PHS Guidance Department Newsletter
April/May 2012
Natalie C. Betz, Principal
Lynn A. Burek, Assistant Principal
Richard C. Fonti, Assistant Principal /Athletic Director
Thomas Rizk, Assistant Principal
Greetings from Guidance
College Applications
Students have begun to receive their
college acceptance letters and narrow
down their choices. Please have your
seniors update their acceptance results
in Naviance. Seniors will complete an
exit survey in May.
Contents
Greetings from Guidance
Good News
Scholarships
SAT information
Upcoming Events
8th Grade Advisement Night
Over 100 parents of the incoming 9th
grade class (Class of 2016!) attended
Eight Grade Advisement Night at PHS on
January 31, 2012. The program opened
with remarks by Ms. Natalie Betz,
Principal and Ruth Anne Estler, Interim
Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
The parents then proceeded to the
cafeterias, where they had the
opportunity to meet with Curriculum
Supervisors and Lead Teachers of
English, Science, Math, World
Language/ESL, Social Studies, Physical
Education, Health, Business, Applied
Technology, Art, and Music. Parents also
had the opportunity to meet with Mrs.
Lynn Burek, the 9th grade Assistant
Principal, Mrs. Stacy Bush, the
Coordinator of Guidance, and Mrs. Ellie
Fried, the 9th grade Guidance Counselor.
The Guidance Department offered
handouts to the parents, such as
“Freshman Survival Guide”, “Stuff to
Help You Do Better in Less Time
(Really!)”, and “Clubs and Activities for
9th Grade Students”. The evening was a
huge success, and we are all looking
forward to working with the incoming
students next year.
Sophomore Seminars
In early January, Mrs. Letsch, Mrs.
Hrobuchak, and Mrs. Belarmino held
sophomore seminars. The seminars
focused on how personality traits and
potential careers go hand in hand.
Students were given the opportunity
to complete a personality inventory in
Naviance. If they did not get to finish,
please encourage them to do so at
home. This is a great opportunity to
sit with your child and review their
results regarding potential career
fields.
Junior Seminars
Counselors met with all the juniors
during their English classes in the first
week of February to begin the college
search process. After an overview of a
general timeline to follow, upcoming
SAT dates, and key factors in
determining what colleges look for
and what students should consider
when searching for schools, students
began exploring the comprehensive
college search website, Naviance.
Students were given the opportunity
to check out the various features of
the college search component,
including College Match, College
Compare, Scattergrams, Scholarships,
and much more. They then began
searching for schools that met their
own criteria. Juniors were also given
a reference booklet loaded with
important and specific information
related to the college search process
as well as descriptions of various
military options and a list of career
schools in the area that offer
certificate programs in a wide variety
of career fields. Students were
encouraged to remember the 3 key
words: Search, Visit, and Apply during
this potentially overwhelming process
and to ask their counselors any
questions they have along the way.
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Guidance Newsletter
Junior Parent Night
Junior Parent Night was held on
February 8th. Guidance Counselors
presented a program to parents that
covered information that had been
shared with our juniors during seminars
that were held that week. Topics
included: college searching, college
visiting, athletic eligibility,
standardized testing, and career
schools. Juniors should be logging onto
our search program, Naviance, as an
important first step in their post high
school planning process.
Scheduling
During the entire month of February
students were in “course selection
mode!” All students worked with their
teachers and filled out a course
selection card. Each student then had a
conference with his or her school
counselor. Counselors reviewed each
student’s four year plan, making
adjustments as necessary, to ensure
that all students are on track to
graduate. Additionally, the
counselors worked with students to
plan for life after high school and
meeting all necessary requirements
for that plan.
At this point all initial course requests
have been entered and we are
beginning to work on the master
schedule for PHS for the 2012-2013
school year. Please keep in mind that
requests for schedule changes will be
considered for the following reasons
only: Completion of summer school,
failure of a pre-requisite course, or
specific scheduling error. As always,
if you have any questions or concerns,
please call your child’s counselor. We
are here to help!
Good News
Governor’s School Finalists
Announced
Congratulations to the following
Governor’s School Finalists from PHS:
Christina Hum – Sciences and Eva Xu –
Engineering and Technology.
Their applications have passed through
the rigorous high school level and are
now on their way to the individual
colleges in which each Governor’s
School is housed. If selected by the
individual school, they will be considered
Governor’s Scholars and attend the
prestigious 3-4 week Governor’s School
program with approximately 90 other
students from around the state.
Congratulations again to Christina and
Eva and we look forward to hearing even
more good news in April!
New Jersey Scholars Semi-Finalist
Announced
Congratulations to Elora Basu and
Michael McVea for being selected as
finalists from PHS in hopes of attending
the intensely competitive NJ Scholars
program this summer. This was an
accomplishment in itself! We received
word in late February that Michael has
been selected to continue on in the
process as a state semi-finalist by the NJ
Scholars committee and will take part in
a group interview in late March. In the
end, only 39 candidates from around the
state will be chosen to participate in
this free, five-week interdisciplinary
program on the historic campus of the
Lawrenceville School. We wish Michael
the best of luck in his upcoming
interview and hope to hear even more
good news in April!
Hoby Candidate Selected
Congratulations to sophomore Melissa
Kelly for being selected to participate in
the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership
seminar this spring! Through the
continuous and generous support of the
Parsippany-Troy Hills School Association,
Parsippany High School is able to send
Melissa to the weekend-long conference
held at Monmouth University from June
22nd – June 24th.
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Guidance Newsletter
Good News Continued…
While in attendance, Melissa will have
the opportunity to participate in
hands-on leadership and team building
activities, listen to keynote speakers,
and interact with other sophomores
from around the state.
Congratulations also goes to Samantha
Pignatelli for being selected as the
alternate to HOBY in case Melissa is
unable to attend.
Boys State Delegates Selected
Congratulations to Michael McVea and
John Patracuolla for being selected to
Boys State. Sponsored by the
American Legion, Boys State is a
week-long citizenship program held
each June on the campus of Rider
University. While staying on campus,
Mike and John will have the
opportunity to participate in a model
state, complete with government
bodies and elected public officials,
gaining practical training and
developing an in-depth understanding
on how state government operates,
while at the same time, building
character and honing their leadership
skills. Congratulations also to Frank
Pogoda and Tyler Wilhalme for being
selected as alternates.
Girls’ State Delegates Selected
Congratulations to Alexandria Rigoli
and Alice Zhou for being selected as
delegates to Girls’ State. This
nationally recognized program,
sponsored by the American Legion
Auxiliary, will be held in June on the
campus of Georgian Court University.
During their week-long stay,
Alexandria and Alice will become
“citizens” of a fictious city, county,
and state, and participate in the
practical processes of selfgovernment and good citizenship in a
democratic society. This unique
experience will also give the girls an
opportunity to familiarize themselves
with the basic ideals and principles of
government, develop leadership
skills, and instill a deeper
appreciation for their roles as
American citizens. Congratulations
also to Kim Idrobo and Eva Xu for
being selected as alternates.
Scholarships
Please check Naviance under
“Scholarship List” for all scholarships
that come to Guidance. Remember,
any scholarship offered by a local
organization usually guarantees
someone from our school will win.
The deadline date listed on Naviance is
the one that must be followed- NOT
the date on the application. We need
time to fill out the paperwork the
organization requires from us as well as
time to proofread all applications to
make sure they are
complete and arrive at the proper
destination by their deadline date.
Please complete all parts of the
application you can and then your
counselor will fill out any forms they
might need to in order to complete your
application.
After the application is complete, please
paperclip the blue scholarship transcript
request to your packet and place in the
basket in Guidance.
REMEMBER: you can’t win if you don’t
apply!!
Guidance Newsletter
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SAT
Students should plan to take the SAT at
least once during the spring of their
junior year. Upcoming test dates are:

May 5th – register by April 6th

June 2nd – register by May 8th
Register online at
www.collegeboard.com
Please check out our school website
for a listing of SAT prep programs.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 26th National College Fair Field
Trip. This trip is limited to the first 80
juniors who sign up. It is a great
opportunity to speak with college
representatives and get answers to any
questions students may have.
May 7th-May 17th AP Testing
Students who have registered will be
taking AP tests during this time period.
May 18th – Junior Awards Breakfast
This is a breakfast for invited
students and parents honoring the
students for their achievements.
June 6th – Senior Awards Night
Invited seniors will be awarded
scholarships and receive recognition
for their outstanding achievements.