SHS Counseling Corner
Summer 2020 Edition
Happy Summer!
Congrats on finishing up another school year! We hope all of you are ready to take a break and enjoy some well-deserved rest this summer!
Counseling Office Update 2020-2021
The Sumner High School Counseling Office will be updating counselor caseload for the upcoming 20-21 school year. The counseling staff consists of 5 counselors who will be assigned to students alphabetically by last name. We know that change is difficult, however we are all here to support all students and families through this transition. When working to create better guidelines for determining school counselor assignment, we found that this transition will allow for the following:
- The hope is that counselors, students, and families will develop a relationship that will continue over their four years of high school.
- To achieve maximum effectiveness, the American School Counselor Association National Model recommends a student-to-school-counselor ratio of 250:1 (ASCA, 2019).
- Our hope is that by moving to an alphabetical assignment our caseload numbers for each counselor gets closer to this number, and in turn being the best counselors we can be for our student population.
- In this way, counselors would be able to address students' needs in the areas of academics, future plans after high school as well as social/personal concerns.
Alpha Breakdown:
- A-C: Mr. Simmons alec_simmons@sumnersd.org
- D-He: Mrs. Herrera diana_hererra@sumnersd.org
- Hi-Mc: Mr. Sandberg david_sandberg@sumnersd.org
- Md-R: Mrs. Paulson amanda_paulson@sumnersd.org
- S-Z: Mrs. Cuellar cynthia_cuellar@sumnersd.org
Counseling Office Summer Hours
June 26th to August 18th: CLOSED
August 19th to August 28th: Counselors available through email (In office hours TBD)
September 1nd: CLOSED Labor Day
September 3rd: Resume office hours, Counselors available through email (In office hours TBD)
College and Career Readiness
Looking Forward
Juniors: Plan to finalize your post-high school pathway and/or college list before school starts next year. This will make your senior year a lot smoother. The Counseling Office Website has resources on their website to help you. Other resources include BigFuture, Staying On Track For College From Home , College Search Engine, and College Scorecard website, where you can find data on cost, graduation rates, post-college earnings, and other valuable information on potential programs. The counseling team will revisit this information through classroom presentations in the fall. *Parents - check out some tips on how to have healthy and sane conversations with your juniors as they enter the post-high school planning season.
Sophomores: Decide on a few clubs, sports, or other areas of interest to narrow in on for junior year. We recommend fewer, more meaningful commitments for your last two years of high school.
Freshmen: Start thinking about some activities you'd like to check out next year! You can find information on what SHS offers on our Athletics page and Activities page.
Social and Emotional Support
Community Resources
For the most current resources available in Pierce County, dial 2-1-1.
Mental Health Referral Service - Seattle Children's now offers a referral line for families looking for mental health services. Families can call the number to provide their request, insurance information, and times available, and the referral specialist will set them up with a few providers who have openings and work for their given insurance/schedule.
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency please contact:
- Crisis Line (1-866-4CRISIS(1-866-427-4747) or text HOME to (741741) for a text conversation, this provides free, 24/7 support for people in crisis, via text. Send a message to 741741 and a trained crisis counselor will respond
- Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-Talk (24 hrs/7 days), or
- 911