January Secondary School Newsletter Hello Everyone! From a Brookwood standpoint, this is a big day in the secondary school process. As of today we have sent ALL the math, English and Principal/School recommendations, required checklists, and transcripts; all told, we fired off 155 files to 47 different independent schools for our current 8th graders! We have also released SSAT scores, per our conversations with parents, though still awaiting January results for some. All materials went digitally to schools so they received everything directly, bundled; a convenience that yields positive feedback each year! Kudos to Cathy for putting it all together and using this efficient and effective means of transfer. We know that the enormous influx of materials that schools receive at this juncture can “clog the works,” as it were. Schools are receiving reams of application materials right now, and each school needs to file and account for every letter, transcript, and SSAT score. Needless to say, there is a major back-up that typically takes weeks to clear, thus schools don’t always know exactly what they have in their possession. We do not recommend calling schools to confirm that all your materials are in. The whirlwind of filing and organizing applicant files has really just begun for many of these schools, and asking them to go hunting for your child's stuff can be a tall order at this time. Also, they WILL let us/you know if something is ultimately "missing" from your file. As we’ve mentioned in earlier coffees, the "missing" item is a) never really missing, but instead misfiled, or unfiled, or stuck behind a filing cabinet or something, and b) always replaceable. All teachers, coaches, administrators, EVERYONE here keeps records and copies of what was sent and when. So if a school calls, we simply fire off a duplicate. This has never been an issue with any school, and in 100% of the cases, the "missing" item has ultimately been found by the receiving school. We are incredibly careful and Cathy is very organized to ensure that nothing is missed or overlooked. So please...if you get a call, an email reminder, or continue to see an unchecked box, do not panic. Just give us a call, and we will remedy the situation. Just imagine how many recommendation letters these folks are dealing with...it's overwhelming. We know that there are sometimes last second changes to your school list, and some of the schools have deadlines that allow us to continue to talk until the end of the month. Should you decide at the last second to add or remove a school from your list, it is really important that you notify us immediately. All schools have received materials from us, and if you choose not to apply, the school will likely call you and us wondering if the application will be completed, and they will want this confirmed by you, having initiated the process. If you have any lingering thoughts or questions, you can always reach out to us for the remainder of the month; we still do want to hear from you! Now…. breathe in. Breathe out. Tell your kids how proud you are that they have handled this extra storm of work and obligation with such grace; it is a process that is very tough on them, just as it is on you. Resume normal functioning. Enjoy the next two months and let your kids enjoy them! And please don't worry - we’ve got this! Best, Evan and Cathy