Services Provided


Some of the Services Provided by your School Counselor:

Classroom Guidance Lessons: Students meet with the school counselor as a class every week for classroom guidance lessons.Classroom guidance curriculum is comprehensive in scope, developmentally appropriate, preventative, and proactive.The guidance curriculum promotes knowledge, attitudes, and skills through instruction in three content areas: academic achievement, career development, and social/emotional growth.  Lessons for all students last for 45 minutes.

Small Group Counseling: Our school is pleased to offer counseling/support groups for students during the school year.  Topics of groups have/may include: changing families, grief/loss, coping with anger, social skills, and organizational skills. Other topics could be addressed as well based on need.  Groups are voluntary, require parent permission, and address concerns faced by students while providing a supportive environment in which students can learn and practice new skills with peer support.  Research has shown that being part of a group with peers going through a similar situation can help children to normalize their experiences and receive peer validation and support.  Groups are subject to level of need, number of interested participants, and facilitator availability.

Individual Counseling:  Individual counseling in the school is meant to be short-term.  Students may request to meet with me or can be referred by a parent or school staff member.  If I believe your child could benefit from more support than I am able to provide in school, I may recommend a referral to an outside counseling agency.

School-Wide Programs:

           Character Counts -

  • A character education program in which students have the opportunity to be recognized with a bulldog buck by their teachers or other staff members for demonstrating any of the six character traits that the program emphasizes: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
  • Students receive a classroom guidance lesson that is geared toward further understanding of each particular trait during the character trait focus periods.
  • "Color Days" also help to celebrate each character trait. During Color Days, students and staff are asked to wear as much of the specific color that relates to each character trait as they can to show their support for Character Counts.
  • Monthly, random bulldog bucks drawings recognize 5 students in each grade level for showing character.Students have their choice of a character-related prize and receive a certificate of recognition.Their names are also announced on the morning announcements and their pictures are displayed on a poster in the school hallway as well as on our school website.

           Bullying Prevention -

  • Bullying prevention is directly addressed at each grade level through classroom guidance lessons with the school counselor.
  • Students in 4th-6th grade complete a “Student Bullying Survey” roughly a month into each school year, around midway in the school year, and at the close of each school year.This anonymous survey asks students about their experiences with bullying, both inside and outside of school, as well as online.It also asks about the possibility of each student’s own bullying behaviors and about how safe students feel at home and at school.In addition, the survey asks students about when they should report a problem and whom they could report to as well as when they should try to problem solve on their own first.Students are asked to report strategies that they are aware of that they could utilize to stand up for themselves.Peer nominations are also included as part of the survey in which students list the name(s) of any peers they believe they have seen being bullied during the current school year.The school counselor meets individually with any referred students.
  • If student(s) feel they are a target or victim of bullying or if they are involved in a peer conflict that they are unable to handle on their own, they are permitted to request to meet with the school counselor through the school’s self-referral system.The school counselor makes referrals to the principal for follow-up as necessary.

           Other Events – The school counselor coordinates a number of other special events throughout the year, such as Red Ribbon Week, Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Week, No Name-Calling Week, The Great Kindness Challenge, and Field and Fun Day.

           Consultation/Collaboration:  I consult and/or collaborate with parents, teachers, administrators, and students on a daily basis.  Please contact me if I may be of assistance. 

             Student Service Club Facilitator:

  • Character Counts Club (CCC):
    • This club is open to all students in 5th and 6th grade who are motivated to go above and beyond to help make their school, homes, and communities better places to be for themselves and others (embodying citizenship), by utilizing the remaining 5 Character Counts traits – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, and caring.
    • Students in this club lead and participate in a number of activities of their choosing.There are a total of 5 different committees within CCC:
      1. Paper Recycling – Collect and sort paper and cardboard recycling throughout our entire school
      2. Video Production - Write and perform skits that demonstrate our character traits and that are viewed by our entire student body
      3. Poster Making – Create and display positive character-related posters throughout the hallways of our school
      4. Announcements – Present the morning character announcement for our student body
      5. Bulldog Bucks Collection – Help collect and sort the bulldog bucks that students earn for showing character
  • Green Team:
    • This club is open to all students in 1st through 4th grade who strive to make a positive impact on our environment by recycling commonly thrown away items through a partnership with an upcycling company, TerraCycle.Students help to coordinate the recycling process and encourage others to participate in the recycling efforts as well.Our school currently recycles 10 unique items that would typically add to waste output.