Academic Counseling

Counselors monitor the academic progress of students and provide guidance for excellence including enrichment opportunities, graduation requirements, and annually scheduling course choices.

Students meet with their counselor several times each year to provide support and guidance for their academic progress. This includes meeting with each student at the beginning of the school year to determine academic goals for the upcoming year, meeting with teachers, parents, and /or student if additional support is necessary, and integrating student academic progress with their college and career goals. 

A typical school schedule would include:

Flexibility in choosing coursework is essential to academic excellence and development of individual interests. Students are placed in courses through a combination of student interest, ability, college requirements, and parental input. New courses are constantly developed to meet the changing interests and needs of the student body. Please refer to our course catalog for a full description of the courses. 

College Counseling

The Counseling Department provides opportunities throughout the school year for students and families to become familiar with the college search and application process, financial aid, and visits on campus from various colleges. Each year, students are accepted to various college and universities around the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2006, the graduating class was awarded over 1.9 million dollars in academic, artistic, and athletic college scholarships.

College information is discussed each year in classroom and individual meetings with students and their counselor. Parents often meet with their son's or daughter’s counselor in the sophomore and/or junior year regarding college planning. All students are taking coursework that is college preparatory, and fulfills or exceeds the subject requirements for the University of California and California State Universities. Please refer to the University of California Approved Course List for a complete listing of SJND A-G approved courses. 

Career Counseling

Careers in a rapidly changing society means that counseling regarding careers is an exploration during high school years. The Counseling Department assists with this exploration by providing all freshman students with the EXPLORE test in October and interpretation at the beginning of the spring semester in January. Course selection includes consideration of these test results, and provides students with a frame of reference regarding different career paths. In the junior year, students attend the Career Day Fair with alumni speakers from a wide variety of careers. This helps students when choosing a college majorand the type of college that may best suit their interests. Teachers often incorporate career information into their classrooms by inviting speakers to their class who are in fields related to the course. 

Personal Counseling

Adolescence is a time of growing independence, maturity, and exploration of self. Counselors are fully trained in discussing and advising teens on all matters related to their successful development and maturation. They provide a confidential relationship built on trust and knowledge of the individual student. Alongside this relationship, family also plays an important role in the health of all students. Counselors often work closely with parents and promote a healthy relationship built on trust and open communication. Counselors also work closely with outside agencies and therapists, when necessary.