Organized to reflect the National Standards for Guidance and Counseling
The National Standards for Guidance and Counseling address the domains
of academic, personal/social and career counseling. The Counseling
Office is currently staffed with an assistant principal, four
counselors, a counseling secretary and a registrar. The office provides a
wide range of services throughout the year (registration, academic
advisement, maintenance of records, testing, etc.). The
Course Catalog
has much of the information a student will need. The Guidance Program
is structured so that each counselor provides guidance information and
counseling services to the four grade levels of a student body of about
1,200. Students may wish to meet with their assigned counselor to
discuss:
- academic progress and school adjustment
- high school four-year plan
- post-graduation options
- academic and / or vocational opportunities
- school policies and procedures
- alternative educational options
- test interpretation
- letters of recommendation
- personal counseling
- community agency referrals
In addition to counselor/student/parent/faculty-initiated
conferences, the counselors meet on a regular basis with students each
year either individually (i.e. senior checks, 8th grade registration,
new enrollees) or in small groups (i.e. fall semester planning, spring
semester advisement with each grade level and sophomore 4-year
planning).
There are a variety of advisement activities at SHS
throughout the school year to which parents are encouraged to attend.
Among these informative parent meetings are:
- How to Pay for College.
- Grade Level Information Night, September/October.
- Plan Your Future (college/career), early November, hosted by Cabrillo College.
- Financial Aid Parent Meeting, early February.
- Open House/New Student, February.
- Sophomore 4-year Planning Night, March/April.
Guidance Curriculum: The SHS Student Handbook contains pertinent
information essential to meaningful high school planning (general
information, requirements, programs, course descriptions, etc.). A wide
variety of supplemental printed materials are also available to students
and parents (i.e. specifics handouts regarding high school and college
prep requirements, college prep time lines, calendars, educational
alternatives, etc., as well as testing booklets, college applications,
scholarships and financial aid information, and other reference
material). A brief overview of the guidance curriculum time line follows
- 8th Grade: Introduction to high school includes a review of the SHS
Student Handbook, high school graduation requirements, higher education
possibilities (i.e. UC, CSU, community college, vocational, etc.),
college prep requirements and the freshmen course selections.
- 9th Grade: Clarification of graduation requirements, transcripts
and high school curriculum emphasizes the topics mentioned above as well
as ROP (tech prep), Honors, Advanced Placement, concurrent enrollment
and other opportunities.
- 10th Grade: Development of the four-year plan during sophomore
group conference focuses on meeting the necessary requirements given the
particular post graduation goal. Specific information and additional
reference resources relevant to these plans are made available,
including a career interest survey. This information is shared with
parents at an evening meeting.
- 11th Grade: Research and preliminary decisions regarding post
graduation plans are critical to the junior year. Students are
encouraged to refine their personal time line in preparation for college
entrance, the work force, military, etc.
- 12th Grade: Finalization of the four-year plan includes the
application process, campus visitations, college/job interviews, testing
requirements, etc. and, of course, June graduation! A Senior Conference
is held with each student to complete the senior contract.