OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

My philosophy in life is to treat everyone, especially children, with respect and kindness.

I meet with students individually and confidentially to help them resolve or cope constructively with their problems and developmental concerns.  Students may want to talk about friendship issues, home issues, or how to be successful in school.  These meetings are scheduled to be least intrusive to the instructional day.

I meet with small groups of children who have similar concerns.  When students hear others talk about their feelings or how others are coping with or handling problems, they get ideas that they can use for themselves.  Group topics may include changing families, making friends, adjusting to a new school, study skills, stress/anxiety management, anger/self-control management, loss and bereavement.

Each year I work with teachers that have requested lessons on a variety of topics including making friends, learning about self, relaxation, cooperation, emotions, problem solving and conflict resolution.  I also facilitate classroom meetings that address current needs of the students in the classroom.

I coordinate and supervise the Buddies program.  Students from Parkland High School come to help some of our students here at school by providing them with valuable one-on-one attention.  They act as a buddy to students who benefit from their support in order to develop confidence and social skills.  The High School students work in conjunction with their teacher, Mrs. Connie Harakal.

I train selected students to act as Peer Mediators who help students in conflict find positive ways to solve disagreements. Peer Mediators use interpersonal, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills to help solve playground problems.

I am part of the Bullying Prevention Coordination Committee that helps coordinate bullying awareness activities, provides support to the staff and school community, and is a liaison with the district Bullying Prevention Committee.

I work with the Crime Victim's Council to coordinate the Safety Matters!  Program which helps children to identify unsafe situations they may encounter such as dealing with a bully, a stranger, physical abuse or attempted sexual abuse by someone the child knows.  Children are taught that they have the right to be safe and that there are Three Safety Rules that can help them to get safe when they feel unsafe.  The safety rules are say NO, GO somewhere away from what is making them feel unsafe, and TELL an adult they trust.

I serve as a source of information for parents and teachers working collaboratively to best serve the needs of our children.  Parents may consider me as a resource, someone to call when not sure what to do or are in need of assistance. Our conversations, like my work with the children, are confidential.

I am a member of the team identifying problems that may interfere with a students' learning and help to provide potential solutions.  I frequently observe student behavior and participate in activities designed to provide the team with information related to the psychology of learning.

I coordinate the state and district assessment programs at the building level.  I help students identify their skills, abilities, interests and achievements by providing assessments for self understanding, as well as administering ability screening tests and providing interpretation of standardized tests.

I communicate and exchange information with parents and guardians by way of conferences, articles on a variety of topics, and the Counselor's Corner column in the Fogelsville Flash.

...if you see me at kindergarten registration, new student registration and orientation, an IEP meeting for gifted or learning support, Back to School Night, parent conferences, the Halloween Parade, school wide activities and programs, a PTO meeting, or Fifth Grade Graduation.