Counseling
Westview Counseling
Mission Statement
Mission Statement:
Westview's Counseling team is committed to building an anti-racist environment to provide all students with the inclusive, equitable, and safe educational experience that they are entitled to. We do this by supporting all students in the areas of academic achievement, career readiness, and social/emotional development while partnering with students, families, teachers, and our Westview community. In all we do, we strive to ensure all students and families are welcomed, valued, and heard.
New Students
Welcome to Westview High School! If you are ready to enroll at Westview, you will need to complete the online registration and provide proof of address. Once the enrollment is processed, you will receive follow up communication from our counseling office staff.
Next, our Counselors will make appointments with you to schedule new classes. Please feel free to take a look at our Planning Guide to get an idea of the classes Westview Offers.
Graduation Requirements
Beaverton School District & State Diploma Requirements
|
Subject |
Credits |
English/Language Arts |
4 |
Mathematics - Algebra 1 and above |
3 |
Science |
3 |
Social Studies |
3 |
Physical Education |
1 |
Health |
1 |
Second Language, the Arts, Career & Technical Education |
3 |
Electives |
5.5 |
Career Development |
.5 |
Total Credits |
24 |
Beaverton School District & State Diploma Requirements
Testing
Suspension of Essential Skills Requirements for Students Graduating in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24
On July 14, Governor Brown signed into law SB 744 which suspends the requirement that students graduating during the next three school years demonstrate Essential Skills. All other graduation requirements, including requirements for personalized learning, remain in effect.
Beaverton School District & State Diploma Requirements
Career Development (Education) Credit
Personalized Learning
|
How students meet this requirement |
Educational Plan & Profile |
All students at Westview are assigned to an Advisory class. During advisory, students will develop an educational plan and profile to guide learning toward student's personal, career and post-high school goals. |
Career Related Learning Experiences
|
Students at Westview complete four (4) Career-Related Learning Experiences (CRLEs) to graduate. Students participate in experiences that connect classroom learning with real life experiences in the workplace, community, and/or school. |
Extended Application
|
Seniors will complete a Senior Project. Students apply and extend knowledge and skills in new situations related to the student's personal and career interests and post high-school goals. |
Counseling Staff
Staff |
Serving Students (Last Name) |
Phone 503-356- |
Anna Adamko |
A-Car |
3058 |
Amanda Budhi |
Cas-Fri |
3041 |
Tim Shaw |
Frj-Jud |
3042 |
Forrest Rosser |
Jue-Maz |
3038 |
Michelle Silva |
Mba-Poz |
3040 |
Naseem Saremi |
Ppa-Ste |
3051 |
Ricardo Torres |
Stf-Z |
3060 |
Pat Baker | AVID Students | 3037 |
Mitzy King |
Social Worker |
5054 |
Caty Marshall |
Social Worker |
5054 |
Laurie Teresi |
Registrar |
3020 Option 2 |
Megan Wanless |
Counseling Receptionist |
3020 Option 2 |
Tanya Stremme | College & Career Counselor | 3048 |
Ann Voorhees |
College & Career Coordinator |
3046 |
Ana Jimenez De Rojas |
Bilingual Facilitator/Community Liaison |
3020 Option 2 |
Martha Rodriguez | Bilingual Facilitator/Community Liaison | |
Melissa Wesner |
Graduation Mentor |
3020 |
Byron Parnell |
Graduation Mentor |
3020 |
Nadia Rodela |
Graduation Mentor |
3020 |
Resources
- Academic Resources
- Mental Health Resources
- School & Community Resources
- Future Planning Resources
- College Entrance Exams
- Letter of Recommendations
Academic Resources
Student’s teachers, counselor, support staff and administrators are all here to support you and your student. Please let us know if you have questions or need assistance with anything.
8th Period Access Tutorial
Parent Apps & Resources: Tutor List
Washington County Library Homework Help
Academic Tips
Stress Management Strategies
Check out our wellness room canvas page for resources too!
“REST IS A TOOL”
- Sleep is important to help you stay positive and alert in school.
- Some research even says that when we study then sleep, we remember things better.
KEEP YOURSELF HEALTHY
- Eating a balanced diet, exercising and avoiding drugs and alcohol are all habits that keep both your mind and body healthy.
DEVELOP YOUR RELAXATION AND COPING SKILLS:
- Stressful things like tests are a part of high school. The good news is that there are lots of ways to help you manage the stress you may feel.
- Some students exercise, others follow a spiritual practice; some students make lists of to-do items, others journal about what is bugging them.
- Find the skills that work for you; and, if you need more ideas, talk with your school counselor!
BUILD YOUR “GO-TO” TEAM:
- Everyone needs a “go-to” team of people to talk to when they are feeling stressed.
- Your parents, siblings, relatives, counselor, teachers, coaches, and friends could all be part of that team.
- The key is to keep in mind at least 3 people that you know you could go to when you need to talk about a frustration. Then, when the time comes that you need support, you will already know who you could talk to! (Plus, they are the people that will want to help you celebrate your successes too!)
Study Skills
PREPARATION AND ROUTINE:
- Plan to do homework or studying every day.
- Set a time limit for how long you will study or do homework at any one time.
- Take breaks! For every 50 minutes of homework or study time, take a 10-minute break. Move, get out in nature, or be active during these breaks.
- Have a place that is your study and homework spot.
- Utilize study and homework sessions at school.
- Have a snack. Studying takes energy, so give your brain some fuel!
MINDSETS:
- Be positive.
- Set a goal for the homework time each day. For example: what one thing do you for sure have to get done during this time?
BEHAVIORS:
- Homework: have a strategy for which homework to work on first. Some students start with the shortest assignments first. This helps them feel accomplished, and encouraged to do more. Other students start with the bigger/longer projects when they feel like that have more energy and can be more productive. Choose the strategy that works for you and stick with it!
- If your mind is wandering, or you feel like you can’t focus, go do a small task or chore. This will get you moving and that momentum can help you re-focus on your homework when you come back to it. Tasks could be: clean your room, make your bed, organize your binder or backpack, etc. Keep the activity to 10-15 minutes.
- For studying: start by reviewing your class notes. Make sure to work with the notes in a new way. Examples: make flashcards of key vocabulary in your notes, highlight key points and then write a summary paragraph at the end of your notes, add questions for anything that is unclear to you and make sure to ask your teacher about it next class period. Next, re-read any class materials (textbook, novels, articles, etc.) and add information to your notes. You might find more vocabulary words, or more key points, or an answer to one of your questions that you can add to your notes.
Test Taking Strategies
REPETITION:
- The week before the test spend 20-30 minutes per day reviewing key points for the material that is going to be tested.
- You can use flashcards, lists, or class notes to make sure you are reviewing the unit’s key points.
READ THEN SLEEP:
- The night before your test, make sure you read over your notes, key point flashcards or lists right before you go to sleep.
- Research shows that whatever we focus on last, right before we go to sleep, our brains will keep processing all night.
REHEARSE:
- One way to get more comfortable taking tests is to rehearse being in the test-taking setting during your study time at home.
- Set-up a study space that has just a chair and desk without any gadgets (like cell phones, computers, or TV) around you.
- Use a pen or pencil that can become your “lucky test taking” pen or pencil.
- Time yourself for 60-90 minutes doing a focused activity. If you finish your homework before that time is up, you might practice answering math questions for that amount of time, or free writing about the key points from your flashcards.
RELAX:
- One way to help the answers flow from your brain to the paper is to help yourself relax at the beginning of the test before you start answering questions.
- You can start by taking 3-5 deep breaths before you read the first question.
- Also, if your teacher allows you to chew gum, try chewing gum during the test. Some research says that chewing gum can relieve stress and may even help blood flow to your brain so that it is easier to answer questions.
REVIEW:
- On the day of your test, take your flashcards, study guide or key point lists with you to review on the bus, at lunch or whenever you have free time during the day.
Time Management Tips
GOAL SETTING:
- Setting both short-term and long-term goals keeps you productive.
- If your activities line up with your goals, keep doing them. If they don’t line up with your goals, rethink whether you should be doing them.
- Set goals for the day, week, and month. For example, set a goal of one task to complete by the end of the day, and set a goal about how to use your homework time after school.
PRIORITIZATION:
- When trying to decide how to start a bunch of tasks, spend time identifying what is most urgent. Ask yourself: what is due the soonest? What will take the most time to complete? What am I most worried about? Which tasks overlap? The answers to those questions will tell you what to work on first.
- Also, spend time deciding which tasks can or should really wait for another time, so they don’t draw away your attention from the more urgent tasks.
SELF-AWARENESS:
- Know when you work best. Some people are morning people; others are night owls.
- On weekends, use the time of day that is best for you to do academic work.
MOTIVATION:
- If your mind is wandering, or you feel like you can’t focus, go do a small task or chore. This will get you moving and that momentum can help you re-focus on your homework when you come back to it. Tasks could be cleaning your room, making your bed, organizing your binder or backpack, etc.
- Keep the activity to 10-15 minutes so that you get refocused, but don’t start procrastinating from your original homework or studying.
Adapted from Coaching Positive Performance
Mental Health Resources
We all have mental health. Mental health is about our feelings, thinking, emotions and moods. Your mental health is as important as our physical health. One way to manage our mental health is talk about it with someone you trust.
Stress is normal, but too much increases the risk for health problems like depression. Small improvements in sleep, nutrition, exercise and coping skills can help us to better manage stress and achieve good mental health.
WHS school counselors and social workers are a resource to support the mental health and well-being of students. Students may contact them for support for themselves or someone they are concerned about by stopping by the Counseling Office, calling and/or emailing the counselor or social worker, or booking an appointment with them through the Canvas Counseling Homepage. We encourage parents/guardians to call or email the appropriate counseling staff for assistance.
Westview students have access to the Wellness Room during the school day. It is a calming, safe space to take a brief break from class when needed.
BSD Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Resources
BHS School Based Health Center with Mental Health Counseling available
Mental Health Tips from safespace.org
- Get Proper Rest
- Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet
- Exercise
- Practice Mindfulness & Relaxation
- Let Others Help
- Focus on Your Strengths and Helping Others
Get Proper Rest
Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet
Teens with healthy diets are ½ as likely to develop depression compared to those with diets high in processed foods. Diet is linked to the hippocampus, a key area of the brain involved in learning, memory, and mental health and people with healthy diets have more hippocampal volume than those with unhealthy diets. Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish and flaxseed may aid with studying and concentration, Vitamin B Complex found in fish, beans, milk, and dairy is known to stabilize the mood system and Vitamin C found in many fruits and vegetables can counteract effects of stress in teens.
Exercise
Making physical activity routine minimizes the occurrence of depression, panic disorder, and phobias in teens. It is recommended that teens exercise moderately to vigorously for 60-minutes on average each day with vigorous exercise recommended three days per week. Walking or running outside to increase Vitamin D and levels of serotonin in the brain are ways to ensure your body and mind stay healthy.
Practice Mindfulness & Relaxation
Breathing techniques and focusing attention on the here and now can be used to reduce anxiety, stress and depression.
Let Others Help
Focus on Your Strengths and Helping Others
Using individual strengths to make positive changes in schools and the community, especially through awareness and advocacy of mental health issues and wellness, helps empower others and keeps stressors in perspective.
All resources directly from safespace.org
School & Community Resources
Student’s teachers, counselor, support staff and administrators are all here to support you and your student. Please let us know if you have questions or need assistance with anything.
Each student is assigned to a caseload counselor. The counseling department also has a full time social worker and a Youth Contact counselor as well as two staff working in our College & Career Center.
We also have a wide range of school resources, including clothing, school supplies, shoe and personal care items. When we are all physically in the building, we also are able to have a tutoring center, testing center, writing lab and other academic supports available.
WHS & BSD Community Resource List
BSD Community Resources
Free Food Boxes
Thanks to a grant through the USDA, we're now able to offer more free food boxes on Wednesdays at three BSD locations:
Aloha High School: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. (or until boxes are all distributed)
Beaverton High School: 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Southridge High School: 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
We anticipate that each 44-lb. box will contain fresh produce, dairy and meat. There are no requirements to pick up a box. The distribution is open to all.
Beaverton School District has partnered with Urban Gleaners to offer free, fresh food at multiple school sites.
Beaverton High School: Mondays, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Vose Elementary School: 1st, 2nd & 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 11 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Aloha High School: 4th Tuesday of the month, 2:30-3:30 p.m.: 9/29, 10/27, 11/24, 12/15*, 1/26, 2/23, 3/30*, 4/27, 5/25, 6/15*
* Changes to accommodate holiday/closure weeks
Limited supply
Bring a bag
Selections change weekly
Future Planning Resources
There are many options for students to consider when planning for the post high school career and/or educational pathway, including straight to work, gap year, military, apprenticeship, 2-year college, 4-year college, vocational training and more. Here are some resources to help with your planning process.
- Westview Resources
- Beaverton School District Resources
- Local & State Resources
- Web & Other Resources
Westview Resources
For enrolled Westview students, please check out our College & Career Canvas and website pages for more information.
Book an appointment with your Westview School Counselor (through your Class of Canvas page) to discuss your options.
Westview Pathway options provide students with a "road map" with information on which courses to take related to a career of interest.
Check out Westview's Career Technical Education Programs.
ASPIRE Program for juniors and seniors. Matches students with a one on one volunteer to support their post high school plans. See your WHS counselor or visit the College and Career Center for more information.
Beaverton School District Resources
Visit Beaverton School District's Career & College Readiness page for more information.
Beaverton School District students also have a Career Information Systems, or CIS, free account to use for career and college exploration and planning, including occupation, college, scholarship searches as well as resume and other employment readiness tools.
Beaverton School District Career Technical Programs
Full Day High School Option Programs, including Early College High School where eligible juniors and seniors take their coursework at PCC and tuition is paid for by the district.
Opportunity Knocks is a district program that allows juniors and seniors to take up to one class per term at PCC in addition to taking classes at their home high school.
Career Encounters is a class for interested juniors and seniors to take at Portland Community College that offers hands-on career experience in high-demand, high-wage careers. Check with your school counselor to see if this program is available.
Local & State Resources
Hillsboro Chamber & School to Career Events. They facilitate Career Related Learning Experiences for Washington County high school students.
Oregon Goes to College: A helpful and informative website to help students prepare for college.
Western Underground Exchange: The Western Undergraduate Exchange is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 member states, including Oregon, and territories, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students.
ASPIRE Oregon Career Options offers resources around career and college information and exploration, including 2-year Path & 4-year Path. See your school counselor or visit the College and Career Center for more information.
Oregon Youth Corps builds on strong connections between positive experiences, work skills, personal responsibility, commitment to education, and future employment for Oregon's youth.
Explore Oregon Apprenticeship programs.
Web & Other Resources
College Entrance Exams
- College Entrance Exams
- Test Optional Admissions
- When to Take the SAT and/or ACT
- Fee Waiver
- Score Reports
- Free Options to Prepare for the SAT and/or ACT
College Entrance Exams
Test Optional Admissions
When a college or university is “test optional” for admissions, it means that they don’t require an SAT or ACT score from all applicants to be considered for admissions. Many colleges, including all of Oregon’s public colleges and universities and many of our private, not-for-profit colleges, do not require students in the class of 2021 and beyond to submit test scores with the application. Due to coronavirus, most students planning to start college at any Oregon college in the fall of 2021 will not need to take the SAT or ACT.
Students choose whether they want to submit their test scores with their application. In most cases, if you do send scores, the admissions committee will use them when making admissions and scholarship decisions. If you do not submit test scores, you will not be penalized for admissions. While the majority of applicants have a choice, some students may still be required to submit scores (Note: Because of testing interruptions as a result of the coronavirus, applicants for Fall 2021 & Fall 2022 may not be required to submit test scores). At some colleges, you may be required to submit additional information if they choose not to send test scores. It’s important to know the requirements for each college where you plan to apply.
When to Take the SAT and/or ACT
Check the admissions requirements to find out if the colleges and universities you may apply to are test-optional, meaning they do not require you to submit SAT and/or ACT scores.
If you plan to take one or both tests for admission purposes, scholarships and other programs, you should verify which test is accepted (SAT only, ACT only or both). If the organization accepts both tests, it is up to you whether you wan to take the SAT only, the ACT only or take both. Read this article to help you determine which option is right for you: SAT vs ACT: 11 Key Differences to Help You Pick the Right Test article
If possible, take the test in the spring of your junior year. If you like, you can take the test again in the summer or fall of your senior year.
If you take a test more than once, most colleges and universities will “super score” your tests. They will use the highest score you earned on each section when evaluating your application.
Both tests are offered on some Saturdays at testing sites around the state. Westview hosts the ACT test for all juniors in February.
Whether you take it on a Saturday or during an all-school testing day, take it seriously. Get plenty of rest the night before, eat a good breakfast, and do your best on the exam.
Fee Waiver
If students are on free or reduced lunch, they qualify for 2 fee waivers for the SAT and 2 fee waivers for the ACT. See your school counselor for more details. You must be a current junior or senior to request the fee waivers.
CollegeBoard has additional benefits for students that are eligible for the fee waiver. Check out this link for more information.
Per act.org, fee waivers cover only the basic registration fee and late fee for your test option on a national test date, including up to four college choices. After registration, the student can request any number of additional score reports for free.
Score Reports
When you register for the SAT and/or ACT, you can request up to 4 score reports for free to colleges, universities or other programs of your choices such as the NCAA.
Students can log in to their SAT and/or ACT account to send official scores, for a fee, to the colleges, universities, and other programs that may require them.
Free Options to Prepare for the SAT and/or ACT
Letter of Recommendations
As a student may need a letter of recommendation from WHS staff, usually teachers and counselors, for a variety of reasons, including for college admission applications, scholarship applications, summer programs, and so on.
State schools typically do not require counselor and teacher letter of recommendation, while private universities and colleges may.
If you require one or more recommendation letters, choose your recommenders wisely. Your goal is to obtain meaningful letters that can speak to your academic abilities, personal characteristics and achievements. Ask your recommender at minimum 4 weeks in advance of your deadlines.
Provide your recommender with a copy of your resume and a completed Request for Letter of Recommendation form. Make a copy of the form, complete it thoughtfully and thoroughly before providing it to your recommenders.
In the fall, teachers and counselors are asked by many students for a recommendation letter, so again ask at minimum 4 weeks in advance of any deadlines. If you do not, recommenders cannot guarantee that they will meet your deadlines.