As the current school year progresses, school guidance counselors are promptly preparing for the next year. Students’ academic, social, and emotional experiences are considerably shaped by their interaction with school counselors and by the amount of support received from them.
Firstly, before any meetings with counselors, students are required to fill out the form in Infinite Campus, the schoolwide student portal website, based on the type of diploma they would like to obtain. Usually, there are two possible options provided: Standard Diploma and Advanced Diploma.
Counselors start by looking at student performance, attendance, and behavior data to find any areas where students may require more support. This helps plan many focused actions intending to improve each student’s well-being for multiple people or groups, such as academic enrichment or mental health programs.
After filling out the form, guidance counselors organize individual meetings for each student to talk about those plans. This helps students to feel more organized and prepared for the next year and enter a new semester without any stress.
Junior Marissa Blankenship shares her thoughts about the meeting with her guidance counselor and admits that it helped her feel organized for next year.
“Meeting with my guidance counselor Hillary Camden helped me feel less stressed and more organized for the next year. She also helped me gain more information about new classes in our school and gave some suggestions based on my interests,” Blankenship said.
After meetings, guidance counselors send out copies of course requests to students’ parents and let them have some time to discuss and decide. However, students won’t be able to change their schedules after their final decision, because counselors would have to actually distribute students to their requested classes.
To this process, collaboration is especially important. To guarantee students’ needs are satisfied, counselors closely work with teachers, administrators, and parents. It means finding students who may need more help. It also means creating ways to give those students the right resources and assistance.
Counselors organize several programs such as workshops for college and career preparation and meetings about handling stress and opportunities for students to mentor one another. These initiatives allow students to develop skills that will help them academically and emotionally later in life.
Hillary Camden is one of the guidance counselors. She shares her plans about next year’s meetings.
“I love talking to students about their future plans and whatever their post secondary school goals are. All guidance counselors have the deadline of Feb. 28 to meet with all students and help them arrange plans for next year,” said Camden.
Counselors can use active professional development to stay updated on both new educational trends and mental health strategies. They are dedicated to learning without end. The best ways can certainly be used to help make the school environment entirely supportive and positive.
School guidance counselors thoroughly plan for each new school year. They promote a real base for student development and success by using data well, working closely with the school, and creating good programs.
