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The Paw Print Portola Counseling Department

Fall 2022 Issue

Counselor Updates

Introducing our Portola School Counselors (with updated alphas!)

Course Scheduling Update

Parents: RSVP for our grade-level Virtual Parent Information Meetings!

Our newest counselor: Mrs. LeGrand!

Never miss an update: Join Google Classroom for your Grade Level! (Students Only)

College & Career

Introducing College & Career Coordinator Mrs. Yang and ROP Career Specialist Mrs. Escoto

College Application Preparation for Seniors

Mental Health & Wellness

Introducing our Mental Health Specialists Mrs. Muir and Mrs. Sturm

September 4th- 10th: Suicide Prevention Week

Suicide Prevention and Crisis Reporting Links and Resources

course scheduling Update

Schedules may shift over the next couple days due to enrollment changes. Counselors will only be available to assist students with schedule changes if a student is in the wrong level due to summer school completion or misplacement OR if a student is missing a required course. Otherwise, students are not able to drop or add courses or alter based on teacher/period at this time.

Every effort was made to give students their requested open periods. However, there are times that we are unable to accommodate all of those requests. At this time, we are unable to adjust students’ open periods unless due to extenuating circumstances (such as a conflict with an IVA/IVC course). Thank you for your patience.

Please note: Student schedules may be subject to change once school begins to adjust for contractual issues and/or balancing of classes.

Register for our Virtual Parent Information Meetings

Receive important, timely grade level-specific information from the Portola Counseling Team by registering for our Parent Information Meetings via Zoom!

9th Grade Parent Information Meeting: Tuesday, September 13 at 4:30 PM

10th Grade Parent Information Meeting: Thursday, September 22 at 4:30 PM

11th Grade Parent Information Meeting: Thursday, September 29 at 4:30 PM

12th Grade Information Meeting: Thursday, September 8 at 4:30 PM (for both parents and students who missed their senior meeting)

INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST COUNSELOR, MRS. LEGRAND!

My name is Rachel LeGrand and I am so excited to join the Portola Counseling Department! I have spent the last 10 years working as a school counselor in San Diego, Santa Monica, and most recently, Beverly Hills Unified School District. I went to Cal State Long Beach, where I majored in Communication Studies and minored in Child Development and Family Studies. The combination of those two programs led me to the University of San Diego, where I received my Masters in School Counseling, as well as my PPS credential. I am passionate about creating relationships with students and families.

PHS is an inclusive and welcoming space and I look forward to helping students, staff, and families reach academic goals and grow personally.

The College and Career Center is busy scheduling and organizing college visits and events for the fall! Upcoming college visits can be found in the google calendar, google classroom weekly reminders, weekly newsletters, instagram postings, and information screens throughout campus. Some upcoming events are:

Check out our weekly newsletter with information on events, visits, scholarships, leadership opportunities and more!

COLLEGE APPLICATION PREPARATION FOR SENIORS

We wanted to inform you about upcoming events coming up for our seniors and parents to help prepare you for life after high school!

The purpose of the Mandatory Senior Meeting and 12th Grade Parent Information Meetings is to provide our seniors with information regarding college application details, deadlines, financial aid, and ways the Counseling Department plan on helping families navigate through the college application process.

MANDATORY SENIOR MEETING (STUDENTS ONLY)

Date/Time: Thursday, September 8 during Office Hours

Location: PHS Theater

VIRTUAL 12TH GRADE INFORMATION MEETING (PARENTS AND STUDENTS WHO MISSED THE SENIOR MEETING)

Date/Time: Thursday, September 8 at 4:30 PM

COLLEGE APPLICATION WORKSHOPS (STUDENTS ONLY)

  • UC Application Workshop: Friday, September 30
  • CSU Application Workshop: Tuesday, October 4
  • Private/Out-Of-State Application Workshop: Thursday, October 6
  • Community College Application Workshop:

College App Resource Guide

We encourage our seniors to bookmark and review our our Portola College App Resource Guide! Our guide has the following information:

  • College app FAQ's
  • College app process for 2 and 4-year colleges
  • Letter of recommendation process
  • Naviance tutorials
  • College essay tips

Welcome Back Bulldogs! We like to share that September 4th- 10th is Suicide Prevention Week and we will be having activities to raise awareness of suicide prevention on our campus. Suicide is a leading cause of death. It is also one of the most preventable. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please reach out to Portola Counseling, 988 (suicide hotline) and/or Say Something.

Check out 988lifeline.org for more suicide prevention resources.

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