Counseling
The Counseling department is available to answer questions and provide assistance.
Students may see their Counselor/Academic Advisor on a walk-in basis between classes, lunch, before school, or after school.
Staff
At Steele Canyon High School, our dedicated counseling staff, academic advisors, and social workers form a robust support system for our students. They are committed to guiding each individual toward academic success and personal growth, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience that empowers students to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
If you are a Student
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Walk-in meetings are available for quick questions before school, after school, between classes, lunch
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If you are in crisis and need to speak with someone right away, you can come at any time (please get a teacher pass)
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Email your Counselor or Academic Advisor to make an appointment for a longer meeting
If you are a Parent:
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If you have a question about your student's current grade or content in a course, contact the teacher directly. Staff Directory can be found here.
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If you have a general Counseling question or concern, the most effective way to contact your student's school counselor is via email. Please keep in mind that if the issue you wish to discuss is teacher-related, you should consider first contacting the teacher.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
At Steele Canyon, understanding and meeting graduation requirements is key to your academic journey. We’ve outlined a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes Social Science, Math, Science, English, and Elective courses tailored to all student interests. Our dedicated staff will support you every step of the way, ensuring you can excel in important subjects like exercise science and world languages, preparing you for a successful future.
Credit Requirements
Steele Canyon requires that students complete 23 credit to graduate in the following subject areas:
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English - 40 credits
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Social Science - 40 credits
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Math - 30 credits
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Physical Education - 20 credits
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Science - 30 credits (at least 1 physical and 1 life science)
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Visual Performing Art or World Language - 10 credits
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Electives - 60 credits
The Path to High School Graduation & Beyond
We want to make sure you know what you should be thinking about as you prepare for high school. The following is an action plan your family can follow to set your student up to have any opportunity they desire after high school. We will revisit this plan each year, but we want to give you a game plan so you can start high school feeling informed and ready to start making the correct choices now!
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW:
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Use a calendar/planner to keep track of assignments and deadlines. Staying organized helps!!!
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Practice good time management and study skills to keep good grades. Every class counts!
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Get involved with extracurricular activities, clubs, leadership roles and community service. These will help on college scholarship applications and it is proven that students who are involved in school are more successful in school. And plus…they are a lot of fun!
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Attend our district’s Future Fest College and Career Fair in October to start getting excited and interested in different colleges and careers.
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Login to your account on CaliforniaColleges.edu to complete Career Assessments required to graduate
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Create a 4–year educational plan on CaliforniaColleges.edu to help you reach your goals for after high school.
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Start thinking about taking Dual Enrollment (on campus) or Concurrent Enrollment (off campus) Community College courses to prepare for 2-year or 4- year college
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Use Khan Academy to improve your math skills
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Keep work samples for your senior interview and start looking for community service opportunities, you will need to complete 40 hours of community service before graduation.
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Create a professional, personal email; Professional - johnsmith12@gmail.com Not Professional - pokimontrainer12@gmail.com. You will need a personal email to apply for Community College courses.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN THE SPRING:
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Choose classes for next year that will make you eligible for admission to a 4-year college right after high school. Consider including a World Language and/or a Fine Art in your schedule to get you started on electives that meet admission requirements for 4-year colleges.
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Sign up for Summer School if you did not pass a class or earned a D and want to remain eligible for a university.
The most important thing for you to start thinking about is that your freshman year is exciting and maybe a bit nerve-wracking, but it is also a great new fresh beginning and it is an extremely important year for you and your future. So come here ready to have some fun, learn a whole lot, grow as a human being and start your life as a young adult.
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The following is an action plan you and your family can follow to set you up to have any opportunity you desire after high school. We will revisit this plan each year, but we want to give you a game plan so feel empowered to continue making the right choices to reach the goals you have set for yourself.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW:
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Practice good time management and study skills to keep good grades. Use a calendar/planner to keep track of assignments & deadlines. Staying organized helps. Remember - every class counts!
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Either get or stay involved with extracurricular activities, clubs, leadership roles and community service. These will help with college and scholarship applications and it has been proven that students who are involved in school are more successful in school. And plus…they are a lot of fun!
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Login to your account on CaliforniaColleges.edu to review Career Assessments results, research careers, and college majors.
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Look at and modify 4–year educational plan on CaliforniaColleges.edu to help you reach your goals for after high school.
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Start taking Dual Enrollment (on campus) or Concurrent Enrollment (off campus) Community College courses to prepare for 2-year or 4-year college
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Register for the NCAA or NAIA if you are interested in participating in college athletics.
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Attend our district’s FutureFest College and Career Fair in October to start getting excited and interested in different colleges and careers.
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Take the PSAT test in October if you plan to apply to competitive, private colleges/universities in California or out-of-state schools. UC/CSUs do not require the SAT/ACT anymore. ** If you need accommodations, ask your Counselor about how to qualify.
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Scholarship search time! A great scholarship website is https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search.
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Start visiting colleges you are interested in to experience the campus and see if it is the right fit for you.
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Continue to work towards your 40 hour community service requirement.
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Continue to save work samples for your senior interview.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN THE SPRING:
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Register for Summer Concurrent Enrollment (off campus) Community College courses to prepare for 2-year or 4-year college
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Choose classes for next year that will make you eligible for admission to a 4-year college right after high school. You should have already started meeting your required World Language requirements, but if not, you absolutely must include those in your schedule next year. Also consider meeting your Fine Art requirement next year if you have not yet done so.
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If you earned a D or an F in a class, make sure to sign up for summer school to retake the class.
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The following is an action plan you and your family can follow to set you up to have any opportunity you desire after high school. We will revisit this plan each year, but we want to give you a game plan so you feel prepared to make the best choices to reach your goals.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW:
-
Practice good time management and study skills to keep good grades. Use a calendar/planner to keep track of assignments & deadlines. Staying organized helps. Remember - every class counts!
-
Either get or stay involved with extracurricular activities, clubs, leadership roles and community service. These will help with college and scholarship applications and they are a lot of fun!
-
Login to your account on CaliforniaColleges.edu to research colleges and majors. Favorite top colleges you plan to apply to in fall of your senior year.
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Look at and modify 4–year educational plan on CaliforniaColleges.edu to help you reach your goals for after high school.
-
Continue taking Dual Enrollment (on campus) or Concurrent Enrollment (off campus) Community College courses to prepare for 2-year or 4-year college
-
Register for the NCAA/NAIA if you are interested in participating in college athletics.
-
Attend our district’s FutureFest College and Career Fair in October to start getting excited and interested in different colleges and careers.
-
Take the PSAT test in October if you plan to apply to competitive, private colleges/universities in California or out-of-state schools. UC/CSUs do not require the SAT/ACT anymore. ** If you need accommodations, ask your Counselor about how to qualify.
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Start visiting some campuses! It is important to get a feel for as many campuses as you can so start early.
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Scholarship search time! A great scholarship website is https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search.
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Begin thinking about teachers who would be willing to write letters of recommendation for you for college and scholarship applications. Plan ahead and ask early!!!
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Continue to work towards your 40 hour community service requirement.
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Continue to work on your senior website.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IN THE SPRING:
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Register for Summer Concurrent Enrollment (off campus) Community College courses to prepare for 2-year or 4-year college
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Choose classes for next year that will make you eligible for admission to a 4-year college right after high school. Make sure you meet your Fine Art requirement next year if you have not yet done so, as well as continuing in your Math, Science and World Language classes. Challenge yourself but be realistic as it is imperative that you keep all of your grades up to C’s or higher.
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Take the Smarter Balanced Test seriously! If you do well on the test you could be considered "college ready" and avoid taking a Summer school class before college.
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If you earned a D or an F in a class, make sure to sign up for summer school to retake the class.
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Congratulations on reaching your senior year of high school. It is an exciting time in your life, but it is also a very important and busy time. The following game plan should help you as you maneuver through your last year in high school and figure out exactly where you are going to be when it is over.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW:
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Practice good time management and study skills to keep good grades. Use a calendar/planner to keep track of assignments & deadlines. Staying organized helps. Remember - every class counts!
-
Either get or stay involved with extracurricular activities, clubs, leadership roles and community service. These help with college and scholarship applications and they are a lot of fun!
-
Login to your account on CaliforniaColleges.edu to start applying to UCs, CSUs, and Community Colleges in California.
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Make sure you have narrowed down your college list – you should not apply to tons of schools because you should have already started figuring out the ones you are truly interested in. Community college applications are due in the spring.
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Create a CommonApp account to apply to private and out-of-state colleges/universities
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Continue taking Dual Enrollment (on campus) or Concurrent Enrollment (off campus) Community College courses to prepare for 2-year or 4-year college
-
Register for the NCAA or NAIA if you are interested in participating in college athletics.
-
Attend our district’s FutureFest College and Career Fair in October to start getting excited and interested in different colleges and careers.
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Ask teachers who are willing to write letters of recommendation for you in advance. We are all asked to write many letters, and they are quite time-consuming.
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Fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as close to October 1 as possible, but make sure to wait until after October 1 and before March 2.
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Apply for scholarships. A great scholarship website is https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
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Make sure you are staying up to date with your senior interview.
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Complete your 40 hours of community service.
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COMMUNITY SERVICES
We require 40 hours of verifiable service by the end of Senior Year. (Transfer students must complete 10 hours per year enrolled at SCHS.) At least half (20) of the required 40 hours must be completed via non-SCHS functions (off-campus activities). On-campus/school function volunteering can be counted for up to 20 hours of community service. Of course, time exceeding 20 hours is welcomed as it will help develop quality people and it may also be recognized by other entities.
It is recommended that students accrue at least 10 hours each year.
Acceptable
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Animal rescue
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Beach/city/park clean-up
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Working at races/walks for charity
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Referee/coach sports for children or disabled
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Donating time to a local school or library reading to children
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Donating time at a nursing home reading to residents, playing music, entertainment, or participating in activities
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Tutoring students after school, unpaid and supervised by school staff
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Peer tutoring (you can count up to 20 hours, as an on campus elective, when NOT earning course credit*)
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On campus volunteering for school functions outside of school hours such as Cougar Crew, Mat Stats, running the scoreboard at games… (up to 20 hours towards graduation requirement*)
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Interning or volunteering somewhere that serves the community (e.g. Noah Homes)
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Most volunteering through Key Club
Unacceptable
(While these are great ways to be a good citizen, they do not count towards the service requirement)
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Helping your neighbor catch her cat
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Pulling weeds at the playground on your own
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Pushing your friend’s wheelchair to his bus
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Reading to kids while babysitting
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Singing at the nursing home as part of a required activity for your choir; or reading to your grandmother at her nursing home.
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Tutoring for payment; or helping your brother or sister with homework
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Peer tutoring while earning course credit
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Internship or volunteering at a for-profit business
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Anything you received payment or compensation for (including school credit) or working for your family business.
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On-Campus volunteering for school functions in excess of 20 hours. While participation is encouraged, you should still reach out to other areas of the community too!
Community Service Opportunities
Steele Canyon often receives community service opportunities from local organizations that we post on Naviance and email out to everyone. A list of local organizations with links to their volunteer pages can also be found on Naviance.
You may contact any of these organizations to inquire about volunteer opportunities. If you find one to participate in, please be sure to get a letter from your supervisor that details your experience and how many hours you completed. You will keep that letter and will upload it to you Senior Interview website later.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
If you transferred to Steele Canyon in your
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Senior year, you are responsible for 10 hours
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Junior year, you are responsible for 20 hours
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Sophomore year, you are responsible for 30 hours
Volunteer Databases & Websites
Law Enforcement
Work Permit Procedures and Guidelines
California Child Labor Laws require a working minor, under 18 years of age, to have a valid Work Permit issued.
Work Permit Requirements:
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Student Attendance must be strong – Your counselor will review the last six weeks (thirty school days) of your attendance. Students cannot have more than six days of cumulative Qs (truancy) and Ts (late/tardy). More than six days and your Work Permit may be denied.
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Student GPA must be at least a 2.0 – Your counselor will review your GPA from the last grading period for a minimum of 2.0. If your GPA is lower than 2.0, your Work Permit may be denied.
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Work Permits issued will be checked for attendance and eligibility GPA after each grading period and may be revoked due to poor attendance or insufficient GPA .
How to Obtain a Work Permit:
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Pick up the Work Permit Application B1-1 from your Grade Level Counselor’s office
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Interview for and be offered a job by your employer
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Provide the Work Permit Application to your employer. They must fill out and sign the Employer section
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You, as the student, must fill out and sign the Minor section. Your parent must fill out and sign the Parent/Guardian section.
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Bring the completed Work Permit Application to your Counselor for review.
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Allow 24 hours for your Counselor to review and approve/deny your Work Permit application
If Work Permit Application is denied:
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Counselor will meet with the student to notify them of the Work Permit Application denial and why.
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Students can reapply for a work permit after the next grading period when GPA and attendance have improved.