What your school’s counselor can do for you:

General:   Many people have misconceptions about counselors.  Counselors are not just for students who are in trouble or having troubles. Your school counselor does, however, help students solve problems, set goals, create personal plans for achieving those goals and act as an educational resource and support person. Using your school counselor does not make you a needy person, rather a proactive person. Most problems can be avoided by good planning and most personal goals can be achieved if they are made real by sharing them with others.

Resources: Students will find at their disposal in the counseling office books and packages pertaining to career and post secondary education. There are study materials for SAT I and II, PSAT, TOEFL, and university admission letter writing.  The counseling office provides study skill resources for teachers, students and parents that teach topics such as listening skills, note taking skills, test preparatory skills and organizational skills. Resources are available that can also assist with research on personal topics or concerns. 

Post Secondary Planning:   By the end of grade 9 students should be exploring career possibilities so that they can use their high school years to prepare and make goal oriented decisions with regard to course selections, extra curricular activities, CAS and final essay. In grade 10, students will take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test and will have a chance to win a scholarship from this exam. In grade 11 students may want to take this test a second time as preparation for the Scholastic Aptitude Test that is required for admission into American universities. The SAT can be taken in grade 11 and 12 and may be attempted more than once. IISA also offers the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam in May that is required for university admission in the United States for non-native English speakers. Any IISA student that is planning to attend a U.S. university should take this exam in 11 th grade. Finally, in grade 12, an organized student should have a short list of Colleges picked out and be gathering references, financial information and submitting applications by the winter break. The SAT as well as subject tests may be written again in the first two months of the year to improve scores. The results can be forwarded directly to chosen institutions. This is a daunting task if students are not organized and do not plan ahead. Do not leave all exams and decisions for your final year if you want to be successful in attaining your educational goals.

Closing:  You may notice that the counselor is involved in most aspects of student life and activity outside the classroom. Using your counselor will help you to realize long term and personal goals.  I look forward to working with every student from Pre-School to grade 12 and I welcome visits from parents. I hope they will become involved in their child's education as much as possible. 

Sincerely, Ms. Teresa Gaeta.