West Counseling News
May 2017
FRESHMEN
The summer is coming! Freshmen should be thinking about summer activities like getting that first job (grocery stores, libraries and some restaurants will hire students who are 15), volunteering in a career area they are interested in (we have a list of volunteer opportunities on the counseling web page) or attending summer school, if necessary. Have your student meet with their Counselor if they have questions about any of these options.
SOPHOMORES
This summer sophomores should definitely think about getting a job. Colleges and University admission representatives tell us that work experience is very important in teaching students skills that are not taught in a high school classroom. In addition to working, your student may want to volunteer or job shadow in a career area they are interested.
METHOD TEST PREP
This ACT preparation program is offered through Career Cruising to all MMSD students. Your student can log-in and start reviewing and practicing for the ACT test which most students start taking in the Winter of their Junior year.
www.careercruising.com/login/mmsd
USERNAME: MMSD-student ID#
PASSWORD: sixdigitbirthdate and first and last initial
NHS
11th grade students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible for the National Honor Society their Junior year. They are invited to apply based upon their grade point average. The application requires an essay and demonstration of 60 hours of community service, only 30 of these hours can be in one volunteer activity. The summer of a student's 10th grade year is a great time to start this volunteer work.
JUNIORS
COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS
Heads up for juniors – Counselors recommend that juniors take these tests in the spring.
All UW System Schools accept either the ACT or the SAT. If you have specific colleges in mind, find out from the college which others exam they may require, i.e. SAT subject tests. Because colleges typically accept your highest score, prepare early and take the test more than once.
Remaining 2015/2016 ACT & SAT Tests:
SAT: June 3 (regular registration deadline is May 9)
ACT: June 10 (regular registration deadline is May 5)
Plan to start working on your college essay:
Common Application Essay Questions for 2017-2018
UW System Schools Essay Questions for 2017-2018
ATTENTION JUNIOR PARENTS:
Please join us for a Parent Night Monday, May 8th at 7pm. We will be presenting information about the college process.
SENIORS
SENIOR PARENT SURVEY
Senior parents please watch your emails this month for a survey from the counselors asking for your feedback about the college advising and application process.
SENIOR HONORS CONVOCATION
The Senior Honors Convocation will be held on Thursday, June 1, at 7:00 p.m., in the West High School Auditorium. Students invited include those receiving Honors and High Honors cords, National Merit students, and students chosen for scholarships by the West High Scholarship Committee. The letter of invitation will be sent home in mid May. The Honors and High Honors lists for the Class of 2016 will be posted in the Counseling Office in early May so seniors can check on their “Honors” status and see Mrs. Armstrong with any questions.
FINAL TRANSCRIPTS
Students are responsible for requesting final transcripts to be sent to the college they will be attending. To order your transcript, you will need to create an account at www.parchment.com. Please be aware that you will need to have a working email address and a credit or debit card to complete your order.
For more information, visit our website: http://westweb.madison.k12.wi.us .
MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN RECIPROCITY
Wisconsin residents wishing to participate in the Reciprocity Tuition Program for attendance at a Minnesota public institution MUST complete an application form and be placed on a certification list supplied to the Minnesota school by the Higher Educational Aids Board. The list of eligible schools appears on the instruction/information page of the application form. Reciprocity applications for attendance at a Minnesota public college or university during the 2016-2017 academic year are available on the HEAB website: http://heab.wi.gov . Contact Peter at the Higher Education Aids Board – 267-2209 – if you have questions.
ALL STUDENTS
Parents: Please encourage your student to check their MMSD email for updates and information from West High School. They can access their MMSD email account through the https://www.mmsd.org web page or West High School’s web page: https://westweb.madison.k12.wi.us .
GENERAL INFORMATION
SUMMER SCHOOL
Summer School will be held at West for six weeks from June 20th – July 29th. Registration forms will be sent to all students enrolled in grades 8-12. Here is a link to the website: https://earlyed.madison.k12.wi.us/high-school-summer-school.
Counselors highly recommend that students enroll in summer school if they are deficient in credits for the next school year. To be “on target” toward high school graduation, students should have earned the following number of credits before entering their respective grade:
5 ½ credits before starting sophomore year
11 credits before starting junior year
16 ½ credits before starting senior year
Parents are encouraged to get on Infinite Campus or call their son/daughter’s counselor if they wish to check on credits earned.
Students interested in preparing for the ACT/SAT tests may want to consider the following course in Summer School:
ACT/SAT Preparation: College bound students should improve ACT, SAT, PSAT, or P-ACT scores through learning test taking and problem-solving strategies and techniques. Students will improve their vocabulary, math problem solving, reading comprehension, and test taking skills. Students will build academic skills that will not only improve their performance on college entrance tests, but will also help them to enter college better prepared to handle college level expectations. Enrollment in this course is for students in grades 10-12. This course would be especially appropriate for students entering grade 11 next year, as it is recommended students take the ACT and/or SAT during their junior year.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
The Counseling Office receives information on many summer programs. Students/parents wishing to check into summer programs are welcome to look through the Summer Programs file in the Counseling Office, please check out our Summer Programs list HERE. In addition to specific program files, we have books listing summer opportunities which you can check out. (Peterson’s Summer Opportunities for Kids & Teenagers is recommended.)
ADVANCED PLACEMENT TESTING
ADVANCED PLACEMENT TESTING
May 1-12 : AP testing takes place. See exam schedule below. Questions regarding AP testing should be directed to AP teachers or Allison Salinger, AP Coordinator and/or go to the MMSD AP Website: https://assessment.madison.k12.wi.us/ap-testing-madison
AP EXAM SCHEDULE
Click here to see the schedule of exams.
SUMMER INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
This program provides youth facing barriers with high-quality youth employment opportunities in local government.
Applications can be found at: http://www.cwd.org