COURSE REQUEST OPEN HOUSE

In preparation for the selection of classes for the
2010-2011 school year, Westview counselors will be hosting an
Open House the week of March 22nd in the Westview Staff Lounge.
In preparation, please review the course request information in
Family Connection and on the
Westview website before your student’s assigned grade level
date. The following times have been set aside for drop in
questions:
-
Current 9th Grade: Tuesday, March 23rd
1:00-3:00
-
Current 10th Grade: Wednesday, March 24th
1:00-3:00
-
Current 11th Grade: Thursday, March 25th
1:00-3:00
Please understand that we are unable to complete four year
plans during the Open House, but hope to provide an opportunity
to address questions as they arise regarding the Course Request
Process.
COURSE REGISTRATION FOR 2010-2011
Course registration for the 2010-2011 school year will begin on
March 15th at 7:30am and will run through
March 31st at 4:00pm. Click the appropriate link
below for more information.
Current Westview students
Students approved to attend Westview next year
Other
students
PALOMAR COLLEGE ASSESSMENTS
If you are a senior who is planning on
attending Palomar College in the fall, they will be on campus on
Friday, March 12, 2010 to complete English, Math and Reading
assessment testing.
Participating students will be eligible for the Early Assessment Program,
which will give you priority registration for the fall.
Seating is limited and given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Click here to obtain more information and to sign up for a testing spot.
CSU ENGLISH/MATH PLACEMENT EXAMS
We would like to provide you with the following information
regarding the English Placement Test (EPT) and Entry Level
Mathematics (ELM) exams and requirements at California State
University campuses. Before incoming first-year
students begin their college career, they must be
assessed in English and mathematics for placement in the proper
English and math courses to fulfill their EPT and ELM requirements.
Both exams need to be taken very seriously. Completion of both of
these assessments is required prior to attendance at Summer 2010
Orientation. Students need to bring a copy of the official EPT
and ELM scores they receive (or a copy of your STAR results
indicating passage of the EPT/ELM if you took this optional portion
last spring).
The EPT and ELM exams can be taken at any CSU campus. The exam
dates at CSU San Marcos (Westview is in their service area) during
the Spring 2010 semester are on the following Saturdays:
January 23, February 27, March 20, April 17 and May 1.
Students can visit the following link
to register and prepare for the EPT and ELM exams offered at CSU San
Marcos:
http://www.csusm.edu/class/ept_elm/exams.html
Incoming first-year students must be assessed unless
they have been exempted from the EPT and ELM requirements in
at least one of the following ways:
Exempt from EPT requirement if:
·
SAT Writing Test
score is 660 or above or SAT Critical Reading score is 550 or above
·
English ACT score is
24 or above
·
AP Language &
Composition/Composition & Literature score is 3, 4, or 5
·
EAP Exemption
Exempt from ELM requirement if:
·
Math SAT score is
550 or higher
·
Math ACT score is 23
or higher
·
AP Math Exam score
is 3, 4, or 5
·
EAP Exemption
Click here for a document regarding the EPT and ELM requirements
at CSU San Marcos (contact other CSU campuses for their
information). This document outlines in detail
the criteria for exemption from the EPT and ELM requirements
and explains students’ English and math placements if they do not
pass the EPT and ELM exam.
REQUESTING LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Please ask the teacher you wish to write a letter of recommendation
for you in person. Provide a copy of your resume or brag sheet and
ask if he or she would like any additional information. Inquire as
to whether or not they will be submitting electronically or would
prefer to mail it in.
If they are going to mail it, you need to
provide the form (with top information completed) and a large manila
addressed envelope with three stamps for each school. Once the
individual agrees to write your letter, go ahead and put their name
as teacher recommendations in Family Connection (Colleges tab,
Colleges I’m Applying to link, scroll to the bottom). Once you place
the name of a teacher in Family Connection, the program generates an
e-mail message to them. It is offensive if an individual receives an
e-mail in this manner if the student has not spoken to them directly
and automatically assumes they will write a letter on your behalf.
If the preference is to send electronic letters of recommendation,
you will want to check with your counselor or Miss Bloomfield to
determine if it is possible. All Common Application schools accept
documents electronically, as well as a few other colleges.
If you are requesting a letter of recommendation from your counselor
(commonly called a Secondary School Report), you will first need to
complete the letter of recommendation packet found in the document
library of Family Connection. Bring all of the completed forms to
the counselor to schedule an appointment to talk about the
recommendation. This process must be completed by November 1st to
give your counselor enough time to complete all requests. Remember,
a letter of recommendation is a professional courtesy to you and not
a requirement. Follow up with a thank-you card to anyone who has
written a recommendation for you.
REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS
If you are applying to college, you do not need to send UC or CSU transcripts at this point; they
use the grades you put on your application for admission
consideration and will e-mail you requesting a transcript when they
want it. Private and out of state schools often want them now, so
check with each admissions office individually. Prior to requesting
a transcript, you must enter all of your schools into your Family
Connection account (Colleges tab, Colleges I’m Applying To link).
The program allows us to send them electronically for most schools,
but must be synced to do so. When completing the FERPA waiver on the
screen, we do suggest that you waive your right to release your
student records. When you do not waive your right, we are not
allowed to express an opinion, but just give facts like attendance,
enrollment, grades, and test scores.
Procedures to request a transcript:
-
Print the transcript request form found in
Family Connection (Document Library, Forms).
-
Please use only
one form for all schools, using the back
side as needed. List each school with the complete mailing address
and deadline date.
-
Take the completed form and pay $4 for each
transcript requested at the Finance Office.
-
Take the paid form
to registrar. If you do not want your testing scores listed on your
transcript, you need to write “please remove testing scores” on your
transcript request form. Once removed, you will not be able to add
them back on. This is an “all or nothing” option.
As per district
policy, there is a 4-day turnaround time for transcripts to be sent
or printed.