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August / September Edition |
COUNSELING NEWSLETTER
Program
Verification
The school year starts
early for counselors. Beginning on the 14th
of August, counselors were in their offices
working hard to make sure each student’s
schedule of classes is accurate based upon
their post-graduate goals, progress toward
those goals and grade level requirements.
Each counselor has the goal of completing
this task prior to program verification days
which typically occurs the 3rd
week of August.
Program verification is
an opportunity for students and parents to
review their class schedule and to make
adjustments based upon a change in
post-graduate direction or interest prior to
the beginning of school year. This saves
time and confusion on the first day of
school and allows the counseling staff to
make the necessary adjustments in a timely
manner.
The success of this
year’s program verification week can be seen
in the numbers of students who actively
participated in the process.
Orientations
Each year the
counseling staff partners with the assistant
principals and Associated Student Body
office in creating grade level
orientations. Traditionally conducted
during the 2nd or 3rd
week of school, each orientation allows
students to connect with the expectations,
activities, and academic considerations for
the year. Through an interactive
presentation, students are encouraged to
improve their level of performance in all
areas of their lives by creating a vision
for the future. During the orientation, it
is strongly suggested that each student
develop personal and academic goals to help
them make better decisions throughout their
high school experience.
Steven Covey’s book,
the Seven Habits of Highly Effective
Teens is used as a foundation for the
concepts expressed in the orientations.
New 9th
Grade Counselors
The Millikan High
School Counseling staff welcomes
Kathryn Clark as one of their new 9th
grade counselors. Many of you will
recognize the name from Millikan’s Science
Department. Mrs. Clark graduated with a
degree in School Health Education from CSULB
in '74. The following year she did her
student teaching here at Millikan. She has
a Life Standard Secondary Credential that
authorizes her to teach Health, Physical
Education, and Biology. Her previous
assignments have taken her to Franklin,
Stephens, and Washington Middle Schools, 15
years at Poly High School, and 2 years with
the Pregnant Minor Program at Reid HS. She
returned to Millikan four years ago to teach
SS&C 3-4 with the Global Tech Academy and
the AVID elective. She earned a Master's
Degree in School Counseling and Psychology
and a Pupil Personnel Credential from the
University of LaVerne. She is very excited
about working with the class of 2010 in her
new role as guidance counselor for the M-Z
freshmen. Welcome, Mrs. Clark!!!
Jessica Mullen,
the other new 9th grade
counselor, comes to us by way of Tincher
Preparatory where she taught for eight
years. While at Tincher she had a variety
of assignments, but the most recent was
teaching 8th grade English and
drama. She earned her Master’s Degree in
School Counseling and her Pupil Personnel
Services Credential from the University of
LaVerne in 2002. She loves teaching, but is
thrilled to finally get a counseling
position where she can use her counseling
training. Eventually, Jessica will take on
the responsibility of guidance counselor for
the A-L freshman, but for the first couple
of months she will be writing a proposal
that will hopefully bring an exciting new
program to Millikan. Welcome, Mrs.
Mullen!!!