Supporting Our Students

Bishop O’Dowd High School offers a carefully crafted set of counseling and student support programs to ensure each student has access to successful outcomes. These programs are implemented individually and in concert to help students assess and evaluate their interests and goals, attain maximum personal and intellectual growth, effectively handle academic and personal challenges, and make the best individual choices related to college and career direction. Please peruse the overview of programs below.

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Counseling

At the heart of the O’Dowd, experience is the relationship that O’Dowd students develop with their counselors and the outcomes that this relationship supports. O’Dowd’s skilled, experienced and caring counselors develop individualized relationships with students, meeting them where they are and empowering them to become their best selves. Each student is assigned a counselor who partners with them and their family throughout their four years at O’Dowd. Within this personally tailored relationship, counselors apply an integrated approach, addressing academic, college and career, and personal needs. This holistic approach ensures that students find their place in high school and beyond as they are supported in developing their talents, identifying and responding to challenges, building resiliency and developing competencies.

Grounded in consistent monitoring of student academic progress, academic counseling includes:

Supporting course selection for graduation and college admissions
Facilitating academic issue resolution
Referral to Academic Support services on campus, educational therapists, tutors and outside testing agencies
Monitoring academic jeopardy issues and facilitating resolution

Personal counseling includes:

Individual or group counseling
Parent conferences and referral resources
Information for students on topics related to mental health
Crisis intervention counseling
Drug and alcohol education, information and counseling for students and parents
Adolescent development education
Referral to in-house MFT for individual therapy

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Counseling Forms, Presentations, and Downloads

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Counseling for College and Beyond

O’Dowd Counseling offers individualized, comprehensive support for the future. Throughout your four years at O’Dowd, you will be prompted to discover who you are and who you want to become. You will be guided by caring counselors to explore new interests and opportunities and identify your path to college and beyond.

College Acceptances

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College Topics and Programming By Year:

FRESHMEN - Discover and Explore

Take the “Learning Styles Inventory” Assessment
Begin the narrative journey of your high school experience that you will create and update throughout your time at O’Dowd

SOPHOMORES - Explore and Engage

Attend O’Dowd’s College Fair, including “College Research Basics” presentation and visits with 100+ College Admissions Representatives
Take the PSAT
Learn about college and career preparation at evening event “Getting Ready for College: College and Career Exploration Process, Role of Courses and Activities, Student Case Studies and Pathways”
Revisit and update your resume and goals
Learn time management strategies for stress reduction

JUNIORS - Engage, Research, and Plan

Attend O’Dowd’s College Fair with 100+ College Admissions Representatives
Take the PSAT
Learn how to use Naviance as a tool for researching and managing colleges of interest, integrating students, parents, and counselors into the planning process.
Attend “College Admissions Process” presentation by counselors
SAT/ACT/SAT Subject Tests Planning
Learn about the Financial Aid process for college
Get informed about alternative pathways including community college, vocational training, gap years, and more
Make the most of your Counselor College Planning Meeting, receiving counselor guidance including:
- Academic Record Assessment (Requirements, GPA, etc.)
- Testing Plan
- Preliminary College List
- Decision Plan Advising
Engage at O’Dowd’s Career Day, an opportunity to learn from and interact with speakers representing a wide range of career paths
Create your resume

SENIORS - Plan, Apply, Choose and Celebrate

Attend special presentation for seniors and families at O’Dowd’s College Fair with 100+ College Admissions Representatives
Attend the “Senior & Families College Application Night and Social”
Continue to explore alternative pathways as needed
Set up your college applications with support from Counseling
Use your Counselor College Planning Meeting to address:
- Final College List
- Letters of Recommendation
- College Essay Advising
- Financial Aid Advising
- NCAA Registration
Attend Financial Aid Workshop
Complete your college applications and use O’Dowd’s Essay Writing Workshops for successful college essay writing
Attend evening presentation on “College Choice Discernment Advising”
Engage at O’Dowd’s Career Day, an opportunity to learn from and interact with speakers representing a wide range of career paths
College Readiness and Healthy Transitions including identifying campus resources, safety, and budgeting.

Learning Disabilities and ADHD Services

Intellectual and cognitive diversity enriches our campus community. We welcome students from a broad spectrum of learning profiles and provide resources that allow students to contribute fully to our school. The LD/ADHD services at O’Dowd are designed to support students with documented learning disabilities and/or attention deficit through a team-based approach coordinated by a full-time specialized counselor. Contact Juliet Arechiga for more information.

View documentation LD/ADHD accommodations, requirements, and FAQs »

Contact Juliet Arechiga for more information.

Academic Support

O’Dowd addresses student academic performance challenges during their time as Dragons through a layered system of resources and support that is carefully designed and personalized. We believe that students succeed when they are supported by a collaborative program that includes structured communication between the home and school and a concerted case management approach involving all stakeholders, including teachers, coaches, academic support staff and counselors. For more information on Academic Support programs, please explore the drop down menu below or contact Catherine Harris, Director of Academic Support.

Academic Support Center

While the center is closed because we are no longer on campus, students can still receive one on one support from a tutor. Scheduling is done through the PeerKonnect program. (Register using your school email address.) Teachers are also available on Wednesday mornings for office hours. See Schoology for additional details.

SMART Sessions

SMART Sessions provide O’Dowd students help with identifying and resolving roadblocks to academic success. These sessions are subject specific, teacher-led study groups that meet before or after school and require the student to commit to a fixed schedule for the entire semester. Contact Catherine Harris for more information.