HHS Counseling Website

Counseling and Mental Health Resources
Location: 400 Montgomery Avenue, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 484-266-3408/07

School Counselors:

Ashley Sullivan, M.Ed.; A- Cri; asullivan1@wcasd.net

Heather Bratton, M.S.; Cro-Gr; hbratton@wcasd.net
Morgan Gamble, M.Ed.; Gu-Lee; mgamble@wcasd.net
Colleen Allen; M.Ed.; Lef-Pa; callen@wcasd.net
Kathy Teague, M.Ed.;Pe-Sma; kteague@wcasd.net
Becky Singer, M.Ed.; Smc-Z; rsinger@wcasd.net

Career Education Counselor:

Dave Robertson, M.Ed.; drobertson@wcasd.net

Intervention Counselor
Candy Jakubowski, M.A; cjakubowski@wcasd.net

School Psychologist
John C. Thomas, M.S., jcthomas@wcasd.net

School Caseworker
Janelle Hoole, LCSW jhoole@wcasd.net

Counseling Admin Assistants
Sharon Macnamara, smacnamara@wcasd.net - 484-266-3408

Karen Pyle, kpyle@wcasd.net - 484-266-3407

Throughout the school year, students are encouraged to visit the counseling office or make an appointment with their counselor or crisis interventionist when they need to talk to someone during the school day. The counseling team is available to support student social and emotional health each day.

A local agency, A Haven, is partnering with our school to offer a grief group for any student who may have lost someone close to them. This free group would run during the school day and offer support from a trained facilitator. If you think your student may benefit and be interested in this opportunity please contact their School Counselor directly.

Course selection will begin in January/February! Students will have course selection meetings to learn about the process. Course selection is a very important part of the post-secondary planning process. Students should begin thinking about their academic levels, electives and talk to their school counselor if they have any questions!

Career Month will be coming in March! Please stay tuned for more information!

Remember to visit the HHS counseling website, Schoology courses, and review emails on a regular basis for updated information regarding the counseling program and supports.

The second marking period is halfway finished, it is time to assess how well your student has met expectations for academic achievement thus far. There are a variety of academic assistance programs available to your student. The first line of support for your student is their teacher. Parents and students are encouraged to reach out directly to teachers for academic support. Counselors are also available to help support students academic success. There are a variety of academic assistance programs available to your student.

After School HELP (Henderson Enhanced Learning Period)

The Henderson Library is open after school Mondays through Thursdays from 2:30-3:30. Staff and National Honors Society tutors (seniors) will be available to provide students with a supportive place to complete homework and get assistance with assignments. No appointment or pass is necessary, just drop-in any time during the time frame outlined above.

National Honor Society Tutoring

The National Honor Society (NHS) provides peer tutoring services at no charge to HHS students experiencing difficulty in any subject area, or simply for help preparing for a test or quiz. Students can sign up by scanning the NHS QR code posted around the building or by contacting Mrs. Peracchia or Mrs. Purnell-Bratcher, NHS Co-Advisors. Tutors and students seeking tutoring will be paired according to the subject area and their mutual free time (study halls and/or lunch).

Teacher Assistance

Teachers are available after school (from 2:15—2:50) for help with classroom assignments and test preparation. Students or guardians can arrange this by either speaking with or e-mailing the teacher directly.

Warrior Block

Warrior block runs from 10:39am-11:09am every day. This is a great time for students to get extra support from their teachers! Students can see activities that are available for them on Flex Time Manager. Please encourage your student to sign up and access their teachers during this time.

Math Support

Period 3: Mr. Wiegner, room 258

Period 4: Mrs. McCormick, room 260

Period 6: Mrs. Bainbridge, room 256

Period 7: Mrs. Schiele room, 266

Monitoring Progress

Monitoring your student’s progress by using the Parent Portal on-line on a regular basis is a good way of reminding them that you play an important role in their education. It is appropriate at the high school level to step in and assist your student if they are experiencing academic difficulty and are unable to or are an ineffective self-advocate. Counselors are available to meet with students to review organization, time management, study skills and anything else that may be hindering their progress. Encourage your student to seek help from their teacher(s), counselor, and grade level administrator, and then follow up by emailing your student’s educators.

If you do not have a Parent Portal account or would like to add a child to an existing account and have not received your Access ID and password, you may contact the Counseling office and obtain it from Ms. Sharon Macnamara or from Ms. Karen Pyle. If you have an account but don’t remember your username and/or password, please click on the ‘Forgot username or password’ link on the Parent Portal site (https://ps.wcasd.net/public/) and enter the email address that was used to create your account. If you do not have access to that email or need assistance please send an email to parentportal@wcasd.net.

At this point in the year, seniors have participated in their individual senior meeting with their counselor. If your student has additional questions or has changed their plans in any way, please encourage them to see their counselor!

Reminders and timelines for seniors:

• Continue to research post-secondary options.
• Stay engaged with career education opportunities.
• Research scholarships.
• Scholarship Bulletins are posted in Naviance, Schoology, and emailed.

• Be aware of college deadlines for financial aid forms.

• Continue to work to improve academic achievement. Many colleges request first and second marking period senior year grades, as well as require a specific minimum GPA to award and keep acceptances and scholarship offers.

• Check email and college portals often for updates from colleges.

• Request mid year grades to be sent, if necessary, after the 2nd marking period has ended (more information to come).
• Confirm that seniors have met their keystone graduation requirements. Seniors should talk to their school counselor if they have any questions.

• In May, complete their Senior Survey. This is the final requirement before graduation. This survey is also the request for final transcripts for college.

Seniors should consider taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) assessment on January 16th during the school day. Students should contact Mr. Robertson (drobertson@wcasd.net) if interested. In addition to this assessment providing a pathway for keystone requirements, this assessment can help students:

• Identify skills and abilities relevant to career exploration
• Explore potential career paths aligned with their interests
• Develop a plan to achieve their career and educational goals

Completion of the assessment does not obligate your student to military service, as the ASVAB is designed for exploration of both military and civilian occupations. West Chester Area School District has chosen NOT to release scores to the military. Should your student wish to explore military options further, they will need to contact the military branch of their choice for additional information.

School Counselors recently met with juniors during their English classes to provide an overview of post-secondary options and general suggestions/information pertaining to junior year. Counselors are currently meeting with juniors for their individual junior conference. The junior conference covers the following topics:

• Review of current status of graduation requirements (earned credits, planned schedule for next year, Career and College Portfolio progress, etc.)
• Discussion of plans for after high school, including career goals, college plans (if applicable), etc.
• If planning to apply to college, a detailed review of the college application process and steps you should complete as a junior
• This conference also counts as one of your required Career Activity Reflections (CARs) for your Career and College Portfolio

PSAT results are available for 11th grade students to view. Students can access this information through collegeboard.org. Warrior block sessions were offered to juniors to review PSAT scores and provide help in logging into students' collegeboard accounts the week of November 27th. Students should contact their counselor if they have any questions about their PSAT results or standardized testing. The PSAT results can used to help guide students on their plan for the SAT or ACT.

Juniors interested in Allied Health for their senior year should apply by January 31st for the best chance of admission to their first choice program.

Warrior block sessions for juniors will be held throughout the spring. Sessions may include items such as: resume building, letters of recommendation, personal statement development and more. Stay tuned for more information!

Juniors should consider taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) assessment on January 16th during the school day. Students should contact Mr. Robertson (drobertson@wcasd.net) if interested. In addition to this assessment providing a pathway for keystone requirements, this assessment can help students:

• Identify skills and abilities relevant to career exploration
• Explore potential career paths aligned with their interests
• Develop a plan to achieve their career and educational goal

Completion of the assessment does not obligate your student to military service, as the ASVAB is designed for exploration of both military and civilian occupations. West Chester Area School District has chosen NOT to release scores to the military. Should your student wish to explore military options further, they will need to contact the military branch of their choice for additional information.

Sophomore students should be focused on earning the grades they want, learning to apply strong study skills and habits and beginning to research their career pathways. Counselors will be meeting with 10th grade students in their English classes in the spring to review career pathways and planning.

Students interested in TCHS for their 11th grade year, should considering applying by January 31st for the best chance of admission in their first choice program. Students should see Mr. Robertson if they are interested in doing a shadow day.

PSAT results are available for 10th grade students to view. Students can access this information through collegeboard.org. Warrior block sessions were offered to juniors to review PSAT scores and provide help in logging into students' collegeboard accounts the week of November 27th. Students should contact their counselor if they have any questions about their PSAT results or standardized testing. The PSAT results can used to help guide students on their plan for the SAT or ACT. Typically, students will not take the SAT/ACT until their junior year.

Sophomores should consider taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) assessment on January 16th during the school day. Students should contact Mr. Robertson (drobertson@wcasd.net) if interested. In addition to this assessment providing a pathway for keystone requirements, this assessment can help students:

• Identify skills and abilities relevant to career exploration
• Explore potential career paths aligned with their interests
• Develop a plan to achieve their career and educational goals

Completion of the assessment does not obligate your student to military service, as the ASVAB is designed for exploration of both military and civilian occupations. West Chester Area School District has chosen NOT to release scores to the military. Should your student wish to explore military options further, they will need to contact the military branch of their choice for additional information.

Individual freshman conferences will continue throughout the spring. The freshman conference is a chance for the students' School Counselor to get to know them while creating a graduation and career plan.

Freshman students should be focused on analyzing their academic progress and goals. Students are encouraged to seek help from their teachers or counselor if their goals are not matching their academic progress. Freshmen should be thinking about what rigor of classes they want for the following year.

Students interested in TCHS for their 10th grade year, should considering applying by January 31st for the best chance of admission in their first choice program. Students should see Mr. Robertson if they are interested in doing a shadow day.

Students are highly encouraged to get involved with our school community! There are lots of great clubs and sports teams for students to consider.