Mid-term Exams: Helpful Hints

HELPFUL HINTS for TAKING and PREPARING for
MIDTERM EXAMS

TO PREPARE:
Don’t cram; start studying early

Review and share notes with peers.

Don’t be afraid to go to teachers for help.
Participate in study groups

TAKE BREAKS!

Teach topics to other people.

Flashcards (Flashcardlet App.)

Review old tests/quizzes & your STUDY GUIDE

Put away technology and social media.

Try to spread studying out.

Spend 4 hours reviewing per subject (total)
Prep for essays beforehand.
Make notecards to use, if allowed.

THE DAY/NIGHT BEFORE EACH EXAM:

Sleep
Limit use of electronic devices before bedtime.
Review notes for next day's exams only.
(If you've been reviewing steadily, you shouldn't need to cram.)
Remember: you've got this!

THE DAY OF THE EXAM:
Eat breakfast

Answer easy questions first.

Don’t re-read everything.

Don’t be scared to skip questions & come back to them.

Breathe.
Utilize process of elimination for multiple choice.

Don’t freak out if your answer is the same letter a few times in a row.

Don’t second guess yourself.
Breathe.

Doing essays first can help save time.
Ask if you can take extra time.

Kaplan Test Prep

Once again KAPLAN will be offering SAT and ACT test prep courses this winter/spring to BHS juniors. Information has been mailed this week to all juniors, but we wanted to post the schedule for students/parents that wanted to get an early jump on test prep registration. Registration must be completed as soon as possible. Burlington students only pay $275, which is a reduced price. To register please call 1-800-KAP-TEST .  The schedule of classes can be found here. 

KAPLAN test prep will also offer a FREE ACT/SAT Test at BHS on January 14th at 9AM. We recommended juniors take this diagnostic free test as it can help to determine if you should take the SAT or ACT. Click here for registration information. 

As a reminder all sophomores and juniors will have an assembly on January 23rd during period 8 to review how to interpret PSAT results AND the Guidance Department and Kaplan will host a PSAT results breakfast on January 25th fr any interested parent. 

Upcoming Financial Aid Events

                                          

Burlington High School will be hosting two upcoming financial aid events. We highly recommend Burlington High School senior parents attend (Class of 2017 ). 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: Financial Aid 101- This event will be presented by College Funding Services.
Date: Thursday January 5, 2017
Location: Burlington High School
Description: This seminar covers the financial aid process in detail. A Financial  Advisor from College Funding Services will present beginning at 6:30 P.M. in the BHS auditorium.


Event: FAFSA DAY 2017- http://www.fafsaday.org/
Date: Sunday January 29, 2017 1:00 P.M.
Location: Burlington High School
Description: This is a non-profit volunteer driven effort across the state. Parents and students will receive:

• Free assistance completing the FAFSA

• 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 FAFSA.

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

        

PSAT Score Release

Although PSAT scores are now available on Naviance, the Full PSAT Score report will be available on-line via collegeboard on Monday December 12th. It will be the responsibility of each student to access their free on-line college board account to view scores and the score report. The Guidance Department will mail home the test book before the December vacation week so students may review questions.

Included in the PSAT mailing will be information on Kaplan test prep. During period 8 on January 23rd the BHS Guidance Department will give an overview of how to interpret the PSAT scores, For parents, Kaplan test prep will host a Guidance breakfast on Thursday January 25th in the BHS Guidance Conference room. Please see below for helpful links:


CLICK HERE IF YOU NEED TO CREATE A COLLEGEBOARD ACCOUNT

CLICK HERE IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A COLLEGBOARD ACCOUNT

CLICK HERE FOR A SAMPLE SCORE REPORT, HELPFUL VIDEOS AND OTHER RESOURCES

GiveBackTime

GiveBackTime is a web-based volunteer hub where nonprofits and volunteers can collaborate, communicate, and celebrate volunteerism.  Students can find volunteer opportunities in their local communities related to their own specific interests.  Use our search interface to filter wonderful service opportunities today.


Jared Blake from GivebackTime will be at BHS during 1st and 2nd lunch on December 5th to work with students on setting up accounts and how to use the program. 

Club Z Tutoring

FREE Full length SAT or ACT practice test available online from Club Z Tutoring. The best way to familiarize yourself with the SAT or the ACT is to take a full length practice test. With this tool you can take the test at your convenience on your laptop or on your tablet and get immediate feedback on your estimated scores for each section. In addition, there is a video library that explains the answer to each question and an explanation of the concept being tested. It’s like having your personal SAT tutor in your back pocket. Don’t know whether the SAT or the ACT is the better test for you? Take both and compare! Go to www.zprepscorebooster.com for more information and to get your free practice test. Great SAT scores are just a click away.

Breakfast on Stress and Anxiety

The Guidance Department at Burlington High School will be hosting a Parent Breakfast on Wednesday 11/16, from 8:30-9:30 AM in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center. The purpose of this breakfast is to give parents of Burlington High School students the opportunity to have an open dialogue around stress and anxiety with Burlington High School staff members. Stress and Anxiety impacts all students in a variety of ways. The breakfast is aimed at providing insight into stress and anxiety in adolescents and effective coping strategies.  We look forward to seeing you! Please RSVP at by calling 781-270-1780.

Pre-ACT at BHS

The Pre-ACT, a practice test for the ACT, will be offered to any interested juniors on Saturday November 19, 2016 at Burlington High School. The ACT is a college entrance examination that is an alternative to the SAT and is growing in popularity among Burlington High School students. Most colleges require either the ACT or the SAT and do not show preference to one or the other. This Pre-ACT exam offers your son/daughter an opportunity to take a practice test prior to taking the American College Test (ACT) in their junior or senior year. Please visit www.actstudent.org for more detailed information.

Registration information for the Pre-ACT was mailed home to all parents/guardians of juniors the week of October 24th. In order to register for the Pre-ACT, your son/daughter must complete the form that was mailed home and submit the form with a $32.00 fee to the Guidance Secretary. (Additional forms can be picked up in the guidance suite.)

The regular registration period ends Monday, November 7th at the close of school.  If your son/daughter misses the registration period, he/she may check with the Guidance Secretary to see if there are available test booklets and space to accommodate a late registration.  There will be an additional charge of $5.00 ($37.00 total) after November 7th.   

On Saturday morning, November 19th your son/daughter should arrive to school by 7:45 a.m. and testing will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. Room assignments will be publicized prior to testing.  Your son/daughter should bring two sharpened #2 pencils and an approved calculator.  

Air Force ROTC Program

"Major Todd Meyers with the Air Force ROTC Program and Detachment 345 will be visiting BHS on Wednesday, November 9th at 10:00 (period 6 that day).  He is based out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell while supporting Merrimack College, Rivier University, Middlesex Community College (CC), Northern Essex CC, and formerly Daniel-Webster College.  He has offered to talk with any interested students about the Air Force.  The UMass – Lowell Detachment is fortunate to have Mr. Gregory Forti (Burlington HS Graduate) in his Second Year of the Program.  Since AFROTC is offered at more than 1,100+ colleges/universities nation-wide, he can explain the program and potentially put the prospective college student in contact with the host Detachment.  See below for further details about the AFROTC Program and scholarship opportunities.

Students interested in attending this information session should sign up in advance by putting their name on a sign-up sheet on the Guidance Counter. They will then receive a pass that will need to be signed by their period 6 teacher giving them permission to attend the presentation. 

 Background about the AFROTC Program:  AFROTC prepares young men/women to become an Air Force Officer while earning a college degree.  AFROTC offers a wide variety of scholarships (including tuition, most lab fees, annual textbook allowance and a monthly cash stipend up to $500) and our Cadets on scholarship don’t incur military obligation until their sophomore year.  We have three scholarship types:

College Topics for Senior Parents

The Guidance Department will host a breakfast called “College Topics for Senior Parents”. The purpose of this breakfast is so the counseling staff can give a very brief overview of important tasks associated with the college selection and application process. This event is geared for parents that missed the Senior College Planning Night on 10/6/16. Please join us for this informative event on October 26th at 8:30 AM in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center. Parent's MUST RSVP by calling 781-270-1780.