Welcome to the Long Reach High School Counseling Office and Student Services

We are a diverse group of professionals excited to offer support and resources to the student population at Long Reach High School. Please contact any one of us if you require specific assistance or have any suggestions on meeting the needs of students, parents and staff members.

Parents and Students:

Stay Connected with eSchoolnewsletter. Sign up at www.eschoolnewsletter.com to receive school news via email at home and/or work.

Volunteer Opportunities for Teens

CLASS OF 2009!!!!

Graduation Requirements: Seniors can expect to meet with their counselor sometime in September and receive a copy of their unofficial transcript and the Graduation Requirement Checklist.  Please review your summary of credits and the remaining requirements you must meet to graduate. Be sure your senior schedule of courses includes all of these requirements.  Please be sure that you have taken and passed all necessary H S A’s, these tests are required by the state of Maryland for those earning a high school diploma.

Senior Conferences: Between September and November, counselors will meet with seniors individually to discuss the progress of their future plans. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend the conferences with their student(s).

Transcripts: Please turn in your transcript requests to the Registrar's office in a timely manner… transcripts require 10 working days to complete. The fee for a transcript is $4.00 each. You must submit a completed Counselor Recommendation Packet at the time you turn in your request along with a resume and any counselor or secondary school reports required by your college.

Scholarship Information:  Please be aware that the Counseling Office publishes a monthly “Scholarship Alert Bulletin” which advises students of the scholarship opportunities that have been mailed to us from community businesses, organizations, sororities/fraternities, etc.  Please stop by the Counseling Office to pick up your copy and be mindful of deadlines.  In addition, many scholarship opportunities may be found on-line through resources such as Fastweb.com, Scholarships.com, CollegeBoard.org, Mentor.org and many others.  You may also visit your local library (or our Counseling Office resource cart) to view books which cover the financial aspect of going to college such as College Gold (Fastweb) or College Cost & Financial Aid Handbook (College Board).

College Representative Visits:  Representatives from local colleges have already booked days and times to meet with our seniors.  Check out the college visit list posted in your English class, notice will be periodically sent out on eschoolnewsletter, and the PTSA newsletter.  Make sure you sign up in advance in the binder with Ms. Lake in the Counseling Office.

HCPSS Catalog of Approved High School Courses 2008-09

The Catalog of Approved High School Courses list courses offered in all Howard County High Schools.  To obtain a hard copy of the catalog please go to the counseling center.  Click on the link for the pdf version. 
http://www.hcpss.org/academics/hscatalog200809.pdf

Graduation Requirements
The following details the Maryland State Graduation Requirements for the class of 2009

High School Assessment tests.  These tests are in Algebra, Government, Biology and English 10 classes. 

75 hours of Community Service.  If you enter Long Reach at any point during high school from out of state or private school the number of hours is pro-rated but must still be completed.  See your counselor if you have questions about how many hours you need to fulfill.   In order to prove that you have completed this requirement, you must fill out the Student Service Validation Form and get it signed by the person who supervised your service hours. 

World of Work Requirements.  The World of Work requirement includes a 4 year plan, interview, and resume all of which are completed with counselors and through your English class.  The 4 year plan is filled out and revised each year during registration time.   The resume is completed with your English 11 class and brought to the interviews (set up by the Counseling Office Staff) in the spring of your junior year.

Counseling Office Phone System

There is ONLY ONE LINE for the 410.313.7412 number to the Counseling Office. If anyone is using that line, it will normally have a busy signal, and we might miss your call. We have a voicemail system for the counselors, the secretary, and the registrars so that you can leave a message. We make every effort to return messages within a 24-hour period. If you have an emergency, you can call the main office at 410.313.7117 to leave a message. We also encourage the use of e-mail for direct contact. Each of us can be reached by using our
first name_last name@hcpss.org ( e.g., susan_bradley@hcpss.org).

Mission Statement

• The mission of the Long Reach High School Guidance program is to support each student in reaching his/her full potential.
  
• The program is organized into three broad domains with goals delineated within each area.

  Educational Goals
  Students will become:

• Responsible, life-long learners.
• Competent planners and decision-makers.
• Enrolled in courses that challenge their academic abilities.
• Successful in studying and test-taking

  Career/Occupational Goals
  Students will be:

• Aware of their personal characteristics and interests.
• Knowledgeable about their potential contributions to the World of Work
• Capable of demonstrating appropriate work habits and attitudes.

  Personal/Social Goals:
  Students will be able to:

• Communicate effectively with others.
• Manage interpersonal conflicts to ensure a safe school environment.
• Appreciate differences among people.