School Counseling

In addition to the Suffield High School honors level courses that are available, advanced placement courses are offered to recommended students. These college level courses require an exceptional amount of study on the part of students and allow them the opportunity to take the College Board Advanced Placement Examination. A passing grade (typically 3 or better on a scale of 1 to 5) may earn college credit depending on the requirements of the individual colleges and universities which students plan to attend. Students enrolling in AP courses must take the AP exam in order to receive AP recognition on their transcript and AP credit weighting toward class rank.

For more information about specific AP courses, please visit the College Board site. You may also research how credit may be used after graduation, by familiarizing yourself with College Board’s Credit Policies.

Should you have questions about AP courses, please contact your school counselor directly.

AP Exam Information

• Late testing information
• Test dates and times

• SHS College Application Process - PDF
• College Essay Tips
• SHS Transcript Request Form - Google Form
• Q1 Transcript Request Form - Google Form
• Letter of Recommendation Request Form - PDF
• The Common Application for Undergraduate College Admission

College Planning

The SHS counseling office would like to remind you that we are here to offer our assistance to you and your student at any time. The office is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., and counselors are available by appointment during school hours throughout the year. To schedule an appointment, just call our office at (860) 668-3813 and we'll do our very best to accommodate you.

On our website, you can find College/Career Readiness Planning Calendars for all four grade levels, that we encourage you to post on your refrigerator and refer to periodically to help keep your student on track in planning for the future. Many important dates and events are highlighted on these calendars in hopes that they'll help to keep students from missing out on an opportunity.

College Planning Calendars

• Freshman Calendar (Class of 2023) - PDF
• Sophomore Calendar (Class of 2022) - PDF
• Junior Calendar (Class of 2021) - PDF
• Senior Calendar (Class of 2020) - PDF

Other College Planning Documents

• Senior Planning Presentation
• College Planning Guidebook - PDF (Updated 2/6/2014)
• Student's Guide to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Tutorial (FAFSA) - External Site
• Junior Planning Presentation

Websites

LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Student Resources: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/lgbtq-college-student-guide/

• PACT Program - FREE Community College Tuition
• 2019 - 2020 Financial Aid Presentation - PDF
• Local Scholarships - Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
• New England Board of Higher Education's Tuition Break for New England Residents
• Get help paying for college by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Assistance filling out the FAFSA
  • Asnuntuck Community College Office of Financial Aid provides free FAFSA assistance to any student and parent regardless of the college the student will be attending.  While the Asnuntuck Financial Aid Office offers designated time on Fridays for this assistance, they may be able to accommodate your schedule.  Please call 860-253-3030 to discuss the FAFSA.
• Don't forget to check Naviance for local scholarships!

Naviance

The SHS School Counseling Department is pleased to provide Family Connection – a comprehensive website that parents and students can use to make plans about colleges and careers. Family Connection is linked with Naviance, a service that we use to track and analyze data about college and career plans.

Family Connection allows students to:

• Get involved in the planning and advising process – Build a resume, complete online surveys, manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers
• Research colleges – Compare GPA, standardized test scores and other statistics to actual historical data from our school for students who have applied and been admitted in the past
• Research careers – Research hundreds of careers and career clusters and take career assessments
• Create plans for the future – Create goals and to-do lists and complete tasks assigned by the school counselor to better prepare your student for future college and career goals.

Family Connection also lets us share information with you and your student about upcoming meetings, events, local scholarship opportunities and other resources for college and career information.

To visit Suffield High School’s Family Connection site, use an Internet browser to connect to:

http://connection.naviance.com/suffieldhs

We hope that you will find this resource helpful. If you have questions about Family Connection, please contact us.

SHS School Counseling Department
860-668-3813

NCAA Information

• NCAA Eligibility Center Request Form - PDF
• NCAA Initial Eligibility Resource Index
• The NCAA Eligibility Center
• The NCAA Eligibility Center has launched a new website to help high school student-athletes successfully transition to college

SAT/PSAT

To sign up for the SAT and registration deadlines visit - www.collegeboard.com

ACT

To sign up for the ACT visit - www.actstudent.org

NGSS

• NGSS Assessment - Grade 11 

• Death and Grief in the Family: Tips for Parents
• Building Resiliency: Helping Children Learn to Weather Tough Times
• The Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative
• Trauma Informed Practices for Schools - Tips - PDF
• What Is a Trauma-Informed School?
• CT DMHAS Trauma Initiative
• Building a Trauma-informed System of Care for Children in Connecticut - PDF

"The Suffield Board of Education is committed to creating and maintaining an educational environment that is physically, emotionally and intellectually safe and thus free from bullying, harassment and discrimination. The Board expressly prohibits any form of bullying behavior on school grounds; at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, function or program, whether on or off school grounds; at a school bus stop; on a school bus or other vehicle owned, leased or used by a local or regional board of education; or through the use of an electronic device or an electronic mobile device owned, leased or used by the Suffield Public Schools, in accordance with the Suffield Safe School Climate Plan which is supported by state law." (Board of Education Policy 5131.911)

The Suffield Public Schools also prohibits any form of bullying behavior outside of the school setting if such bullying (i) creates a hostile environment at school for the student against whom such bullying was directed, (ii) infringes on the rights of the student against whom such bullying was directed at school, or (iii) substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school. Discrimination and/or retaliation against an individual who reports or assists in the investigation of an act of bullying is likewise prohibited. Students who engage in bullying behavior shall be subject to school discipline, up to and including expulsion, in accordance with the Board' s policies on student discipline, suspension and expulsion, and consistent with state and federal law. The district’s commitment to addressing bullying behavior, however, involves a multifaceted approach, which includes education and the promotion of a positive school climate in which bullying will not be tolerated by students or school staff.

Policies and Procedures

Bullying Prevention and Intervention Policy and Bullying Reporting Form (Suffield Board of Education Policy 5131.911)

Safe School Climate Plan

Helpful Links

CT State Department of Education/Bullying and Harassment