PARENTS, BE ADVISED
A NEWSLETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF SCHOOL AND COLLEGE COUNSELING
William McMurray, Director 978-587-8311
WCM@Fenwick org
Mary Lou McLaughlin, Associate Director 978-587-8316
MLM@Fenwick org
Ellen Boucher Counselor 978-587-8314
EB@Fenwick org
Katie Conroy, Counselor 978-587-8303
KGC@Fenwick org
Donna Langer, Administrative Assistant 978-587-8313
DML@Fenwick org
978-587-8310
COUNSELING@FENWICK.ORG
Welcome to the inaugural issue of School and College Counseling department's newsletter. Each month we hope to share with you timely insights and helpful articles that are relevant to the school life of the students in all four grades. We also hope you will get a sense of the many things we do to support and encourage our advisees throughout their years at Fenwick
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE COUNSELING FOUR-YEAR GRID
WhatStudentsAreDoingNow:
Completeapplications.
UpdateNaviancewiththedecisionresults.
ApplyforScholarships–availableontheCounselingResourceBoard. Meetwithyourcounselor.
UpdatetheteacherwhowroteyouanAcademicRecommendation.
AttendAdmittedStudentDays
FinishTrimester2STRONG! SELFCARE–Practicemindfulness.
WhatParentsCanDoToSupport:
Continuetosupportyourstudentthroughtheapplicationprocess. Choosingwhichschoolis thebestmatchcanbethemoststressful,nexttowaitingforadecision.
Encouragestudentstodecluttertheirschedulesandallowformindfulness.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST FOR PARENTS:
COMBATTING SENIORITIS Many high school seniors feel it is acceptable to put less effort into their schoolwork once they get to their spring term, especially if they have been admitted to college. There can be serious consequences to a significant drop in grades in the second half of the year, both in terms of the security of admission decisions, and in the student’s lack of readiness to handle college work the following year. This article from US News & World Report has some good insights into dealing with the “disease” senioritis:
How to Fight Senioritis and Get to Graduation - Click Here for full article
UNDERSTANDING COLLEGE COSTS
Once admitted to a college, students and families are presented with a detailed overview of the charges and credits that will be included in the total cost of attending that college for the first year. Whether the student applied for financial assistance or not, understanding the differences in college financial packages and the actual out-of-pocket costs can be challenging. This live virtual session sponsored by Sallie Mae offers some helpful suggestions to parents for comparing and evaluating college options from the financial point of view. You must register in advance.
Navigating Financial Aid Offers (Wednesday, February 22 at 7 pm ET): Click Here to Register
What Students Are Doing Now:
Register for the SAT’s with the College Board. Register for the ACT’s with the ACT. Review PSAT’s and review for SAT’s using Kahn Academy Prep (free through the College Board Account)
In Seminar: How to Prep for Visiting Colleges
Read Course Descriptions and prepare for course scheduling, 2023-24. Attend College Fairs – listed on the Counseling Resource Board
If you wish to play a sport for a college, be sure to see your Counselor.
Consider summer courses at colleges – list is updated daily on the School Counseling Resource Board
Finish Trimester 2 strong!
What Parents Can Do To Support:
Plan the logistics of visits to colleges.Student should always contact the schools. Review Course Descriptions with your student for senior year. Consider a summer program for your students.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST FOR PARENTS:
College Planning 101:
A Guide to Help Your Child Find the Right School With Minimal Stress · This article from a Columbus Monthly magazine offers some good perspective and tips for parents just beginning the college search.
College Planning 101: A Guide to Help Your Child Find the Right School With Minimal Stress
Click Here
College Visits
The following 2 articles offer outstanding suggestions for planning, conducting, and evaluating visits to college campuses:
How to Plan & Prepare for Your College Visit
Click Here
Don’t Waste Your College Visit: Ask The Right Questions
Click Here
What Students Are Doing Now:
Reviewing PSAT results.
Preparing for upcoming scheduling by: Reading the Course Description Book
Discussing with their teachers a good course and course level match for next year. Attending College Fairs for information on colleges of interest – check the Counseling Resource Board
Consider Summer Programs – check the Counseling Resource Board
In March, Counselors will meet one on one with their advisees to discuss course requests for the 20223-24 academic year. Information will be provided after February vacation.
Finish Trimester 2 Strong!!!!
What Parents Can Do To Support:
Review your student’s PSAT results with them
Read the Course Description Book available on the Resource Board Plan with your student to attend College Fairs in the area. These are listed on the School Counseling Resource Board.
Summer programs for high school students are added to the list on the Resource Board as they come in.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST FOR PARENTS:
Play Sports in College·
If your child is interested in playing a sport(s) in college, there are a number of things to keep in mind regarding preparation. This piece provides a good overview of what prospective college studentathletes can do to make sure they are maximizing the opportunities.
Play Sports in College
Click Here
Mystery of the Teenage Brain·
Attend a College Fair ·
This short article gives an overview of how to make the most of a college fair, whether in-person or virtual. College fairs can be critical first steps in discovering schools you might not know about that could be tremendous fits for your child.
Attend a College Fair
https://www.linkforcounselors.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/03/college-fair-mag.pdf
This transcription of a conversation from an episode of the Chasing Life podcast, featuring Dr. Sanjay Gupta, highlights some of the challenges teenagers face that make working (and living!) with them difficult.
Mystery of the Teenage Brain
https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/chasing-life/episodes/3bc9efc0-9b20-4dec-a515-af9a012429e3
What Students Are Doing Now:
Review PSAT results.
Preparation for requesting courses to be taken in the school year 2023-24. Read the Course Description Book available online.
Students talk with current teachers concerning their recommendation for next year within the department.
What Parents Can Do To Support:
Consider summer programs – available on the School Counseling Resource Board. Finish Trimester 2 academically strong! Review the PSAT results with your student. Read the Course Description Book for course sequence and credits required. Consider enrolling your student in a summer program – many are being added daily to our Resource Board.
Encourage your student to finish Trimester 2 strong!
ARTICLES OF INTEREST FOR PARENTS:
In addition to academic learning in the classroom, preparation for higher education involves acquiring essential “young adult skills” in time management, prioritization, and situation-appropriate communication. These articles address various aspects of teenagers’ use (and misuse) of technology and social media. We hope you find the information helpful.
Teens and Social Media Use
This article from the Mayo Clinic points to many of the potential benefits and negative impacts associated with social media usage patterns.
Teens and social media use: What's the impact? - Mayo Clinic
When Should You Take the Phone Away from a Teenager?
This article from the Child Mind Institute makes the case that taking away your child’s phone is not always a good way to change behavior. It offers some suggestions for helping teens set healthy limits on their phone use.
When Should You Take the Phone Away from a Teenager? - Child Mind Institute