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GRADE 9

Intro to Bainbridge High School

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Agenda for Today

Introductions
Role of the High School Counselor/Confidentiality
Tips on How to be a Successful HS Student
How to find information @ BHS
Grades, graduation requirements, and transcripts

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The Role of a School Counselor

Academic, Post-High School Planning & Personal/Social

Talk about the role of the counselor

- Not a trained trained therapist, not an administrator, do not supervise teachers.

- No teacher change requests, we will help you work with that teacher instead

Academic Support

Course planning
Schedule issues
Support services (tutoring)

Post High School Planning

Help you plan and reach your post high school goal

College (2 year or 4 year), Trade school, Work or Military

Social & Emotional Support

Problem solving/short term counseling
Referrals to therapists when necessary
Confidential: unless in case of harm to self or others

Academic Support

Course planning
Schedule issues
Support services (tutoring)

Post High School Planning

Help you plan and reach your post high school goal

College (2 year or 4 year), Trade school, Work or Military

Social & Emotional Support

Problem solving/short term counseling
Referrals to therapists when necessary
Confidential: unless in case of harm to self or others

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Counselor Confidentiality

What you say in here…Stays in here

Unless:

Someone is hurting you
You want to hurt someone
You want to hurt yourself
You give permission to share with other trusting adults

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Tips on how to be a

Successful HS Student

Ask questions when you need help
Go to class/show up on time!
When absent, email all of your teachers and let them know (ask for missing work)
Manage your time
Get involved w/ clubs or sports
Build relationships with teachers and school counselor
Create an organization system (planner, Google calendar)
CHECK YOUR FROGROCK EMAIL REGULARLY!

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Why is it so hard to ask for help ?

Fear of being rejected, “found out,” or weak
We get pleasure from helping other people, but we find it difficult to ask for help for ourselves.
We view asking for help as being a burden on others.
We see vulnerability as a weakness, and it stops us from admitting that we need support.
We can be quick to assume that others can’t or won’t help us.

This is all normal!

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Ugh, I’m not doing well in my class…

STEP 1:Talk to your teacher about your concern and ask for help. You can email or ask in-person

“Hi Mr. Griesser, I’m not doing well on my assessments and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I’m wondering if we can go over my test so I can understand what I missed?”

Step 2: Tutorial Time

�Step 3: Additional tutoring support -BYS Peer Tutoring, Private Tutoring

Step 4: Parent conference with counselor & teachers

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Teachers - 1st place for academic support!

Available before & after school and tutorial time!

Administrators

Available to meet with students and support their concerns- email or make an appointment at the main office.

School Nurse

– Anxiety/panic? This is a safe place if counselor is busy

SUPPORT SYSTEMS AT BHS

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MORE SUPPORT AT BHS

Career Center (located across from counseling) w/ Ms. Swanson

Jobs, internships, job shadows, career assessments, resume help

Spartan Student Support Center - Room 228 w/ Ms. Nordberg

A place to get all kinds of support!
Space for 504 students to take tests
If a student needs a calm space to regroup
Help on a project/essay/assignment
Get organizational tips

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Why Get Involved in High School?

Discover new possibilities - still figuring out interests/strengths
Ease transitions - Big change to HS, continuing exploring helps
Relieve boredom - What do you do when you go home?
Relieve academic pressure - need an outlet
Increase academic performance - research based
Build important skills - teamwork, cooperation, problem-solving, leadership
Make connections -sense of belonging
Find others with similar interests - Make friends
Improve college applications - appreciate students who are involved and want to contribute to the college campus culture

1. Discover new possibilities.

Involvement in an activity could spur a lifelong passion, introduce career options and help define identity. For example, many students first find a love for debate or technology through school activities.

2. Ease transitions.

Moving from elementary to middle school, or from middle to high school, can be a big change in routine, relationships and environment. Continuing or discovering activities can help make the change go more smoothly.

3. Relieve boredom.

Being involved in an activity often means hours of practice, preparation and, sometimes, travel, which leaves less time for boredom or less-desirable activities.

4. Relieve academic pressure.

As the school work load increases, it may seem counterintuitive to spend more time on other activities, but the outlet is often a needed break from homework and studying.

5. Increase academic performance.

Education Next reports being involved in activities outside the classroom may play a role in improving grades and standardized test scores.

6. Build important skills.

No matter what the future brings, skills like teamwork, cooperation, creative problem-solving, decision-making and leadership will always be important. Many extracurricular activities allow the development of these skills that are transferrable to school, family and future life.

7. Make connections.

Involvement in many extracurriculars brings students into contact with others, like coaches, teammates, parents and event judges, who may become valuable connections later.

8. Improve college applications.

If college is the next step after high school, a record of involvement over several years can demonstrate a continued interest in a particular cause, activity or event. Colleges and universities appreciate seeing applicants who demonstrate that they are successful outside the classroom and will become active members of their academic communities.

9. Find others with similar interests.

A variety of activities are available for students of all backgrounds and circumstances, including:

School, club or community sports teams
Special interest clubs like card or chess clubs
Academic-related activities such as competitive math or science teams
Fine arts groups, like newspaper or social media, drama, dance or music
Student government
Volunteering for nonprofit and service organizations
Career-related internships and jobs
Other jobs such as retail, babysitting and tutoring

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Click Activities for more information

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Communication:

How do you find out about stuff?

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Yup, your grades count now…

What is a Transcript?

Academic history for all high school level courses attempted

Fall Semester

Progress Report/Mid Term = November (not permanent)
Final Grade = January (permanent-- on transcript)

Spring Semester

Progress Report/Mid Term = March (not permanent)
Final Grade = June (permanent-- on transcript)

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Graduation Requirements

4 years of English

3 years of Math (up through Algebra II for min. 4 year college entry)

3 years of Social Studies

3 years of Science

2 semesters of Fine Art

2 semesters of Career/Technical Education

1 semester of Health, 3 semesters of PE

7 credits of elective credit

Personalized Pathway- classes you take based on what your post high school plan is. Your counselor will help with this!

Graduation Pathway

ASVAB

SBA - State Testing

CTE Courses

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Additional Graduation Requirements

Graduation Pathway

High School and Beyond Plan -Schoolinks HSBP

WA State History

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Transcript

Example

8th grade credits - you can decide if you want to keep these on your transcript by spring of Junior year

Final Grades from Fall (1/2026) and Spring Semester (6/2027) are posted on your transcript.

B = CADR (college prep classes)

H = Honors Designation

Cumulative GPA - lower right corner

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QUESTIONS?

Make an appointment or send us an email.

Reach out to your counselor. We are here to help!!

Adam Ward : A-C - award@bisd303.org

Nicole Wescott : D-Je - nwescott@bisd303.org

Krista Pal : Ji-Ma - kpal@bisd303.org

Lauren D’Amico : Mc-Re - ldamico@bisd303.org

Cara Tebo : Ri- Z - ctebo@bisd303.org

Rilla Hughes, Office Manager: rhughes@bisd303.org