Mission Statement:
It is the mission of the Westlake High School Guidance Department to serve the students and parents by providing assistance with academic planning, personal decision-making and career planning. Counselors work with the school staff to provide the best educational experience for students and will also help students and their families access those community resources available.
Office Hours:
The Guidance Office is open from 7:00 am to 3:00 PM on regular school days.
Beginning July 6, 2009, The Student Services Department will be open for new student registrations Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 1:00pm. Appointments are encouraged.
Phone Numbers:
(301) 645-8857 or (301) 753-1758
(301) 638-4703 and Fax: (301) 932-7567
Register your child:
Parents wishing to register their child at Westlake must provide the following documents:
1. evidence of complete primary immunizations
2. copy of the child's birth certificate
3. two (2) proofs of residency within the Westlake school zone.
Acceptable proofs of residency include deed, lease, rental agreement, utility bill, car registration, voter registration, income tax return, car or property insurance bill, transcript from previous high school(s) or final report card for incoming ninth grade students.
How to meet with a guidance counselor, career counselor or ACT/SAT counselor:
For students:
Students may sign up to see their counselor on the clipboard in the Guidance Office reception area. If a student is in distress and has an immediate need to speak with the counselor, he/she should convey this information to the secretary and ask to wait. Otherwise, students should not loiter in the office.
Counselors will send a pass for each student in the order that they have signed the clipboard. Students should not visit the guidance office without a pass.
For parents or guardians:
Parents or guardians who wish to speak with any of the counselors are encouraged to contact
the Guidance Office via email or by phone at (301) 645- 8857, (301) 753-1758 or (301) 638-4703.
If you wish to meet with the counselor, please schedule an appointment using the phone numbers listed.
How to meet with your child's teachers:
Please contact the counselor to arrange parent/teacher conferences. Parents are encouraged to contact
teachers personally via phone or email before arranging conferences. Parent/teacher conferences are
held in the guidance office at 2:20 PM and last approximately one half-hour.
How to get a transcript:
Transcripts are requested in writing at the Guidance Office desk, through Mrs. Roeder. The
cost is $3.00 each, with the first transcript being free. We require at least one week to
process transcript requests. Students should include any counselor forms required by colleges
with the request. If a letter of recommendation is requested, a resume should be included. Download printable transcript request form.
College Admissions Testing:
Three things your child could be doing now to alleviate stress next year.
1. Prior to the spring of your junior year, we will administer both the Mock ACT and the Mock SAT to all juniors and Ms. Wilhelm, the ACT/SAT Coordinator, will meet with each junior individually. This meeting will determine the student’s need for college admission testing based on the test results and their post-secondary plan and which test might be best suited for the student. Juniors may then pick up an ACT or SAT registration packet from Ms. Wilhelm. Her office is located in the Guidance Department.If you have met the course requirements for a 4-year college, you should plan on taking either the ACT and/or the SAT once in the spring of the junior as recommended by both the College Board and the ACT Educational Services.If necessary, a student may repeat either test once or twice as a senior. It is important to participate in the ACT or SAT Prep programs offered at Westlake before with the May/June tests or the November/December tests. See Ms. Wilhelm for more information.The College of Southern Maryland does NOT require either test.
2. Begin (or continue) to research colleges. Students generally apply to between 3 to 5 colleges and with the application deadlines often hitting in December (U Md. College Park is Dec. 1) we recommend that counselor pages and transcript requests be submitted to the guidance office early in November. During peak times it can take as much as two weeks for the guidance office to process a transcript request that includes a counselor page. If your child walks in the building the first day of school knowing which schools he is applying to, he can work on completing the applications in September (Fair Day is good for that) and have everything in to guidance early.
3. Students will need a detailed resume in order to receive a letter of recommendation from the counselor. If a letter of recommendation is not requested, that portion of the counselor’s page will be left blank. Write the resume now and have it ready for the fall.
Students and parents are welcome to make an appointment now to discuss senior year schedules, testing, and college searches.
TEST DATES AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Detailed information about test dates, fee waivers and services for students with disabilities are available on both the ACT and the SAT web-sites listed below: ACT information
SAT information |
