Programs

Following is a basic outline of our Guidance programs:

Middle School

The counselor for the middle school is close at hand to help seventh and eighth graders adjust to their new educational and social environment. In consort with parents and teachers, the counselor enables students to:

Negotiate new schedule and classroom demands
Assess study, note and test-taking habits
Handle course placement
Relate to peers
Learn responsibility

Ninth Grade

Individual Guidance:

Building Rapport – affirming students
Personal, academic, religious and social growth
Future planning – “Person for Others”

Group Guidance - First Semester:

Outline of guidance program on the high school level
Suggestions for beginning high school
Preparation for fall standardized testing
Success as a student and as a person: Handbook, Staying on Top of Things Before It’s Too Late

Group Guidance - Second Semester:

Open book “test” on Staying on Top
Work on Sophomore Schedules (Course Description Booklet)
Substance abuse (Inmate’s letters – video interview – Exorcist)
McQuaid’s achievements of excellence – Jesuit tradition
McQuaid “scrapbook” and movies: The Blackrobe, The Mission
Career Development (Booklet: Find a Career You Like and You Will Never Have to Work a Day in Your Life. Career Interest Profile and Explorer Survey)
Initiation of a resume
Academic and personal qualities examined in a Letter of Recommendation
Completion of survey: 101 Reasons Why My Grades May Not Be As High As They Could Be

Tenth Grade

The counselors for Grade 10 will build on the student’s previous experience by:

Continuing to work on areas helpful to school success such as academic reviews, communication skills, study plans and test taking strategies, including strategies useful for the PSAT and SAT exams.
Extending thought on drug use and other teen behaviors.
Exploring college application requirements.
Exploring summer programs.
Assisting in choosing courses appropriate for the students’ capabilities and goals during the course selection process.
Assisting with the personal needs of the student.

Eleventh Grade

The counselors for eleventh grade will direct students in a practical manner with regard to college choices and career goals, utilizing individual and group meetings. To those ends, the counselor will:

Acquaint students with Naviance, a comprehensive online college and career development program complete with an interest inventory
Familiarize students with the contents and function of standardized testing, including PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, SAT II (subject tests), and ACT
Aid the students in formulating their own personal criteria for college and career by employing research techniques, interest inventories, personal statistical data and analysis of current trends relative to his choices by using several informational resources
Supervise the students as they further develop their personal resume
Assist in choosing courses appropriate for the students’ capabilities and goals during the course selection process.
Develop a rapport with students that is conducive to personal, social, and academic development

Twelfth Grade

Counselors for twelfth grade will focus on completing the process of selecting colleges and discerning career choices. In that process the counselors will:

Continue ongoing personal guidance with regard to the students' standardized testing results
Discuss athletic guidelines for NCAA play
Review students' academic progress and their college career prospects
Finalize college application process
Revise and Complete Resume
Individual Conferences (many times with parent) to tailor student college choices
Disseminate Scholarship Information