SCHOOL COUNSELOR

Students will be assigned to a counselor upon entering the ninth grade. They will be assigned to the same counselor for their four years of high school. Students may initiate a conference with their counselor by making an appointment in the school counseling office. Counselors will also initiate conferences with students by sending them an appointment notification. Counselors are available to students for personal, academic, career, and post high school planning.

ACADEMIC COUNSELING

Academic counseling supports and enables students to experience academic success, maximizes learning through commitment, encourages students to produce high quality work, and helps them to be prepared for a full range of opportunities after school. Counselors help students understand strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and plan an appropriate course of study. Counselors, teachers, and parents work together to support and encourage students to reach their full potential.

Areas where counselors work with students and parents are:

Making a four year educational plan

Planning a high school program relevant to students interests and abilities and post secondary educational plans

Checking each student’s progress through review of interim progress reports and report cards.

Consultation with faculty regarding student performance

Meeting with parents

Counseling students experiencing academic difficulties and developing strategies for improvement

Reviewing and monitoring CAPT requirements for graduation

Reviewing credit status

Reviewing standardized test results with students and parents

Providing input at Pupil Study Team, Pupil Planning and Placement Team, and 504 meetings

Career Counseling

Career counseling helps students begin to explore various career options. Students are helped to have an understanding of careers, occupational information, school and training requirements and an awareness of how these relate to personal values, interests, abilities and personalities. Counselors and career counselor assist students in the following ways:

Administration of interest inventories in grade 9 and 11

Administration of aptitude test, ASVAB, for interested students in grades 11, 12

Job shadowing experience in grade 10

Individual planning meetings with all juniors to develop post high school plans

Completion of four year plan to ensure that students courses provide adequate preparation for potential career choices

Use of School Counseling Office/Career Center including computer software, reference books, catalogues, videos, and career pamphlets

Encourage students to participate in internship program, ACE Mentoring Program

Provide information to students for community service opportunities and encourage them to volunteer

College Counseling

College counseling assists students in making educational decisions for post–secondary education. Counselors help students understand strengths and weaknesses, interests, and goals as they relate to career and college planning.

Counselors:

Meet with students each year to make/revise a four year plan

Meet with students to plan course of study each year to fulfill career and post secondary education requirements

Encourage students to take appropriate standardized tests

Encourage students to attend college representative visits

Encourage students to use the School Counseling Office and Career Center reference materials, computer-based college search programs, reference books, college catalogues, and career information

Encourage junior and senior students and parents to attend the Financial Aid Workshop

Give and review College Planning Guide with all juniors and parents

Administer interest inventory to all juniors in order to help with career planning

Offer ASVAB, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test, to all juniors and seniors in order to help with career planning

Provide information to juniors on preparing resumes, activity sheets, and college essays to assist in preparing for college process

Help students in college/career search process

Prepare scholarship bulletins and disseminate this information to students

Write letters of recommendation for students

Process college and scholarship applications

Review transition planning goals with students with disabilities

Personal Counseling

School counselors help students acquire the knowledge, attitude, and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others. Counselors are also available to help students increase self-understanding and to learn effective problem solving skills.

Some of the issues and concerns that counselors help students with are:

Academic Performance

Family Conflicts

Peer Relations

Transition/Adjustment Problems

Social Pressures

Emotional concerns

Sexual Harassment

Drug/Alcohol Issues

Abuse Issues

Bullying

Decision making/goal setting

Referrals are made to community agencies, when appropriate.