Counseling & Advising
SHC School Counselors and College Advisors are dedicated to ensuring that our students develop an array of personal and academic resources to make effective choices for the present and future.
Incoming students are assigned a School Counselor who works with them through graduation. During their junior year, our students are also assigned a College Advisor to guide them through college research and the application and financial aid processes. School Counselors meet with students individually to get to know them and to tailor guidance to their specific needs. School Counselors also hold regular group meetings to help students understand the social and academic development, curriculum options, and college preparation and planning appropriate to their grade level. College Advisors provide students, parents, and guardians with information via group meetings and, starting in the spring of junior year, through individual planning.
The developmental stage of adolescence can be challenging. Our School Counselors work to ensure that the transition from adolescence to adulthood is as smooth and as constructive as possible, and collaborate with parents and guardians in the academic, personal, emotional, and social development of their student. Parents and guardians also typically meet individually with their student’s College Advisor in the spring or summer prior to the senior year, and that collaboration continues through graduation.
SHC students have regular access to the Testing Center and the Academic Support Center (ASC). The Testing Center facilitates extended time testing and completion of assignments missed because of illness, retreats, service, athletics, etc. The ASC supports a successful entrance to our college preparatory curriculum, as well as access to peer tutoring for occasional academic assistance. Some ninth graders are assigned to a Study and Organization Skills course hosted by the ASC; the additional structure and support of this course facilitates success in the student’s other courses and co-curriculars.
Counseling & Advising Department Mission
Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Counseling and Advising Program provides students, parents, and guardians with the guidance needed to navigate a challenging college prep curriculum commensurate with the individual student’s gifts, talents, and aspirations. School Counselors support, encourage, and nurture students to develop academically, emotionally, and socially from adolescence to adulthood. College Advisors provide the knowledge and direction necessary for a successful transition from secondary school to college or university.
Counseling & Advising Department Goals
SHC School Counselors and College Advisors assist students to:
- Make mature decisions guided by the Gospel and teachings of the Catholic Church.
- Develop relationships with others predicated upon respecting the dignity of each person.
- Discern and practice appropriate personal and social behavior.
- Achieve personal and academic goals that lead to success.
- Navigate technology for college planning and ascertain collegiate options.
- Identify and pursue post-secondary opportunities commensurate with individual interests, talents and abilities.
Our Counseling & Advising Model
We offer a specialized and comprehensive approach to serve SHC students and families. School Counselors serve students from the time they enter until the time they graduate from SHC. Beginning midway through junior year, each student also works with a College Advisor, who guides the student and family through the complex tasks of college research, application, and financial aid process.
College and University Placements
Registrar
Serving All Our Students
Academic Support Center (ASC)
We recognize that our rigorous college preparatory curriculum can prove daunting, especially for incoming students. To foster academic skills and confidence, SHC created the Academic Support Center. Some ninth graders will be assigned to a Study and Organizational Skills class which meets in the ASC, and other students opt to stop by for occasional assistance with a single assignment or concept. The ASC is staffed by experienced SHC faculty and California Scholarship Federation (CSF) peer tutors.
Testing Center
The Testing Center, located on the first floor of the La Salle campus, provides a supervised site for students to complete assessments that require additional time or to make up work that they missed due to absences (due to illness, athletics, retreats, service, immersion trips, etc.). The Testing Center is open from 8:00am to 3:30pm each school day.
Students with Documented Learning Disabilities
SHC provides academic resources to students with documented learning disabilities or who are diagnosed with ADHD to help ensure that all SHC students are fully integrated into our college preparatory environment. Although the curriculum is not modified, students may receive basic accommodations and assistance with developing self-advocacy skills and strategies that stress independent learning to prepare them for a positive college education.
Accommodations provided at SHC may include preferential seating; short breaks; a separate room for testing (Testing Center); access to assistive technology (calculator, laptop for writing, audiobooks, noise-canceling headphones.); up to 50% extended time for tests or quizzes; and assistance with the process of applying for accommodations on standardized tests (SAT, AP).