School Attendance...Everyday Counts

School Attendance...Everyday Counts

Students learn best when they attend school every day. When students miss school, they miss important lessons and essential skills needed for academic success.

Regular attendance establishes patterns of responsibility and commitment that will serve students throughout their lives, including in the workplace, the military, college, or trade school.

To support students and families, AES is dedicated to removing barriers to regular attendance. We are striving to:

• Improve daily student attendance,

• Increase communication between schools and parents/guardians or families, and

• Connect students and families to resources that meet their individual needs and help them overcome obstacles to regular attendance.

There are numerous issues - social, medical, or family - that can impact a student’s attendance. As serious as these issues may be, all can be overcome with support from school staff, family members, and service providers who partner with our schools.

If you need assistance, call Mrs. Sinclair, School Counselor or Mr. Williams, Pupil Personal Worker to help you find the resources your child needs to succeed.

Attendance Tips for Parents

Support your child’s education. School offers exceptional learning opportunities every day. Help your child be at school all day, every day!

• Let children know that good attendance is important. Show them that you are interested in their school activities and want them to do well in school.

• Communicate with school staff. Let us know in advance if your child is going to be absent or if you have concerns about your child’s attendance or school performance.

• Observe the school schedule. Plan family vacations during school recesses and schedule children’s doctor appointments after school hours whenever possible.

• Establish a routine. Make sure children have homework done, classroom materials together, and clothes laid out the night before school. Make sure they get enough sleep so that they are well-rested in the morning.

Your child’s success in school depends on having a solid educational background, one that can only be gained through regular school attendance. Praise your child when he or she exhibits good attendance and promptness.

Connecting With Your Child's School Counselor for a Successful School Year

Connecting With Your Child's School Counselor for a Successful School Year 

~Taken from the ASCA school counselor resources page

It’s that time of year again – back to school. As students across the country enter the school halls with fresh notebooks, clean backpacks and a new attitude to do their best, it’s time for parents to think about their back-to-school roles as well. One way to ensure your children have a successful school year is to make a connection with their school counseling department.

The school counselor’s role is to act as the first line of contact for parents and students for assistance in academic, social or personal development. The professional school counselor is a certified/licensed educator trained in school counseling with unique qualifications and skills to address all students’ academic, personal/social and career development needs.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) encourages parents to proactively communicate with their child’s school counselor at least three times a year to best steer their child’s success. “It’s important for parents to establish and maintain regular communications with the school counselor to better understand their child’s challenges and address any concerns that could impede success,” said Carolyn Stone, Ed.D., president of the American School Counselor Association.

“Strong in-school counseling programs contribute to overall student success,” added Rich Lapan, Ph.D., professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “Regular communications between parents and counselors can help a child tremendously.”

In an effort to help busy parents communicate more effectively with their child’s school counselor, ASCA is offering five “Back-to-School” tips to improve parent-counselor dialogue:

1. Understand the expertise and responsibilities of your child’s school counselor. School counselors make a measurable impact in every student’s life, assisting with academic, career and personal/social development. Professional school counselors are trained in both educating and counseling, allowing them to function as a facilitator between parents, teachers and the student in matters concerning the student’s goals, abilities and any areas needing improvement. School counselors provide services not only to students in need, but to all students.

2. Meet or contact your child’s school counselor at least three times per school year. The beginning of a school year is an excellent opportunity to initiate contact with your child’s school counselor and doing so can ensure your child’s positive school experience. Find out who the counselor is and what his or her experience and background are. By communicating with one another at the beginning, middle and end of the school year, parents and counselors can have a definite impact on a child’s success.

3. Discuss your child’s challenges and concerns with the school counselor. As a parent, you know your child best. However, the school counselor can help you better understand your child as a student. It’s important to encourage your child’s expression of needs, hopes and frustrations. School counselors are trained to help your children.

4. Learn about your child’s school and social connections from the school counselor. When you need information or assistance, your child’s school counselor can help you get in touch with the appropriate school officials; learn about school policies on behavior, attendance and dress; know the school calendar of important dates; and stay connected with the school in many other ways. The school counselor can also help you locate resources in the community when you need them.

5. Work with the school counselor to identify resources and find solutions to problems. If your child is having a problem at school, it is important to work with your child’s school counselor to find solutions. Discuss resources available within and outside of the school, and get information on how such programs can benefit your child. Your school counselor can be a valuable partner in your child’s education and preparation for life beyond school.

By taking advantage of all the school counseling department has to offer, you can help your child start off on the right foot – and stay there – this school year.

Parents can go to www.schoolcounselor.org to learn more about the various roles and services of school counselors and how to work with school counselors to help their children achieve success.

Why a comprehensive school counseling program?

School counseling today may be quite different from what you remember from your own school experience. Gone are the days when you only saw the school counselor if you were "troubled" or needed to change your class schedule. (And chances are that you called that person your guidance counselor - a term which is no longer used since we now provide a much broader array of services. Please don't call us the "g-word"!) Now we are known as school counselors and we provide comprehensive programs that include prevention, as well as intervention, to help kids learn and be successful in the areas of academics, personal-social skills, and career preparation. Here's a brief (and amusing) video that explains comprehensive school counseling:

 

Kids will see us often in their classrooms and around the school. They can ask us for help any time by speaking with us or leaving us a note. You can do the same. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child.

August/September Lesson

During the first weeks of school, I will be going into each classroom to do our first classroom lesson.  The lesson will focus on introducing the counselor.  This is my first year at Appeal Elementary school.  I have worked as a counselor for 6 years at Mt. Harmony Elementary School.  I am excited to tell the students about myself as well as teach them about the school counselor's role in the school.

 Each student should be able to answer four questions after the introductory lesson.
1. Who is my school counselor?
2. What does a school counselor do?
3. What types of things can I see my school counselor for?
4.What does the school counselor teach us about?

Each class will be split into small groups and create a poster on one of the assigned questions above.

If you would like a more detailed description of my role, I have a blog post with the role of the elementary school counselor that you may want to take a look at...

Grade Level Objectives for Classroom Lessons

Below are the objectives for each grade level for all students.  Students will be learning about these topics during our monthly lessons throughout the year.  This list is not an all inclusive list of topics taught at each level but gives a general overview of topics covered.  Topics may change depending on needs of staff and student at that grade level. 

3rd Grade

Topics: Conflict Resolution, Bullying, Body Safety, and Careers

All 3rd graders will be able to:

• Identify bullying behaviors versus non-bullying behaviors

• Respond appropriately to bullying behaviors

• Use appropriate bully-reporting procedures (i.e. CCPS bullying form)

• Use effective communication skills

• Understand the need for self-control and how to practice it

• Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences

• Distinguish between problems they can solve independently versus those that require adult help

• Identify and apply a variety of strategies to resolve a conflict

• Distinguish between “good, bad and confusing touch”

• Use the “no, go, tell” strategy to assert personal safety (strangers, physical touch)
• Develop career awareness


• Identify career goals

• Acquire career information and knowledge to reach career goals

4th Grade

Topics: Bullying, Efficacy, Goal-setting, Decision Making, and Careers

All 4th graders will be able to:

•Identify bullying behaviors versus non-bullying behaviors

• Respond appropriately to bullying behaviors

• Use appropriate bully-reporting procedures (i.e. CCPS bullying form)

• Define efficacy

• Understand that hard work and effort will result in academic achievement

• Apply strategies to show efficacy

• Identify and apply the steps of the goal-setting process

• Use a decision-making and problem-solving model

• Develop career awareness


• Identify career goals

• Acquire career information and knowledge to reach career goals

5th grade

Topics: Bullying, Teambuilding, Peer Pressure, Leaning styles, M.S. Transition, & Careers

All 5th graders will be able to:

• Identify bullying behaviors versus non-bullying behaviors

• Respond appropriately to bullying behaviors

• Use appropriate bully-reporting procedures (i.e. CCPS bullying form)

• Cooperate with students

• Identify personal responsibilities as part of a team to achieve success

• Identify forms of peer pressure

• Cope with peer pressure

• Share concerns regarding the transition from elementary to MS

• Identify resource people in the middle school, and know how to seek their help

•Define learning styles

• Identify their personal learning style

• Develop career awareness


• Identify career goals

• Acquire career information and knowledge to reach career goals

The Elementary School Counselor

Elementary School Students’ Developmental Needs

The elementary years are a time when students begin to develop their academic self-concept and their feelings of competence and confidence as learners. They are beginning to develop decision-making, communication and life skills, as well as character values. It is also a time when students develop and acquire attitudes toward school, self, peers, social groups and family. Comprehensive developmental school counseling programs provide education, prevention and intervention services, which are integrated into all aspects of children’s lives. Early identification and intervention of children’s academic and personal/social needs is essential in removing barriers to learning and in promoting academic achievement. The knowledge, attitudes and skills that students acquire in the areas of academic, career and personal/social development during these elementary years serve as the foundation for future success.

Meeting the Challenge

Elementary school counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population. Elementary school counselors don’t work in isolation; rather they are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students achieve school success. Professional school counselors align with the school’s mission to support the academic achievement of all students as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st century. This mission is accomplished through the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive, developmental and systematic school counseling program. ASCA’s National Standards in the academic, career, and personal/social domains are the foundation for this work. The ASCA National Model: A Framework For School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2002), with its data-driven and results-based focus, serves as a guide for today’s school counselor who is uniquely trained to implement this program.

Elementary School Counselors Implement the Counseling Program by Providing:

School Guidance Curriculum

Academic support, including organizational, study and test-taking skills

Goal setting and decision-making

Career awareness, exploration and planning

Education on understanding self and others

Peer relationships, coping strategies and effective social skills

Communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution

Substance abuse education

Multicultural/diversity awareness

Individual student planning

Academic planning

Goal setting/decision- making

Education on understanding of self, including strengths and weaknesses

Transition plans

Responsive Services

Individual and small-group counseling

Individual/family/school crisis intervention

Conflict resolution

Consultation/collaboration

Referrals

System Support

Professional development

Consultation, collaboration and teaming

Program management and operation

Elementary School Counselors Collaborate with:

Parents

Parent education

Communication/networking

Academic planning

College/career awareness programs

One-on-one parent conferencing

Teachers

Classroom guidance activities

Academic support, including learning style assessment and education to help students succeed academically

Classroom speakers

At-risk student identification and implementation of interventions to enhance success

Administrators

School climate

Behavioral management plans

School-wide needs assessments

Student data and results

Student assistance team building

Students

Peer education

Peer support

Academic support

School climate

Leadership development

Community

Service learning

Crisis interventions

Referrals

Support groups

Career education

**These examples are not intended to be all-inclusive

Why Elementary School Counselors?

Elementary school years set the tone for developing the knowledge, attitudes and skill necessary for children to become healthy, competent and confident learners. Through a comprehensive developmental school counseling program, school counselors work as a team with the school staff, parents and the community to create a caring climate and atmosphere. By providing education, prevention, early identification and intervention, school counselors can help all children achieve academic success. The professional elementary school counselor holds a master’s degree and required state certification in school counseling. Maintaining certification includes on-going professional development to stay current with education reform and challenges facing today’s students. Professional association membership enhances the school counselor’s knowledge and effectiveness.



~Taken from the ASCA website- http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=230