From the Counseling Dept.
January 2025
Counseling Dept Contacts
Need a quick answer to a simple question? The Counseling Support Staff is here to help! They are ready to answer any questions you may have regarding enrollments, concurrent course registrations, credit recovery options, Infinite Campus & Canvas support, and so much more. If we don't know the answer, we'll find it for you!
Counseling Support Staff
Christina Gandy - Counseling Secretary: cgandy@tvusd.us
Laura Ruelas - Guidance Technician (A-L): lruelas@tvusd.us
Jamie Serrano - Guidance Technician (M-Z): jserrano@tvusd.us
Amy Cleary - Registrar: acleary@tvusd.us
Linda May - Clerk: lmay@tvusd.us
Counselors
Ashley French (A-Cam): afrench@tvusd.us
Inna Peart (Can-E): ipeart@tvusd.us
Nicole Wolff (F-Hs): nstatewolff@tvusd.us
Paula Riesenbeck (Hu-Mas): priesenbeck@tvusd.us
Clarissa Fernandez (Mat-Pe): cfernandez@tvusd.us
Jaclyn Smith (Ph-Stee): jsmith7@tvusd.us
Mary Campo (Stef-Z): mcampo@tvusd.us
Michael Perales (LCAP/A-L): mperales@tvusd.us
Linda Zimel (LCAP/M-Z): lzimel@tvusd.us
No School!
1/20: Martin Luther King Jr Day
Hello, Puma families! 🐾
Time to kick off the second semester!
We are here to support your students in any way we can, so here are some helpful tips and resources to make the second semester count.
Focus Area: Academics 📚✏️
Asynchronous Courses for Semester 2 (online)
Any student taking the courses listed below must have a signed agreement on file for each semester in order to receive credit. Forms will be hand delivered to students who are still missing these agreements. If the form is missing, the second semester course will be removed from the students' schedules until the form is received. This is a district requirement for all asynchronous courses, including courses that meet in person as the instructor may cancel the in-person meeting at any time and require work to be done independently. These must be returned to the counselors prior to winter break. Courses include the following:
Adv Weights (zero period)
Adv Band (7th period)
AP Art History
AP Comparative Government
AP Microeconomics
French 2 (UC Scout)
PE2 Online Fitness Walking
Peer Leaders
Spanish 2 (UC Scout)
US History (UC Scout)
Work Experience
AP Readiness Workshop
IN PERSON - AP Readiness Workshop
UCR is hosting a series of workshops offering extra support for certain AP courses. The next workshop is IN PERSON. Transportation and lunch are provided. Return the permission slip to Mrs. Gandy by Wednesday, 1/22.
If you've never been to a workshop, click here to register. This is only for the workshops, not to ride the bus.
Saturday, Jan 25, 2025, 07:30 AM
UCR, University Avenue, Riverside, CA, USA
Schedule Change Deadline
The deadline to turn in a schedule change request is Tuesday, January 21st. No requests will be accepted after the deadline. Please note that changes are made based on academic need. No teacher changes or period changes will be accepted.
Course Selection Season Begins!
Counselors will be visiting classes to begin the course selection process. The first step is to give students information on how to select courses and which ones are appropriate for each grade level. Students will receive a form to fill out with their course requests for the 25/26 school year and return to Mrs. Gandy.
Presentation dates are as follows:
11th grade: 1/27 in US History classes
*students without history will be invited to attend
10th grade: 1/28 in World History classes
*students without history will be invited to attend
9th grade: 1/29, 1/31 in English classes
All course selection forms must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to Mrs. Gandy in Counseling by Monday, 2/10.
The next step is to audit all selections. During this time, we will not be making parent appointments to discuss next year's schedules. Students can speak to teachers about the next course in a specific pathway or to get information on any courses of interest, parents can send questions with their students for the audits, and you may refer to the course catalog for course descriptions. You can also speak directly to teachers and counselors at Spring Showcase next month.
Audit dates (students only):
11th grade: 2/18 - 2/24
10th grade: 2/25 - 3/3
9th grade: 3/4 - 3/19
Focus Area: College & Career
The FAFSA is Open!
The 25/26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a graduation requirement and we have everything you need to make completion a breeze!
Here's what you'll need to complete it:
- FSA ID for students and parents (this is your electronic signature used to complete the FAFSA application)
- 2023 Tax Return
- Student's social security number
To get started creating a FSA ID, students can make an appointment with our college success coach, Ms. Melendez by clicking here or scanning the QR code below.
Click the title above to access the CHS Scholarship webpage and see the flyer below for the Temecula Dollars for Scholars application/scholarships timeline.
Mark Your Calendars! MSJC Application Workshops Coming Soon!
MSJC representatives will be on campus this semester for Fall application assistance. These workshops are open to seniors only.
Dates: 2/26, 3/19, 4/23, 5/21
Time: 12:30-1:30
Where: CCC (upstairs in admin bldg)
AP Exams
Registration is still open for the spring AP Exams. The prices increase as testing gets closer, so don't delay! Please click here to view the information letter and to register. If you have any questions, please email our AP secretary, Mrs. Amber Ballesteros at aballesteros@tvusd.us.
Focus Area: Social & Emotional Learning 😄
Quick Links
