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School Counseling Office Info
Published on Sep 13, 2016 16:40

School Counseling Corner Newsletter

Throughout the course of the 2016-17 school year, the School Counseling department will be providing you with important updates, news and information that we hope will be useful to you and your son/daughter as we navigate the high school years together.  Our school counselors, Mark Awdycki and Riley Stevens, along with our secretary, Erika Harkey, look forward to working with you in the year ahead.  Don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or email if we can be of assistance to you.  The breakdown of counselor caseloads is below, along with contact information for the department.  Following that information are some important dates including PSATs and PSAT registration and the upcoming Senior Parent College Planning/Financial Aid Night.


Contact Information:

Millis High School

School Counseling Office

245 Plain Street

Millis, MA 02054

CEEB Code #: 221425

School Counseling Phone: 508-376-7023

School Counseling Fax: 508-376-7020

Twitter: @MHS1Counseling

Website: http://millispshs.ss9.sharpschool.com/for_students/counseling


School Counselors and Assignments:

Riley Stevens - [email protected]

Grade 9 (2020): Adams - Joseph

Grade 10 (2019): Adams - Maloney

Grade 11 (2018): Adams - Latosek

Grade 12 (2017): Adams - Koistinen

Mark Awdycki - [email protected]

Grade 9 (2020): Kennelly - Young

Grade 10 (2019): Melia - Wright

Grade 11 (2018): LeVie - Zonfrelli

Grade 12 (2017): Lazare - Wierzbicki


School Counseling Secretary: Erika Harkey - [email protected]


PSAT Registration Through September 19th for October 15th Exam

Millis High School will be offering the PSAT to current juniors and sophomores on Saturday, October 15, 2016.  The PSAT is a three-hour “practice” version of the SAT.  It is an excellent predictor of how a student will score on the SAT.  The PSAT helps prepare juniors for the SAT, which they will be taking this coming Spring, and sophomores, who are expected to take the PSAT again in October of 2017. The selection of National Merit Scholars is done on the basis of scores obtained on the PSAT, taken during the junior year, another reason why sophomores should expect to take the exam again junior year.  All juniors and sophomores planning post-secondary education are strongly encouraged to take the PSAT.

Students were given registration forms on September 12th.  The registration form, along with $30 cash needs to be returned to the School Counseling office by Monday, September 19, in order to guarantee a spot at the exam.  To aid in preparation for the exam, students should look over the 2016 Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT, which they will receive they return their registration form and money.  The guide contains test-taking tips, information about the National Merit Scholarship Program and a full-length practice test.  In addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of free, personalized online SAT practice with Khan Academy, which they can use to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT because of the close alignment of the tests (collegeboard.org/psatpractice).


Senior Parent College Planning/Financial Aid Night is September 29

The Millis High School Counseling Department would like to invite parents and students in the Class of 2017 to Senior Parent College Planning and Financial Aid Night on September 29, at 6:00pm in the Middle/High School Auditorium.  Millis High school counselors, Mark Awdycki and Riley Stevens, will kick the night off with a brief presentation and answer questions about the post-secondary/college planning process.  After their presentation, Justin Munio, of the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (http://www.mefa.org), will be on hand to give an overview of the financial aid process, including types of financial aid, how to apply, and determining financing options for your family. Families are encouraged to download a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation beforehand at http://www.mefa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/College-Financing-Spring-2016-Presentation.pdf.  


There have been changes in applying for financial aid, including now being able to access the Free Application for Federal Student Aid on October 1, instead of the traditional January 1 date, as well as a change in the tax year you are required to submit information for.  This promises to be an informative night for families and students going through the process for the first time, and for those going through the process again.


If you have not returned the Parent Information Sheet that was handed out at the Junior Parent College Planning Night this past February, please bring it with you to the evening.  The Parent Information Sheet is a great help to the school counselors in writing your son or daughter's college recommendation.  The Parent Information Form is available on your son or daughter’s Naviance account, but you are also welcome to email your son or daughter’s school counselor if you need another copy of the Parent Information Sheet.


The Education Cooperative (TEC) College Fair is October 5

The annual TEC College Fair is on October 5 from 6:30-8:30pm at Waltham High School.  There are currently over 100 colleges and universities slated to be in attendance  More information about the fair, including a list of colleges and institutions expected to be in attendance can be found here:  http://www.tec-coop.org/student-programs/college-fairs/fall-college-fair-waltham-high-school


College Representative Visits

Throughout the course of the Fall, college admissions representatives from all over visit Millis High School to meet with students, present about their institutions and answer questions.  They come in during our lunch periods and students are welcome to come down to take advantage of this great opportunity to meet face-to-face and make a great impression on these welcome visitors to Millis High.  Your students can find an updated list of college representatives visiting MHS in the Naviance accounts.  A list is also posted on the bulletin board outside the School Counseling Office, and daily announcements will be made to remind students of the visitors.  Next week we are excited to welcome representatives from Regis College, Sacred Heart University, Stonehill College, Roger Williams University, Nichols College, and Dean College.


Senior Seminars

The School Counselors will be starting Senior Seminars on September 15, going into English classes to go over post-secondary/college planning with the Class of 2017.  We will discuss resources and procedures around college applications and post-secondary planning, and help the students set-up their Common Application accounts if they haven’t already done so.  The counselors will be meeting two times with each senior English class to help the students as they navigate through the college planning process.  Following the meetings, students are encouraged to make individual appointments with their counselors.


Freshman Seminars

Starting the week of September 26th, the school counselors will begin their seminar series with the freshman class of 2020.  This will be the first of three seminar meetings with the freshman class over the course of the 2016-17 school year.  Through these seminars we will discuss a variety of topics, including: school rules and resources, extracurricular involvement, building a transcript and what an MHS transcript looks like, creating a four-year plan, study skills, test taking (including final exams), and more.  We are excited to continue to help the Class of 2020 transition to MHS, and look forward to answering student questions during the seminars.  We are also excited to have the freshmen hear from current juniors and seniors during the seminar series, as they share some of their experiences at MHS and offer advice and tips about how to navigate high school.  


Upcoming Important Dates

Millis High School Open House - September 15 (7:00-9:00pm)

Senior Seminars Start - September 15

Regular registration deadline for October 22 ACT Test (www.actstudent.org) - September 16

Registration Deadline for October 15 PSAT - September 19

Freshman Seminars Start - September 26

Senior Parent College Planning / Financial Aid Night - September 29 (6:00pm)

SAT/SAT Subject Test Administration (not offered at MHS) - October 1

FAFSA (fafsa.ed.gov) / CSS Profile (css.collegeboard.org) Information available online - October 1

TEC College Fair at Waltham High School - October 5 (6:30-8:30pm)

Regular registration deadline for November 5 SAT/SAT Subject Tests (www.sat.org) - October 7

PSAT given at MHS - October 15 (8am-12pm)


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