Warmest Wishes

For the Holiday Season!

It’s always a great feeling to wrap up the semester with a heartfelt thank you to parents, students and staff who made our counseling activities worthwhile and successful.  The counselors had a wonderful time discussing setting the pathway toward College and Career exploration with “College:  Making it Happen” Night!  We’ve also had enormous success in meeting with students about setting goals for the semester.

To continue on with the spirit of academic achievement, we’d like to share a few tidbits of information for the end of the semester:

·        First semester grades are coming out on Friday, December 16.  These are the grades that will be counted towards credit on their transcript.  Remember that students will be given credit for passing grades of D grade or Higher.  Total credits needed for promotion:  21 credits

Here are the promotion requirements:

English Language Arts (4 semester credits)     

   English 7 (2), English 8(2)

Math (4 semester credits)

   Integrated Math 7 (2), Integrated Math 8 (2)

PE  (4 semester credits)

   PE 7 (2), PE 8 (2)

Science (4 semester credits)

   General Science 1 (2), General Science 2 (2)

Social Science (4 semester credits)

   World Cultures (2), US History (2)

Elective (1 semester credit)

   (D Grade or Better)

Here are some points of information about the California Junior Scholarship Federation.  Hilltop Middle School provides a recognition program for students with academic accomplishments.

To qualify for CJSF membership students must follow these guidelines:

A.

--  Membership is based on 3 semester grades.  Students must qualify both semesters of 7^th grade and the first semester of 8^th grade.

-- You must earn TWICE the number of points in scholarship classes than courses in which you are enrolled that meet membership requirements.

--CJSF points are granted as follows:  A=3 points, B=1 point, C=0 points

·        Earning a “D” or “F” grade in academic or citizenship including AR will prohibit student from membership.

B.  Also remember:

PE, Art, Student Aide, Computers, Band, Workshop, Music classes, AR and any other electives (except World Languages and Avid) do not count as points.

An application form must be turned by the student to their counselor for point verification at the end of every semester.  Those who qualify receive an Honor Member certificate during 8^th grade awards ceremony and an honor seal is placed on the promotion certificate.

On behalf of the counseling center, we would like to wish you a happy holiday season and a restful break with your friends and family.

In Complete Gratitude

As November comes to a close, the counseling center is in complete gratitude for all of the parents, teachers, students and staff who have supported our efforts to support students in this transition period from Elementary to High School.  Our goal is for our students to be successful in high school and beyond.  Some of what the counselors do include:

·         Adhere to ASCA national standards:  Academic Counseling, College and Career Counseling, Personal/Social Emotional Counseling

·         Facilitate Student Conflict Mediations

·         Make contact through parent/teacher/student conferences

·         Inform parents of academic interventions

·         Provide referrals for individual and group counseling

·         Meet with D &F Students

·         One-on-One counseling regarding peer relationships, family dynamics, school problems

·         Input courses for all caseload; master schedule

·         Provide an orientation for newly enrolled students and their families

·         Participate in Compact for Success activities and early college planning

·         Facilitate referrals to outside agencies for additional support

·         Provide Credit Checks for students

·         Identify students for credit recovery

·         Handle transcript evaluations

·         Conduct presentations about education essentials, incoming feeder school presentations, college and careers, and A-G requirements.         Register  students for classes.  Identify qualifying students for CJSF.
·         Participate in SST, PLC, middle school curriculum, and district meetings

On behalf of the counseling center, have a wonderful Thanksgiving Week Break with your loved ones!!!

Fall Festivities

It's no surprise that I love the fall season.  I love the slight chill in the air.  I love the smell of pumpkin spice lattes circulating through the coffee shop.  And I love, love, LOVE the annual Compact for Success field trip we have for our seventh grade students at San Diego State University!  Our students and their parents get the full college experience as they tour the expansive campus, go to stimulating seminars, eat a fabulous lunch and get familiarized with the Compact For Success program.  http://compactforsuccess.sdsu.edu/compact/

For those of you who want a quick snapshot, Compact For Success is a guaranteed admission program between San Diego State University and the Sweetwater Union High School District.  
Here are the benchmarks:
*  Must be enrolled in SUHSD in the 9th -12th grade
*  Attain a CSU GPA of 3.1 or higher
*  Complete all CSU A-G course requirements with a "C" grade of better
*  Pass the EPT and ELM Test
*  Take the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT Test

Students who fulfill these requirements are guaranteed admittance in to San Diego State University!

Our field trip takes place this Saturday, October 29, 2016.  Thank you for turning in your permission slips and picking up your snazzy T-shirt!  I can't wait to show our school spirit and spend another enlightening experience with our college-bound seventh graders!