Counseling & Support
School counselors, nurses, school psychologists, nurses and specialists in Speech/Language/Hearing and adaptive physical education are available to provide a wide variety of support services for students.
Student Study and Child Study Teams assist students experiencing academic difficulty, those with special needs, assessing eligibility for placement in special classes and recommending specialized services as needed. Special services and classes are offered for students with learning disabilities as well as other students with exceptional needs.
After school and lunch time tutoring is offered on a drop in basis . We are hoping to offer ten days of intersession support for middle school students during spring and summer intersession. An extended school year program is available for those students with disabilities who qualify. At the middle school, math support classes are available for those students needing additional support.
Bilingual paraprofessional support staff provide assistance in the classroom for English Learners. These services are also available for students participate in our Home School program.
You can reach our "Counselor's Corner" webpage here
Hillview Middle School
Address: 40525 Peonza Lane, Palmdale, Ca 93551
Phone: 661-722-9993 Fax: 661-722-9483 Website: https://www.westside.k12.ca.us/hv
Principal: Co-Principals Rodney Lots and Jennifer Slater-Sanchez District: Westside Union
Grade Levels: 6,7,8 Enrollment: 984
Principal's Message
Aside from a clean, technology rich, and safe campus, Hillview Middle School (HMS) offers many strengths to create an atmosphere where students want to learn and feel valued. Members of the Student Support Team (SST) strive to empower students to reach their highest potential by offering a strong core curriculum and consistent support to help facilitate their academic success, social-emotional development and college and career readiness. Students have access to a wide variety of clubs and activities that are both engaging and fun. This not only maintains their interest in learning but also exposes them to different situations and tasks to prepare them for success in a diverse community. We are working to achieve our goals contained in our School Site Plan which are 1) ensure all students are well-equipped with the cognitive, linguistic, interpersonal skills necessary to be successful in a global society and 2) develop and implement programs that support students' academic, behavioral, and socio-emotional growth and success. In an effort to achieve our goals and prepare our students for high school and college, honors and advanced courses are offered which is aligned to the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) goal of access for all students to rigorous courses.
Career and College Readiness Student Outcomes
The SST at HMS strongly believes in our district's vision of promoting students who have acquired the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to achieve significant career, educational, civic and personal goals, which will enrich our society as positive role models and responsible citizens. The data below shows students becoming aware of post secondary career choices and understanding how to be college ready by excelling in their classes.
Career Readiness
In the 4th quarter of every year, all of our 8th grade students complete an Interest Profiler assessment through California CareerZone online which will allow them to explore career options by detailing education needed, income potential, and job availability in their particular interest. In addition, these students were given a presentation on post-secondary options, which a pre-test showed, students had little knowledge about community college, vocational school and paying for college. At the end of the presentation, a post-test revealed that all students (368 total) could identify 3 post-secondary options,168 of students had an increased awareness of scholarships and paying for college and 300 students could explain what the benefits of attending a vocational or trade school.
Career Options can be Clearly Described
0
100
200
300
400
| Could list 3 post secondary options | |
| Could explain the benefits of vocational school | |
| Increased awareness of scholarships and FAFSA |
College Readiness
The mission of HMS is to ensure that all students will be prepared to reach high levels of academic achievement as determined by district, state, and national standards. Our SST provides numerous opportunities of support for students to be successful in their classes through lunch time and morning tutoring, learning lab, and math and language arts support classes. All students have access to a rigorous curriculum and honors classes which help to prepare them for the high level of commitment, hard work and dedication they will need for more challenging courses in high school for their college admissions. This chart demonstrates the percentage of students in each grade that have received honor roll and principal's list recognition: 80% of our 6th grade, 38% of our 7th grade, and 45% of our 8th grade classes.
Honor Roll Recognition
| 6th grade | |
| 7th grade | |
| 8th grade |
21st Century Skills
In order for our students to be successful in their future career endeavors and college goals, members of our SST recognize the importance of all of our students to develop 21st Century Skills. We want our students to be critical thinkers, digitally literate, globally aware, and effective communicators.The SST facilitates a wide range of programs and classes that are available to every student such as Model United Nations, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), ASB (Associated Student Body), and Design and Modeling that foster problem solving, collaboration, and leadership skills. Programs such as these help our students to be ready for high school and college that will set them on their future career path.
Additional Achievements:
- 94% of our 8th grade students took the PSAT.
- 2019 - Became a Unified Champions School for Special Olympics.
- 2017 - Earned early candidacy for WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation.
Career and College Readiness School Site Programs and Community Partnerships
Our SST is able to provide innovative and engaging opportunities and programs through the support of our many community partnerships such as the West Antelope Valley Educational Foundation (WAVE) that contribute the resources needed to foster growth towards college and career readiness through programs like Vex Robotics, Concert Band, Mathletes, Science Olympiads, and Model United Nations. Counselors participate in professional development through Hatching Results that assists in designing, implementing, evaluating, and improving comprehensive, data-driven school counseling programs that address the diverse needs of all students.
School Site Programs
- Peer Leaders - Are positive role models that assist in creating a safe and inclusive school culture.
- Inclusion League - Special and general education students partnering to build relationships.
- Dancing Feet - Competition dance program that promotes team work and creates self-confidence.
- Science Olympiad and Mathletes - Competitions that provide rigorous, standards-based challenges.
- Associated Student Body (ASB) - Represents the interests and goals of Hillview's total student body.
- Model United Nations - Simulation of UN conferences where students role-play ambassadors to the UN.
Community Partnerships
- Lancaster West Rotary - Offers financial support for several extracurricular programs such as band.
- WAVE Foundation - Provides financial support for innovative student led projects like Lego Robotics.
- Children's Center of the Antelope Valley - This agency provides school based mental health services.
- Boys Town - We use this resource for school wide discipline strategies that teach social skills.
- Hatching Results - Provides training to counselors to create data driven counseling programs.
- Cedar Sinai Blood Mobile - Helps our students learn to be globally aware and locally responsible.
Student Support Team
Hillview's Student Support Team is comprised of highly inclusive professionals that have a complete regard for the progress and personal development of every student. They work to provide an equitable support system for all students to become college and career ready through promoting rich opportunities for learning both within and outside of the classroom. They cultivate a range of partnerships with parents, business owners, and the community to support student learning and progress. In keeping with the Westside Union School District's motto of "Pointing the Path, Providing the Way" our SST works as a collaborative group to provide all students with continued support in academics, social/emotional issues and career and college choices. Our SST members belong to the following professional organizations: Association of School Administrators, American School Counselor Association, California School Counselor Association, California Association of School Psychologist, Computer Using Educators, and Westside Union Teachers Association.
| Position | Years | Qualifications |
| Co-Principal | 15 | BS, MA, ASC |
| Co-Principal | 5 | BA, MA, MA, ASC, Ed.D. |
| Counselor | 12 | BA, MS, PPSC |
| School Psychologist | 18 | BA, MS, EdD |
| Teacher/AVID | 12 | BS |
| Position | Years | Qualifications |
| Teacher/ASB Advisor | 20 | BS |
| Teacher/CJSF Advisor | 16 | BA |
| School Nurse | 26 | RN, SNC |
| Campus Climate Assistant | 4 | AA, District Training |
| Campus Climate Assistant | 13 | District Training |
SST Contact Name: Jennifer Schmid
Phone: 6617229993
E-mail: j.schmid@westside.k12.ca.us
