Happy Holidays from the BHS Guidance Department!!

During the holiday season please be sure to check out the Naviance Guidance Software Program. The program now allows Guest Access to parents and students not signed up (since this is guest access all information is not available). Burlington High School continues to fully utilize the Naviance program. The Naviance program has certainly allowed the BHS Guidance staff to streamline the college application process for seniors. However, parents should be aware that Naviance not only provides a venue for a secure system for college applications, it allows students to develop college lists, research scholarships and provides links to valuable resources. In addition, the BHS Guidance Department has tied Naviance to the BHS Developmental Guidance Program. The counseling staff strives to ensure that each grade level is utilizing the program.

Grade 9 will be introduced to the program after the new year, grades 10 and 11 can complete a personality assessment tied to possible future careers. In addition the career portion allows students to watch short video clips of a variety of careers, find out about salary information, and courses to take in high school for a particular career.

The program also has a course planner section. The counselor and student together can develop a four year academic plan and have discussions on graduations requirements, rigor of schedule and finding courses that are of interest.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

PSAT Scores AND KAPLAN Spring Schedule to be released Friday

PSAT Score reports will be mailed home to parents Monday December 10, 2012 to sophomores and juniors that participated in the exam. The PSAT/NMSQT exam is a measure of three key areas: critical reading, mathematics problem solving and writing skills. The exam prepares students for the same types of questions on the SAT exam. In addition, juniors who achieve high PSAT/NMSQT scores may qualify for National Merit competition and corporate scholarships.

The PSAT score report is very parent/student friendly. Parents should take notice of the section at the bottom of the score report called "Improve your skills”. This section gives specific data based on the student’s individual PSAT exam. Furthermore, Score reports show a numerical score for each area measured, as well as a range that extends from a few points below the score to a few points above. This range shows the extent to which a student’s score might differ with repeated testing, assuming that the student’s skill level remains constant.

More information can be accessed by going to the PSAT Fact Sheet . For the past ten years roughly 90 % or more of BHS seniors take the SAT exam. The Guidance department strongly recommends that juniors take the exam in March, May or June. SAT registration information can be accessed through collegeboard.com

The KAPLAN program offers SAT test prep courses at Burlington High School exclusive for Burlington High School Juniors only. Students will receive a subsidized rate of $249.00. The Kaplan course calendar and registration information will be mailed home to ALL Juniors on December 10. Parents can register beginning today by calling 1-800-KAP-Test.

Also KAPLAN will be offering a FREE SAT Practice test for Juniors on January 12, 2013 beginning at 9:00AM and ending at 1:30 P.M AND a FREE Practice SAT/ACT Combo test on February 2, 1013.
We highly recommend Juniors taking one of these Free offerings.

Upcoming Financial Aid Events

Burlington High School will be hosting two upcoming financial aid events. We highly recommend senior parents attend ( Class of 2012 ). Since both events are in January we felt it was important to remind parents before the December vacation. Please be sure to check out the side bar on the Guidance Blog for links to more specific information in regard to financial aid and scholarship information. Below are descriptions of each event:

Event: M.E.F.A. (Massachusetts Educational Financial Authority) Financial Aid Seminar
Date: Thursday January 5, 2012
Description: This seminar covers the financial aid process in detail. Carla Berg, Financial Aid Advisor at Bentley University, will be the presenter beginning at 7:00 P.M. in the BHS auditorium.


Event: FAFSA DAY 2012- http://www.fafsaday.org/
Date: Sunday January 29, 2012 2 :00 P.M.
Description: This is a non-profit volunteer driven effort across the state. This is the first time that Burlington High School will host this event. Parents and students will receive:

• Free assistance completing the FASA

• Access to experienced financial aid administrators, and FAFSA experts, available to answer FAFSA questions.

• Guidance on the financial aid process and next steps after filing the FASA.

Parents MUST register at http://www.fafsaday.org/. Although computer labs are available, it is highly recommend that parents bring a laptop that day. Also if any parents are interested in volunteering as a Support Volunteer (registration tables, setup, cleanup, etc)  please feel free to register at http://www.fafsaday.org/volunteer.php

Burlington High School Grade 10 Parent Breakfast

The Guidance Department at Burlington High School will be hosting a Sophomore Parent Breakfast on Wednesday November 16, 2011, from 8:30-9:45 AM in the BHS lower Library. The purpose of this breakfast is to give parents of sophomore students the opportunity to have an open dialogue with all members of the guidance staff. The BHS Guidance Department has a variety of resources available for parents and students, and many topics will be covered that are relevant to sophomores, such as the MCAS, PSATs, career and college exploration, utilizing the Naviance program, and academic planning. Please join us for this informative event. We look forward to seeing you! Please RSVP at by calling 781-270-1780.

Burlington High School Principal's Blog: Finding The Perfect School for You - (Guest Post b...

Burlington High School Principal's Blog: Finding The Perfect School for You - (Guest Post b...: Image via CrunchBase Thanks to Noah Greenberg from Findthebest.com for this guest post As college application season approaches, stud...

College Fair on Tuesday October 25th, 2011 - 6:30 P.M - 8:30 P.M.

On Tuesday October 25th, 2011 from 6:30 -8:30 p.m., a college fair will be held at the Shriner's Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. The Burlington High School Guidance Department co-sponsors the event with many other Middlesex League High Schools. Usually over two-hundred colleges attend. A college fair can be a very overwhelming experience for parents and students. The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has developed a very helpful list of FAQs. We also recommend bringing a pre-determined list of schools. Make it a priority to visit the schools on your list, then time permitting check out some other schools. Please click here for a full list of colleges and universities attending the college fair.

Breakfast for Senior Parents on 10/19 at 8:30 A.M.

On Wednesday October 19^th at 8 30 A.M. in the BHS Lower Library the Guidance Department will host a breakfast for senior parents. The purpose of the breakfast is so the counseling staff can give a very brief overview of the college application and selection process, but our hope is to spend most of the time answering any questions or concerns from parents about the college process. Please join us for this informative event. We look forward to seeing you on October 19th at 8:30 AM in the BHS Lower Library. Please RSVP at 781-270-1780.

PSAT Exam on 10/12/2011

Sophomores and juniors taking the PSAT are reminded to bring three sharpened number 2 pencils and a calculator. Burlington High School has a very limited amount of calculators on hand. Although the math sections can be completed without the aid of a calculator, having one can be very helpful. Testing assignments for juniors have been posted and sophomore assignments will be announced in homeroom. Students will report to their assigned testing room after homeroom.

Senior College Planning Night

Senior College Planning Night was well attended with roughly 100 parents. Many aspects of the college planning and application process were covered. For parents that missed the event, BCAT will be streaming the event within the next week. For those that would like to view the powerpoint, please click here. College informational packets were distributed as well. If you would like to pick up a packet please feel free to stop by the Guidance Office.

In terms of financial aid, two very important forms were mentioned. The FAFSA and the CSS profile. We encourage parents to investigate both applications ASAP. Please remember that the BHS Guidance Department will host a Financial Aid Night on Thursday January 6, 2012 and BHS will be a location this year for FAFSA Day on January 29th.

Senior College Planning Night on 10/5 at 6:30P.M.

Senior Parents and Seniors are reminded that College Planning Night will be held on Wednesday October 5, 2011 at 6:30 in the Burlington High School Auditorium. The evening will cover a variety of topics in regard to the college selection and application process. The entire guidance staff will be at this event and we look forward to seeing you.

If you cannot make the event, it will be televised on BCAT. The showtimes will be posted soon.

PSAT Exam on 10/12/2011

The PSAT Exam and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test will be administered to sophomores and juniors on Wednesday October 12, 2011 at Burlington High School. Although the Class of 2013 took the PSAT Exam last year, the BHS Guidance Department highly recommends students take the exam junior year as well. Sophomores do not need to pay for the exam. However, Juniors do have to pay a $25.00 fee.

In addition, juniors who achieve high PSAT/NMSQT scores may qualify for National Merit competition and corporate scholarships. The PSAT exam offers your son/daughter an additional opportunity to take a practice test prior to taking the American College Test (ACT) or the SAT Test in the spring. Please visit www.collegeboard.com for more detailed PSAT information.

In order to register for the PSAT/NMQT your son/daughter must complete the form that was mailed home three weeks ago and submit the form with a $25.00 fee to the Guidance Secretary. Each student will receive a 2011 Student Bulletin when they register. It is important that your son/daughter register early in the registration period to adequately prepare for the test by reading the Student Bulletin thoroughly, paying particular attention to test directions, test taking tips and doing the sample practice test.

Sophomores do NOT have to pay for the exam. However, juniors must pay a fee of $25.00. Please remember that the regular registration period ends Wednesday, October 5th at the close of school. If you miss the registration period, you may check with the Guidance Secretary to see if there are available test booklets and space to accommodate a late registration. If spots are available there will be an additional charge of $5.00 ($30.00 total) after October 5th .

Burlington High School Grade 9 Parent Breakfast

A big thank you to all of the parents who turned out for our first "Breakfast with Guidance." We were happy to provide you with an overview of BHS Guidance with the hope it helped to ease the freshman transition and answer your questions.

We appreciated your positive feedback and are looking forward to keeping you apprised of changes based on your continued input.

One question that came up was about the scholarship points which can be earned over four years and submitted as part of senior scholarship applications. Scholarship points are part of the Adopt-a-Class program which is part of the Burlington Community Scholarship Foundation. Students can begin to earn these points during their freshman year, and events are well publicized throughout the building on flyers and on the daily announcements. The advisor to Adopt a Class is Mr. Mark Sullivan.

Please check out this link from the Burlington Community Scholarship Program which explains Adopt-a-Class in detail. http://www.burlington.org/BCSFAdopt.htm

In addition other information that was distributed is listed below:

BHS Guidance Department Informational Sheet
BHS Guidance Breakfast Series
BHS Guidance Events for the 2011/2012 school year

Again, thank you for your continued engagement and look forward to working with your children and with you for the next four years.

Service Academy Night- November 2, 2011

The Danversport Yacht Club will be hosting the annual Service Academy Night on Wednesday November 2, 2011 beginning at 6:30 P.M. A congressional staff member will be on hand to discuss the federal academy appointment and nomination process.

School and service representatives attending:
Naval Academy
Military Academy
Air Force Academy
US Merchant Marine
US Coast Guard
Mass. National Guard
Mass. Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy
SUNY Maritime Academy
Navy ROTC
Army ROTC
Air Force ROTC
Norwich University
The Citadel
Valley Forge Military Academy
Virginia Military Institute
US Marine Corps

Please click here for more specific information.

G.P.A and Class Rank

Attention Class of 2012, 2013 and 2014,

Please be advised that student GPA’s have been updated on your Naviance account. For those that aren’t familiar with the Grade Point Average (G.P.A) process, please go to page 11 in the BHS Program of Studies for a detailed explanation of the calculation process. Colleges and Universities require students to submit a G.P.A (along with many other pieces of information) when applying to college (usually in fall of senior year). Please remember that when grades are reported to colleges and universities only FINAL grades are submitted from each year (with the exception of senior year). The cumulative record of final grades is called the, “transcript”. Rank is available for the class of 2012 and 2013 only.

Grade 9 Parent Breakfast

The Burlington High School Guidance Department will be hosting a breakfast for all parents of freshman students on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 in the Lower Library from 8:30 am to 9:45 am. The Guidance Department at BHS has recognized that it often takes a full year for students and parents to understand and access the numerous programs, resources, and committed staff we have at Burlington High School. Our goal is to expedite this process for you by discussing topics important for the transition to high school. Please join The Guidance Department for this informative and open dialogue. You can RSVP by calling 781-270-1780. Thanks

BHS Guidance Events scheduled for the 2011/2012 school year

The Guidance Department is excited to inform parents of all the guidance related events that we will be hosting throughout the 2011/2012 school year. Whether you are a parent of a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, we have something for all grade levels. Since our Guidance Breakfasts were so well attended last year, we have added to our Guidance Breakfast series. Please be sure to check out the FULL schedule of all Guidance events by clicking here. Also to see our Guidance Breakfast schedule click here.

Two Guidance events have been re-scheduled
The first event that has been re-scheduled is the Senior College Planning Night. The Senior College Planning Night was originally schedule for 9/29 at 6:30 P.M. The new time for Senior College Planning Night will be Wednesday 10/5 at 6:30 P.M. in the BHS Auditorium. All seniors and senior parents are welcome to attend.

The second event is for grade 9 parents. The Freshman Parent Breakfast is moving from Wednesday 9/21 at 8:30 A.M. in the BHS Lower Library to Wednesday 9/28 at 8:30 A.M. in the BHS Lower Library We apologize for any confusion this may cause you.

As always please feel free to e-mail or call us with any questions. Our contact information can be found on the right hand side under “contact us".

KAPLAN FALL COURSE OFFERING

Seniors:
You still have time to register for KAPLAN SAT prep. offered at Burlington High School. KAPLAN will be offering two fall courses. The first course begins this Saturday (9/10), and the second course begins on 9/27. You may enroll in the Kaplan Course by calling 1-800-KAP-TEST. Please make sure to say you are from BHS so that you can get your discount. The cost of the course with a discount is $249.00.

Summer Update from the BHS Guidance Office

We hope you summer is going well. The start of the school year is fast approaching. The Guidance Department would like students and parents to be aware of some Guidance related changes in terms of staff and also some updated information in regard to schedules.


Guidance Personnel Changes:
Molly Leary returns for the 2011/2012 school year.

Leisel Smith will continue her leave of absence for the 2011/2012 school year. Her replacement will be Amanda Magnan. We are confident that Amanda will be ready to serve Mrs. Lesiel Smith’s caseload. Amanda worked in the Burlington High School Guidance office last school year

Chrissy Robinson is staying on board as our School Adjustment Counselor/ Social Worker. We are lucky to have this added resource to our Guidance services at BHS. Part of her role will include home visits, conducting group work with students and coordinating our new work study program.

Please note that due to re-structuring in the Guidance office many members of the class of 2013 have been assigned a different counselor. Please remember that your updated Guidance Counselor can be found in the upper right hand corner of your schedule.

Schedules:
The second round of schedules will be mailed out this week. The schedules include teacher name and room number for each class. Study hall room assignments will be given out the first day of school. The Guidance Office is still taking appointments the week of August 15th for incomplete schedules. Also the Guidance Office will be open the week of August 22nd for walk in appointments only. Please contact 781-270-1780 to schedule an appointment.

Bay Path Course for the Fall

Do you have a schedule conflict?
Do you want to take a college course and receive high school AND college credit?

If you answered yes to either of these questions please consder taking a fall course at the Bay Path College, Burlington High School campus. As many know we share a campus with Bay Path College. Bay Path is offering a business course called “Dynamics of Management” available to juniors and seniors. Students can take one less course during the school day and receive college credit. We have been offering this course for the past three years and the benefit here is students leave BHS with 3 college credits. Applications need to be dropped off at the Guidance Office August 15th. Click here for an application.

Schedules are in the Mail

On Tuesday June 26th the 2012-2013 class schedules will be mailed. Please remember that all students must carry six academic courses each semester plus physical education and/or health.

Also if there is an error or omission in the schedule you need to make arrangements to correct the problem. If your schedule reads “Please Schedule an Appointment with Guidance” OR " Incomplete Schedule" then your schedule is invalid and it is imperative that you call to schedule an appointment  the bottom then your . There are several options available:

·         Beginning Monday July 9th and continuing through July 26th, then again August 13^th to August 23^rd, Mr. Joseph Attubato, Support Services Coordinator, and several Guidance Counselors will be available (by appointment only) Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Please call Mrs. Patty Lewis at 781-270-1780 beginning on June 25^th to schedule an appointment. 

·         Guidance Counselors will be available during the week of August 20^th through August 23^rd from 8 A.M. to 12 Noon. During this week, students will be helped on a first come first serve basis.

You are encouraged to correct any problems in your course schedule as early as possible. Doing so will insure a smooth opening of school for you. Also, please be advised that specific teacher requests cannot be honored.

Great Opportunities for BHS Students

We are so excited to inform students of some “new” outstanding opportunities available at Burlington High School for the 2011/2012 school year. Each summer the Guidance Department meets with many students in order to choose available alternate elective courses. Over the years we have been limited to what is listed in our program of studies. However, for the 2011-2012 school year, we have some new and exciting opportunities as part of the course offerings that students need to be aware of. We believe students and parents should strongly consider some of these options. Below are the highlights and details for each unique option. Please don’t hesitate to email or call your son or daughters respective counselor for more details.

This “New” Course just added two weeks ago called “Student Help Desk”. This will be an elective course in the 500-900 range and will be open to students in grades 10-12 to start the year. Students who sign-up for BHS help desk are expected to have an interest in technology and an ability to problem solve and interact with others. Details on registering for this course can be found by clicking here.

A “New” work study program:
CAREER/COMMUNITY SERVICE INTERN PROGRAM!!!!!The Career/Community Service Intern program is a volunteer or paid work experience program offered by Burlington High School for Juniors and Seniors in good academic standing. In this program, students get a chance to gain real-world experience in a career or community service area of interest, assume adult responsibilities, and develop outstanding work habits at volunteer or paid internship sites located in the community. Students will receive quarterly evaluations from their site supervisor and high school coordinator. Students are expected to turn in required paperwork, time sheets and evaluations to the high school coordinator on a regular basis. Students will be expected to complete a resume and cover letter at the completion of the program and will be required to participate in on-line discussion groups. Please see Ms. Robinson in Guidance for more information and program application.

As many know we share a campus with Bay Path College. Bay Path is offering a business course called “Dynamics of Management” available to juniors and seniors. Students can take one less course during the school day and receive college credit. We have been offering this course for the past three years and the benefit here is students leave BHS with 3 college credits. Click here for an application.

Lastly, for juniors and seniors, many students take advantage of the VHS program. The VHS (Virtual High School) Program offers many unique and interesting courses NOT offered at BHS. We have had students take courses such as AP Psychology, criminology, contemporary Irish literature, screenwriting and forensic science. In order to take VHS course students should complete an VHS application by clicking here.

Guidance Breakfast Wednesday June 15th @ 8:30 A.M.

The BHS Guidance Department cordially invites junior parents to join us for our last Guidance Breakfast of the 2010/2011 school year. The topic will be about the "College Topics for the Summer". The breakfast will be held in the BHS Lower Library at 8:30am on Wednesday June 15th.  Please RSVP by calling 781-270-1780. We look forward to seeing you!

College Financing Seminar May 12th

Sophomores, juniors and their parents are invited to attend a free presentation on college financing this Thursday, May 12th at 6:30 p.m. in the BHS cafeteria.

This seminar is offered through the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), the Commonwealth's resource for planning, saving and paying for college. An experienced MEFA representative, Carla Berg of Bentley University, will provide an overview of the financial aid process, including types of financial aid, how to apply, and determining financing options for your family. 

Families will receive a seminar booklet which serves as a year-round resource. Time is allowed for questions and answers. Please contact the BHS Guidance Department at 781-270-1780 if you have any questions.

" Race to Nowhere" at BHS

Burlington High School will be a host sight for the movie" Race to Nowhere" on Thursday April 28th at 7:00 P.M.The movie offers insight into the high stress environment our students are faced with everyday. We highly recommend students and parents attend. Please click here for registration information.


“Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills
they need, and parents who are trying to
do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere
points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become isengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.”

The Dan Whitehead Memorial Scholarship

Seniors
We have extended the deadline on the Dan Whitehead Memorial Scholarship to May 2nd. We encourage you to apply. The award is for any BHS senior that is majoring in a service related industry (included, but not limited to, education, social services or criminal justice). You may download the application from your Naviance account or feel free to swing by the Guidance office and pick up a copy of the application.

BHS Guidance Breakfast- Wednesday April 13th @ 8:30 A.M.

The BHS Guidance Department cordially invites parents of underclassmen ( grades 9, 10 and 11) to join us for the next Guidance Breakfast. The topic will be about the "Naviance Program". Naviance is our college and career software planning program that we utilize for all students throughout the course of their high school career. We encourage parents to be involved in secondary planning with their son or daughter. The Guidance department feels that advanced planning allows for better post secondary decisions. Statistics show the majority of new students entering higher education leave their initial college of choice without completing a degree. We have found this statistic to be true nationally and locally as well. This is why we feel proper research and planning is increasingly important.
The breakfast will be held in the BHS Lower Library at 8:30am on Wednesday April 13th. Please RSVP by calling 781-270-1780. We look forward to seeing you!

On-Line Course Selections

We uncovered a small bug in the online request portal.
After logging in, when a student clicks on the Request Side Tab it is important that they only click on this button ONCE. It might take a few seconds for the page to load.
Please be patient, because clicking on this button more than once will cause an issue with your course requests.

The on-line course selection process begins today. All students will be responsible for selecting courses on-line. Students are reminded that helpful links can be found on the right hand side of this blog. Also please remember that your log-in information was provided in homeroom. If you don't have your information please see your Guidance Counselor.
After you sign in you will be prompted to change your password. The student portal will be open beginning today and will close day ending March 14th. BHS Counselors will be available during the school day every period and until 2:15 beginning March 8th until March 14th in the BHS lower library. Guidance Counselors will also be avilable for on-line chats. Dates and links for the on-line chats are also on the right hand side of this blog.

2011 BHS Program of Studies Finalized

The 2011 Program of Studies has now been finalized. On the right hand side you will notice three different formats for the on-line BHS Program of Studies. Students and parents are reminded that the Program of Studies will only be available on-line. We have listed some notable changes to the 2011 Program below:

New courses:

Advanced Placement Studio Art- Grade 12

Advanced Placement Statistics- Grade 12

Spanish for Health Care Careers- Grade 11 and 12, and two years of Spanish

Introduction to Health Occupations- Seniors and juniors (space permitting)

Italian IV- This course already exits; we are just adding a level

Other Changes:

Change of senior health requirement:
Seniors are required to enroll in one of the following courses. Each course meets the BHS Senior Health Graduation Requirement:
                                    Introduction to Sports Medicine
                                    Introduction to Health Occupations
                                    Senior Wellness

AP Program Change for seniors ONLY:
Seniors are allowed to enroll in 29.5 credits, if enrolled in two or more AP courses.

The following change applies to the INCOMING Freshman class (class of 2015).
The below chart is the new weighting system used for BHS courses.

Mark                  AP                         Honors                          CP I & CP II

A or A +           5.0                           4.5                               4.0

A-                     4.7                           4.2                               3.7

B+                    4.3                           3.8                               3.3

B                      4.0                           3.5                               3.0

B -                    3.7                           3.2                               2.7

C+                    3.3                           2.8                               2.3

C                      3.0                           2.5                               2.0

C-                     2.7                           2.2                               1.7

D+                    2.3                           1.8                                1.3

D                      2.0                           1.5                                1.0

D-                     1.7                           1.2                                0.7

F                       0.0                           0.0                                0.0

New Facebook Application for the College Admissions Process

Facebook is jumping into the college search and selection process. Since most BHS students and parents have facebook accounts, we recommend taking a look at this new feature. Please click here for access to the article discussing the rationale for creating this new feature. Also please click here for the “Admission Splash” feature on facebook. Although we utilize Naviance for the college search and selection process, we recommend trying other college searches on a variety of web-sites ( some are on the right side of this blog under "College Planning Resources").

PSAT Breakfast

The Fourth Guidance Breakfast turned out to be a very informative session for those parents that attended. Please see the PowerPoint below for the information that was presented. If you have any questions in regard to interpreting PSAT results please do not hesitate to contact your son or daughters respective guidance counselor. Also please mark your calendar for the next Guidance Breakfast. It will be held on March 2, 2011 and the topic covered will be the course selections process. Again feel free to RSVP at 781-270-1780. Thanks

PSAT powerpoint

View more presentations from Burlington Public Schools.

Reminder for Tonight 2/3/2011

Just a reminder that tonight the Guidance Department will host an event called "Smart Buys in Education". Mark Montgomery presented last year and gave BHS parents some very useful, relevent and current information. We are glad to see him back in Burlington this year.

Below are event details.

Thursday February 3, 2011 Smart Buys in Education ( Click Here )

6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M - Families can learn how to get the most out of their higher education dollars.

Location : BHS Auditorium

For parents of students in grades 8 through 11.

No RSVP Necessary

Hosted by Mark Montgomery, Independent College Consultant

Upcoming BHS Guidance Events

The BHS Guidance department hopes you take full advantage of all the great opportunities to gain valuable knowledge for academic and college planning. Please call us with any questions.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 PSAT Parent Breakfast- (Snow Date 2/4/2011)
8:30 A.M. - 9:15A.M. This breakfast is to help parents understand PSAT results
Location: BHS Cafeteria .
For parents of students in grade 10 and 11.
Parents must RSVP at 781-270-1780.

Thursday February 3, 2011 Smart Buys in Education ( Click Here )
6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M - Families can learn how to get the most out of their higher education dollars.
Location : BHS Auditorium 
For parents of students in grades 8 through 11.
No RSVP Necessary
Hosted by Mark Montgomery, Independent College Consultant.

Thursday February 10, 2011 Sophomore/Junior Parent Planning Night
6:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M This presentation is about academic and college planning.
Location: BHS Auditorium 
For parents of students in grade 10 and 11.
No RSVP Necessary

Wednesday March 2, 2011 Course Selection Process Breakfast
8:30 A.M. - 9:15A.M. This breakfast is designed to give parents an overview of the course selection process.
Location: BHS Cafeteria 
For parents of students in grade 9, 10, or 11.
Parents must RSVP at 781-270-1780

Burlington High Staff Members visit Shawsheen Technical Valley High School

Today Burlington High School staff members attended an informational luncheon at Shawsheen Valley Technical High School. Shawsheen is a most impressive school for students interested in pursuing one of many possible trades:

Arts & Communications(Design and Visual Communication, Graphic Design, Business Technology, Computer Science and Internet Technology)
Construction (Carpentry, Electrical, HVAC, and Masonry)
Electro/Mechnical (Drafting, Machine Shop, Electronics, Metal Fabrication)
Services (Bakery, Cosmo, Culinary, Health)
Transportation (Automotive, Autobody)
Health Sciences( Health Assisting, Dental Assisting, Medical LabTechnician)

The application deadline for current 8th graders is February 1, 2011. The deadline for current 9th, 10th and 11th graders is in the late spring.  If you are interested in attending the upcoming career night please click here.

MEFA College Financing Seminar at BHS

Senior Parents:
This is just a reminder to senior parents that a financial aid seminar will be held on Thursday January 6, 2011. The night will commence at 7:00 in the BHS auditorium. The organization sponsoring the workshop is the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority . The presenter will be Carla Berg, Senior Associate Director at Bentley University. The BHS Guidance department highly recommend that senior parents attend this session. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact the Guidance Office at 781-270-1780.

In addition on Wednesday February 2, 2011, parents are invited to attend College Goal Sunday. This is a volunteer driven effort to provide FREE assistance to students and families seeking to complete the FAFSA. The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority sponsors the event with the assistance of many community based organizations. This year one of the sponsoring locations is in Wakefield, MA on Wednesday February  2, 2011 begin at 6:00. The location will be at the Northeast Metro Technical School. Click here for directions.