School Counselor

Building trust when working with students is of the utmost importance. Maintaining confidentiality with a student is vital to the work that a school counselor does on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important for parents and students to know that I take confidentiality very seriously and there are only certain situations when that confidentiality must be broken:

1.  When the threat of harm to self or others is shared with the counselor
2. When there is disclosure of child abuse or neglect
3. When it is ordered by the court system, or law enforcement

Informed consent is also another important part of the school counselor, student, and parent/guardian working relationship. Informed consent is the process between the counselor, student and parent have discussed information about the purpose, goals, rules of procedure, and limits of confidentiality that may happen during counseling.

1.  Set a schedule — The school year is an incredibly busy time of year- grown ups’ work schedules, children’s activities, family obligations, the list can go on and on! Be mindful as the grown-up that collaborating with your student to create a schedule for the school year can help establish consistency and healthy boundaries.

• Know your child’s school day bell schedule and their daily class period schedule. Create a visual calendar (a whiteboard is a great tool) for your student, as well as a visual schedule for them to keep in their binder, backpack or locker.
• Consistent sleep times- set wakeup and bedtimes that allow your student to feel rested for school, outside school activities, and sports.

2. Set aside a designated time each day/evening for homework, review, or organizing your student’s binder — Spend 30 minutes to an hour (friendly suggestion, this is different for each family) of time each evening to go over your child’s school day.

• Spend the first 10 minutes asking what your student(s) did in each of their classes. Ask to see the assignment or information provided from that class. Check Google Classroom and ParentVue/StudentVue as you are having this conversation.
• Spend the remainder of the time supporting your student(s) as they work on homework/assignments that have an upcoming due date.
• Help your student email or communicate with their teacher asking questions or clarification needed on missing assignments or tests, spend time helping your student organize their binder with paper, pencils, and placing any paper copies or notes in a designated place in their binder.

3.  Eat healthy food — When your brain is nourished, you can learn.  Please access breakfast and lunch at the SMS cafeteria!

4.  Know who your kids are hanging out with — Knowing your student’s friend group and their parent(s)/caregiver(s) is vital to fostering positive relationships and developing good social skills. This includes who your child is friends with on social media, video games, and text messaging.

5.  Social Media — Be familiar with what social media apps students are using on their phones, laptops or video game consoles. Some of the most popular are Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Discord. Do not forget about YouTube channels, video games, and “App Hiders”. The amount of information, pictures, and videos (real and created) that students are exposed to have impact (both positive and negative). This often creates complex conflicts between students that our teachers, administration, and staff deal with daily on campus.

6.  Love ‘em up! Middle school years can be some of the most challenging for adolescents and their grown-ups, but keeping lines of communication open with our students, setting healthy boundaries, knowing who their friends are, and holding them accountable at school and home can show them how much we love and care for them.