The goal of the Hampton City Schools' Office of School Counseling is committed to providing caring guidance and counseling from the first year kindergartner with tears in his eyes to the jubilant senior walking across the stage to receive that cherished diploma.

As society becomes more complex, the partnership among school personnel, parents and students becomes more essential. Preparing students for life and work after high school is a goal shared by all. To reach that goal, certain information must be available and specific steps followed. The following are major areas in which guidance and counseling services are provided to assure that students receive the help they need and deserve to prepare for life and work.

Parents contact your student’s school counselor if you have questions or concerns about:

Parents help your student to be successful in school and in life….

About Hampton City Schools AVID program…

The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program of Hampton City Schools is about allowing students access to a quality education that should result in students having access to a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. It is about supporting all existing division-focused strategies and goals. Our program is about teachers, tutors, counselors, principals, parents, and students working collaboratively to effectively educate students with an emphasis on the average student who possesses individual determination and is capable of completing a college preparatory path.

What is the mission of AVID?
The Mission of AVID is to ensure that elected students will

• Complete a rigorous college preparatory program,
• Enter mainstream activities of the school,
• Increase their enrollment in a four-year college or university,
• Become educated and responsible participants and leaders in a democratic society.

Who should enroll in the AVID Program?
Students who

• Are self-motivated and accept responsibility
• Possess the desire and potential to succeed in rigorous courses
• Act as a model student in the classroom
• Are willing to persevere
• Keep parents informed of academic progress
• Expect college enrollment after graduation

Active Participating AVID Schools funded by GEAR-UP Grant:
Phoebus High School

Related Links
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Parents/
http://www.avidcenter.org/
http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html

Preparation for All Students for College & Careers

The States’ Career Clusters Initiative (SCCI) has established Career Clusters as a tool to assist a student’s transition from education to a career.

Career Clusters help students investigate careers and design their courses of study to advance their career goals. For this reason, Virginia has adopted the nationally accepted structure of career clusters, career pathways and sample career specialties or occupations.

A Career Cluster is a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities. Sixteen career clusters provide an organizing tool for schools, small learning communities, academies and magnet schools.

Within each career cluster, there are multiple career pathways that represent a common set of skills and knowledge, both academic and technical, necessary to pursue a full range of career opportunities within that pathway – ranging from entry level to management, including technical and professional career specialties. Based on the skills sets taught, all CTE courses are aligned with one or more career clusters and career pathways.

As school counselors in Hampton City Schools meet with students to discuss future career goals these study plans are personalized to meet the needs of each individual student.

Please visit www.careerclusters.org for a listing of all 16 career clusters and 79 career pathways.

The Early College Scholars Program allows eligible high school students to earn at least 15 hours of transferable college credit while completing the requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma. The result is a more productive high school experience and a substantial reduction in college tuition. Students earning a college degree in seven semesters instead of eight can save an average of $5,000 in expenses.

To qualify for the Early College Scholars program, a student must:
• Have a “B” average or better;
• Be pursuing an Advanced Studies Diploma; and
• Take and complete college-level course work that will earn at least 15 transferable college credits. These credits can be earned by taking Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and dual enrollment courses.

Participating students sign an Early College Scholars Agreement, which is also signed by the student’s parents or guardians, principal and school counselor. Students who meet the terms of the agreement are recognized as Early College Scholars and receive a certificate of recognition from the Governor.

Students who sign this agreement are allowed to take Virtual Virginia courses at no cost.

• The Youth Career Café
  Located in the NetCenter and Patrick Henry Mall, the Youth Career Cafe is  a great place to check out career opportunities and tap into our workforce team of experts.
  www.pcfwd.org/worklink_youth_cafe.asp
• KnowHow Virginia
  Find out more about almost any career you can imagine – and see how other Virginia students got ready for the  workplace.
  www.knowhowvirginia.org
• Careers.org
  Career Resources, Career Guide, Online Education and Degree Directory
  www.careers.org
• College Board Major & Career Profiles
  www.collegeboard.com
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
  Nationally recognized source of career information
  www.bls.gov/oco
• Virginia Employment Commission
  Employer and job seeker services and labor market information
  www.vec.virginia/gov
  
  

College Access Challenge Grant Program
The Commonwealth has a number of community-based groups that help citizens gain access to higher education by assisting students through the often complicated process of planning for, applying to, and paying for college.  This State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has  developed a new online resource to help Virginia's students and parents locate these valuable community partners.  Visit:  www.schev.edu/k12/CACGP/map.asp to see the new  interactive map.

www.ed.gov: Portal for federal financial aid. Contains numerous booklets, pamphlets and publications providing information about a child’s education at all ages including the college-ready child.

www.collegeboard.com: Contains test calendars, information and preparation opportunities for PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP and CLEP; interactive college, major and career searches; reproducible articles; financial aid calculators and aid comparison tools.

www.act.org: This student site contains test calendars, information and preparation opportunities for the ACT. Also has quick links to comprehensive information about the ACT testing experience, a college search and financial aid estimator tools.

www.schoolcounselor.org: Contains reproducible and informative articles for parents about the role of the school counselor, as well as tips and resources about school counselor ethical and legal responsibilities.

www.edtrust.org: Contains easy- to- use searchable databases with reports on student achievement, educational opportunity and graduation rates at any four-year U.S. college or university and examples of high school courses that prepare high school students for college rigor.

www.finaid.com: Contains a student's financial aid checklist as well as comprehensive information about loans, scholarships, savings, military aid, multiple sources of aid, financial aid applications, calculators and other interactive tools.

www.edupass.com: Has specific information for international students, undocumented students and other non-U.S. citizen students; college admission resources, financial aid, visas, culture, scholarships and other forms of aid; links to international student office Web sites, embassies and miscellaneous guides.

www.nacacnet.org: Professional organization material for the counselor including the Statement of Principles of Good Practice, which delineates the ethics of college admission counseling; Steps to College newsletter reproducible for students and parents; listing of national college fairs. Selected materials offered in Spanish.

             Resource: ASCA School Counselor - American School Counselor Association, March/April 2006