Social Assurity

Please mark your calendar. The Burlington High School Guidance Department will be hosting a breakfast for parents of juniors and seniors on Monday September 28th at 8:30 am in the Burlington High School Guidance College and Career Center. Alan Katzman from Social Assurity will be presenting.

The new reality is that “social media has completely changed the college application and job recruiting process. Alan’s presentation, “Elevating Your Child’s Social Media & Digital Presence for Better College & Career Opportunities” will help parents understand how to leverage social media tools proactively and purposefully.  

We respectfully ask that any parent who plans on attending to please RSVP by calling 781-270-1780.

Career Breakfast

This year, we are initiating a career exploration program at BHS. One of our first activities will be a career breakfast on December 10th, which will allow juniors and seniors to meet in small groups with professionals in different occupations. The goal of this event is to give students an opportunity to learn more about the realities of jobs they are interested in, and to find out about the training required for those occupations. We are reaching out for community help with this project. We would love to have parents and/or community members serve as speakers for this event, and spend some time talking to students about what you do. If you are interested in participating, please let us know by completing this form:

 (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NnfMSqKd3kGaPEyEuDhl1v3NWX-cgKlx7Su9FinF-Ss/viewform ) to indicate your interest. 

We thank you for your support of our students and your work to help them discover who and what they want to be after graduation. Thank you.

PSAT on 10/14

Burlington High School will be a national testing center for the administration of the PSAT Exam and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. For the several years 90% or more Burlington High School seniors take the SAT exam. The PSAT is an excellent opportunity to prepare and gain an understanding of the SAT exam. Juniors are also eligible for a National Merit Scholarship depending on the score.

All sophomores will take the PSAT free of charge, however juniors MUST register and pay a fee of $25.00. The Guidance department highly recommends juniors take the exam again this year. Especially since this is a newly redesigned exam.  Registration materials are being mailed on Friday 9/11/15, and students will also receive information in homeroom. We ask that Juniors register ASAP so they may pick up a PSAT study guide which provides valuable testing information. Sophomores will receive a study guide in homeroom.

The SAT will be re-redesigned beginning in the spring of 2016. This will impact students in the class of 2017 and beyond. The 2015 PSAT has also been redesigned. Click here to see the changes.
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BHS Guidance Events

The Guidance Department is happy to announce a full schedule of BHS Guidance Events for the 2015/2016 school year (links can be found on the right hand side of this blog). In addition to ALL the BHS Guidance Events, we have the schedule for the Guidance Parent Breakfast Series. Based on parental feedback the Guidance Department has identified a variety of topics to cover throughout the school year for any interested parent.

Free SAT or PSAT Option for BHS Students

Burlington High School students can take either a free practice SAT or PSAT test at BHS on Saturday 9/19 beginning at 9AM. In order to take either of these free tests students MUST register (registration information below).

As a reminder BHS will offer the PSAT/NMSQT exam on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 for all sophomores and registered juniors. Seniors that want one more chance to take a free practice test OR a senior that has NEVER taken an SAT exam should strongly consider registering for this free opportunity. The SAT exam will be offered at BHS on 10/3, 11/7 and 12/5.

For SAT students should go to:  

http://kaplan.formstack.com/forms/burlington_new_sat

For PSAT they can go to: 

http://kaplan.formstack.com/forms/burlington_new_psat

Burlington Guidance Parent Council

The Guidance Department is in the planning stages of starting a Guidance Parent Council. The purpose of this council is so the guidance department can meet with parents and/or students to discuss how Guidance Services function, get parental feedback on guidance services and possibly implement or review current guidance services. The dates and times still need to be finalized, but meetings will start in mid-September and held after 2:00 on Thursdays or Fridays. Any interested parents or students please contact Joe Attubato, Guidance Director at attubato@bpsk12.org

Bay Path University

As many know we share a campus with Bay Path University. Bay Path is offering a Fall 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 several years and the benefit here is students leave BHS with 3 college credits. Click here for an application. The application also lists the specific class dates and times.

College Admissions and Accreditation Status

The Burlington High School Guidance Department called many colleges and universities and asked if they consider any NEASC accreditation status beyond membership and if so, would this status have a negative impact on college admissions or financial aid. We were told by the colleges and universities that responded that our status as a candidate school under our NEASC membership would not have an impact on BHS students in terms of admissions or financial aid. Several colleges and universities reinforced that academic rigor, GPA and SAT scores are taken into consideration when selecting applicants and the school profile is used in aiding the selection process

Great Schedule Options for BHS Juniors and Seniors

We are excited to inform students of a few opportunities available at Burlington High School for the 2015/2016 school year. Each summer the Guidance Department meets with many students in order to choose available alternate elective courses.  We believe students and parents should strongly consider some of the available options. Below are the highlights and details for each unique option. Please don’t hesitate to call the Guidance Office with specific questions.

As many know we share a campus with Bay Path College. Bay Path is offering a Fall 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 several years and the benefit here is students leave BHS with 3 college credits. Click here for an application. The application also lists the specific class dates and times.

Additionally for juniors and seniors, many students take advantage of the VHS program or E2020. Both Programs offer many unique and interesting courses NOT offered at BHS. We have had students take courses such as Criminology, Contemporary Irish literature, Screenwriting, Forensic Science and Pre-Veterinary courses. In order to take a VHS course students should complete a VHS application by clicking here.

2016/2017 Student Schedules

Schedules will be mailed out on July 7th. Please remember that all students must carry six academic courses each semester plus physical education and/or health. The one exception to this is if a junior or senior is enrolled in two or more AP courses. As a reminder the scheduled mailed on July 7th will only include the course name. A follow-up schedule will be mailed out in early August which includes teacher name and classroom number.

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” then your schedule is invalid and it is imperative that you call to schedule an appointment. There are several options available:

 

*   Beginning Monday July 11th and continuing through July 21st, then again August 8th to August 25th, 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 to schedule an appointment.

*   Guidance Counselors will be available during the week of August 22nd through August 25th from 8 A.M. to 12 Noon. During this week, students will be helped on a first come first served basis.

If you did not get placed into your first choice elective please feel free to call the Guidance Office and ask to have your name added to the wait-list. You are encouraged to correct any problems in your course schedule as early as possible.  Doing so will ensure a smooth opening of school for you. Also, please be advised that specific teacher requests cannot be honored.