School Counseling Department

At Tampa Catholic, our dynamic counseling team is dedicated to supporting every student. Our department includes four certified school counselors and three additional student support staff, ensuring comprehensive care for all students. Highlights of our program include:

College planning throughout all four years
Academic advising and schedule planning
Annual parent information meetings by grade level
Individual student appointments for each grade
Classroom sessions on various topics

Students are assigned a counselor based on their last name, providing continuity throughout their four years. Our college counselor partners with juniors and seniors, working alongside their assigned counselor to guide them through the college admissions process.

Counselor Meeting with Students

All students meet individually with their school counselor in the Fall to discuss their:

Acclimation to high school
Academic progress
Future academic plans
Service hours
GPA Calculation
Making sure students are aware and/or taking advantage of all their resources that TC has to offer
Social and emotional development
College preparation
discuss student's interests, needs, and concerns

9th-11th grade Students meet individually with their school counselor in the Spring to:

select courses for the next academic year
make plans for increasing academic rigor throughout their years at TC
schedule summer classes designed to increase rigor and GPA
ensure their transcript is complete and they are on track for the college admissions process
discuss student's interests, needs, and concerns

Meetings with the College Counselor - Seniors

First semester the college counselor is available for individual meetings with the Seniors during the first semester to assist with the college planning and application process.
College Counselor presents the next steps for college application process during senior orientation.

Juniors

September and February - The College Counselor will meet with the juniors for class presentations on college planning related to the following topics: Standardize testing, College Fair and Visits, and Counselor Meetings.
Second semester the College Counselor is available for individual meetings with Juniors to discuss the next phase of college planning.
The College Counselor is available each day after school for questions. This is open to all students in each grade level.

Standardized Testing

Offered on campus at Tampa Catholic High School

All 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students will take the PSAT each October.
All 9th and 10th grade students will take the PreACT each March.
All 11th grade students will take a National School Day ACT in March. This is a college reportable score for admissions.
Tampa Catholic High School is a National Test Center for select ACT and SAT test dates.
College Board AP Exams are administered the first two weeks of May. Each year that a student takes an AP course while enrolled at Tampa Catholic High School, they are required to take the National AP Exam in May of that school year.

Parent Meetings by Grade Level

Freshman parent meeting - each September, school counselors present information to the Freshman parents on the following topics:
- Academics: types of assessments given, grading scale, and calculation of GPA
- Canvas
- Standardized testing
- Service hours
- College preparation
- Extracurricular clubs and sports
Sophomore parent meeting - each January, school counselors present information to the sophomore parents on the following topics:
- Types of assessments (their utility and what they mean) given to 10th graders such as the PSAT and PreACT as they prepare for the actual SAT and ACT in 11th and 12th grade, and the PERT (college placement test for DE classes)
- Requirements to move up in rigorous classes to include (H) Honors, (AP) Advanced Placement, and (DE) Dual Enrollment courses
- Discussion of creating college/career goal list through utilization of Naviance and BigFuture.
Junior parent meeting - Each January, the college counselor will present information to the Junior Parents. We will review post-secondary information to make sure all juniors and their parents have the necessary information to make the senior year and college application process a success.
Senior parent meeting - Each August, the college counselor will present information to the Senior parents. During our meeting, we will cover all of the details for senior year related to your student's college planning, including but not limited to:
- Transcript request
- Letters of recommendation
- College essays
- Financial aid and scholarships

Student Support

Student Support Services works with students with disabilities by:

developing Student Support Plans with accommodations to ensure students with disabilities can access the general curriculum;
teaching students how to self advocate and use classroom accommodations
helping students develop organizational and study skills;
monitoring progress and providing academic and behavioral support
helping students identify how they learn and become independent learners.

Meet our School Counselors!

Debbie Fiori Director of School Counseling

DFiori@tampacatholic.org 813-870-0860, x242
Mark Ventura School Counselor

mventura@tampacatholic.org 813-870-0860, x244
Leslie Loanzon School Counselor

LLoanzon@tampacatholic.org 813-870-0860, x132
Alexia Haldane '97 College Counselor

ahaldane@tampacatholic.org 813-870-0860, x246