Guidance's Vision and Mission
Guidance's Vision and Mission
| MISSION | VISION STATEMENT | CORE VALUES | ORGANIZATION |
To anticipate and nurture the
developmental personal, social, career and educational needs of
students.
The Stafford High School guidance department is committed to working with students as they strive to attain the SHS mission of becoming Productive, Responsible, Independent learners Dedicated to Excellence - PRIDE. We are dedicated to developing productive and responsible world citizens within a safe, healthy environment. We believe that learning is a lifelong endeavor, and that every individual is capable of learning and deserving of respect. We support academic excellence in relationship to individual potential, and work diligently to meet the needs of the whole child.
Individuals and the larger community share responsibility for educating learners to live and work in a complex and ever-changing global society. To this end, we continuously reflect upon and evaluate our department with an openness to change and the desire to improve. Reflection and evaluation are ongoing processes. We expect and anticipate change.
We are committed to fostering independence and meeting the needs of the whole child. Promotion of physical and emotional wellness is an ongoing endeavor. School personnel link students to other social service providers, if needed. Students are provided with academic and vocational guidance. They participate in individual planning, and response services are offered as needs present themselves.
A curriculum with specific learning objectives is delivered to all students through class activities, and a number of school wide programs are offered to broaden student knowledge of a variety of topics. Topics presented reflect both student interest and demonstrated need.
We believe we meet the needs of students best when parents, teachers and students work together. Our responsibility to prepare learners to live and work in a changing society is met in individual, small group and large group settings. The guidance curriculum is integrated and articulated throughout grades 9-12 and is developmentally appropriate.
Dreams are fulfilled
and
high expectations are realized as learners strive to attain their
goals. Learners embrace the opportunity to assume responsibility
for their own learning, love learning for its own sake, and fulfill
their individual potential, The positive environment fostered by
counselors results in an over-all
sense of optimism and the striving for the achievement of individual
potential.
The SHS guidance department delivers a developmental guidance curriculum to students. This pro-active approach provides all students with basic knowledge is specific areas and assures that all students receive information that is developmentally appropriate on topics of importance.
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Guidance curriculum -
specific
learning objectives delivered to all students through classroom
activities.
These activities assist students
as they are learning to live, learning
to learn, and learning to earn.
Individual Planning - opportunities for all students to work individually with counselors to develop and monitor a plan for their personal, social, educational and vocational development.
Response services - guidance responds to the immediate needs of individual students; these services may be delivered in individual or group counseling sessions, and include consultation, information dissemination, crisis intervention and referral.
System support - tasks completed to support the guidance program (e.g. development of the Program of Studies) or the school as a whole (e.g. adjustment of student schedules).
TIME ALLOTMENT 
Counselors attempt to allocate
their time among the four guidance components as follows:
| Curriculum Development and Delivery | 20% |
| Individual Planning | 30% |
| Response Services | 30% |
| System Support | 20% |
STRATEGIC GOALS
LEARNING - The SHS guidance department recognizes the need to foster the desire for lifelong learning and to support the development of the skills necessary to succeed in a global society.EVALUATION - The SHS guidance department recognizes the need for on-going evaluation of its program in order to improve services to students, parents, staff and the community.
LEADERSHIP - The SHS guidance department recognizes its leadership role in the development of programs and practices which result in the continuous improvement of the educational program.
ENVIRONMENT- The SHS guidance department recognizes the need to maintain a welcoming environment that meets the physical, social, and emotional needs of the school community.
COMMUNITY - The SHS guidance department recognizes the need to actively engage the school, family and community in addressing student needs and in broadening and enriching learning opportunities for students, staff and the larger community.
RESOURCES- The SHS guidance department recognizes its responsibility to request resources and support for its program.
COUNSELOR'S ROLE 
SHS counselors serve a variety of roles within the high school community. Counselors have five distinct role functions:
COORDINATOR - counselors integrate the resources of the school and community and work to establish a variety of services to address the four department components (guidance curriculum, individual planning, response services, and system support).
CONSULTANT - counselors provide expertise to students, staff members, parents, and the community at large.COUNSELOR - counselors assist students to develop problem solving skills, grow in their understanding of themselves and others, and develop those skills necessary to lead happy and productive lives.
TEACHER - counselors deliver a planned, sequential, developmentally appropriate curriculum to all high school students.
MANAGER - counselors engage in support and maintenance of the high school program, and reflect on and evaluate guidance offerings with an eye on improvement.
SYSTEM SUPPORT
System support consists of those management activities which support and enhance both the guidance program and other aspects of the high school. Some activities included under system support are:
