

A bit more about Mr. Manning:

What inspired you to become a school counselor, and what do you enjoy most about working with students?

I noticed when I worked in schools a lot of kids opened up to me about their stories and the good and bad times in their life. It meant a lot to me that kids trusted me and I loved supporting them in whatever way I could.

What’s one fun fact or hobby you have outside of school that students might not expect?

I work as a professional actor and singer sometimes when I am not working in school!

What is one piece of advice you would give to students as they begin (or continue) their high school journey?

Be true to you. I remember in high school there was so much pressure to do all kinds of activities and take classes that would ensure I was an impressive student who would "look good" to colleges. Follow the things you love and enjoy. Take the classes that are right for you. If you are excited and happy your life will turn out just the way it should.

Where are you from, and where did you go to college (or where are you currently studying)?

I am from Westford. I graduated from WA 14 years ago! I got my bachelors at UConn and am getting my masters now from Merrimack College.

AP TEST REGISTRATION 2026

GOOGLE CLASSROOM JOIN CODE: cw2bript

TR Registration Deadlines:

• Regular Registration begins September 1, 2025

• Regular Registration ends September 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM

• Late Registration ($10 late fee) begins October 1, 2025

• Registration ENDS October 15, 2025 at 11:59PM. NO EXCEPTIONS.

CollegeBoard/My AP Classroom Deadlines:

• Students must be connected to their AP Classroom(s) no later than 10/30/25.

Students are expected to take the AP Exam for ALL AP courses for which they are enrolled. If there are extenuating circumstances, please reach out to the AP Coordinators, Mrs. Leah Birnkrant and Mr. Brian Doherty.

**We recognize that some students choose to self-study for exams. Please note that self-studying should not be prioritized over courses offered at WA and is not recorded on your WA transcript/school records. Additionally, each college determines what scores are required to earn credit at their school, while others do not take any APs as credit.

STEP 1

REGISTER/PAY ON TOTAL REGISTRATION:

All AP Exam registrations and payments will be completed online via Total Registration. To access the site, go to: www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/222335

**If you registered for an exam last year, you will not need to create a new account. Log in with last year’s information.

STEP 2

REGISTER ON MYAP AT COLLEGE BOARD:

After registering for the exam on TR, students will receive a confirmation that includes a code for each exam for which they have registered. THESE CODES ARE SPECIFIC TO YOUR TEACHER AND THE PARTICULAR BLOCK YOU ARE IN. If you are self-studying for an exam, you should choose “Ind. Study”. Students will need to use this code to sign up for the College Board’s AP online classrooms. Please see the attached instruction sheet for more information.

COST:

The 2026 exam fees are $110 per exam. No exams will be ordered without payment - students can pay online using a credit/debit card or can mail a check to Total Registration. Partial refunds are available from November 15 - March 31 ($70). Starting April 1, all payments are non-refundable. Students who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch can receive a fee reduction for the exam - please check the appropriate box during registration.

On Saturday, October 18, 2025 from 8:00am-11am (students arrive between 7:30-7:45am), the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) will be administered to interested sophomores and juniors at Westford Academy. The PSAT/NMSQT is suited for those students who have already completed Geometry.

Registration opens for the PSATs through Total Registration on Wednesday, 9/3 at 3pm and closes on Wednesday, 9/17 promptly at 3pm. Late registrations will not be accepted.

Please note that we have fully transitioned to the digital version. There are deadlines we need to meet to upload our registration file to CollegeBoard and to complete a digital readiness test. Due to all these additional steps, there will be no exceptions for late registrations.

Seniors & Parents/Caregivers: We hope you had a wonderful summer and welcome to senior year! We are excited to work with you throughout the post-secondary planning process.

Please read this entire document HERE as it has a lot of important information.

The Counseling Department will present a Senior Parent/Caregiver College Application Seminar which outlines the college process on Wednesday, September 10th at 6:30pm in the Performing Arts Center at WA. The seniors will receive the same presentation during the school day.

After these presentations, seniors can begin to schedule individual senior meetings with their counselor. While we meet with the students alone in the fall, parents/caregivers should feel free to email your school counselor with any questions.

Save the date! The WA Counseling Department will be offering a College Affordable financial aid presentation on October 1st at 6:30pm in the PAC. More information to follow.

WA is excited to announce our continued partnership with College Affordable, an organization dedicated to helping Westford families navigate the financial aid process with personalized support. The Executive Director of College Affordable will be joining our Senior Parent/Caregiver College Application Seminar on September 11th 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/

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.

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.

It was great to meet you during advisory on 8/27! As a reminder, please be sure to fill out the freshmen survey to help your counselor get to know you a bit more.

Grade 9 PE and health classes will be visiting the counseling office on 9/3, 9/4 and 9/5. Please go to your assigned class and your teacher will send you down to meet with your school counselor.

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

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. Families can now also request a referral here.

Access Cartwheel's Back to School Activity Bundle HERE

The parent support group, Westford Supportive Parent Solutions, is meeting the 3rd Tuesday of every month 6:30pm – 8:00pm, beginning September 16th. 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.

Stay tuned for upcoming bryt parent/caregiver speaker series!

Need additional support? Check out our Family Support Resources

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.

For more information, please see HERE.

College Admissions Rep Visits start 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

September 13, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 8/29/25 & late registration 9/2/25

October 4, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 9/19/25 & late registration 9/23/25

November 8, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 10/24/25 & late registration 10/28/25

December 6, 2025 test date

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

Register for SAT tests here

ACT

June 14, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 5/9/25 & late registration 5/26/25

July 12, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 6/6/25 & late registration 6/20/25

September 6, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 8/1/25 & late registration 8/19/25

October 18, 2025 test date

Deadline for registration 9/12/25 & late registration 9/30/25

December 13, 2025 test date

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

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

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 Form Coming Soon!

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced that the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA® form) is in beta for early testing and will be available to everyone by Oct. 1, 2025. 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