By Mia Trevino and Aleena Sanchez
Counselors say that students who make a clear plan for their time at RHS tend to be more successful with their time in school.
With the first semester coming to an end, students around campus are frantically trying to bring up their grades to pass all their classes including finals. The RHS counselors have managed to create Zoom meetings with the freshman class and their parents specifically to follow up with their child’s classes and what needs to be worked on.
Photo courtesy of Aidan Hatch, Gigantea staff
New counselor and Redwood alumni, Ms. Buchanan talks about how the meetings go and the process of the meetings.
“The meetings went really well. It is a fun process to meet some of the freshmen and their parents. We constantly see the pictures of students on PowerSchool, but to meet them in-person and start getting to know them is so much fun,” says Buchanan.
With the Zoom meetings being optional it could be something that most families aren’t able to make or just choose not to attend, which could harm the change in the students’ grades.
Talking to just students sometimes isn’t always the best route especially when grades are involved and it’s a more trusting way to get the counselors’ voices heard.
As for what they are covering, Buchanan says, “We go over the graduation requirements and A-G requirements, so freshmen are aware of the classes they should be taking throughout high school. We also encourage students to get involved whether that be in clubs or sports.”
It is very important that students start taking the required A-G as soon as they start high school in order to meet the requirements rather than having to worry about the classes that they need to take later on. It is much easier to know what path to start off on instead of worrying about it later.
Mr. Matta, another counselor at Redwood, said, “The meetings went well. It was a new experience.”
Since the freshman class did not get to fully adjust to having several different classes in a day after their seventh grade year being cut short, counselors are here to make this adjustment stress-free and as easy as possible.
Matta explains that in order to help, he is, “establishing a connection with students and parents/guardians.”
Parents are able to choose to attend these meetings via Zoom in order to ensure that their child is on the right track for graduation and learn more about the high school process.
Mr. Cole, a counselor at Redwood, says that he also discussed, “four-year plans” during the meetings to help those students prepare for the next steps after high school graduation.
With these meetings, parents are now able to establish a connection with counselors, which are the first line of guidance and aid for a student throughout their high school career.
Cole adds that he is given, “an opportunity to meet students and family’s one-on-one.”
Redwood counselors are always there in support of the students at Redwood. Counselors also made sure to outline “all the resources available on campus” and where to find them.
In order to aid freshman students in completing their A-G requirements, Redwood High School counselors have made attempts to set up meetings with the students’ parents.
Tags: aleena sanchez, clubs & lifestyles, counselors, freshmen, Mia Trevino, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwoodfreshmen, zoom, Zoom meetings