GHS Counselor Connection

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year! It's a new semester too. We hope students enjoyed a restful break and have returned with renewed motivation, starting fresh with the best study habits. We encourage students to ask for help when needed and use all of the resources available to them. Please read below for important updates. Our team is here to support students and families in the Counseling & Wellness Center on the 2nd floor of the main office. Students may visit during break/lunch, or with a pass from their teachers. Caregivers should contact the counselor to schedule an appointment.

Our counseling team is excited to welcome Rasha Biolzi! A third year counselor, Rasha has been working in education for eleven years and holds an Master's Degree in school counseling. She comes highly recommended by staff at other schools in our district and is dedicated to making sure all students feel valued. She speaks Arabic fluently and will be a great resource for our GHS families. Rasha is working with ninth-eleventh graders with the last names starting with Cap-Gh. Seniors will remain with their current counselor until they graduate.

Parents and caregivers of school-aged children are invited to a free online mindfulness series hosted by the San Diego County of Education in partnership with certified meditation instructors. Learning to Relax Through Mindfulness is a four-part series designed to deepen understanding of stress management, relaxation, and emotional resilience. Parents and guardians will gain practical tools and techniques to nurture qualities such as kindness, compassion, and empathy. Register here.

Class Schedule – Thursdays in January, 6:00–7:00 PM

• Jan 8: What Tenderness Can Teach Us

• Jan 15: Developing Harmony

• Jan 22: Inviting Your Heart into Meditation

• Jan 29: Developing Good Values

Please click here for information on how to register new Grossmont students!

Future Foothillers who do not live in our attendance boundaries may apply for School Choice:

• The School Choice Window will be open until February 20, 2025 at 4:00pm.
• Siblings of current students placed at Grossmont through school choice must also complete a School Choice application as an incoming student.
• Complete online registration by Feb. 2nd to allow time for processing and watch for an email inviting you to create an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.
• Submit a School Choice application through Infinite Campus Parent Portal before Feb. 20th.
• Starting with the 2026/27 School Year, school choice will be the only option to attend a GUHSD school located outside your home address boundary.

The Today’s Military website is produced by the United States Department of Defense as a resource for young adults, parents and educators curious about military service. The goal is to paint an accurate picture of what it’s like to work, live and serve in today’s Military. Interviews with active-duty service members provide genuine insight into the challenges and rewards of service. Interactive tools allow you to explore the range of military career opportunities, estimate military pay and explore the less tangible benefits of service. See Ms. Santoro in the counseling office if you would like to make an appointment with a military recruiter.

Our district is partnering with the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) to offer students comprehensive college and career search tools. Counselors will teach students how to use these tools via CaliforniaColleges.edu when we visit junior English classes on Jan. 12th. Our junior English teachers are incorporating this into their curriculum as well. Watch our next newsletter and the counseling website for copies of our presentations.

The CSU/UC universities are no longer using ACT/SAT test scores for admissions purposes. However, other universities may require one of these exams, or they may have a test-optional policy, which means an excellent score can add value to an application. They may be required by specific programs or scholarships. Please click here for more information and test dates. Fee waivers are available in the counseling office. Students who need to request accommodations for a disability, please click here.

The GHS Counseling Department will be starting senior meetings during the week of January 26th-29th. All 12th-grade students will meet with their counselor during their English period to discuss plans for life after high school. Our goal is to ensure every senior has the information and tools they need to achieve their post-high school goals. During these meetings, counselors will also provide handouts with valuable information on scholarships, community college opportunities, and upcoming workshops for 4-year university applications.

Students, please come prepared with any questions about your future plans.

Parents/Guardians: Be sure to ask your senior to share these handouts with you after their meeting.

In just one application, the Common Scholarship Application provides students access to more than 100 scholarship opportunities with awards ranging from $1,000 to more than $5,000. Some scholarships can be renewed for multiple years to help offset the financial burden for a student’s entire undergraduate career. Check out the website for more information and to apply! Applications are due by March 4th. Additional scholarship opportunities are available on our counseling website here.

Ashley Brookshire, Assistant Director of Admissions, says "If you don’t receive the decision you’re hoping for, don’t interpret that as meaning you aren’t good enough. It means that based on the tiny sliver of a total person that we get to see in the application process, in the context of a pool of tens of thousands incredible individuals, and bearing the enrollment constraints of our campus, we were not able to offer you admission...The idea of clear-cut “cans” and “cannots,” or “admits” and “admit-nots,” doesn’t exist in the holistic, competitive college review process..." Click here to read more from the Georgia Tech Admissions Blog.

Some California State University campuses have extended their deadlines! Click here to look up which campuses and programs are still accepting applications.

Are you applying to out of state or private universities that use the Common Application for admissions? Here are some resources to help you complete the application:

Common App Student Guides and Resources

College Essay Guy Video Walkthrough of the Common App

Collegewise Guide to the Common App

Please also be sure to give your counselor a brag packet two-three weeks ahead of time so we can do a great job on the Common App School Report and letter of recommendation for you!