Policies and Practices

Meeting Requests

• Students and Families have access to designated appointment calendars. Each offers a different time frame.

• Student Appointments - Passes are not sent to the class. Students are expected to show their appointment to their teacher and come down. 

  • Rationale: Creating passes is not a valuable use of time. Often times students change their mind on the need of their request or are absent. Teachers may not be willing to send the student for a variety of reasons. The Counseling Department also experiences times where we do not have support to run the pass. When previous set-up of requesting students to enter their Period and Classroom number was requested, most did not comply which created issues. Most teachers are okay with sending students without a formal pass and when they are not they likely wouldn't have sent with a paper pass due to various reasons. 

  • When students are unable to leave class they may come down at the end of the period

• 4th Hour is reserved for Walk-In Appointments. Students with quick questions are welcome to visit during this time.

• Parent Requested Meetings - Meetings are longer then student appointments, parents may also request Phone or Virtual Visits. 

Student Self-Advocacy

High School is last stop before adulthood where they must be able to take the lead on handling issues on their own or with limited support. 

It highly encouraged and requested that parents and guardians allow their child to first initiate conversation with their Counselor and Teacher first before support is provided by the parent. 

The Counselor is willing arrange and sit in on student/teacher meetings to facilitate success plans and discuss concerns when the student requests. Your Counselor may also coach students on how to have conversations and provide a teachers perspective when encountering issues. 

When parents request meetings with the Counselor, the student should be present. 

Academic Check-In

Grades are reviewed every 3 weeks. Due to individual teacher grading practices reports I pull may not be accurate. Online classes or classes being taken outside of Mountlake Terrace including Running Start are not actively reviewed. 

Weekly Check-Ins

• Offered to all students

• Goal is to create a neutral environment where the student can reflect on academic activity and create their own plan for meeting goals. Active grades and assignments are not reviewed unless the student requests. 

• Meeting is no more then 5 minutes, typically. 

• Teacher, Parent and Student Feedback is solicited

• Students will be checked in for SEL Health, will set a Goal for the next 1-2 weeks, will review prior set goal, needs will be addressed.

• Students offered information for Soft Skills

• Students asked to complete Learning and Productivity Inventory in Naviance

3+F's

• Automatically added to weekly or bi-weekly check-ins

• Dropped if absent 3 consecutive weeks

• Dropped upon student request

2F's

• Offered weekly or bi-weekly check-ins

• Check-in at least once per semester (goal is once per quarter)

0-1F

• Check in is not automatically provided as grades fluctuate due to attendance, a handful of missing assignments, an occasional low test scores, few items entered into the gradebook, etc.

• If students would like check-in or need support they are welcome to request

Classroom Issues and Concerns

Your Counselor is not in the classroom and does not have control over a teachers classroom, homework or policies. Students and parents should contact the teacher first when experiencing issues. When a teacher is not following school or district policies an administrator should be notified.

The Counselors role is academically advise students to test the best class, help with the communication process when the first attempt has failed and provide students with soft skills to help them be most successful.  

Counselor Preference

Students are welcome to talk with other Counselors if they do not feel comfortable with their Counselors approach. It is understood that having a Counselor especially for mental health purposes is a personal choice. 

For academic purposes, Mr. Bennett will be the Counselor of Record as graduation is tracked on a per alpha basis. If students want a second opinion, they are welcome to visit with another Counselor. Students are not forced to do Academic check-ins - they may refuse. If students do not want to participate in Credit Review an email with recommendations is always provided. 

Communication

All initiated communication will come from email. Parent Square may also be used when multiple families need to be contacted (also sent via email). 

Newsletters will be initiated once a month via Parent Square, when needed and targeting to families the information pertains too. 

Reviewing standard provided information is not considered a valuable use of time. The expectation is that this information is being read so time can be spent with follow-up questions and planning. When it is evident the information has not been reviewed, students and families will be directed back to this website where all Newsletter links have been provided. 

Credit Reviews

Credit Reviews are conducted during the Fall Semester beginning with Seniors. All students receive a Google Form with the discussion of goals and academic recommendations.

When students are absent, the Credit Review is completed without them, they will receive the receipt of recommendations from Google Forms and will also get an email letting them know they are welcome to arrange a meeting on their own to discuss goals and recommendations.

The Counselor IS NOT required for making sure students sign up for the correct class. ESD policy is that students are permitted to take classes they would like to take and have the autonomy to develop their own 4 year plan. 

Waiving of Credits

Mr. Bennett will waive credits when alignment with Edmonds School District and Mountlake Terrace policies. Students are told every Fall what credits are outstanding. Senior schedules are reviewed and changed so they are meeting graduation requirements when possible. 

Advocacy for credit waiving occurs during 2nd Semester.

• When students are in a specific high school program (STEM, Band, etc) or following a Running Start program (BA, BS, Certificate) of study your Counselor will initiate on the students behalf to waive credits provide the student was not able to take reasonable attempts at the required classes. 

• When students have not taken required classes when they had the opportunity they will be provided with the appropriate forms to have signed by a parent/guardian. The student will need to initiate a conversation with MTHS administration on why classes were not taken. Bottom Line: If you could have taken it, you should have taken it. 

Running Start

When students choose to do Running Start they are leaving the supports of Mountlake Terrace and are expected to perform as college students. Strong consideration to prior academic history and maturity should be considered before beginning with Running Start. Students are permitted under state law to take whatever classes they would like without approval or review from a Counselor. 

Students are expected to review MTHS provided resources and do their own research prior to a Step 4 meeting. Students are responsible for referring to their graduation requirements in Skyward and using the Running Start Course Equivalency Guide to sign up for classes. If students want to be academically advised they will need to complete a Google Form as part of the Step 4 process to assist in the planning process. 

When students are taking a full course load and working towards a certificate or Associates Degree certain credit requirements may be waived with administration approval. 

When students are going to Running Start to complete high school requirements then they are expected to complete all high school requirements. 

Schedule Changes

The only students permitted to make changes are when the following conditions exist: Missing a required class for graduation (No English class), Missing a class in the schedule (No 3rd Period), Don't meet the pre-req requirements, Already took the class.

However, it is sometimes beneficial for the master schedule to balance out classes. When opportunities exist for classes with wide open availability those classes will be posted on the "LINKS" tab of this website in the Google Form. The Google Form will also be sent by request from an email. 

SEL Check-In

Routine SEL Check-Ins are provided at student or parent request when the student is wanting the check-in. 

Check-ins are not a substitute for therapy. If students are needing therapy they are encouraged to reach out to Community Health Center; services are provided on campus during the school day. 

Check-In meetings are approximately 5-10 minutes. The student and Counselor discuss what is going well, not well, review coping skills, discuss concerns and make a plan when needed. 

Senior Early Dismissal/Late Arrival

If a Senior has passed all classes and didn't need a credit waiver they may request to drop their 1st or 6th Hour class at the start of the semester. For college admissions purposes, it is encouraged that all students push themselves academically.  

We are not able to create schedules around the request of a Late Arrival or Early Dismissal. 

Schedule rearrangement will not be accommodated to allow for a Late Arrival or Early Dismissal. Classes are already filled to capacity. 

Bottom Line: Take and pass all required classes. If your schedule allows for you to take a period off then you may do so.