Counseling

Academics

Throughout her educational journey in high school, an Arrow will come to know her counselor well through one-on-one meetings that focus on her academic progress and interests. Counselors monitor grades and progress reports so that students who might struggle in an academic area get the support they need in The Learning Commons; similarly, girls who excel in an academic area might be counseled to try Honors or AP-level courses. Counselors also manage the standardized testing and scheduling aspects of high school academics, as well as progress toward graduation.    

Social/Emotional Support

An emphasis on happiness and inclusion makes SUA the warm and inviting place it is. Counselors work with students to find their interests, connect them to clubs or classes that expand their world, investigate leadership opportunities, set up peer-to-peer discussion on key topics, and help them grow into young adults outside the classroom.

When needed, SUA counselors provide resources and assistance in areas in which students struggle or need guidance, such as peer relationships, grief management, test anxiety, mindfulness, coping mechanisms, and stress-relief techniques. SUA counselors facilitate groups for girls who need support in areas such a freshman transition, self-compassion, and peer relationships. As a trusted adult in a high school student’s life, a counselor can provide anything from a listening ear to external resource referrals.

Career Readiness

SUA’s counselors look beyond the present to help students envision life after college. Goal-setting and planning sessions allow Arrows to see themselves in a career or vocation that matches their academic strengths with their dreams for the future. Students also take the College and Career Exploration course, often called “Leading Self,” a mandatory class designed to guide girls toward understanding themselves better as students and as future career women, putting them on the track that best matches their interests and gifts.

Part of this process is making sure students use Naviance—a college and career planning tool—to capture many aspects of their high school experience, from test scores to career interest surveys and service work to potential college majors. This tool keeps students focused and organized for not only their college acceptance process, but also their journey through the four years of high school.

Academics

At the middle school level, standardized testing is a common academic assessment. Girls in grades six and seven take Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests, while eighth graders take the High School Placement Test (HSPT) and class-specific placement tests (as needed) to assess their readiness for certain high school courses, especially math and foreign languages. Our JA counselor not only helps with academic preparation for tests, but also with any anxiety that comes with the process.

The JA Counselor also provides a variety of other services for students. She assists with scheduling courses each year after meeting individually with students. She offers career awareness sessions so that young girls can begin to imagine themselves in a future career that suits their interests. And, because our youngest Arrows are still growing into their tween years, she helps them learn and practice all executive functioning skills—such as test-taking strategies, study habits, organization, and planning—that will improve their academic experience and provide life-long successful habits.

Social Support

Middle school can be a time of great uncertainty, but having a core group of friends who share common interests helps a girl get through this tumultuous time. The JA counselor assists in “plugging in” girls to activities and clubs, to learning interpersonal skills such as respecting boundaries, and forming friendships that create a joyful experience during the academic day.   

Emotional Support

When a JA Arrow needs a little extra support in a rough time, the JA counselor can provide tips and tools that might make the difference. Focusing on areas such as coping mechanisms, self-regulation, anxiety or stress relief, and basic life skills, the counselor works with individual girls to ease her time through the middle school years and give her tools for managing life.

Our counselors follow the academic, personal/social, and career standards outlined by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National Model. They help each student achieve her highest abilities through classroom guidance, individual meetings, small group interventions, and collaboration with the student, parents, faculty, staff, and administration.