Brewer High School Student Services General Information

Most importantly ... How do I make an appointment??? Tell the guidance secretary or your counselor that you would like an appointment. In situations which are urgent, you should let this be known. Parental Concerns The guidance office encourages parents to contact their child's counselor with their concerns. Counselors are available by appointment throughout the school day to meet with parents. Academic Counseling Students are encouraged and invited to discuss course selections, requirements for graduation, and future plans. Students should be aware of how many credits they have and how they are progressing toward their requirements. Transcripts are mailed home to parents/guardians at the end of grade 9 and the beginning of grade 12. Copies of transcripts are available at other times at a parent/guardian's request. Students and parents should consult with high school counselors regarding any special requirements that various post-secondary schools or college programs may have. Career Counseling Making decisions about what happens to them after graduation is one of the most important decisions students make. The counselor is available to assist in this process. Interest inventories can be used to assess how the students' interests are clustered and perhaps suggest fields of endeavors previously not considered. This allows students to assess their strengths in respect to career decisions and also look at academic areas of concern. All 2nd year students complete a Self-Directed Search (SDS) which suggests occupations and college majors based on the responses to a series of questions. Students are given data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compare career opportunities. The Guidance Library, the Choices program (a computerized information system), and three internet connected computers also assist students in making choices about their future careers. Resume Writing and SAT I preparation materials are available to students. Brewer High School's website (Guidance section) is being worked on to provide links to valuable internet sites for career, college, scholarship searches, and military opportunities. A portfolio containing the results of varied guidance program activities completed by each student is kept on file. Personal Counseling Counselors can be helpful in dealing with problems of a personal nature. This covers many areas of concern such as drugs, grades, teachers, parents, self image, feelings, etc. Talking over such problems with their counselor can give students a better perspective and a chance to look at all alternatives. There are times when the counselor may refer a student to someone who can help more specifically. Other times just talking a problem over helps to work it out.