School Counseling

Welcome to the School Counseling Department

 

The School Counseling Department at Bishop Chatard High School offers academic and personal support, as well as high school, college and career guidance to our high school students through class counselors and support personnel. We are here to assist our students. Please contact us with your questions.

Seniors: March To-Do List

FAFSA Application Update

The FAFSA Application is required for ALL Indiana seniors by April 15, 2024. This is new this year! If you choose not to fill out the FAFSA application, you will need to sign THIS WAIVER and return to Ms. Saurine. This is the first year the State of Indiana is requiring this. We strongly encourage families to fill out the FAFSA! FAFSA delays continue to cause possible changes in the college timeline. The ability to add or edit information on an already submitted FAFSA should be open "in the first half of March". May 1 is usually the enrollment deadline for students to put a deposit down at a school to hold their spot. In the last two weeks, the National Association for College Admission Counseling published a Enrollment Deadline Directory for many colleges who have adjusted their enrollment deadlines due to the FAFSA delay. This is a great resource, but always reach out to the admissions office with additional questions. FAFSA Checklist & Record Sheet

Reporting Scholarships and College Acceptances

On February 8, seniors had a meeting with the college counselor, Abbey Saurine, to talk about reporting of scholarships and college acceptances. View Feb 8 Presentation by Mrs. Saurine
  • Students need to update their admissions decisions in Scoir. View how-to video. This needs to be done as soon as possible!
  • Students should submit any scholarship awards from any college or organization through the scholarship reporting form.
  • Students: please screenshot or take photos of all acceptance letters, and send them to the college counselor via email. Students are asked to send acceptance notifications for all schools they were accepted to, not just the one they are attending.
Please reach out to Abbey Saurine at asaurine@bishopchatard.org with any questions!
Scholarship Opportunity - Lilly Scholars at Ivy Tech
  • Full tuition, experiential opportunities, work/study
  • At least 60% of the scholarships are intended to be given to students who live in Marion County, Indiana, Hendricks County, Indiana, or Boone County, Indiana.
  • Open to students pursuing certificates or degrees at Ivy Tech in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and wanting to work in that field.
Details and Application
Summer Science Research PAID Internship This new program for high school seniors and undergrads who belong to a population underrepresented in medicine gives a $3500 stipend (for seniors) for the 10 week program (May 20 - July 26, 2024). Details and Application at Exploradoor
Paying for College & Career Training View our Summer Programs

December To Do List

Update your Admissions Decisions & Scholarships awarded Setup College Computing Accounts

Students should be receiving emails from the colleges they applied to prompting them to create computing accounts so they can view their application checklist. Some schools have additional forms for them to complete in their portal. If they have schools that have not sent them emails or prompted them to do that, please let Mrs. Saurine know. It is important that they complete whatever tasks are listed in their portals. Some students have already started to receive admission decisions, but most will come in December and January if they applied early action.

Send a 'Mid-Year Report' to those colleges who requested it

Many colleges will start to send your student notifications to send a "mid-year report" with their semester's grades. Mrs. Saurine automatically does that for every student once grades are finalized and transcripts are updated (but ONLY for the schools indicated in their "applied" column in Scoir). On the student's end, it is important to have the schools they have applied to in their "applied" column in Scoir. Mrs. Saurine will send reports on the first day of Spring semester (January 8). Please allow 7-10 days for the documents to process, and then let Mrs. Saurine know if you are seeing any issues in the student's application portals.

Keep your 'My Colleges' Tab updated in SCOIR

Your application is not complete until colleges receive documents from BCHS and if you submit applications to schools but don’t have your Scoir “My Colleges” tab updated, Ms. Saurine will not know where to send your application documents.

  • If you plan to apply to schools over Christmas Break, students need to notify Mrs. Saurine by December 15 via Scoir so she has enough time to send their documents.

Go to the “my colleges” tab and add the schools you are applying to in Common App to the “applying” column in Scoir. You move them to the “applied” column once you submit your application through the Common App, and that tells me you are ready for me to send your documents.

  • If you have admission decisions already (congrats!), you should indicate that in Scoir too.
  • If you don’t know what I am talking about, please come see me, read the “college counseling updates” email I sent last week, check the @BCHSCollege Instagram or Twitter, or send me an email so I know to pull you out of class to chat. I want to help you succeed!
Scoir is NOT your college application. It is just how you communicate with me. Common App is the actual college application.
Explore scholarship opportunities.
Visit our College Application FAQs

Information there includes:

  • Sending Test Scores
  • Requesting Letters of Recommendation
  • Early decision, early, action, deferrals, wait list -- what are these?
  • FAFSA Information
Remember to send a 'Thank You' to your recommenders Your thank you notes to teachers, employers, and coaches who wrote letters of recommendation are always a appreciated.

Sign Your FERPA Waiver in Scoir/Common App

This waives your right to view your letters of recommendation, which shows colleges you have nothing to hide. It is on your profile page.

  • Follow @BCHSCollegeCounselor on 'X' (Twitter) for updates or Instagram at @BCHSCollege
  • Check the the College & Career Roadmap on the BCHS website for a timeline of college/career items
  • Update your 'my colleges' tab in SCOIR as you apply to schools
  • Email asaurine@bishopchatard.org with any questions!
Visit the College & Career Roadmap

School Counseling

When enrolled as a freshman, each Bishop Chatard student is assigned to a school counselor who is ready to assist with academic support, class selection, college and career planning, and other issues important to high school students. Contact information for all school counselors is available on our Contact Us link in this section.

Academic Support

Beth Brogan, Academic Support Director

As part of its mission to foster the success of each student, Bishop Chatard offers an innovative Academic Support Program to those students who qualify for an education plan. The program narrows learning gaps by allowing students to receive support in an inclusive learning environment.

Go to our Academic Support Page

Tutoring & Coursework Assistance

Bishop Chatard offers a variety of programs and services to assist students who would benefit from tutoring or one-on-one time with a teacher. Students may receive assistance from teachers prior to the start of the school day, from 7:20 to 7:50, or they can take advantage of National Honor Society tutoring or Study Tables during homeroom or after school.
For more information, students are encouraged to look at the options detailed on the Tutoring page or talk with a school counselor.

Explore Tutoring and other study aids

College & Career Counseling

Abbey Saurine

Bishop Chatard’s College & Career Roadmap outlines the path to college or a career, with information for students from freshman to seniors! Make this your first stop for information about summer experience programs, leadership / enrichment opportunities, paying for college/training, college application FAQs and more for parents and student.

BCHS College Counselor Abbey Saurine is available to help all students reach their post-graduation goals.

Visit the College & Career Roadmap

Mental Health Counseling

Laura Gorr, BCHS Mental Health Counselor

Bishop Chatard mental health counselor, Laura Gorr, works in collaboration with school counselors, school nurses, teachers, administrators, parents and various community agencies to serve our students. Information obtained through these resources is integrated to provide social, emotional, behavioral and adaptive functioning support to a student, his or her family, and the school. She provides a safe place for students to discuss problems, while building resiliency factors so students are less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors.

Contact

Office hours for Mrs. Gorr are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays all day. Her office is in the main office area, next to Mr. Reilly’s office. She can also be reached via email, Lgorr@bishopchatard.org, or by phone, 317-251-1451, Ext. 2273.

Services Provided

  • Individual/group counseling
  • Crisis intervention/conflict mediation services
  • Empowerment of/advocacy for students and families
  • Culturally competent services
  • Referrals to community agencies
  • Consultation with school staff, family and community agencies

Referral to the Mental Health Counselor

Parents, guardians, school staff and students may refer someone to Mrs. Gorr. Please be aware that students may refer themselves to her without prior consent of a parent or guardian.

Parental Notification
Parents or guardians will be notified if a referral is made by the school staff or if a referral relates to a serious nature. Parents or guardians may also contact the school directly if the parent/guardian does not want his/her child to receive those services.
An exception is made if child abuse or neglect is suspected or if the child appears to be in crisis. In this situation, the mental health counselor may meet with the student one time without parental or guardian consent to assess the situation.

Some common reasons for referral are:

  • Sudden changes in academics/behavior
  • Anxiety/Depression/Anger management
  • Peer pressure and friendships
  • Family issues
  • Grief/loss
  • Substance abuse
  • Social skills
  • Self-esteem

Student Assistance Services

The Bishop Student Assistance Program is designed for teachers and administrators to work collaboratively to address social and academic needs of students. The program is a way to ensure that the needs of every student are being met.

Students are referred to this program by teachers, counselors or another adult in their life because they might be struggling personally, socially and/or academically.

The Student Assistance team meets bi-weekly or more often, when necessary, to discuss concerns for a student and to create an action plan focused on assisting that student in overcoming obstacles and reaching his/her potential. The team is comprised of Bishop Chatard staff members from the administrative team.

Program referrals

Any adult from the Bishop Chatard community can refer a student to this program. All referrals, students and action plans adhere to a strict confidentiality policy.

If you have questions or feel you know a student who would benefit from this program, please contact BCHS Social Worker, Laura Gorr, at Lgorr@bishopchatard.org, or 317-251-1451 Ext. 2273. Her office is in the main office area, across from Mr. Reilly’s office.

Career Lunches

Throughout the school year, the School Counseling Office, in conjunction with the Office of Alumni, hosts Alumni Career Lunches. Hosted during the lunch period or before school, groups of about 20 students can meet with recent BCHS alumni who discuss their careers and occupations, their college courses and what drew them to their chosen professions. Question and answer sessions help students learn more about a career path that they may be interested in pursuing.

Research demonstrates that a key factor in choosing a profession is exposure to someone who works in that area. Bishop Chatard is excited to offer this opportunity to all students, regardless of grade level, who are thinking about their college and career choices.

Information about Alumni Career Lunches is provided to students via the daily announcements.

Monica Helfrich
Monica Helfrich

Director of Counseling, Counselor Grades 9-12: A-D

mhelfrich@bishopchatard.org
317-251-1451, ext 2258

Abbey Saurine
Abbey Saurine

College Counselor: Grades 9-12

asaurine@bishopchatard.org
317-251-1451
Schedule an appointment

Michelle Wilson
Michelle Wilson

School Counselor, Grades 9 – 12: E-Me

mwilson@bishopchatard.org
317-251-1451, ext 2244

Sami Katra
Sami Katra

School Counselor, Grades 9-12: Mi-Z

skatra
@bishopchatard.org

317-251-1451, ext 2257

Beth Brogan
Beth Brogan

Director of Academic Support

bbrogan@bishopchatard.org
317-251-1451, ext 2252

Laura Gorr
Laura Gorr

Mental Health Counselor

Lgorr@bishopchatard.org
317-251-1451, ext 2273

Allison Mayer
The Guidance FAX NUMBER is 317-254-2263.
For general Counseling Department questions, feel free to email guidance@bishopchatard.org.

Fun Fact!
Bishop Chatard’s IDOE College & Career Readiness Score was 74.6% for the 2022-2023 school year. (The state average was 59.5%).

College and career readiness measures whether students are prepared for postsecondary life by achieving college or career credentials while still in high school. College or career credentials include successful completion of an approved industry certification; successful completion of at least three hours of college-level courses; a passing score on an Advanced Placement exam; or a passing score on the International Baccalaureate exam. Graduates in the most recently finalized cohort enrolled in the school are included when reporting college and career readiness information.