Resources

The Counseling Center supports the mission of St. Joseph’s Academy by assisting students to facilitate growth in the areas of spiritual, personal, social, academic and career concerns.

Grade-level counselors follow students throughout their four years. They meet with every student annually via individual meetings, classroom presentations and small college and career groups. The counselors are advocates on behalf of all students and work each year to help them become the most successful versions of themselves. The counselors collaborate with all stakeholders including students, parents, teachers and administrators to help students address concerns from a holistic approach. As a team of licensed professional counselors and licensed clinical social workers, the grade-level counselors attend regular professional development seminars, workshops and conferences to stay abreast of current research and modalities to assist students in the brief solution-focused nature of the school setting.

Two full-time college advisors assist students with scholarship and college applications and provide each student with as many choices for her future as possible. The college advisors begin working with students during the spring of their junior year to build on the foundation of college and career readiness that the grade-level counselor began with them during their freshman year. College advisors meet with students individually and through multiple classroom visits to educate them on the college-application process. College advisors attend regional and national conferences to keep up to date on the most recent trends in the college-advising and application process. They also regularly participate in college networking events such as college visits and college rep breakfasts to keep current with individual college and university admission criteria, policies and procedures.

The wellness educator designs social emotional wellness programs that are integrated throughout the school community. She provides education and training to students, parents and school personnel and collaborates with community mental health providers and guest speakers. 

The testing coordinator/data specialist supports the Counseling Center by coordinating all school-day standardized testing administrations on campus including the Pre-ACT, PSAT10, PSAT/NMSQT, the school-day ACT for juniors and seniors, as well as all AP tests. She attends regular webinars to keep updated on the most recent testing policies, security guidelines and procedures of both ACT Inc. and the College Board. 

Career Day
Each year, the Counseling Center hosts Career Day for freshmen and sophomores. On this day, speakers gather on campus to share their career experiences and answer questions from students interested in their professions through small panel sessions.

Career Expo
Each year, the SJA Alumnae Office hosts a Career Expo for all students. SJA alumnae in more than 50 career fields visit campus to talk to students in the relaxed, informal setting of the expo. Students visit the expo during part of their lunch to browse and meet with professionals.

Job Shadowing
Juniors and seniors spend a day off campus each spring shadowing professionals in career fields in which they have an interest. Job Shadowing Day is an annual event sponsored by the Counseling Center. Students enjoy shadowing mentors in a wide range of professions, from healthcare to law, physical therapy to film, and engineering to sports management, among others.

The Learning Center provides free-of-charge assistance to any student needing extra help with science, math, English or writing. Academic counseling is also available. No appointments are needed for any tutoring.

All tutoring takes place in the Learning Center classroom (Medaille Hall 205) located in the Technology and Learning Center.

Math Resource is available Monday-Friday during all three lunch hours, after school on Monday-Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and on Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 6:45 to 7:30 a.m.

Science Resource is available Monday-Thursday during all three lunch hours and Monday-Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

English Resource is available Monday-Thursday during all three lunch hours and Tuesday-Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m.  

Writing Resource is available Monday-Thursday during all three lunch hours and Tuesday-Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m.  

New students whose standardized test scores are below the norm enter the Freshman Foundations class that helps improve their performance in the areas of reading comprehension, writing, math skills and strategies, study skills and computer literacy.

The Math Interventionist is a math specialist who supports student achievement in the area of mathematics. She works in collaboration with classroom teachers to ensure rich and appropriate learning experiences as well as any extra support that students may need to be successful in SJA's math program and beyond. Her role provides individual or small-group instruction in a real-time academic setting to students who are struggling academically in math. 

We offer several opportunities for our students to prepare for the ACT in and outside of the classroom. 

• ACT strategies are incorporated into our curriculum and also utilized during our Test Prep Instructional Days throughout the school year. 

• ACT Gear-Up Sessions are offered on weekends in the fall and spring and on designated days during the summer. These more intensive test-prep sessions focus on strategies and practice techniques for each content-specific ACT test. 

• ACT Diagnostic Testing is offered on weekends in the fall and spring and on designated days during the summer. Students practice taking a full-length ACT test in a testing environment and receive specific feedback on the areas in which they need to work to improve their scores. 

• The Assistant Dean of College Preparation and Testing can work with students to create individual study plans for the ACT and can give them resources for practice. 

• We provide an on-campus ACT testing day for seniors in October (during the school day).

• We provide an on-campus ACT testing day for juniors in March (during the school day).

• Freshmen and sophomores take the Pre-ACT (during the school day) to help them prepare for taking the ACT as juniors and seniors.

• Counselors review score reports with students to help them understand their results. 

Because their thirst for learning doesn’t end with the conclusion of the academic year, SJA students are encouraged to pursue educational opportunities offered by colleges and universities around the country. Counselors and faculty members are eager to help students discover programs which appeal to their interests as well as complete the application process. Among the opportunities enjoyed by students include programs at 

• Georgetown University
• Harvard University 
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• New York University
• Sewanee (The University of the South)
• Stanford University
• Texas A&M University
• United States Military Academy (West Point)
• United States Naval Academy
• University of Alabama
• University of Georgia
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Pennsylvania
• Wake Forest University