OUR SCHOOL’S MISSION STATEMENT

With assistance from our Community and Parents, we strive to inspire educational excellence, every student, every day!

The responsibility for the attainment of this mission lies among several groups of persons who must cooperate to ensure these expectations are met:

BOARD OF EDUCATION - The Board of Education must establish supportive policies, promote programs of the school, and be held accountable for appropriation of funds to attain the stated mission.

ADMINISTRATION - The administration must provide positive leadership and direction for the school, maintain quality staff through recruitment and training, ensure proper curriculum through monitoring and revision, and uphold the concept that learning is the most important mission in the world.

TEACHERS - The teachers must use effective methods of teaching to ensure a positive learning environment, challenge each student to reach his fullest potential, and effectively communicate with parents regarding their child's education.

SUPPORT STAFF - The support staff must work at a level that will provide a safe, healthy, and orderly environment for students and other personnel.

STUDENTS - The students must realize they are accountable for their work and be open to learning at each opportunity. They must learn to apply themselves to reach their fullest potential and make education their highest priority.

PARENTS - The parents must understand that successful education is a joint effort between the home and school that requires effective communication. Parents are the child's first teacher, and they must create an atmosphere in the home that is conducive to learning.

COMMUNITY - The community must expect the highest quality of education possible. They should recognize that the school reflects directly on the community and, therefore, be willing to provide necessary resources to achieve the expected quality of education for an evolving society. The creation and maintenance of the successful school system requires the dedication of everyone involved working together to ensure the quality education of our students. 

COUNSELING MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the school counseling department at Syracuse Junior and Senior High School is to provide all of our students access to a comprehensive counseling program appropriately tiered to their grade level and to equip them with the skills necessary to achieve academic, personal/social, and career excellence. The ultimate goal of the program is for each student to graduate with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to be lifelong learners who are able to make self-directed, realistic and responsible decisions.

COUNSELING VISION STATEMENT

Syracuse Junior and Senior HIgh School counselors believe in the development of each student’s unique interests and abilities to help establish personal college and/or career goals. With hard work, tenacity, and optimism, students will achieve those goals and learn to become contributing members of our society. Providing students with opportunities to participate in discourse and decision-making opportunities will develop social skills needed to face and overcome obstacles. Students will utilize advocacy, collaboration, and their learned communication skills, to become positive, and productive members of society. 

STUDENT STANDARDS

We hope to promote the following in all of our students in Academic, Career, and Socio-emotional settings:

• A Positive Mindset
  •  Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being
  • Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment
  • Positive attitude toward work and learning
  • Self-confidence in ability to succeed
  • Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes
  • Understanding that postsecondary education and life-long learning are necessary for long-term success
• Quality Behavior
  • Appropriate learning strategies
  • Self-managment skills
  • Age-appropriate social skills

COUNSELOR ETHICAL STANDARDS

Every counselor should exemplify the following:

• Responsibility to students
  • Support student development and confidentiality
  • Use data to support their program
  • Collaborate with a student’s support system to create future academic, socio-emotional, and career plans
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to identify when a student is in distress
  • Strive to create a safe, non-discriminatory environment
  • Maintain the upkeep and confidentiality of student records
• Responsibility to parent/guardians/school
  • Advocate for equity for all students

COUNSELOR PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Every Counselor should promote the following:

• Mindsets
  • Every student can learn, and every student can succeed.
  • Every student should have access to and opportunity for a high-quality education.
  • Every student should graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary opportunities.
  • Every student should have access to a school counseling program.
  • Effective school counseling is a collaborative process involving school counselors, students, families, teachers, administrators, other school staff and education stakeholders.
  • School counselors are leaders in the school, district, state and nation.
  • School counseling programs promote and enhance student academic, career and social/emotional outcomes.
• Behaviors
  • Professional Foundation
    • Apply developmental, learning, counseling and education theories
  • Direct and Indirect Student Services
  • Planning and Assessment

     DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS

There are three primary domains that a School Counselor uses to promote the required mindset and behaviors.  Through these, we establish the importance of academic, college/career readiness, and socio-emotional health.

Academic

• We meet with students in small groups and one-on-one to provide tips and strategies to help each student achieve their maximum capabilities

Career

• We explain the connections between school and work to ease the transition into post secondary education or work force
• We help in a smooth transition to their chosen field as graduation approaches

Social/Emotional

• We teach students skills to help manage their emotions
• We teach student appropriate social skills for nagivating difficult situations
• We teach student life skills and expectations that they will be held to after leaving Syracuse Jr/Sr High School

NOTE: IN REGARDS TO CONFIDENTIALITY

“The counseling relationship between students and their school counselor requires an atmosphere of trust and confidence. Students must trust the school counselor to be able to enter into a meaningful and honest dialogue with the school counselor... However, students should be informed that exceptions to confidentiality exist in which school counselors must inform others of information they obtained in the counseling relationship to prevent serious and foreseeable harm to students themselves or others and if it is legally required.” (ASCA, 2021)

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Confidentiality