March Wellness Week Update

Before we leave for February break, the School Counseling Center and Student Health Services wanted to give a quick update on the March Wellness Week!

The second Wellness Week of the year will be taking place from March 28-April 1, with advisory schedules happening on Wednesday, March 30 and Friday, April 1 for wellness activities!

 

We are excited to bring back some of our most popular activities such as therapy dogs, yoga, and singing your heart out. After taking some student and teacher feedback into consideration, we will also be offering some new wellness activities that include more games, snacks, and crafts. Keep an eye out for an e-mail about sign ups in March...students don't want to miss out on these wellness events! There will also be another "No Homework Day" on Thursday, March 24. This means that students will not have any homework due, tests, or quizzes to study for on Monday, March 28. Planning this day for the Thursday before Easter will give students an opportunity to spend time with their family and friends during the long weekend. It will be a great way to kick off the week!

We want Wellness Week to be fun and relaxing, but it is important to remember why we do it. Taking time to focus on building skills to regulate emotions, learning how to practice self care, and managing stress improves student performance in the classroom and overall well-being. If a student is feeling stressed or overwhelmed with emotions, they will not be able to focus on learning. Having a tool box of coping strategies, knowing how to stay healthy, and participating in enjoyable activities is the key to being well!

Post-Graduate Planning for Juniors

Yesterday, the school counselors met with parents of juniors to go over the post-graduate and college planning process. We had a great turn out, and it's clear to us that the junior class and their parents are excited to start thinking about these future plans! If any parents missed the presentation, it is accessible here:

Some of the website resources mentioned during our presentation:

www.collegeweeklive.com – sign up with a parent account and check out the Expert Presentations tab

www.cappex.com  - this site has Scattergrams with national data and student reviews for different colleges

www.connection.naviance.com/nipmucrhs - our Naviance log in page for students

A Comprehensive Nipmuc Guide for Seniors: How to Apply to College – our detailed guide to the college application process that students follow during the fall of their senior year

Nipmuc School Counseling Center News - February

We hope you’re enjoying the “warm” weather this week! We’re busy in the School Counseling Center with the tail-end of college applications, scholarships for seniors, post-graduation planning with juniors, and the start of Term 3. We’re also looking forward to our next Wellness Week at the end of March and starting course registration with students between February and April vacations.

Coming up in February…

February 2: Breakfast with the Counselors for Parents of Juniors: The topic of discussion will be post-graduation planning. We’ll talk about a variety of options and then dive into the details of the college search process.

February 2: Junior Parent Night: This evening presentation will be a reprise of the morning’s Breakfast with the Counselors.

February 3: Freshman Advisory: Counselors will meet with freshmen during advisory. Students will complete the StrengthsExplorer inventory in Naviance and then discuss how their strengths match up with different career options.

February 5: Deadline to register for the March 5th SAT: Register for the SAT on collegeboard.org.

February 6: ACT

February 15-19: February Vacation: Have a safe, happy break!

February 21: FAFSA Day at Quinsigamond Community College (670 West Boylston Street Worcester): FAFSA Day Massachusetts, a College Goal Sunday Program, is a non-profit, volunteer-driven program providing free assistance to students and families seeking to complete the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Check fafsaday.org for more information.

February 22: Course Registration: School counselors will begin to meet individually with students to request courses for next year. This process will continue through March and into April.

Reminder to seniors and parents of seniors: All scholarship opportunities are posted in Naviance. More are posted each day and deadlines are starting to come up. Please submit your applications to Mrs. Hefez by the Naviance deadlines!