Twice during each quarter the counselors are provided with interim reports or final quarter grades from the teaching staff. Those students that are not performing up to expectations are met with to determine the source of the difficulty. Plans are then set to chart a course for improvement.
Academic Planning:
As eighth graders, students are met with individually to fill out a four-year planner that roughs in their schedules for their high school career. Each student is met with each year in a group setting to go over their planner and make appropriate adjustments due to change in career plans, post high school plans, or curriculum adjustments. Counseling in areas such as colleges and universities, the workforce, military, apprenticeships, and other post high school options occurs.
Individual meetings are held with students to assist them with career plans. These conferences are scheduled by the students and can include career assessment tests that are available in the guidance office and on our website. Also included as part of the career counseling package participated in by the G.O. staff are Tri-Star visitations and presentations, Job Shadow Day, and the use of extensive career resources housed in the G.O. An I.C.P. (Individual Career Plan) is developed in the eighth grade and updated yearly until it is converted into The Career Passport their junior year. The Career Passport is then finalized during the senior year.
On many occasions the counselors meet with parents to help them improve their child’s achievement as well as consulting with teachers and other staff members to facilitate the academic and personal success of students. The counselors also consult with teachers to assist them with using student data and meeting individual student needs. Community agencies are also consulted to help students in areas that are beyond the scope of the school counselor.
Regularly the counselors conduct classroom guidance activities to assist all students in learning how to succeed academically and manage their emotions effectively. Examples are meeting with the freshmen, twice, at the beginning of the year to help with the transition into high school life; the sophomores with career and academic preparation for the PLAN test; the juniors with PSAT concerns and examination of their permanent records, and seniors with college, financial aid, and scholarship preparation information.
Counselors meet with students to meet their educational, personal, social, emotional, and career needs. This may include referrals to community agencies, military recruiters, college admissions counselors, and other experts in various areas of student needs. The counselors maintain confidentiality in conferences and permanent records.
In the spring of each year the counselors are heavily involved with the scheduling of students into appropriate classes for the following school year. This occurs after examination of the four-year planner and further review of career goals. A counselor may meet with a student on numerous occasions to finalize their academic requests.
The counselors go over and explain the test results from the various standardized tests that are taken throughout the year. Examples of these are the PLAN test that the sophomores take, the PSAT that juniors and many sophomores take, as well as the college entrance exams, ACT and SAT, that juniors and seniors take.