Happy December from the Counseling Department! We hope you and your family found time to recharge over the Thanksgiving Break and are ready for the short but busy month of December. As always, feel free to reach out to us any time with questions or concerns. We are happy to help!

Keep working hard on those college applications if you have a December or January deadline!

If your school requires a School Counselor recommendation for a January deadline:

Please contact your Counselor ASAP to request a letter of recommendation.

COUNSELORS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO WRITE LETTERS OVER WINTER BREAK, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO PLAN ACCORDINGLY!

A few additional details to remember:

• Submit your ACT or SAT scores directly to the colleges through the ACT or the College Board (for SAT) websites.
  
• If your school/s request Mid-Year senior year grades to be sent, you will need to request your transcript via parchment.com. Select "Hold For Grades" so that your 1st semester grades will be included on your transcript.

• Be conscientious in pursuing housing accommodations as soon as the colleges will allow so you have a better chance of getting your first choice in housing.
  

VIRTUAL COLLEGE ADVISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CLASS OF 2021

College Board is partnering with nationally recognized college access programs to offer seniors free, personalized virtual college planning by phone, email, text, and video chat sessions. Refer students to our virtual college advising page to learn which programs they’re eligible for and to sign up.

Visit the Access to Opportunity™ current access campaigns page for additional information.

Are you in the process of applying to any of the UW Systems schools? Check out the following resources from UW HELP that can assist you with the process:

ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS

UW HELP is offering one-on-one sessions for students wanting assistance completing the online application for admissions, looking for general information about a specific UW campus, or seeking guidance with the admissions process. Students can go online and schedule a 15-minute session with one of UW HELP’s Outreach Specialists.

To schedule a one-on-one session, please use the link below:
https://calendly.com/c/GGCRUI2JICTUJOKF?month=2020-11

UPCOMING WEBINARS - APP DEMO

Join the UW HELP team LIVE as they walk-through the new UW System online application for admission as a New Freshman. Registration is required to participate, so please click on the links below to join us.

• Wednesday, December 16th at 1:00 pm - Register Here

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nBGfL0QnRVO5c7jJZUjZGg

We'd love to help you celebrate that exciting moment when you hear about your college acceptance news. Be sure to let your counselor know and send a pic of you with your college gear so we can share your good news on social media. #RegentPride

Potential Division I and II athletes must meet NCAA academic eligibility requirements in high school prior to entering a college. Students must apply junior or senior year.

Go to the NCAA website at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net to register and learn about the eligibility requirements.

Seniors (and their parents) seeking scholarships should check out the Scholarships and Financial Aid Booklet for an overview of the financial aid and scholarship search process.

Seniors should also check out our district's directory of local scholarships by logging into Xello and clicking on "College Resources." This scholarship list is continually being updated.

Finally, West also offers a number of scholarships to graduating students. The West HS scholarship application will be shared with seniors via email on January 13th, 2021 and the deadline to apply will be February 5th, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.

More information on the West Scholarship application will be in the January Counseling Newsletter.

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.
• Mentorship: Work with a mentor your first year, become a mentor your second year.
• Financial Aid Application Assistance: Dedicated support through focused application completion workshops.
• Academic Support: Academic advising and career counseling focused on SoP students.
• Volunteer Opportunities: Our newsletter helps you complete the required eight hours of service per term.
• Promise to Promise: Direct college transfer opportunities with UW-Madison's Scholars of Promise program.

Are you interested in a future career in PK-12 education? Check out UW Madison's Teacher Pledge:

In order to provide schoolchildren with the best possible education, the School of Education at UW Madison is dedicated to strengthening and diversifying Wisconsin’s teacher workforce. To accomplish this goal, they are pledging to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing and licensing costs for all of their teacher education students.

For students with greater financial need, the Teacher Pledge can also provide funds to cover costs beyond tuition, such as books or living expenses. In return, students pledge to work at a Wisconsin pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school for three to four years after graduation.

The Teacher Pledge is open to all participating teacher education students — and is the first program of its kind offered by a public university. This will help the School attract and retain diverse cohorts of students who are dedicated to becoming future educators across Wisconsin.

For more information on this program, click HERE

Junior Conference Time Is Near!

School counselors will be working with juniors in the next few months to focus on their post-secondary research and planning. Below are important items to note:

Wednesday, December 9th: 11th graders will be asked to view this lesson and complete the next steps of their post-secondary planning:

• Complete Choosing A College lesson in Xello

• Work on their Post-Secondary High School Action Plan, share the document with their school counselor and parents/guardian before their Junior Conference

• Beginning the week of December 14th, juniors sign up for an individual, 40-minute Virtual Junior Conference with their school counselor ( counselor booking calendars will be available on December 9th)

• During their Junior Conference, your student will be taking notes in their Post-Secondary High School Action Plan document and then uploading it into their Xello account. The Action Plan will include this link to our Junior Launchpad with additional resources and information to support their post-secondary planning.

School counselors facilitate Juniors Conferences well into the second semester so even though students are allowed to begin scheduling them the week of December 14th, they can choose a date after winter break and into the second semester.

The date for the district ACT test for 11th graders is March 9, 2021. (MMSD is monitoring the COVID-19 situation in conjunction with public health recommendations regarding any large-group assessments like the ACT. We cannot make any predictions at this time as to whether or not the ACT test will be offered at West on this date)

Don't forget that you have access to Method Test Prep through your student Xello account. To access your Xello account, visit the West High School Website and find the Xello Student link at the bottom left-hand side of the page. Use your MMSD gmail account and you will automatically be directed to your Xello account.

Membership

Students interested in being considered for membership in the National Honor Society at West need:

• earned a total of at least 60 service hours by the end of the first semester of their Junior year.

• earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50

• demonstrated their character and leadership through a clean school record.

NOTE: All eligible Juniors will receive letters about NHS early in second semester.

More information on NHS can be found HERE

The 11th Grade High School Science Research Internship Program is a partnership between the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 11th grade students from MMSD are partnered with researchers at UW-Madison each summer. The goal of the program is to provide an authentic science research experience for the intern. As the summer ends, interns design a scientific poster and the concluding event of the program is a scientific poster session. This allows the interns to communicate their findings to a larger audience and also to celebrate the completion of their internship with associates from the university, teachers, friends and family.

Participants will earn:

• MMSD academic credit
• One academic credit from UW-Madison which is funded by MMSD
• Wisconsin Youth Leadership Skill Certificate

Requirements

• Junior status at an MMSD high school at the time of application
• Available for lab work 20-25 hours per week for 9 weeks during the summer
• Attend an orientation meeting with a parent/guardian in March
• Attend all group seminars on campus during the summer
• Complete and present a formal scientific poster
• Complete all requirements and documentation for the Wisconsin Youth Leadership Skill Certificate

This program is open to current MMSD grade 11 students interested in a summer science research opportunity with UW Madison researchers. Please note we do not know at this time if the UW will allow students on campus next summer. A promotional video will be released in December previewing the program and application timeline after winter break. Applications will be due in early February. For any questions, please contact Peter Jaeger, Science Teacher Leader for MMSD, at sriprogram@madison.k12.wi.us.

10th graders will have the opportunity to view a self-directed slide presentation on the topic of Post High School Options in early December via their Social Studies class. As part of West's Academic and Career Planning (ACP) work, students will get an overview of the following options after high school and have the opportunity to complete career and post-high school planning research through Xello:

• 4 Year Schools
  
• 2 Year Schools
  
• Apprenticeships
  
• Gap Year
  
• Military
  
• Workforce
  

If you are interested in taking a college course for Summer or Fall 2021 through MMSD’s Early College Credit Options program, be sure to visit the program’s website HERE for important information about the application process.

Start College Now (SCN) allows high school students the opportunity to take college courses at Wisconsin Technical Colleges in the Fall or Spring terms.

The Early College Credit Program (ECCP) allows high school students the opportunity to take college courses at Wisconsin public (University of Wisconsin) and private universities in the Fall, Spring or Summer terms.

Deadlines:

• Applications for the Summer 2021 term are due to your school counselor by February 1, 2021.

• Applications for the Fall 2021 term are due to your school counselor by March 1, 2021.

The application process involves multiple steps, but begins with the student completing the application for MMSD approval. Please visit the ECCP website for links to the application.

MMSD approval does not mean course approval by the college. Each college/university has its own process which may vary, though most require an additional online application. MMSD decisions are communicated to a student’s MMSD email address. If approved, students will receive information about next steps in the process. Please see your school counselor with any questions.

View the youtube presentation below which provides details on all the college credit earning opportunities available to MMSD 10th and 11th graders.

If any of the programs interest you, be sure to complete the form below so we can follow up with you regarding next steps for your program/s of interest.

Did you know that MMSD high school students have the opportunity to earn elective high school credit through paid work or volunteer experiences? During COVID-19 students also have the opportunity to earn credit through caretaking/babysitting. Enrollment in the program is rolling throughout the year.

Learn more about earning credit through work or volunteer experiences by clicking here. For information about earning credit through caretaking, please review this checklist.