Guidance Department

The mission of the Saddle Brook Guidance Department is to provide assistance, support, and guidance throughout their educational career in the Saddle Brook Schools. Our counselors work with students on their caseload and act as the liaison to parents, teachers, and the Saddle Brook community in order to strengthen our students while preparing them for life outside the hallways of Saddle Brook. We help guide their academic development and aid in reaching their career and college goals. We are committed to providing the best school counseling services we can for the students in Saddle Brook. We strive to help develop the whole child while fostering life-long learners. 

Our plans for the future 

With the recent move to foster and implement 21st-century learners, our school counselors strive to assimilate to an ever-changing society. The mission of our school counseling program is to support all students through character education programs, career and college education and exposure to a variety of experiences to best prepare them for the future. We address a student’s academic, social, career, and personal skills to achieve learning and post-high school success as directed by the Saddle Brook School District and the New Jersey Department of Education. 

The Saddle Brook Schools counseling and guidance department continues to grow with their students, researching and implementing new and available school programs, intervention strategies, and resources to best serve their school community. The district and department are committed to improving continuously to help their students prepare for everything the 21st century offers. 

Services 

Saddle Brook High School offers a host of services and programs to ensure the success of our students. 

▪ College & career counseling 

▪ Schedule assistance and planning

▪ Character education programs 

▪ Grade-level information workshops for students and parents 

▪ Scholarship applications 

▪ Information about financial aid 

▪ Assistance with transitions 

▪ Referrals to I&RS Committee, Section 504 Committee, and CST 

▪ Standardized testing administration 

▪ Conflict resolution 

Please visit the Guidance Department web page for the latest information about upcoming events. 

Senior College/Career Applications 

During a student’s Junior year, individual parent meetings are scheduled to review the college/career application process. All seniors are encouraged to start the college selection process in their junior year, and upon returning in September of their senior year students may apply to as many colleges and universities as they please. 

The college application process has many factors such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, school-specific applications, and the reporting of standardized tests such as SATs. Seniors are strongly encouraged to register for the SAT/ACT their junior year, as well as speak to their teachers regarding letters of recommendation prior to leaving for the summer. All transcript requests forms are available in the Guidance & Counseling office. Each college/university has its own application process and students must comply with those requirements in order to apply. 

Referrals

Guidance Counselors may utilize referrals for students in need to the following committees and service teams: 

Intervention and Referral Services Team (I&RS) 

This is a committee composed of teachers, counselors, administrators, and child study team members who meet on a regular basis to address academic, social, or behavioral issues that students may be demonstrating. 

Section 504 Committee 

Students with disabilities and handicaps are often referred to in Section 504. Section 504 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination based upon disability. Section 504 is an anti-discrimination, civil rights statute that requires the needs of students with disabilities to be met as adequately as the needs of the non-disabled are met.

Child Study Team (CST)

The CST consists of the school Psychologist, Social Worker, and Learning Disability Teacher Consultant.