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Student Schedules Grade 9-12
Students and families will be able to access their schedules for the 2023/24 school year through the Infinite Campus Portal on Friday, August 25th @ 3:00 pm.
If student(s) need a schedule change they must complete the required change form. This process takes precedence over direct emails to the counselors. Please be as specific as possible. Schedule changes for core classes will take priority before electives.
Please be aware that Advanced Placement and College-Level courses require fees that the student and/or the family are responsible for:
- Adelphi University: Approximately $390/ course
- Syracuse University Courses: Approximately $ 345/ course
- Advanced Placement Exams: Approximately $95.00 per test
- SUNY Courses: Approximately $150.00/ course
- Westchester Community College: Approximately $250.00/course
Fee waivers and/or financial aid may be available for families who qualify. Please contact your student's counselor for more information
All student transcripts are available on the portal. To access it, once logged in Infinite Campus click on the Campus Backpack at the bottom of the page. When viewing the transcript please note weighted and unweighted GPA is located in the upper right-hand corner. All Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Courses receive a weight of 1.10. All Honors Level Courses receive a weight of 1.05. Only the higher Regents exams will be reported when a transcript is submitted with a college application. In addition to Regents scores, there are several other notations to include:
Exempt = E
Superintendents Appeal= SA
Please contact your student's counselor for more information
School Counselors will be returning to the office on Monday, August 28th. Please find the Counselor Assignments for the 2023-24 School Year in this link.
Senior Happenings
In follow up to our “College To Do" list summer email, this note includes information related to assisting our seniors as they prepare for their post-secondary plans. Please review this information carefully. The Counseling Department will be working closely with each of our seniors to ensure a smooth application process. I encourage you to plan ahead and consider the following information.
Senior Classroom Visits
At the very top of the Counseling Department's list of things to do this fall is making contact with our seniors! During the week of September 18th, Counselors will be visiting Senior English classrooms to review the college application process, discuss application protocols, and answer questions.
Grade 12 College Night
On September 19th, 2023, at @7:00 pm, Ms. Susan Willard from Hobart & William Smith Colleges will be speaking at our annual Pelham College Night for all college-bound seniors and their families. She will provide a comprehensive overview of the college process. The event will be in-person in the high school auditorium.
Financial Aid Night
On October 24th, 2023, @ 7:00 pm PMHS will be hosting Mr. Matt Malatesta, from Union College to speak about the financial aid process. All college-bound seniors and their families are invited to attend. If you are applying for financial aid, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to get family and student FSA ID accounts. Each student and parent must have their own respective PIN. Do not wait until January to get this Pin number, it will delay your financial aid application. The event will be in-person in the high school auditorium.
Senior College Application Boot Camp
Plans are currently underway to implement the annual half-day Senior College Boot Camp on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023. Counselors allot targeted time with each student to ensure the application process runs smoothly. Stay tuned for additional information.
College Essays
Writing an effective essay or personal statement is a crucial component of the college admission process. The college application and essay prompts are available on the Common Application website (link). This fall, senior-level English courses will be working with students on their college essays.
College Admissions Officer Visits:
Pelham Memorial High School will once again be in-person visits this fall in the high school conference room. Please see the current list of colleges. We will continue to update the list as more colleges contact us. Visits will be scheduled throughout the school day and sharing information with students as it becomes available through the Naviance system. College visits are considered an excused absence from class if students have given their teacher prior notification.
On Monday, October 23rd @7:00pm Eastchester and Pelham High Schools will be co-hosting a college fair in the Eastchester High School Gym. Please stay tuned for details and a list of attendees as the date draws closer.
In Other News
This summer one of our school counselors, Mr. Luis Barcelo took some time to visit McGill University in Montreal, SUNY Cobleskill, Rice University in Houston Texas, University of Houston, and Texas Southern University.
This September, high school counselor Ms. Andrea Pellicane will be attending the National Association For College Admissions Conference (NACAC) in Baltimore Maryland, to learn and discuss the latest trends in college admissions with colleagues from high schools and colleges/universities across the nation!
Please extend a warm welcome to Ms. Honor Fagan who will be joining us this September as a leave replacement counselor for Ms. Cuccia. Ms. Fagan's professional experience comes from working as a school counselor at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in New Jersey, as well as completing her Bachelor's Degree from Boston College and her Master's Degree from New York University. The staff and interview committees were all very impressed! When she assumes the role she can be reached at Hfagan@pelhamschools.org
College Admission Tests
While we recognize the importance of these tests in the college admission process for many schools in the U.S., please note that a significant number of the colleges in the United States will be Test-Optional (link) for the fall admissions cycle. The Counseling Department will continue to support our students in assessing whether to submit scores to colleges and universities as part of the application process.
Seniors with Special Interests:
Seniors with special interests and talents (such as artistic, musical, or athletic) are encouraged to contact college admissions staff personnel to start the admissions process. They will be able to provide names and phone numbers for each respective contact at the college or university. Athletes are encouraged to register for the NCAA Clearinghouse (link) if they have not already done so.
Required Forms/Documents For College Applications:
The following documents need to be signed by the parent(s)/guardian and uploaded to the student’s “Class of 2024 Counseling Office Information” Google Classroom by September 1st, 2023. This is especially important if you are applying Early Action or Early Decision to a college/university with an October 31st or November 1st deadline.
High School Transcript Approval Letter (link)
All student transcripts have been updated and are available on the portal in the “Student Backpack” section. Please review this document very carefully. The Counseling Office will not release any transcripts to colleges without a parent/guardian's signature. As you may be aware, PMHS only discloses the highest regents score. Also, there have been many NYSED exemptions and appeals granted over the past several years. After reviewing the student transcript, please upload the signed form to the Class of 2023 Counseling Google Classroom. If you have any questions, please reach out to your student's counselor.
Military Opt-out Letter (link)
Under Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act, Provision 9528; local educational agencies are required to provide military recruiters with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of secondary school students upon request. Under the law, the only exception occurs when a parent or student asks in writing that this information not be released without prior parental consent. If you would like this information to NOT be released without your consent, please sign the letter and upload it to the Class of 2024 Counseling Google Classroom. Otherwise; names, addresses, and phone numbers will be given to the military when requested.
Junior Questionnaire (link)
This form needs to be completed by the student and uploaded to the “Class of 2024” google classroom. This will help your counselor write a letter of recommendation.
Student Activity Profile (link)
This form needs to be completed by the student and uploaded to the “Class of 2024” google classroom. This will help your counselor write a letter of recommendation.
Parent Brag Sheet (link)
This form needs to be completed by the parent and uploaded to the “Class of 2024” google classroom by the student. This will help your counselor write a letter of recommendation.
Grades 10 & 11
PSAT administration for sophomores and juniors will be administered on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023, at 8:15 am at Pelham Memorial High School. We have found that the administration of the PSAT can provide an opportunity for students and families to gain helpful insight into college readiness. PSAT scores are also used to identify National Merit Scholars.
Some Highlights of the PSAT:
- PSAT/NMSQT assesses the same knowledge and skills as the SAT, providing a check-in on college readiness before students take the SAT
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Personalized SAT practice
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No points are deducted for incorrect answers or unanswered questions, also known as “rights-only scoring”
- Two sections: Reading and Writing and Math
- Scale ranges for the scores are 320 – 1520 for the total score
- Test length: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Release time for students will be at approximately 11:30 pm
This upcoming year the PSAT/NMSQT will be digital. All students will be taking the exam on a College Board app entitled "Bluebook". This app has been downloaded to all student Chromebooks. Students are now able to practice for the exam. They will need their college board login credentials handy in order to do so. If they do not yet have an account they create one here.
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