December 2023 Secondary School Newsletter There’s a chill in the air, the holiday lights are up and Revels songs can be heard in every corner of the school…it must be about time for winter break! As we all head off for a little family time and festivities, we wanted to share a few quick words about the secondary school process before everyone scatters. Evan and Cathy are available and at school on the following days during break to answer your questions. On these dates, please don’t hesitate to reach out during regular school hours if you hit a snag with applications, to discuss SSAT scores, or chat about your school list. The best way to reach us is over email and then we can schedule time to meet either by Zoom, in-person, or over the phone. Evan Monday, December 18-Wednesday, December 20 Wednesday, December 27 Cathy Monday, December 18 Wednesday, December 27-Friday, December 29 Forms, forms, forms… By now your head might be swimming due to the influx of information that has been streaming your way from schools, SAO, Gateway, Ravenna, etc., and Brookwood. From Brookwood, we just want to reiterate one message: Thank you for delivering the transcript release forms and subject recommendation forms to notify us of your final application list. If you are reconsidering some schools – removing or adding – please send Cathy and Evan an email so that we may adjust the database and correctly submit to the schools your child is applying to. Please don’t forget to double and triple check that you have all required materials for each school secured and ready to go. Some schools ask for a third academic recommendation, or a personal recommendation, and that letter is your responsibility. Other schools ask for a graded writing sample, which your child must also secure and submit. Please make sure you have this all covered before heading off for break so that you don’t end up asking for a recommendation letter or best paper to submit just before a deadline. December SSAT Scores We hosted the SSAT test here at Brookwood on Saturday, December 2, and scores will arrive early the week of December 11. Please be sure you have assigned Brookwood as both a score recipient and advisor so that we can view them and also have the ability to send them to high schools should we decide it is best, or when necessary, to do so for your child.
If you have any questions regarding these scores or have questions about whether we are sending scores on your child’s behalf, please email or call Evan. Cathy and Evan will meet to determine which/if scores will be sent to schools, and may reach out to you directly for input if we have questions; feel free to make suggestions should you have any strong convictions. For students that are taking the January SSAT, we will hold off on releasing any score information to schools until those results arrive, we review, and will then make a decision on what best set(s) to send. Reminder: In the top line of the “Testing Note” field of the SS database, we will clearly indicate which scores, if any, have been sent to schools. Check your school application list on SS Database Cathy has entered all schools to which your child is applying based on transcript release forms received to date. To view, please log onto your Heron Hub Parent Portal, click the “Secondary School Database” found under the “Resource” tab and check to see if a school is missing, or should be deleted. What To Do Over the Break? Winter Break is typically a great time to get to work on applications and essay writing. Most applications are due on January 15th so it is helpful to get the bulk of the application work done prior to our return to school while free from other academic demands. Many of you have asked about how appropriate it is to help your child with the essays. This is a difficult question because you obviously want your child to present as favorably as possible, while allowing your child to show his/her true self in writing. When Evan was Head of Upper School, he always told parents that helping students with work is OK as long as you don’t pick up a pencil or touch a keyboard. He would say that the same is true here. Talk with your children about the essays, help them organize their thoughts, and feel free to offer verbal feedback after reading a draft. Where you should draw the line is actually copy editing, writing, or altering the primary thrust of your child’s work. The essay should be authentically produced by your child, but you can always serve as a good sounding board and consultant. Have a first choice school? This is the time in the process when a front runner may emerge. If you have a first choice school, meaning acceptance will definitely result in enrollment at a given school, please tell either Evan or Cathy. The only caveat to this request is that you really need to be certain before you tell us. If Evan is going to share that information with a given school, it is important that the information is entirely accurate so that we can preserve our relationships with the schools to which our students apply. Please don’t feel pressure to declare a first choice. While it can be helpful, it is by no means a requirement so don’t feel compelled to choose one school if a clear first choice has not yet emerged for you. We hope you all have restful and productive vacations during the holidays. You are in the home stretch, so get ready for this last part of the process and look forward to having all the hard work behind you. We’re almost at the waiting phase, and that only requires patience… Happy Holidays, Evan and Cathy