Westland Middle School

Counseling Frequently Asked Questions

How can a student see a counselor?
Students can set up an appointment to meet with their counselor before or after school, or during STAR or lunch.  During class time, a student should obtain a pass from the teacher before coming to the counseling office. 

My child is applying to a private school.  How do I obtain a transcript?
Each year a number of our students submit applications to private schools. To simplify the application process for students, parents, and staff, the following guidelines should be followed. 

1.  Transcripts are prepared and sent from the counseling office. For each transcript request, parents must submit a letter or release form with their signature. Transcripts are sent directly to the private schools.  

2.  The first 3 transcripts are sent without charge. For each additional transcript, there is a $2.00 charge (check payable to Westland Middle School).  

3.  Students should give teacher recommendation forms directly to the appropriate teachers with a stamped envelope addressed to the private school. The top of each form must be completed by the parent or the student before it is submitted (e.g., name of student, address, teacher).  Allow at least two weeks for teachers to complete recommendations. Teacher recommendations are mailed directly to the private schools and are not made available for review by the student or by the parent.   

4.  We must limit recommendation requests to a maximum of 4 per student, given time commitments of teachers. 

5.  If the private school is located outside the United States, please contact the Counseling Office for additional information. 

What is the Student Assistance Program?
As stated on the MCPS webpage, http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/safe/assistance.shtml, Student Assistance is a school-based substance use and violence intervention program that is part of Safe and Drug-Free Schools of Montgomery County Public Schools. The goal of Student Assistance is to identify and help adolescents whose behavior, attendance, or grades indicate that they may have problems related to alcohol and/or other drug use or violence. CONFIDENTIALITY is the key to the success of Student Assistance. Any school staff member, parent, community member, or student can express concern. Students may refer themselves. The process starts when a Concern Form is submitted to the Student Assistance committee. Behavioral observations are made to determine if indicators, such as drop in grades, increase in absences, or frequent visits to the nurse, suggest concerns. If there are insufficient indicators of a problem, the matter is dropped and all data is destroyed. If, however, the data collected indicates the need for further assessment, the data is shared with the student’s parent(s)/guardian who participate in an intervention. The behaviors are shared only with the parent(s)/guardian. Information concerning who made the original referral is strictly confidential. The Student Assistance team at Westland is comprised of teachers, counselors, and administrators. If you have concerns about a student, please complete the confidential student or parent Concern Form and drop it off in one of the Student Assistance mailboxes.  The Student Assistance mailboxes are located at Westland outside of the counseling office, the gym, and the media center.
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