November Counseling Newsletter 2021
West High School Counseling Department
College Applications & Post-Secondary Info
Senior Future Planning Workdays and Mandatory MMSD Survey
FAFSA & Scholarships
Madison College: Scholars of Promise
West Quick Links
Academic & Career Planning
& More!
College Application Info for Seniors
Don't forget the following important steps in your college application process:
- Request your transcript via Parchment.com (reminder, counselors do not send transcripts)
- Request your ACT act.org or SAT scores collegeboard.org (if submitting)
- Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (see below for free help session information)
Complete the FAFSA with Help from CollegeGoalWI
Scholarships Now In Xello!
Get quick access to your Xello account through Classlink
Search the database of scholarships and save any you would like to apply to.
Enter as much information as possible to find the most matches.
Scholarship Spotlight
Xello is very proud to be the official sponsor for all high school scholarships through WSCA each school year.
This year FOUR $500 Scholarships Will Be Awarded!
Fill out the application and submit the following two essays:
Question 1: Think about your experiences with school counselors throughout your education (elementary, middle and high schools), describe a time when a school counselor helped you overcome a barrier or obstacle and how that helped you to succeed.
Question 2: How has your school counselor(s) helped you prepare for your postsecondary path and how would earning this scholarship support you in those plans? Provide specific examples of lessons, workshops, conferences and/or conversations that were meaningful to you in creating your post high school plan.
Deadline: Submissions close December 10th, 2021
Access the Application HERE
Scholars of Promise @ Madison College
We can help pay your college tuition!
The Scholars of Promise program provides low-income, graduating high school students an opportunity to access a college education without worrying about how to pay for it.
Program benefits include:
- Tuition Assistance: We cover tuition and fee costs that grants and scholarships do not for up to six consecutive semesters - summers excluded.
- Financial Aid Application Assistance: Dedicated support through focused application completion workshops.
- Promise to Promise: Direct college transfer opportunities with UW-Madison's Scholars of Promise program
The application window is October 1 to April 1 each academic year.
College Admission & Special Program Rep Contact List
Senior Future Planning Workdays
They were supported by West Counselors, West English teachers, and Madison College, Edgewood College and UW Madison admissions/financial aid reps.
Check out the photos below of the event.
11th Grade Information
Juniors will receive an ACP lesson in early December that pertains to post high school planning and preparing for (and scheduling) their junior conference. Counselor calendars will open up for junior conference scheduling in mid-December and will run through February.
College Nights: Admissions Expert Series
You won't want to miss this.
Collegewise is hosting this five-week event, but it won’t just include experts from our ranks. We'll have deans of admission from some of your favorite universities, journalists and authors from publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and a crew of the foremost experts in the field of education and college admissions.
Sessions will cover everything from understanding how rankings are as imaginary as unicorns, to how colleges with a 5% admit rate decide who gets in, to how in the heck you afford a university education these days.
And if you missed prior sessions, you can now download recordings. Click here for information on the two remaining sessions in November and to Register.
West Quick Links
Academic & Career Planning (ACP)
Students at West High School are on a journey to discover what the future will hold when they graduate. Through Academic and Career Planning (ACP) they are beginning to answer the questions:
Who am I?
Where am I going?
How will I get there?
Who are we together?
Students will set goals, make plans, and continue to think about their future through ACP activities supported in the classroom and through Developmental Guidance through the counseling department.
Students will have opportunities to:
Explore interests, skills, educational opportunities & careers
Create a resume
Develop a post-high school plan
Each grade level works on specific ACP lessons throughout the year. These lessons have been completed during 1st Quarter:
9th grade: Freshman 101 lesson and ACP folder creation & Xello Activities
10th grade: Transcript/Credit Review
11th grade: Transcript/Credit Review and Xello Activities & Career Exploration
12th grade: Future Planning Workdays
Family Access to MMSD's College & Career Platform Xello
We are excited to announce families now have access to their scholar’s college and career platform, Xello!
Students use Xello in school in order to help them prepare for the future. It offers students a variety of activities from sixth grade to senior year. These activities help students explore their options to make informed decisions about their future goals and plans.
It’s important for students to take ownership in planning for their future. However, the caring adults in their life play an essential supporting role. Parents/guardians can use Xello’s New Family account to see their child’s work in future-readiness, and discuss and support their future goals and plans.
For more information and helpful resources, click here or reach out to your school’s ACP Coordinator. The link includes information for families on how to log in, navigate their account, and update language preferences.
Work Based Learning
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact your counselor to learn more.