College and Career Planning at BlueSky

For seniors and juniors this year, college and post-high school options may be occupying their thoughts as we get closer and closer to the end of the year. Here at BlueSky, we try to give our students everything they need to feel confident about their post-high school plans. 

After all, this can be a scary time in an adolescent life! It’s the first time their education is no longer planned out for them. Some big decisions will be coming their way and we think it’s vital that they feel confident and excited about their next steps. In this blog, you’ll find just a few ways that the BlueSky experience helps to prepare students for post-high school planning.  

Required Career Portfolio

To help students explore options and plan for their futures, all students are expected to complete activities in the Required Career Portfolio. There are about 15 activities to do each school year, and these activities will change as students get closer to graduation. The aim is to help them make some decisions about their future. 

Students take assessments to help them find careers that will be a good fit for them and then have time to learn more about those careers. Information about how to find employment, apply for college, join the military, or apply for an apprenticeship program is included. Students are encouraged to make appointments with their counselor for guidance and support.

Career Academy Courses 

For students who are eager to explore a career path or are seeking PSEO courses, BlueSky’s career academy is an excellent option! These courses and elective curriculums give students the opportunity to enhance their career developments and explore a particular career path. Students are of course not required to participate in the career academies but we encourage them to explore every and all options available to them and our team keeps in communication and supports them at every step along the way. 

Social and Emotional Learning 

Preparing a student for life after high school requires more than just helping them with academics. In 2016 we developed a three-year implementation plan to become a compassionate school with the goals of helping students develop skills beyond their academics and to better support their social and emotional needs. The first year began with our social worker department training using The Heart of Learning: Compassion, Resiliency, and Academic Success as the basis. In year two, the social worker team provided all staff training related to trauma awareness and intervention techniques. In year three, BlueSky worked directly with students and families in the classroom focusing on trauma-centered approaches to learning. In addition, we began to implement the SEL standards into the existing curriculum, during our third year with the program. The state has approved SEL standards which we have chosen to imbed into our core courses rather than use them as a separate curriculum – which is what other schools have done as an “advisory” type course. We believe that all courses should encompass this kind of compassionate teaching. 

The 5 competency areas of social and emotional learning that we focus on are responsible decision making, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills. This kind of learning makes students feel supported and trusted, and in turn, they are more likely to meet their potential and be confident in their decision-making. Our goal with SEL was to instruct students to develop and refine their own social-emotional learning skills even beyond the classroom. 

If you have questions about BlueSky’s commitment to career and college readiness, contact us!