WHS Counseling Department News
June 2018
Graduating Seniors
Dear Graduates:
The Counseling Department wishes to extend our sincere congratulations to all our graduates. You’ve worked so hard and accomplished so much. As you graduate, you deserve to feel good about yourself. We hope that your experiences and achievements as a Regent have prepared you well for your future endeavors. As graduates, you will all choose different paths in life. We have enjoyed working with you and wish you all good luck and good health on your journey. THANK YOU to all the parents, staff and community who have collaborated to support the success and achievement of all our students!
FINAL TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS PROCESS:
As the end of the school year is quickly approaching, we want to remind you of an important task you need to do before you leave West High School. If you plan on attending a college or university next fall, you will need to send your FINAL Transcript to that school. Many of you may have already received e-mails from your colleges requesting this transcript. Your counselor does not send these transcripts, it is your responsibility to request your Final Transcript be sent to your college. See below for instructions on how to do that.
You can request your final transcript through your Parchment account (www.parchment.com).
1. Once you are in your account, click on "send transcripts" and choose your "Academic Destination". This is the school that you will be attending in the fall.
2. After you identify your school, you will see a screen that shows your destination.
3. Please choose "HOLD FOR GRADES" in the drop-down menu and then continue to the payment page. You can do this at any time before graduation and the transcript will be sent after final grades are posted.
RISING SENIORS
Continue working on your list of colleges/programs you plan to apply for next year and WRITE YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS!!! The Counseling Department sent you an email with a power point (access link here, slides 40 & 41) that includes essay prompts from the Common Application this past May. Summer is a great time to get that college essay rough draft finished.
RISING JUNIORS
If you are a student who is interested in attending college, use this summer to prepare for the ACT/SAT by taking a prep course through Summer School. The Course is offered at Memorial this year and West students may register. Working and volunteering are also great for a college resume and improving your skills as a human being!
ACT Method Test Prep:
Website: www.careercruising.com/login/mmsd
LOGIN: Username: student ID #
Password: six digit birth date and first and last initial
To go to Method Test Prep, click on your name in the left hand corner and on the next page Method Test prep link is at the bottom of the page on the left hand side.
RISING SOPHOMORES
Have a productive summer, whether it is summer school to make up credits, grade replacement, or enrichment, volunteering or working. These activities help to maintain your current skills, as well as provide new ones. Also, remember to read for at least 30 minutes a day.
PSAT - Saturday, October 13th, 2018
The PSAT is offered only once each year, and is normally taken in the junior year. It is a practice test for the SAT which measures critical reasoning, math problem solving, and writing skills. It is also a qualifying test for the National Merit scholarship program for juniors. We encourage you to plan ahead and save the date!
Note: Occasionally, sophomores elect to take this test if they plan for an early graduation or if they wish to practice for the PSAT/NMSQT, which they would then take again as a junior.
How to register?
Registration for the Wednesday PSAT will be held in the Counseling Office in early October. Information about registering for the PSAT will be distributed in the fall.
SUMMER SCHOOL
The 2018 Secondary Summer School sponsored by Madison Metropolitan School District is scheduled for six weeks starting on June 18th and concluding on July 27th, 2018 and is designed for students who will be entering grades 9, 10, 11 or 12 in the fall of 2018. Additional information can be found here: https://earlyed.madison.k12.wi.us/summer-school
Registration Information:
In order to assure your admission to the subject or subjects of your choice, you are urged to register in advance. Please complete the registration form that may be picked up at any middle or high school (or use the one provided online). You must have your school counselor as well as your parent/guardian sign the form, then submit to the summer school site you’re attending, or the counseling office through June 9th.
TYPE OF CREDIT FOR SUMMER SCHOOL COURSES:
Credit Recovery: For the 13 required credits in the areas of English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health and Physical Education, summer school courses may be used to replace a course previously taken or failed.
Elective Courses: All other summer school courses completed will count towards elective credit.
NOTE: Because of a limited budget, priority will be given to those students who are behind in credits and on a descending grade level basis: 12, 11, 10, 9 & 8.
ACT/SAT PREPARATION
Students can improve ACT, SAT, PSAT or P-ACT scores through learning test taking and problem-solving strategies and techniques. The MMSD Summer School Program offers a course at Memorial to help students prepare for these college entrance tests. 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-board tests, but will also help them to enter college better prepared to handle college level expectations.