Holiday Resources
As the holiday season is upon us, we know for many it is a time to be with family and to share traditions, which may include preparing special meals or giving presents. We also know that this may be difficult for some families this year. For those of you who are experiencing financial strain at this time, please see the letter below that was sent to all district families with local resources you can access this holiday.
Upcoming Dates & Events
- Friday, December 1st: Pratt & Whitney field trip for registered students
- Monday, December 4th - Friday, December 8th: Sophomore advisory presentations in Career Center
- Monday, December 11th - Friday, December 15th: Junior advisory presentations in Career Center
- Tuesday, December 12th: USM On-the-Spot Admissions for registered students
- Monday, December 25th - Monday, January 1st: Winter break, no school
Career Center
The Career Center is a hub with helpful programming and information for all grade levels - drop-in sessions, college admissions visits, advisory presentations, and more! Click the button below and use the links within the calendar to sign up for events!
On-the-Spot Admissions Events - Seniors Only!
On-the-spot admissions events are opportunities to have an on-the-spot review of your college application with an admissions representative to discuss your application, hear insight into their review process, and ultimately be informed of your admissions decision at their school! Space is limited for each school so be sure to sign up in advance and submit your application at least 1 week prior to the date! Got questions? Email Mrs. Lontine at kyle.lontine@rsu35.org or speak with your school counselor. Click on the buttons below to sign up for an on-the-spot admissions event!
Pratt & Whitney Field Trip!
A group wonderful seniors, Ms. Leboeuf, Ms. Littlefield, and Mr. Scully, got to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick on Friday, December 1st! They got to see employees in action complete the many steps it takes to design and build commerical and military jet engines, and got to hear from a Marshwood alumni about the benefits of working at Pratt, such as the Employee Scholar Program (where P&W will pay for your schooling from day one of employment)!
Financial Aid Night: Information for Senior Parents!
On Tuesday, November 28th, Mrs. Lontine partnered with Jess Whittier from the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and presented financial aid information to families. If you missed it, please see the below flyers for important information! The FAFSA form is being revamped to make filing for financial aid a more simplified process for families, and is expected to be released by December 31st. Review the information below for instructions on how to create both student and parent FSA IDs (the login you will need to file the FAFSA).
Click the button below to sign up for FAME's virtual webinar, "The 2024-2025 FAFSA is Coming Soon!"
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Hiring Events!
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is holding monthly hiring events, and attending is a great opportunity for any senior looking to enter the trades after high school. See the flyer below for more information!
Seniors
We are here to help you with your postsecondary plans! All seniors should schedule their senior meeting at least one month prior to their earliest deadline. If you are a student with an earliest college deadline of January 1st, use your counselor's YouCanBookMe link or send them an email to schedule your senior meeting!
To ensure that your college materials are sent on time, please give your transcript request form to your counselor no later than Friday, December 15th if you have a January 1st deadline. Otherwise, your counselor will send your materials when we return from winter break on Tuesday, January 2nd.
Scholarship Opportunities
We have a brand new scholarship website this year full of local, state, and national scholarships organized by deadline, in addition to helpful scholarship search tools. Click the button below to access the MHS Scholarships site!
This month's scholarship highlight is University of Maine's Pulp & Paper Foundation Scholarship! UMaine's foundation will award nearly $900,000 in full and partial tuition scholarships to students who plan to enroll at UMaine and study Chemical, Mechanical, Computer/Electrical, or Civil Engineering, in addition to Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Technology or Forestry. The application deadline is Sunday, December 31st, and students will hear by Wednesday, January 10th if they are selected to interview. Click the buttons below for more information and the application, and if you have any questions, reach out to your school counselor!
Juniors
Advisory Presentations
Junior advisories will attend a career center presentation from December 11th to December 15th about career pathways, and will log into SCOIR in advisory.
Prom Information!
At the junior class meeting on Tuesday, it was announced that Junior Prom will be on Saturday, May 11th, 2024 at Wells Reserve at Laudholm from 7 PM - 10 PM. If you haven't yet, fill out the survey below to vote on a theme and suggest activities/song requests!
Sophomores
Advisory Presentation
Sophomore advisories will attend a presentation in the Career Center from Monday, December 4th to Friday, December 8th for a refresher about graduation requirements and an introduction to the Sanford and Dover Career Technical programs!
Leadership Opportunity!
Maine Youth Leadership (MYL) holds a leadership seminar each year where more than 120 high school sophomores across the state participate in group decision-making exercises, public speaking opportunities, volunteer projects, and more! This year, the MYL Maine seminar will be from Thursday, May 30th through Sunday, June 2nd at University of Southern Maine! MHS will nominate one student to attend the seminar and one alternate. To apply, see the form below and turn the completed form in to your school counselor by Friday, December 15th!
Freshmen
Freshman Seminar Presentation
Counselors will be going into Freshman Seminar classes on Friday, December 1st and Monday, December 4th to present to students about the school counselor's role, graduation requirements, future planning, and more!
Information for all grades
Infinite Campus Notification Settings
Did you know that you can edit your settings in Infinite Campus to control the frequency and types of notifications you receive on behalf of your student? Follow the instructions below to adjust your notification settings:
1. After you log into your parent account, click the "User Menu" on the top right
2. Click "Settings," then "Notification Settings"
3. From there you should be able to indicate which notifications you'd like to receive or not receive.
Click the button below to learn more about settings and information within Infinite Campus!
Academic Support
Community Service
Don't forget, 50 hours of community service is part of your graduation requirements. Setting a goal of completing 10 to 15 hours each year of high school will help to set you up for achieving this requirement in no time! Community Service forms are located in the D-Pod Hub, or can be printed from the MHS School Counseling Website (located within the "Information for ALL Grades" tab).
Your 50 hours need to be completed by May 1st of your senior year. To help, we've compiled a document filled with Community Service Opportunities. This document is regularly updated so be sure to check back often!
This month's community service spotlight is for Strawbery Banke's Candlelight Stroll in Portsmouth, NH, now nine nights in December (see dates above)! Volunteers ages 16+ (with parent/guardian consent) will help to welcome and check in attendees, direct guests around the site, serve hot cider and give prizes to children who complete the scavenger hunt. Each shift is around 2.5 hours in length, and there are two sets of shifts each night. Youth under 16 must volunteer with an adult. Any interested students should reach out to Laura Town, Director of Human Resources, Interns, and Volunteers, at ltowne@sbmuseum.org.
Other great community service opportunity available this month is to create and sort Care Kits for Eliot Connects! See the flyer above for needed items to donate, and contact eliotconnects@gmail.com if you are interested in sorting, assembling, and distributing care kits on December 16th
Community Resources
Family Resource: Gather Mobile Market
Families who need access to fresh, healthy food can access the Gather Mobile Market in the parking lot of the Wentworth Douglass Hospital's Spinelli Building (15 Old Rollinsford Rd., Dover, NH). Gather will be at this location every other Monday from 12 pm to 2 pm. There are no obligations or requirements to access the food pantry. Click the button below to see where the Gather Mobile Market will be each month!
Family Resource: Footprints Food Pantry
Footprints Food Pantry (31 Old Post Rd. in Kittery) exists to reduce the impact of hunger in the community, share resources, and support the lives of those who have joined the Footprints community. They are open for food distribution on Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 PM, Wednesdays 9:30 AM-12:30 PM, and Saturdays from 9-10 AM. They also deliver to families who cannot access the food pantry in person. Please call (207) 439-4673 or access their website below for more information.
MHS Community Closet
The Marshwood High School Community Closet exists to provide new and gently used clothing, hygiene supplies, food, shoes, and other daily essentials at no cost to students in need and their families. The Community Closet empowers our school community to nurture compassion through service, and to foster awareness of our diverse population. The Marshwood Community Closet was spearheaded by the Interact Club, and is further supported by our Counseling department, Nurse, Administration, and community donors.
If you or someone you know would like to access the Community Closet, please reach out to your school counselor and/or the Nurse. This process is discrete and you can have regular access to these materials.
If you would like to donate to the MHS Community Closet, please email Emily Rumble, Interact Club advisor, at emily.rumble@rsu35 to set up a time to drop off materials. The closet is currently FULL of women's clothing, but they are in need of the following items:
- Hangers
- Men's dress clothes (ties, button ups, dress pants)
- Hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, etc. (Winter gear)
- Shoes (especially sneakers)
- Non-perishables
- School supplies (pencils, backpacks, pens, etc.)
Get Involved!
Did you know that there are over 48 Clubs and Activities to choose from at MHS? Take the opportunity to try something new and get involved!
Contact your Counselor
Did you know the MHS School Counseling website is JAM PACKED full of helpful information? Be sure to check it out and bookmark it for easy access! On the site you'll also find the links to email or book an appointment with your school counselor. We look forward to meeting with you!