The role of a School Counselor varies in every district. At CNS High School, the school counselors are here to assist all students, parents, administrators, and other staff members. We work with students on identifying personal and academic goals, meeting graduation requirements, college and career planning/decisions, personal matters, and scheduling concerns. We counsel students on academic, career, and social/emotional concerns. The school counselor is an advocate for all students; here to offer support. Sometimes, if concerns require long term therapy, we may refer students and their families to therapists outside of the school system. Students are welcome to come to our offices before school, during lunch, or after school to make an appointment to see us. Students who are upset or who may have an emergency situations are seen immediately. Our mental health team also includes a Student Assistance Counselor who is available to see students regarding substance abuse and other mental health issues AND three full time social workers who assist our students with the many day to day challenges they face. The first point of contact for a student is their school counselor. From there, a student can be referred to a school social worker or the Student Assistance Counselor.
The role of the school counselor is to assist students with ANY issue or concern that they might have. We are here to listen and help students find solutions. As educators, we can teach children social skills, friendship skills, and how to solve social dilemmas.
At the high school level we work with students on:
-setting personal and academic goals
-creating and changing their schedules
-monitoring academic progress
-meeting graduation requirements
-college and career planning/decisions
-the college application process
How do I see my school counselor?
You can by their office, make an appointment with the secretary in the counseling office for a convenient time, or ask your teacher for a pass. You can even email your counselor and ask to set up an appointment.
What do you do in your counselor’s office?
Talk. Plan. Refocus. Some examples of what kids talk about are concerns such as: the transition to the high school, peer relationships, organizational skills, test-taking strategies, career and job interests, scheduling, family relationships, report and/or progress report grades or comments, stress management, anger management, anxiety...just to name a few.
Do school counselors provide therapy?
No. School counselors provide short term counseling. We provide support and encouragement for a wide range of concerns.
Do school counselors consult with parents?
Absolutely! We encourage parents to talk with us about their child so we can work together to help each student reach their potential.
What is the role of the school counselor in relation to parents and teachers?
The counselor’s job is to facilitate information and communication. The classroom teacher is always your primary resource regarding schoolwork. The counselor participates in parent-teacher conferences, suggests strategies or interventions, serves as a resource, and can provide referrals to other community agencies.
When can I make changes to my schedule?
Students may request schedule changes up until June 1st of the prior school year. Any request made after that date will only be considered if extenuating circumstances apply and with administrator approval. No courses will be dropped until the completion of a 4 day cycle at the beginning of the semester. After the 4 day cycle, courses may be dropped until the 5th week. After five weeks, students will NOT be permitted to drop a course. If a course is dropped within the first five weeks, no grade is computed into the student’s average. Required courses for graduation may not be dropped at any time. In addition, ALL STUDENTS must have at least 6 courses plus PE in their schedule at all times. If dropping a course would bring them below that number, they may not drop that class.
Can I change my teacher?
Teacher Changes: Absolutely NO teacher changes will be made unless a student had a course with a teacher before or the student’s sibling was previously in the teacher’s class and there were documented problems. If this is the case, these requests must be brought to the counselor’s attention within the first FIVE days of the school year. No changes will be made after that date.
Will college credits be accepted at my college or university?
When taking college courses in high school (this includes AP, SUPA, RIT, and SUNY credits) there is NO guarantee that those credits will transfer to your chosen college or university. Any SUNY credits are 100% accepted at any SUNY school. However-AP, SUPA, RIT, and SUNY credits are NOT always accepted at private colleges and universities. If you are applying to a private college or university, check with them to see if they will accept your college credits. Even if the credits will not be accepted by the college/university of your choice, there are many benefits to taking college courses in high school:
1) the rigor in your schedule will help you during the college admissions process
2) the level of challenging work and the work ethic you develop will help prepare you for knowing what to expect when you get to college
3) you are able to challenge yourself and take courses in your interest area by taking these college courses
How can I set up a parent teacher conference?
Communication between parents and teachers is very important. Parents are encouraged to speak to teachers on the phone before requesting a parent conference. Often times, a phone call will be all the communication that is necessary to get the required information. However, if a conference with all the teachers is deemed necessary by the counselor or the parent, it will be scheduled for 2:10 on a day the counselor and the parent are both available. Parents wanting to meet individually with only one teacher may certainly do so without needing to have a counselor present. These individual meetings may be scheduled directly with the teacher.
How can I monitor my child's academic progress?
Progress reports are genearated at the 5, 15, 25, and 35 week point for every student. Report cards are generated at the 10, 20, 30, and 40 week marking period for every student. Many times, parents want to know how their students are doing in between progress reports. For parents who need additional information, they may either contact their child’s teacher directly, check the SchoolTool Parent Portal, or they may reach out to their child's school counselor.
Grades can also be monitored on the SchoolTool Parent and Student portals if a teacher is currently using this feature. If you need assistance with getting connected to the Parent Portal, please send an email to schooltool@nscsd.org. For more information on how the Parent Portal works, go to the district website at nscsd.org, hover over District in the blue banner and the top. Under District Info, click on Communications. In the left hand column, click on School Tool. There is tons of information about School Tool on that page.
Do I need to submit a homework request if my child is out sick?
Most school work is posted on google classroom sites now. If your child is ill, and will be out of school for three days or more, homework may be requested by your student emailing their teacher and asking that assignments are posted to the google classroom site. Students out for one or two days only miss one of each class and should see their teachers upon their return to get the work that they missed. Please keep in mind that teachers have 24 hours after the homework request is submitted to post work. No homework requests will be made for family vacations or other unexcused absences. If you know in advance that your family is taking a trip and your student will miss school, it is up to the student to request the work from his or her teachers in advance of your trip. Family vacations are considered unexcused absences. If your child is going to be out for an extended period of time for a medical reason, please contact their school counselor so long term arrangements can be made.
Other members of our mental health team are the school social workers and our Student Assistance Counselor. The school social workers work closely with the school counselors to support our students mental health and academic needs. They develop trusting relationships with students and provide individual and/or group counseling services to enhance well-being, self-esteem, and the ability to succeed. The school social workers are available to speak with students during times of crisis as well as routinely. School social workers also provide referral information and emotional support for families facing any type of challenge or difficulty.
The School Social Workers in our building are:
House 1: Michaela Mills Phone Number: (315) 218-4191
House 2: Lyra Couillard Phone Number: (315) 218-4125
House 3: Heather Robillard Phone Number: (315) 218-4190
Student Assistance Counselor: Mallory Humphrey Phone Number: (315) 218-4142