Counseling Connection Newsletter
School Counselor Caseloads comprehensive list (click here)
Competency Determination Policy & Local Graduation Requirements (click here)
With the potential pause in SNAP benefits, Haverhill High School is offering support to our students and families through a non-perishable food pantry located in the Guidance Department at Haverhill High. All students are welcome to take what they need, no questions asked. Our goal is to ensure everyone has access to essential food items during this time. Please don’t hesitate to have your child stop by Guidance if your family could use some support. If your family would like additional food assistance, please contact counselors, Shawna Cruz (shawna.cruz@haverhill-ps.org/ 978-374-5700x1136) and Naomi Gabovitch (naomi.gabovitch@haverhill-ps.org/ 978-374-5700x1194) for community resources and other in-school help. The HHS cafeteria is offering free, hot dinners to any students who stay after school for a sport, club, or extra help. Dinners are served from 2:30–3:30 p.m.
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*This is an ongoing newsletter that is updated weekly
Important Dates Honor Roll Group Requirement Progress Report Term 1 - October 8, 2025 Distinction - No quarterly grade below 95 Parent Teacher Conference #1- October 9, 2025 Highest Honors - No quarterly grade below 90 Report Card Term 1 - November 5, 2025 High Honors - Avg. quarterly grade 87, no Progress Report Term 2 - December 10, 2025 quarterly grade below 93 Parent Teacher Conference #2 - December 11, 2025 Honors - no quarterly grade below 80 Report Card Term 2 - January 22, 2025 |
Important Information for Families
Quick updates:
- Term 3 Grades close 3/27
- Term 3 Report card issued 4/2
- Term 4 Progress Rpt 4/27
Free Family Info Night at the YMCA hosting CARTWHEEL: Families are often the first to notice when something feels different for their child, but it can be difficult to know where to turn. Cartwheel is a trusted partner that supports the mental health and wellness needs of middle and high school students, and this event is designed to help parents and caregivers learn what support is available and how to access it. FLYER
Event: Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health & Wellness
Date: Thursday, February 19th
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Location: Haverhill YMCA, 81 Winter Street, Haverhill, MA 01830
Audience: Open to all families with school-aged children
Cost: Free and open to the community
Course Selection 2026-2027:
Guides to choosing classes below:
Students will be taken out of one Science class from January 26-Feb. 13th to work with their counselor to schedule for next year. Please review the applicable courses for the grade level and discuss the plan with your student. Changes will not be made after scheduling when counselors meet with students in April to review schedules that may require adjustments.
Rising 10th Portuguese
Student Career/Volunteer Opportunities: click here
Vocational School News:
Grade 9, 10 & 11th grade students- Whittier Tech and Essex Tech (and our own CTE Program) is now lottery based. This means that acceptances are at random and there is no specific criteria to be accepted.
The deadline to transfer to Whittier Tech:
mid-year admission to grade 9- December 1, 2025.
Grade 9 Fall admissions deadline is January 9, 2026.
Grade 10 & 11 transfers February 1, 2026
Make It Haverhill (MIH), a workforce and digital access program of Community Action, Inc., is pleased to share that we are now accepting registrations for our Computer Basics classes and have officially opened enrollment for our CompTIA A+ Information Technology Certification Program.
We kindly ask for your support in sharing these opportunities with your clients, students, and community members who may benefit.
Free Computer Basics Classes
Our Computer Basics classes are offered at beginner and intermediate levels and are designed for adults who want to:
- Build confidence using a computer
- Improve email, internet, and online job application skills
- Strengthen digital skills for work, education, and everyday life
Classes are free, in person, and taught in a supportive learning environment.
CompTIA A+ IT Career Training Program
MIH is also enrolling participants 18 years and older in our CompTIA A+ Certification Program, which prepares students for entry-level IT roles such as Help Desk Technician, IT Support Specialist, and Field Technician.
Program highlights include:
- Preparation for CompTIA A+ Core 1 and Core 2 exams
- In-person evening instruction
- Job readiness and employment support
- A laptop provided to each participant
- A $100 stipend upon passing both certification exams
Enrollment is limited and based on eligibility and readiness.
Please see your counselor if you have any questions.
FRESHMAN- CLASS OF 2029
- Counselors will visit biology classes in early October to review graduation requirements, the importance of getting involved, and answer any high school questions.
- Whittier Tech lottery details:
- Late Applications
- The application portal is going to remain open for transfer applications (2029 and 2028 close on 2/1/26), but any applications that are received after 1/9 for a member of the Class of 2030 will be marked as "Submitted Late."
- We will only be holding a lottery for applications in "Submitted Late" in the event that we are unable to fill the incoming class from applications that were submitted by the deadline.
- Lottery ID Numbers
- No later than 1 week prior to the lottery date (1/27/26), applicants will receive an email. This email will:
- A) Remind them of the lottery date and time (1/27 at 4:00 PM)
- B) Share information on where/how the lottery can be viewed (streamed live and recorded on our school YouTube account)
- C) Remind them of the address they used on their application and the expectation of verifying residency within 2 weeks if they are offered admission
- D) Assign them a unique Lottery ID number - this has no personally identifying information
- Lottery Day
- Following the lottery drawing, we expect/anticipate to have the official results posted on our website and notification emails sent to applicants the same day (barring any technology issues). We will have an email out to you as quickly as we can with the results from your specific schools, but please bear with us - this may take a few days. In the meantime, you will be able to view results for your students by checking their statuses in Go2.
- They will initially have one of two statuses:
- Admission Offer: Awaiting Residency - these students have been selected in the lottery in an order that awards them a seat at Whittier for 2026-27. However, their admission is not confirmed until residency documentation is provided. They have 2 weeks to submit that information.
- Waiting List - these students were drawn in the lottery in such an order that they are not being offered admission at this time. As a reminder, waitlists are generated by city/town of residence, so if students who were offered a seat decline the offer, we will move to the next student on the waitlist for that municipality.
SOPHOMORE- CLASS OF 2028
- Counselors will visit English classes in December to review graduation requirements, discuss how to interpret PSAT scores, review Naviance features such as the Career Cluster, and answer any high school questions.
JUNIOR- CLASS OF 2027
- College Tours Schedule by College/University
- SAT sign up- Haverhill High School is hosting the SAT’s on March 14th. Sign up on Collegeboard
- Counselors will visit History classes in January to review graduation requirements, various post-secondary paths, and answer any high school questions.
- Haverhill High School will be offering the SAT exam on Saturday March 14th. Please log on to CollegeBoard to register, see your counselor with any questions.
SENIOR- CLASS OF 2026
The 2026–2027 FAFSA form will be available to the general public on October 1, 2025
- SAT sign up- Haverhill High School is hosting the SAT’s on March 14th. Sign up on Collegeboard
- Whittier Tech Summer CTI Program: If you are a senior interested in pursuing a trade after high school, find info on the webpage for Whittier Tech or ask your counselor about the Whittier Tech Summer CTI program assembly
- On the Spot NECC- next date held in the library at HHS from 9:30-11:30 on February 24, 2026.
- On the Spot NorthShore Day- where you can meet with NorthShore counselors, apply to the college and get accepted on the spot! See your counselor to sign up. Held Jan. 13th 9:30-11:30 in the library.
- College Info Night Presentation College Info Night Presentation, College Info Night Presentation (Spanish Version)
- FAFSA is open now https://studentaid.gov/
Click here to make an FSA ID account.
Financial Aid Presentation from 11/5/25 - English
Financial Aid Presentation from 11/5/25- Spanish
- Transcript Request Form Complete transcript request form two weeks prior to your college deadlines. You must fill out one for each school.
- College Rep Visits- sign up in Naviance!
Scholarship Portal INFO
Dear Seniors & Families,
First, GO PATRIOTS! Second, a good snow day activity for tomorrow- The HHS Scholarship portal is now open. This Google Form will be available from January 26th to March 10th. Once it is closed, the deadline remains March 10th. This is your opportunity to take time to apply for scholarships that may be applicable to you (only apply to those that meet the specific criteria). Please click on the chart in the directions to view all available scholarships. Fill out the form as the questions ask. Please consider grammar and spelling. Some scholarships have their own applications and/or essays; links should be embedded.
The HHS portal will only be open to HHS students, and the Google Form will not open unless accessed from a student account. Parents should not try to ask for access. Counselors will be holding Scholarship Workshops in February-March to assist. Students- this is your opportunity, so parents should not have to nag you to complete. HHS is lucky to have many donors who honor loved ones, important events and just want to give back. Last year, students were awarded over $225,000. Remember, time is money!
In addition, other local and national scholarships can be viewed in Naviance. You should continue to view Naviance daily, even after the HHS Scholarship portal closes, as many other scholarships are posted with varying deadlines through June. These may have additional deadlines and expectations.
Take the time to consider and apply as much effort goes into preparing this for you. Recipients will be notified after April vacation if they will be receiving an award at Night of Stars on May 21, 2026. HHS Scholarship Portal 25-26
Student Government opportunities- We are pleased to inform you that the 79th Annual Student Government Day has been scheduled for Friday, April 10, 2026. This program is coordinated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. High school juniors and seniors are eligible to be nominated. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Craven, District Coach of History. Student Government Day (SGD) - Student Scholarships, Awards and Special Programs
EARLY COLLEGE
Notification: Today, Tuesday, December 16, is the final day of finals for our Early College students at NECC. Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, December 17, all Early College students are expected to remain in their assigned classes until dismissal at 12:14 PM. Classes will resume at NECC on January 21. A reminder message will be sent in January. Students have been informed of this expectation through messages sent via the Early College Google Classroom and Remind.
What is Early College? The Early College Program is designed to allow high school students the opportunity to earn college credits through Northern Essex Community College while completing all requirements for their Haverhill High School Diploma. Students have the opportunity to earn up to 27 credits that are a part of the Mass Transfer Block. The Early College Program is FREE to Haverhill High School students and offers them the opportunity to enter college with up to a year or more of college coursework completed - saving time and money toward earning a 4-year college degree! This program is open to qualifying Junior & Senior year students.
Early College will be hosting a Parent/Student Information Night on Wednesday October 29, 2025 in the HHS Auditorium at 5:30pm. This meeting is geared towards Sophomore families but grade 9 & 11 families are welcome to attend.
Students: If you can not attend the meeting and you are interested in joining Early College for the 26/27 school year please stop by the Early College Office Room L04 (located behind Guidance) for more information.
FOR CURRENT EARLY COLLEGE STUDENTS/FAMILIES
As a reminder to early college parents, through your child’s NECC account, you have full access to Blackboard, a valuable tool for monitoring their academic progress.
By logging into Blackboard, you can:
- View Grades: Check your child’s current grades for each course.
- Track Assignments: See what assignments have been submitted and which are still pending.
- Course Materials: Access materials provided by instructors to help support your child’s learning.
To access Blackboard:
- Have your child log in to their NECC account.
- Once logged in, click on the Blackboard icon.
- Navigate to the specific course to review grades, assignments, and other details.
This tool helps ensure you stay informed about your child’s progress and offers opportunities to support them in their studies.
For more information contact Kristen Sevene Early College Coordinator at (kristen.sevene@haverhill-ps.org) or Edzaida Alvarez Early College Engagement Specialist at (edzaida.alvarez@haverhill-ps.org)