HINTS FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS
THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
One of the most important people you will come in contact with during your student’s high school career is his or her counselor. Here are some tips you can use to help build helpful
relationships.
Get to know them. Encourage your son/daughter to get to know the counselors early in
his/her high school career. Have him/her make an appointment to talk to them, learn about
their policies and procedures, and learn about programs they host at your student’s school.
Your son/daughter may want to introduce goals, skills, strengths and weaknesses. This will
make future conversations much more productive.
Keep in contact. Introduce yourself to the school counselor at school events – open
house, parent/teacher conferences and maintain contact. Having said this, your son/daughter
is no longer in elementary school. Encourage the student to navigate
the course of high school with the counselor. While you should never hesitate to ask
your student’s counselor questions, you will be helping your son or daughter
develop into a responsible adult by encouraging him or her to take charge of his or
her issues. Encourage him/her to schedule another face-to-face appointment to check in.
Stay involved. Participate in as many parent activities as you can at your student’s school,
including open houses, college fairs, college workshops, evening programs and/or financial
more knowledgeable about the types of educational, occupational and personal choices
your student will be making about high school and life beyond high school.
Utilize counseling resources. Counselors do their best to make resources on a variety of
topics available to you. Newsletters, web sites, pamphlets and informational programs are
all often available to give you more information. Take advantage of these resources.
By maintaining a good relationship with your student’s counselor, and by making sure your
son/daughter is following through with the goals the counselor helps set, you can make the
most of your son/daughter’s time in high school.
Visit the NEA website for more parent involvement ideas.
Parent Resources
Drugs/Alcohol
Lincoln Council on Alcoholism and Drugs
www.lcad.org
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
www.theantidrug.com
School and Community Intervention Program (SCIP)
http://www.lmep.com/school_community.cfm
Loss / Grief
http://www.mourninghope.org
Parenting
www.loveandlogic.com
www.troubledwith.com
http://helping.apa.org
www.connectforkids.org
Risky Adolescent Behavior
http://www.guidancechannel.com/
http://helping.apa.org
Lincoln Public Schools Social Workers
http://sites.lps.org/socialwork/
Why Get Involved?
Research reveals many benefits when parents are involved in their child's education, including:
• Higher grades and test scores;
• Better attitudes and behavior;
• Better school attendance;
• More homework completed;
• Less chance of placement in special education;
• Greater likelihood of graduating from high school; and
• Better chance of enrolling in postsecondary education.
Showing an interest in your child's education, setting high expectations for achievement and
letting your child know you believe in his or her abilities sets a positive context for growth and
achievement.
(Excerpt from America’s Career Resource Network)