NativityMiguel School of Scranton’s GSP

As a relatively new school with its first graduating class in 2019, The NativityMiguel School of Scranton (NMS) is still developing its GSP. While eventually incorporating college and postsecondary employment, NMS’s GSP currently focuses on high school preparation, placement, and success. Please click the drop-down tabs below to learn more about our GSP.

Belief Statement:

The Graduate Support Program (GSP) team at The NativityMiguel School of Scranton (NMS) believes that:

  1. The diversity of the student body empowers all students and graduates of NMS to reach their full potential as students, leaders, and role models in their families and community.
  2. All students and graduates of NMS enrich the communities they are in both now and in the future.
  3. The holistic education that all NMS students receive is critical to their development across all facets of life, including the academic, career, and social/emotional domains.
  4. The financial accessibility of a high quality education at NMS is integral to combating the academic and social challenges that our students, graduates, and their families face every day.
  5. Through academically rigorous curricula, an extended school day and extended school year model, and various extracurricular activities, all NMS students and graduates are able to fully embrace all aspects of their life and participate in holistic development.
  6. All NMS students and graduates deserve, and will have, access to academic, career, and social/emotional services provided by the Director of Graduate Support and be guided to appropriate outside resources if necessary.

Vision Statement:

The vision of the Graduate Support Program (GSP) at The NativityMiguel School of Scranton (NMS) foresees students and graduates of NMS becoming lifelong learners and using their unique and diverse backgrounds to better both the local community and the community at large. Through programs and initiatives facilitated through the GSP at NMS, students and graduates will become intrinsically motivated, critical thinkers that empower and advocate for themselves and other disadvantaged individuals and groups while continuously striving for excellence in all facets of their lives.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Graduate Support Program (GSP) at The NativityMiguel School of Scranton (NMS) is to challenge all students and graduates to achieve their highest potential through holistic programs and interventions designed to enhance the academic, career, and social/emotional development of each student and graduate of NMS. It is the goal of NMS and the GSP to empower students and graduates to break through barriers placed upon them by unjust overt and covert societal and institutional practices and policies, becoming well-rounded, contributing members of society and leaders in their respective communities as well as the community at large.

While we spend all four years of a student’s education at NMS preparing him/her/them for success in college preparatory high schools, more explicit and direct high school preparation begins for NMS students in their 7th grade year. During the second half of a student’s 7th grade year, he/she/they will participate in a weekly High School Seminar taught by the Director of Graduate Support. This seminar course continues to meet weekly throughout a student’s entire 8th grade year. In this class, some high school-related topics that are covered include:

  • Academics
  • Time management skills
  • Study skills
  • Organizational skills
  • Information about high schools
  • High school scholarships and financial aid
  • High school social life
  • Applications
  • Placement test preparation
  • Goal-setting
  • Resume-building
  • Mock interviews
  • Getting involved in high school
  • Peer pressure
  • Career development
  • High school transition

  • The Director of Graduate Support works with each student and family individually to determine the best high school options for the student. The Director of Graduate Support takes several factors into account when recommending appropriate options for each student, including grades, disciplinary records, personal preferences, a student’s goals, family finances, location from home to school, and more.
  • The Director of Graduate Support assists 8th grade students and their families through the high school admissions and financial aid application processes. The Director of Graduate Support arranges for local and boarding schools to come and present at NMS to 8th grade students and their families. The Director of Graduate Support also coordinates shadow days and placement tests at the high schools, while also coordinating mock interviews.
  • The Director of Graduate Support maintains regular contact with the high schools that 8th graders are applying to, ensuring that the application and admissions processes run smoothly. The Director also advocates to the high schools on behalf of each student and family when necessary.

  • The Director of Graduate Support holds regular visits with NMS graduates at their high schools, ensuring that they are meeting the academic and behavioral standards of their institutions.
  • The Director of Graduate Support holds workshops for NMS graduates, covering a wide range of topics including study skills, financial literacy, SAT/ACT preparation, social-emotional learning, college applications, and more.
  • The Director of Graduate Support keeps in regular contact with NMS graduates to intervene when issues/concerns/questions arise and to continue supplying them with the skills and knowledge they need to become empowered and successful individuals.