ACTIVITIES COUNSELOR ACTIVITIES  HIGHLIGHTS & BY GRADE UPCOMING SUMMARY EVENTS COLLEGE LEVEL ACCEPTANCES PAGE 2-3 PAGES 5- 6 PAGE 4 PAGE 7 - 8

FEBRUARY 2019 FLHS Counselor’s

Corner

The School Counseling Department at SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT STAFF

Fort Lee High School is a driving force Lauren Carrubba in the development of college and Director of School Counseling Services [email protected] career readiness and plays a crucial role in the social-emotional wellness Diana Acosta School Counselor of the students. The purpose of the [email protected]

Counselor’s Corner Newsletter is to Gabrielle Brown update all parents and students on School Counselor [email protected] the activities and events that have taken place since September, as well as Laura Caddell School Counselor to inform the school community as to [email protected] what exciting events will transpire David Cuozzo during the second half of the school Student Assistance Counselor year. [email protected]

Tara Lawlor School Counselor [email protected]

Luddy Serulle-Green School Counselor [email protected]

Marcia Leon School Counseling Services Secretary [email protected]

Rosa Pettigrew School Counseling Services Secretary [email protected]

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Counseling Department Activities

September to February

The Counseling Department has hosted multiple events during the first half of the school year to assist students with college and career preparation as well as to enhance student social and emotional well- being.

• From September through December the College Counseling Corner was open Monday through Thursday in Room 114 after school. Counselors were available to assist students with their college applications and college search related questions during a non-instructional period. Counselors were also available in the Media Center every other Thursday to assist students during their lunch periods. These hours were in addition to their normal office hours and gave our upper classmen dedicated time to ask questions about the Common Application, financial aid, and the college search process.

• On September 3rd, ninth grade students attended Freshman Orientation. During the orientation, students had the opportunity to meet administrators, counselors and teachers. Students were given an overview of the policies and procedures of the high school and had the opportunity to do a walk-through of their class schedule in order to familiarize themselves with the building.

• On September 16th, school counselors held a Senior Planning & Financial Aid Night for all seniors and their parents. Counselors and administrators shared information about what to expect during this important year and discussed how to navigate the college application process. A representative from the William Paterson University’s Financial Aid Office walked all families through the FAFSA process.

• On September 18th, the department coordinated the annual in-house College Fair in which over 100 colleges and universities sent representatives to meet our students and distribute informational materials about their institutions.

• On September 26th, the ninth grade parent breakfast was held. Mrs. Serulle-Green explained how courses, grades, and credits all become part of a student’s transcript and are used to determine a student’s final GPA in senior

year. She also reviewed Fort Lee High School’s 120 credit graduation requirements. In addition, parents navigated the Fort Lee website, www.flboe.com, and were shown how to locate announcements, calendars, and teacher pages. Parents were also given a tutorial on how to log into the Genesis Parent Portal, which allows parents to monitor student attendance, grades, and assignments. Students were highly encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities and begin acquiring community service hours beginning in freshmen year.

• The School Counseling Department and administration welcomed parents and students from all grade levels to the Fort Lee High School’s Open House on November 13th, which was designed to showcase our academy programs, athletic teams, and clubs. This event was especially important for college planning as students were given the opportunity to see all the extracurricular activities available to help build their college resumes.

• In October, Fort Lee High School in conjunction with the Fort Lee Municipal Alliance Committee highlighted the town-wide Stigma Free initiative by offering Stigma Free related activities to students in all grade levels. The goal of the Fort Lee Stigma Free initiative is to generate an open and non-judgmental discussion regarding mental illness as well as to create a culture within our community in which individuals feel supported by those around them and are empowered to seek treatment. The activities occurred during Week of Respect, School Violence Prevention Week, and Red Ribbon Week.

• In September, freshman English classes participated in classroom lessons presented by the Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources. These lessons were sponsored by the Fort Lee Municipal Alliance in connection with the Stigma Free initiative. The objective of the lessons were to educate students regarding the dangers of substance abuse as well as to raise awareness of different coping skills that can be used to productively combat anxiety and depression.

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• Beginning in October, ninth grade students participated in a Freshmen Seminar class which was taught by Mr. William Diaz, Assistant Principal and Mr. David Cuozzo, Student Assistance Counselor. The goal of this lesson was to provide freshmen students with valuable information regarding the high school as well as to help them identify important resources available in the building. Follow up lessons will continue to occur throughout the year. As a part of Freshman Seminar, students also participated in a presentation by the Alternatives to Domestic Violence organization. This presentation focused on the warning signs of dating violence as well as discussed local resources available to students and their families.

• On October 8th, students attended an assembly by Alumni in Recovery. Alumni in Recovery discussed the negative impact that substance abuse can have on one’s life as well as the importance of making positive choices. Parents of all students throughout the district were invited to attend a subsequent parent presentation.

• Beginning in mid-October, juniors began participating in the School of Balance mindfulness program. The goal of the program is to increase student self-awareness as well as to bolster their repertoire of coping skills. Our students are very much embracing this opportunity.

• On October 18th, the School Counseling Department held the tenth grade parent. The theme of the meeting was the importance of extracurricular activities in the lives of the students. Counselors emphasized that extracurricular activities help distinguish each individual student’s accomplishments throughout their four years of high school. A panel of students who are involved in various activities in school spoke about the activity and how it had not only impacted their social lives, but their academic lives as well. Parents reported they enjoyed the presentation and felt that the information given was valuable. Parents left with several handouts, most importantly a list of all the clubs that are offered and how to access all the information through the Google Classroom portal. There was also a presentation given by representatives from the Bergen County Division of Mental Health regarding the new 10th grade Teen Mental Health First Aid(tMHFA) program. Fort Lee High School is one of 35 schools nationwide who have been chosen to participate in Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation & National Council for Behavioral Health new program.

• On November 1st, sophomores participated in a student assembly given by Dr. Michael Fowlin. Dr. Fowlin is a trained actor as well as a clinical psychologist. His presentation focused on building self-esteem, ending the stigma associated with mental illness and welcoming diversity. Following this assembly, students were informed of Fort Lee High School’s participation in the Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Bergen County Freeholders Joan Voss, Tracy S. Zur, and Mary Amoroso as well as representatives from the Bergen County Division of Mental Health, were all in attendance for the event.

• On November 1st, freshman participated in an assembly run by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. This presentation informed students about the dangers of opioid abuse as well as discussed the common pathways that lead to opioid addiction.

• On November 15th, the School Counseling Department held the eleventh grade parent. A “Junior Year To Do List” was presented along with expectations for post-graduation success. The differences between the SAT and ACT, the two standardized college entrance exams required by most U.S. colleges and universities were discussed. Most of the event focused on Naviance, our college and career readiness program used by the counseling team to match students to their post-secondary goals. Important features of Naviance were highlighted: college search, creating initial college lists, overlap schools, scattergrams, Super Match, resume builder and the pre-college survey. With such a large turnout, counselors were able to ensure that most parents were given their log ins to their Naviance accounts - allowing them to have a greater impact on their child’s future goals.

• Fort Lee High School hosted the ACTs on October 26, 2019, and December 14, 2019 and the SATs on October 5, 2019, November 2, 2019, and December 7, 2019.

• PSAT Scores: All students in grade 10 & 11 were given their PSAT scores, taught how to interpret their scores and how to link them to Khan Academy for free SAT tutoring. 3 | Page

STUDENT ACTIVITIES BY GRADE LEVEL

Seniors Sophomores Since the beginning of the academic th year, counselors have been working very All 10 grade students will have had a closely with seniors in order to prepare college minimum of two meetings with their new counselor

applications and letters of recommendation, by the end of January. These informational sessions are focused on goal setting, choosing the right which is a very lengthy, but important process. extracurricular activity, completing different tasks All senior parents were invited to meet with their child and guidance counselor to discuss in Naviance such as the Personality Assessment college options during September and and/or Career Pathway Activity, and planning October. Parents were also given log in access schedules and/or discussing the criteria for college. to Naviance and shown a financial aid It is important to note, that at-risk sophomores will presentation by a William Paterson University have met with their counselor a minimum of two to financial advisor. Additionally, counselors have three times each marking period.

been assisting students with completing their FAFSA application upon request. By the end of February, all seniors will have applied to higher education institutions. It is also Freshmen important to note that as we receive student scholarship opportunities, they are posted All 9th grade students met with Mrs. on Naviance for students to review and apply. Serulle-Green and were informed about graduation requirements, reviewed their current Juniors schedules, and explored options offered at the high school for extracurricular activities and Mrs. Acosta, Ms. Caddell, Mrs. Brown community service. These meetings gave students and Mrs. Lawlor have trained all 11th grade the opportunity to ask questions about high school students on how to begin their college search on and also served to ease the transition from the Naviance and CollegeBoard, the difference middle school. In the months of November and between SAT vs ACT, how to complete the pre- December, Mrs. Serulle-Green trained freshmen college survey, and gave an overview of the on how to complete their Career Interest Profiler a college letter of recommendation process via feature offered in the Naviance website which classroom lessons during the academic school helps students learn more about their personality day in October, November and December. To and strengths. It also helps students explore the date, all juniors have log-ins and passwords to occupations that match their interest. The results our Naviance program and should be actively of this inventory are used in subsequent years by using it. We encourage you to sit down with Mrs. Acosta, Ms. Caddell, Mrs. Lawlor and Mrs. your child and explore Naviance with them as it Brown to assist students in creating post-high is an excellent college planning resource. school plans, a process which the counselors are currently working on with the sophomore, junior, and senior classes.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

The Counseling Department will host multiple events during the second half of the school year to assist students with college and career preparation. Please try your best

to attend!

• College Panel Assembly: On March 18th during the academic school day, six to seven colleges will be at the high school to answer panel questions on what they look for in a student application. This event will give students an inside look on how college and universities perceive college applicants.

• Classroom Lessons: All students in grades 9 through 11 will be signed up for Raise.Me. This motivational program assists students in building scholarships from 200+ colleges as early as grade 9. Each college has different standards but most will award scholarships for the following: A in a course ($100 - $1,000), B in a course ($50 - $600), participate in a school club or sport ($25 - $250), etc. Check out Raise.Me on the web! Encourage your children to update their profiles after each marking period.

• SAT: Fort Lee High School will be hosting the SATs on March 14th, May 2nd and June 6th.

• ACT: Fort Lee High School will be offering the ACTs on February 8h, April 4th and June 13th.

• SAT/ACT Test Prep: The School Counseling Office encourages all sophomores and juniors to take advantage of Kaplan’s free ACT and SAT practice tests and test prep to help determine if the SAT or ACT is the right test for their learning style. Please visit https://www.kaptest.com/sat/free/events Kaplan also offers free SAT and ACT Bootcamps via the same website.

• DUI Assembly: In June, seniors will participate in a DUI reenactment assembly. Students will witness first-hand the potential negative ramifications of driving under the influence.

• Teen Mental Health First Aid five lesson series will begin for students in grade 10 in early February. Fort Lee High School is one of 35 schools nationwide who have been chosen to participate in Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation & National Council for Behavioral Health new program.

• After the Fire Presentation: All seniors will participate in an assembly given by Alvaro Llanos and Shawn Simons, survivors of the Seton Hall dormitory fire in 2000. Their story is one of survival, perseverance, inspiration, hope, courage and friendship. They inspire to motivate students and professionals that life will give you many obstacles while promoting dormitory safety and responsibility.

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UPCOMING EVENTS BY GRADE LEVEL

Seniors

For the rest of the year, seniors will be engaging in additional one-to-one counselor meetings to discuss college selection, wait-listed applications, financial aid packages, and any other concerns that arise. In

February, an online scholarship application will be posted on the guidance website for all seniors to

complete to apply for the Academic Awards Dinner Scholarships.

Juniors

In the months of January and February all juniors will have one-to-one scheduling meetings with their counselors to plan their schedules for the 20-21 school year. Student course requests can be viewed by their

parents via the Genesis Parent Portal after this meeting. In the months of April & May, all juniors and their

parents will have one–to-one college planning meetings to discuss the college search process and to complete the pre-college survey which assists counselors in writing college letters of recommendations in

senior year. We also encourage all sophomores and juniors to take advantage of Kaplan’s free ACT and

SAT practice tests and test prep to help determine if the SAT or ACT is the right test for their learning style.

Please visit https://www.kaptest.com/sat/free/events Kaplan also offers free SAT and ACT Bootcamps via the same website.

Sophomores

In the months of January and February, all sophomores will have one-to-one scheduling meetings with their

counselors to plan their schedules for the 20-21 school year. Student course requests can be viewed by

parents via the Genesis Parent Portal after this meeting. Sophomores will also participate in counselor facilitated classroom lessons on the SAT, ACT & SAT Subject tests, as well as in group activities that assist

students with interpreting their Naviance Career Interest Surveys from last year. We also encourage all

sophomores and juniors to take advantage of Kaplan’s free ACT and SAT practice tests and test prep to

help determine if the SAT or ACT is the right test for their learning style. Please visit https://www.kaptest.com/sat/free/events Kaplan also offers free SAT and ACT Bootcamps via the same

website.

Freshmen In the months of January and February, all freshmen will meet with Mrs. Serulle-Green to plan their course

schedule for the 20-21 school year. Student course requests can be viewed by parents via the Genesis Parent

Portal after this meeting. In addition to scheduling, Mrs. Green will begin classroom lessons for all ninth grade students to assist them in creating a portfolio for Raise.Me. Raise.Me is a platform that helps students

prepare for college by earning scholarship money for their achievements in high school. Students can start to earn money as early as freshman year by simply following colleges that they are interested in attending

and adding their achievements, such as high grades and sports.

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SCHOOL COUNSELOR HIGHLIGHTS

Ms. Serulle-Green’s Highlights Mrs. Lawlor 9th Grade Counselor th th 10 -12 Grade Counselor • All freshmen students participated in Mrs. Green’s classroom • Many of Mrs. Lawlor’s seniors have already been accepted into lessons and created a profile on Naviance. Students became fantastic universities. University of Michigan, Rutgers, familiarized with the website and links for searching various University of the Sciences, Texas A&M, Penn State, Fordham, colleges. Students then proceeded to take two surveys, called NJIT, Drexel, Rowan, Stony Brook, Temple, Louisiana All About Me and Career Interest Profiler, in which their State, and Seton Hall are only a few. personality type is revealed. This survey allowed students to • Three of Mrs. Lawlor’s seniors received recognition in the gain more insight as developing individuals. The results 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program and one of them provided each freshmen student with a suggested occupation went on to be named a National Merit Program Semifinalist. based on the personality type revealed. • One of Mrs. Lawlor’s seniors was selected as a 2019 National • Many recommendation letters are being sent for students College Match finalist through Questbridge. applying to Columbia University Science Honors Research • One of Mrs. Lawlor's sophomores earned 2nd Team All- Program. League recognition in girls’ soccer. • One of Ms. Green’s students won the 2019 NJSIAA singles • One of Mrs. Lawlor's juniors was selected to perform with the championship tournament in tennis. Region 1 Honors Choir and Bergen County Choir after a • Two of Mrs. Green’s students were accepted to the Region 1 rigorous audition process. Bergen County Band. • One of Mrs. Lawlor's seniors will continue his role as the NJSIAA Student Ambassador for the 2019-2020 school year. • Many of Mrs. Lawlor’s students will be applying to the Mrs. Acosta’s competitive Columbia University Science Honors Program. th th 10 -12 Grade Counselor • One of Mrs. Lawlor's seniors earned 2nd Team All-League • Many of Mrs. Acosta’s seniors have already been accepted into honors recognition in volleyball. some wonderful universities such as Fordham, Drexel, Rutgers, Penn State, Temple, Seton Hall, Loyola, U Mass Amherst, NJIT. • Mrs. Brown’s Highlights Two of Mrs. Acosta’s seniors were selected as 2019 National th th College Match Finalists through Questbridge. 10 -12 Grade Counselor • One of Mrs. Acosta’s students was selected for both the Bergen • One of Mrs. Brown’s students was accepted to Princeton County Band and the North Jersey Region Band. University, Early Action • One of Ms. Acosta’s seniors was accepted to the prestigious • One of Mrs. Brown’s seniors conducted research on Crohn’s nursing school at URI. disease at NYU Skirball Institute of Biomolecular medicine. He • One of Mrs. Acosta’s juniors has been nominated by the faculty also shadowed a doctor who specializes in Crohn’s disease at to apply for the Governor’s School of Engineering and the NYU Inflammatory Bowel Disease center. Technology at Rutgers University. • One of Mrs. Brown’s juniors attended a global entrepreneurship program in Shanghai, China. His task was to create a business idea, plan, and model with a team of other students. Like Shark Ms. Caddell’s Highlights Tank, his team had to present a proposed investment amount 10th-12th Grade Counselor and respond to critical questioning for the judges. His team won • One of Ms. Caddell's seniors was accepted into Montclair First Place, earning a $2000 prize. State University (Nursing Program) and was given the • One of Mrs. Brown’s juniors attended numerous national level Presidential Scholarship $5000.00 annually. tournaments for public forum debate at locations such as • One of Ms. Caddell's seniors was accepted into Fairleigh Princeton, Yale, and St. Joseph's University with a fellow Dickinson's University -into the Computer Science Program- freshman student, winning records at every one and is currently specifically focusing on Game and Mobile Application ranked #33 in the United States. Their most notable Development. This individual will also receive the Colonel performance was first-place at the St. Joseph's University Fairleigh Dickinson Scholarship in the amount of $ 25,000 annually. national tournament out of around 120 competitors. With this victory, it puts them in the running to be invited to the National • One of Ms. Caddell’s seniors was accepted to NYU Early Decision-into the Libral Arts Program-based in Washington, Tournament of Champions in April hosted by the University of D.C. Kentucky, a tournament for the top 120 debate teams in the US. • One of Ms. Caddell’s seniors was accepted to Boston • One of Mrs. Brown’s juniors has been nominated by faculty to University-Early Decision and has been awarded apply for the NJ Governor’s School of Science at Drew approximately $62,000 annually. Student will also receive University. two different grants which total approximately $68,000 for the • One of Mrs. Brown’s seniors was awarded 2nd Team All year. League recognition for Volleyball. Three of Mrs. Brown’s • One of Ms. Caddell’s students will be playing Division II students were awarded Honorable Mention All League in their Basketball at the College of Staten Island-on a scholarship. As respective fall sports: Cross Country and Volleyball. well as being accepted into the Verrazano Honors Program- with a concentration in Biology.

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CLASS OF 2019 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES

Adelphi University George Washington University Northeastern University Albany College of Pharmacy Georgetown University Pace University Albright College Georgian Court University Pennsylvania State University American University Hartwick College Pratt Institute Anna Maria College Harvard College Purdue University Arcadia University Hofstra University Quinnipiac University Babson College Hunter College Ramapo College Bard College Indiana University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Baruch College Ithaca College Rhode Island School of Design Becker College Jacksonville University Rider University Bentley University John Jay College of Criminal Justice Rochester Inst. of Technology Bergen Community College Juniata College Rowan College Berkeley College Kean University Rutgers University Binghamton University Keystone College San Diego State University Bloomfield College LeMoyne College San Francisco State University Boston College Lehigh University School of Visual Arts Boston University Lesley University Bucknell University Laboratory Inst. of Merchandising St. John’s University California State University Lesley University Stevens Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University Lincoln Technical Institute Stony Brook University City College of Loyola University of Chicago Syracuse University Columbia University Lynn University The Ohio State University Cornell University Manhattan College Tulane University DePaul University Manhattan School of Music University of California Drew University Maryland Inst. College of Art University of Delaware Drexel University Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & HS University of Illinois East Stroudsburg University Massachusetts Inst. of Technology University of Maryland Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University McGill University University of Massachusetts, Amherst Emerson College Mercy College University of Miami Emmanuel College Monmouth University University of Michigan Fairfield University Montclair State University University of Pennsylvania Fairleigh Dickinson University Mount Holyoke College University of Rhode Island Fashion Institute of Technology Mount Saint Mary College University of Tampa Felician University New Jersey City University University of Virginia Florida Southern College New Jersey Inst. of Technology Vanderbilt University Fordham University New York Inst. of Technology Villanova University Fullerton College New York University Virginia Tech. *This is not a full list of acceptances* 8 | Page