Long Lake Central School

Guidance Plan

2007-2008

 

 

Program Goals

            Students will be offered opportunities that will help them develop academic, career and personal skills. 

Students will be encouraged to acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.  Students will be encouraged to complete school with academic preparation essential to choose from a range of post-secondary options, including college, employment, military or work training.  Students will be encouraged to understand the relationship of academics to the world of work, and to life at home and in the community. 

Students will be given information on how to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and information needed to make career decisions.  Students will be encouraged to employ strategies to achieve future career success and satisfaction.  Students will be given information on understanding the relationship between personal qualities, education, training and the world of work. 

Students will work on the attitudes, knowledge and interpersonal skills which help them understand and respect themselves and others.  Students will learn how to make decisions, set goals and take necessary action to achieve goals.

 

Guidance Counselor Services

- Provides individual counseling to students which focuses on problem-solving and decision-making.  Individual counseling is available when requested by the student, the parent or the teacher.

- Coordinates Academic Intervention Services for students in grades K-12 who may need assistance in meeting the New York State Standards and Graduation Requirements.

- Initiates conferences with students who are having academic difficulties, attempting to find the reason and work out options to improve the situation.

- Meets with all students 7-12 annually to review their progress toward graduation requirements and discuss post-secondary goals.

- Coordinates guidance activities for students in grades 7-12, which address issues of career exploration and post-secondary planning.

- Coordinates required state testing at the elementary and secondary level.

- Reports student program, assessment and enrollment data to SED.

- Consults with faculty and administration and assists others in working through academic, social and behavioral problems with students.

- Maintains the cumulative personal file for students in grades 7-12.

 

 

 

 

 

Guidance Activities

 

Grades K-3

Student participate in weekly guidance classes which focus on social skills such as working as a team, manners/good behavior, trust, responsibility, helping vs. excluding others, friendship skills, problem solving, identifying feelings, gossip, rumors, communicating without talking, fibbing/tattling, accepting negatives/not getting their way, good sportsmanship and working with others they may not want to.

 

Grades 2-4

Students participate in career exploration activities aimed at introducing them to careers they may not have heard of.  They complete interest inventories at each level.  Students in grades 4-6 receive issues of Career World magazine, which contain articles on different careers and issues relating to job and personal success.  They are assigned articles that we review together in class.  In grades 5-6, they learn how to use the Discover program to investigate colleges, careers and college majors.  Grades 5-6 also complete inventories on their own abilities and values as relates to careers.  Students in grade 6 will be offered the opportunity to attend a career fair in Glens Falls.

 

Grades 7-8

Grades 7-8 will receive issues of Career World magazine with articles on different careers and issues relating to job and personal success.  Students will review the use of the online Discover program for research relating to occupations, majors, colleges, vocational programs and military occupations.  Students complete career units in their Family Consumer Science class in which they re-evaluate interests, abilities, personality and values.  They will review ways to cope with changes and life stressors, discuss friendship issues, learn about some parenting issues and practice decision-making skills and long term goal planning.  Available library and guidance resources are reviewed.  Students will be offered the opportunity to attend a career fair in Glens Falls.  Grade 8 students will complete a vocational interview with the guidance counselor and have an individual meeting with the counselor and parent to review graduation requirements and discuss a tentative four-year schedule.  During that individual planning session, we also discuss the importance of keeping track of activities, having references and teachers willing to write good recommendations and the importance of community service. 

 

Grades 9-10

Grades 9-10 will receive various articles in homeroom on college and career decision-making.  For example, students will receive information on choosing a college, choosing a major, applying for financial aid, participating in summer internships and work experiences.  Grade 9 students complete a career unit in English class, which includes a composition on future careers and lifestyles, an interest inventory and updating their career folders.  Students in grade 9 will have the opportunity to attend a career fair in Glens Falls if interested.  Grades 9-10 will receive information about college fairs in the local area and will be encouraged to attend at least one college fair annually.  Students will complete an interest inventory in careers, college, vocational education and military options.  They will review and update their career portfolio in English class.  College admissions representatives and military recruiters visit the school annually and are available to meet with interested students.  Students interested in a vocational training program through our BOCES will participate in a program visit to decide on participation for grades 11-12.  Grades 9-10 students meet individually with the counselor to do course selection for the following school year, review graduation requirements and discuss post-secondary plans.

            Students just beginning their high school careers should remember that the most important thing for college admissions is the high school transcript.  They will look at all of your grades, so you need to keep your grades up all the way through.  It’s very difficult to raise your GPA as a senior if your prior years have been weak.  Most of the scholarships available are given to students with academic, community service and leadership/character strengths.  These are also the four areas considered for National Honor Society in 10th grade.  Please remember that your attitude and relationships with your peers and teachers count all the way through high school.  You will want to be considered for scholarships if you are planning on going to college.  You’ll want to be able to get strong recommendations from your teachers.  Everyone makes mistakes, but the students who are clearly trying their best, leading others in a positive way or just being a good role model for younger students will be the ones benefiting from the many wonderful local scholarships that are available to Long Lake students.

 

Grade 11

Juniors are advised to begin putting together a list of 3-5 colleges of interest, to meet with military recruiters and to consider information on vocational education or employment options.  They will update their career folder in English class.  They will take the PSAT in October and have the option of taking the ASVAB in the fall.  After taking the PSAT, they will be encouraged to register for the SAT I and ACT college entrance exams in the spring.  They will receive information on local college fairs and be encouraged to attend at least one annually.  Adirondack Community College has a good size college fair in both the spring and fall.  Students should plan on attending one of the two.  Colleges generally have open house events scheduled for September-October and March-April.  Juniors should begin attending open house events or participating in individual campus visits as soon as possible.  Parents often use the February vacation as an opportunity to set up individual campus visits.

Juniors will receive articles in homeroom on issues related to careers and post-graduate options.  They will receive information on financial aid for college, summer internships and work programs, saving for college, student loan programs, college ranking advice, scholarship scams, admissions procedures and vocational education options.  Students will complete a brief interest inventory in careers, college, vocational education and military options, which will generate mailings from colleges that fit their interest areas.  They will be encouraged to begin searching for sources of aid through private scholarships.  They will participate in a career shadow day experience in Glens Falls in March.

Students with disabilities will be referred to VESID for transition services and will be encouraged to attend transition workshops for college and the workforce with their parents. 

Juniors will meet individually with guidance in April 2008 to do course selection, review long-range plans and graduation requirements.

 

Grade 12

Seniors will meet with the counselor in September to review the timeline for post-graduation planning.  They will be asked to submit a list of extracurricular activities, community service, awards and work experience to the counselor for college recommendations.  Students will need to gather copies of all applications necessary for the colleges they will be applying to as soon as possible.  Students should ask teachers for recommendations early and have these submitted well before the deadlines.  Seniors will be encouraged to register for fall SAT and ACT exams if they want to improve their scores. 

They will complete a college, career and financial aid unit in English 12 in the first semester.  They will practice college essays with the English teacher.  They will complete a resume, job application and cover letter for a mock job interview in coordination with English 12 and guidance.  They will be encouraged to complete all college visits by the end of October and be ready to send applications out by Christmas break.  Most colleges request a mid-year report of senior grades, so it is important to avoid senioritis as much as possible in the spring and keep those grades up.  Many private colleges require the CSS/Financial Aid profile be completed in the fall.  This process gives them an early idea of what the student’s financial aid situation will be.  Throughout the year in homeroom, students will receive articles on alternatives to college, completing college applications, FAFSA guidance, sources for financial aid, how to pay for college, student loans, how to budget money in college, admissions procedures, scholarship scams, college visits, dealing with college roommates, choosing a major/minor and various other issues related to life after high school.

In December, financial aid applications and information will be mailed home to parents.  Parents and students will be encouraged to attend a financial aid presentation at an area college to assist with questions about the process.  Applications for financial aid should be submitted as quickly after January 1st as possible for the best possible aid package.  Online applications should generate a student aid report in 2-3 weeks.  The student aid report is mailed to colleges the student has listed on the FAFSA and will be used by the colleges to generate the financial aid award letter that details what kind of financial aid package they will be offering you.    

Students will be encouraged in the spring to watch the mail for college acceptance letters, check for deadlines on acceptance and deposits, notify schools they will not be attending, watch for deadlines at your college on housing, financial aid, orientation, etc. and apply for the Klue, Crary and Colburn scholarships as well as various others.  I will distribute scholarship applications to students throughout the school year as they arrive.  Please make sure I know your final decision, as a final transcript will need to be sent to the college you choose and senior plans are announced as part of the graduation ceremony.

 

 

Submitted to Board of Education at July 12, 2007 meeting.

Tisha White