COLLEGE & CAREER COUNSELING

St. Mary's High School CEEB Code: 060295

Philosophy

St. Mary's High School focuses on preparing students and families to be well informed of the ever-changing landscape of the college admissions process. Our focus on college preparedness is grounded in the mission of the school "to educate students in the Catholic tradition to be responsible, moral, critical thinkers and leaders, well-prepared for college and life."

The SMHS counselor’s goal is to know each student at St. Mary’s personally. This is accomplished through a series of one-on-one student conferences, group meetings, and individual parent conferences.

The SMHS counselor encourages students to strive to develop strong applications, create balanced lists and apply to colleges that are a “good match” for their academic talents, abilities, and interests. The SMHS counselor has a wealth of information and resources at his fingertips to help in the college admissions, scholarship applications, and financial aid processes. He can provide a direct link to college admission offices, including military academies.

College planning and awareness begins as soon as your student enters the doors at St. Mary's. Our counselor will meet individually with all students throughout the school year. Parents are welcome to make an appointment to discuss personal situations with the student's counselor.

The SMHS counselor guides students and parents through the selection of courses each year with an emphasis on planning towards college and career goals. All incoming students and their parents set up an individual account on Naviance, an online college research tool that helps create a balanced list of colleges of interest to the student and family.

The counselor coordinates the PSAT, SAT and AP testing for all grades.

ACCOMMODATION PLAN

Medical personnel and educators may make recommendations based on their evaluation. However, since St. Mary’s High School does not have the resources to support students with IEP plans and some 504 plans, we are only able to provide five (5) accommodations (see below). These accommodations are similar to those offered by colleges, universities, ACT, and College Board (SAT).

If the accommodation plan addresses Social Emotional Learning (SEL), then the student's needs will be addressed through the Counseling Department (not the Study Skills class).

Students who request accommodations or enter St. Mary’s with an Accommodation Plan from a previous school must provide one of the following:

A letter from a medical doctor explaining the diagnosis with a **DSM-V code and recommendations for academic accommodations. The doctor’s letter must be dated within the last TWO years.
A written report of a completed psycho-educational evaluation for cognitive and academic functioning through a licensed provider and have a completed report diagnosis with a **DSM-V code and recommendations for academic accommodations. Testing must be within the last TWO years.

If one of the above criteria is met, then St. Mary's may offer the accommodations listed below:

Access to an alternative quiet testing room.
Extended time on tests only (1.5 X Normal).
Access to a computer with text to speech software (student provided).
A copy of class notes provided by a teacher or peer as needed.
Preferential seating.

**Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition

ALUMNI

Request a Transcript

QUICK LINKS

Senior Year College Planning

Common App

College Admissions Tool

College Essay Guy

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

NCAA Eligibility Center

NAIA Eligibility Center

SMHS LOGINS

Naviance- comprehensive tool that helps current students towards their post-graduation plans in multiple ways: 1) look for careers, colleges, and scholarships; 2) keep track of your college applications; and 3) request transcripts and letters of recommendation as you apply to colleges.
https://id.naviance.com/

Common App- to apply to colleges.
https://www.commonapp.org/

Infinite Campus (IC)- student information system for current students.
https://cocloud1.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/stmaryhs.jsp

Going Merry- search for scholarships and update FAFSA
https://www.goingmerry.com/