School & College Counseling

Counseling and advising at Bishop Guertin begins on day one.

Starting with Freshman Orientation, our counselors work with each student from a developmental approach to form the basis of a relationship that will last for the student’s entire high school career. As counselors we are present to support, encourage, and guide students through this time of discovery and assist them with their needs, challenges, successes, and future plans. This relationship allows the counselor to assist the student in the identification of appropriate options for career and college planning.

Who says the college process has to be stressful? Not us.

We’ve developed a four-year comprehensive, college counseling model that works. With our approach, students and their families have plenty of time to plan, prepare and apply. Our track record speaks for itself. Our students work hard and as a result, we have a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate.

THE FOUR-YEAR JOURNEY

FRESHMAN YEAR

All freshmen participate in Freshman Seminar that starts on Orientation Day in August and meets additional times throughout the school year.

Topics covered in the seminar program are:

Transitioning to High School
Meeting with your Counselor
Study Skills
Academics/the High School transcript
Academic Advising/Four-year academic plans
Social concerns and expectations
Study skills and preparing for large assessments
Extracurricular involvement
Mission and Charism of Bishop Guertin High School

Each student is seen by their counselor for a freshman interview by mid-September. At this time the counselor checks in with the student about their transition to high school and encourages the student to come to the Counselors to share the good news in their lives as well as to discuss academic or personal challenges. Counselors also check in with freshman students individually at the end of the school year to discuss their first year.

Counselors contact all parents of freshmen during the fall semester. The purpose is to introduce the counselor to the parents and to discuss how the transition to high school is going for both the parent and the student. This initiates the parent-counselor relationship.

All freshmen participate in the National Testing Day activities in October by taking the SAT 8-9 exam. This is designed to assist students in future standardized college testing.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

The sophomore student has already developed a relationship with their counselor. The sophomore interview is scheduled mid-year to review the year and the progress that has been made both academically and socially. Counselors will do a career interest inventory through Big Future — a College Board program — with all sophomores in the second semester. This begins career exploration and pre-college planning.

The 10th-grade year can often be a turbulent time for students and families. Counselors encourage communication with parents and students as much as possible.

Sophomores will also be participating in a Seminar Program.

This program will discuss:

Sophomore year issues: driving, first job, staying on track
Academics and their transcript
Social concerns: friends, social networking, bullying
Extracurricular involvement
Future Planning
Review of the four year academic plan

Additionally, counselors will offer webinars throughout the year on topics such as anxiety, course selection and college admission.

Sophomores also participate in National Testing Day in October by taking the PSAT.

JUNIOR YEAR

Junior students spend a good deal of time with their counselor both in small group and individual settings. Juniors are seen in classroom settings to prepare for the PSAT and later to receive their results from National Testing Day in the fall. This becomes the springboard for group and individual meetings as they begin the college exploration process. In concert with these meetings, the College Planning Program for students and parents is held early in the second semester to explain the college exploration process.

Counselors also meet with juniors through the spring semester to discus the timeline of college admission.

Juniors will also begin the process of working on their college essays during the second semester. Counselors work closely with their students on this process as well as their teacher recommendations as part of the upcoming application process.

Students are encouraged to use the SCOIR program throughout their junior year. This supports the electronic college-application process and provides an extended list of schools for consideration with the counselor. Further, Juniors are strongly encouraged to meet with their counselor, visit their respective counseling class pages to be aware of and updated on specialized programs, summer programs, college fairs, scholarship opportunities, and college open house programs. These opportunities are updated regularly.

SENIOR YEAR

The start of senior year is devoted to the college search and application process. Often a confusing and stressful time, the Counseling Department works diligently through small and large groups, as well as individual meetings to assist families through this undertaking. Seniors are strongly encouraged to spend time with their counselors keeping them updated on their college search and application status early in the school year.

Seniors meet with their counselors in small groups over the first two weeks of the school year to launch the college-admission process. Throughout the fall, counselors meet both individually and small groups regarding essay writing, Common Application and narrowing down their prospective application list. The College Planning Meeting for parents of senior students is scheduled early in September to assist parents with the process.

An evening outlining the Financial Aid process will be provided for parents of seniors in early fall. Information about the FAFSA, CSS Profile, independent college financial aid forms, and scholarship opportunities will be discussed.