The document discusses the role of high school counselors in helping students with social, emotional, and academic development as they transition through changes in high school. It outlines the challenges students face with physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. Finally, it provides information about course requirements, schedules, and advice for parents on how to support their child's transition to high school.

1. Welcome to High School:
Meeting the
Changes and Challenges

2. •
High school counseling
•
Changes and challenges
•
Grade-level information
•
How can I help my child
transition to high school?

3. What is the role of the high
school counselor...
“Secondary school counselors are
professional educators with a mental
health perspective who understand and
respond to the challenges presented by
today’s diverse student population.”
- from the website of ASCA (American School Counselor
Association)

4. ...helping students feel successful about
themselves and chool
• social and emotional well-being
• academic goals
• college and career goals

5. Counselors help
students...
• build self-esteem, identity, and
autonomy
• learn strategies and skills to make
good choices (academic, social,
emotional, college/career)
• create and maintain healthy
relationships

6. How do we do this?
• Guidance Curriculum: delivered to students in grade-
level meetings, Flex classes, individual or family
meetings (as needed)
• Individual Student Planning: help students develop
personal and academic goals, and future plans
• Responsive Services: meeting individual student needs
that require counseling, referral, information, or
intervention
• Systems Support: support from administration and
teachers (team approach)

7. Challenges and Changes
• “Perhaps the only thing more
difficult than being a teenager
is parenting one”
• A time of great development:
physically, socially,
emotionally, cognitively

8. Social
Development
• Trying to understand who they are or
who they are trying to be
• Peer group is the strongest influence
• Increased pressure from peers
regarding risky behaviors: alcohol,
drugs, sex
• Exploration of boundaries in
relationships and behavior

9. Emotional Development
• ‘Roller Coaster Ride’ of hormones and
mood swings. Often one heartbeat
away from laughter or tears.
• Students are evaluating themselves
and trying to understand who they
are.
• With change comes uncertainty.

10. Cognitive Development
• In tune with technology (digital
natives)
• Respond well to cooperative learning,
academic variety
• Increase in cognitive and reasoning
ability
• Critical thinking and writing skills are
emphasized across the HS curriculum

11. How can I help with the transition
to high school?
• Listen to what your child has to say and offer
your support.
• Stay connected and communicate. Spend
time together.
• Establish (together with your child) clear
rules, specific expectations, and
consequences. This sets a tone of respect,
trust, and fairness. Review them regularly.
• Respect your teen’s privacy – e.g., knock
before entering his/her room!

12. More advice on helping your
teen
• Understand your child is transitioning from
childhood (needy, dependent) to
adulthood (freedom, trust, responsibility)
• Be a parent first, not a pal. Boundaries are
important -- model them.
• Stay in touch with teachers. Be aware of
and engaged in what is going on at
school. Follow the HS Blog and HS
Counselors’ blog.
• Help monitor sleep (average of 9 hours),
diet, and exercise, laptop use.

13. Teenagers are just people trying
to learn how to make it among
the adults in the world, who are
probably not so sure
themselves.

14. Congratulations…

15. In six months, you will be the
parent of a high school
student!

16. First, some vocabulary:
Freshmen Grade 9
Sophomores Grade 10
Juniors Grade 11
Seniors Grade 12

17. Day A Day B
(1A, 2A, 3A, 4A) (1B, 2B, 3B, 4B)
Homeroom: Homeroom:
What 8:05 – 8:20 8:05 – 8:20
does Block – 80 minutes Block – 80 minutes
Break - 20 minutes Break - 20 minutes
a
Block – 80 minutes Block – 80 minutes
HS Block – 80 minutes Block – 80 minutes
Lunch – 55 minutes Lunch – 55 minutes
day
Block – 80 minutes Block – 80 minutes
look
like?

18. SAS High School
Graduation Requirements
Subject Credit
English 4
Math 3
Science 3
Social Studies 3
Foreign 2
Language
PE/Health 2
Fine/ 2
Performing Arts
Electives 5
TOTAL 24

19. Required subjects for
grade 9
• English 9
• Lab Science
• Asian History 9
• Math: per 8th grade teacher
recommendation and placement test
• Physical Education/Health 9

20. Foreign Languages:
French – per 8th grade teacher
recommendation
Spanish – per 8th grade teacher
recommendation
Chinese – per 8th grade teacher
recommendation
EAL – per testing and MS EAL teacher
recommendation

21. Fine/Performing Arts Electives:
• Art Foundations
• Introduction to Drama
• Band Intermediate/Advanced
• Orchestra Intermediate/Advanced
• Choir Intermediate/Advanced
• Dance

22. Students have 7 academic
blocks -- the 8th block is FLEX
• counselor meetings/Naviance
• time to meet with teachers
• MAP Assessments
• Supervised Study Flex
• EAL Flex
• productive study time

23. What can YOU do now?
1. Ask your child for the course selection sheet he/
she will receive on March 4.
2. Check out the course description catalog at the
high school blog at http://
teachers.saschina.org/hspudong/
3. Contact your child’s current teacher if you have
questions about a specific subject area.
4. Tell us about your child! Naviance parent survey.
5. Discuss fine arts choices with your child.
6. Submit the selection sheet by March 9 to
student’s advisory teacher.

24. Keep up on high school news
by checking the Dr. Borden’s
high school blog at:
http://teachers.saschina.org/hspudong

25. What next?
• meeting with HS counselors and
teachers on Monday, March 4 about
course selection
• grade 9 students will talk to grade 8
students about course selection during
advisory on Friday, March 8th
• A Day in the Life of a High School
Student: Nuts and Bolts held on Friday,
May 31st, for students.