WHMS Counselor Newsletter
January 2024
Upcoming Events
February 1st - Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center Visit
February 2nd - 8 to 9 Scheduling kickoff
February 7th - 9th grade Parent Orientation at Harrold School
March 18-22 - Mental Health Awareness Week
March 20 - Term 3 ends
March 26 - Report cards posted on Family Access
April 22, 23, 24 - ELA PSSA testing
April 29, 30 - Math PSSA Testing
May 1, 2 - Science PSSA testing (8th grade only)
Scheduling
In February the counselors will begin the 8th to 9th grade scheduling process with a visit from the Harrold School principal and counselor. The WHMS counselors will follow up with the 8th graders by visiting the students in their history classes. Counselors will cover with the students:
9th Grade courses available to next year’s freshmen.
Graduation Requirements
Course Selection
Transitioning to the High School
In addition to students discussing course selections with their teachers, each 8th grade student will meet with his/her counselor one on one to discuss their choices prior to entry into skyward. Parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to discuss course selections with their children. Parents should be able to see their child's course selections the last week of February via skyward family access. 9th grade Orientation will be held at Harrold School on February 7th from 6:30-8:00. Here is a preview of the slideshow that will be presented to the parents in attendence.
Middle school scheduling including 7th to 8th grade scheduling process will begin in March. Please refer to the WHMS School Counselor Website Scheduling tab for updated information.
8th grade C.W.C.T.C. assembly
The Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center (CWCTC) is planning on visiting with the WHMS 8th graders on February 1st. The CWCTC provides this assembly to create awareness of the programs available to them when they reach high school. Students are not eligible to participate in the CWCTC program until they are in 10th grade. On April 11th the 8th graders will attend a half day field trip to visit the CWCTC. More information about CWCTC and Hempfield can be found in the High school Program of Studies.
Mental Health Awareness Week
WHMS Student Assistance Program is in the process of organizing Mental Health Awareness Week for March 18-22. More information will be forthcoming and wil be posted on Mrs. Dell's Weekly Reminder. Dress up days for the week are:
Monday- Be Seen and Wear Green- Green is nationally recognized color of Mental Health Week
Tuesday-Be comfortable with yourself. Wear comfortable clothes.
Wednesday- I’m Involved- wear clothes for organization that you belong to
Thursday- Be mentally fit- wear exercise clothes
Friday- Don’t be sad wear plaid
Care Solace
Hempfield Area School District partnered with Care Solace to help expand access to community mental health and substance abuse treatment providers for Hempfield students, staff and families. Care Solace provides a Care Companion team that can quickly and confidentially find available community providers. Families can gain access to a dedicated Care Companion to navigate the mental health care system on their behalf using their vast database to call providers to find the right fit and availability. Care Solace helps families with private insurance, medicaid or no insurance. They are available to help you 24/7/365 in any language. Families can be connected to Care Solace through a school referral or contact them directly through the Care Solace Hempfield link.
PSSA Testing
PSSA testing will begin with the ELA during the last week of April (testing dates above under “Upcoming Events”). On testing days, students test for half the day and the school runs a “mini” schedule for the second half. Spartan Time and Activity period is canceled during test days. The district will be sending out a letter to parents about PSSA testing when we get closer to the testing dates.
Helpful Tips
In this section of our newsletter we want to pass on to parents some helpful information. Here you may find helpful tips on how to navigate school applications like Skyward and Google Classroom. In addition, we will include information on apps your children may have on their devices and cyber safety alerts.
Warning from the FBI about violent groups targeting teens online. This story from WPXI warns parents about these groups targeting students between the ages of 8-17 years old and attempting to extort from them livestream videos of self harm or abuse.
The Likee App - Is this app appropriate for your child? Here is a review from Shape the Sky on the increasingly popular Tik Tok clone.
What is a Fentapill - A Fentapill is a fake prescription drug pill laced with Fentanyl. The DEA reported that 6 of 10 pills seized last year were laced with Fentanyl. Fentapill Fact Sheet. Natural High is a drug prevention resource provider we use to educate students of the dangers of drug abuse. They have a strong 6 minute short film about Fentanyl that you can view with your children to generate discussion. Please watch it before showing it to your children to decide if you feel it is appropriate. This tip was included in last year's March newsletter. It is worth sharing again for those who may have missed it.
YOUR WHMS SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Mr. Ray Killen killenr@hasdpa.net (724) 850-2147
Ms. Judy Varacalli varacallij@hasdpa.net (724) 850-2146
Please visit our WHMS School Counselor website
Please visit the WHMS School Calendar