Counselor's+Corner

Abbie Harriman Seminole Elementary School Counselor **__ What does Mrs. Harriman do? __**  -Help all students with academic, career, personal/social concerns and any other problems that they may face. -Teach classroom lessons which are preventative in design and deal with matters of character and building skills to support character building. - Bring students together in groups to work together on a variety of topics and learn new skills. -Work with parents, teachers, and administration in collaboration, consultation, and offering information on additional resources. -Provide support to the school community. -Support students through 504, LPAC & SIT committees. -Campus Testing Administrator for STAAR and local benchmarks I work with our students in the following ways: -Small-group counseling -Classroom-based counseling -Individual student counseling

** My goal is to help our students be successful! **   **__ Classroom-based counseling __** My goal is to visit with all the classrooms in the building. So this year, I plan on making a schedule that will allow me to visit each classroom, __once a month__. I will be creating a Year at a glance calendar soon. Each month we will focus on a CORE VALUE. Though this topic will be at the center of what we do, there will be various skills that we learn in the classroom that pertains to that particular topic. **__ Got a Minute? (All Grades) __** I would like to schedule “Minute Meetings” with all of the students on our campus. The purpose of the "Minute Meetings" is to give all students the opportunity to check-in with me. This will help me address student needs and get to know all of our kids a little better. I hope that you will help me with this endeavor.

My plan is to pull a chair into the hallway and meet with students during the intervention hour. I will pull students one-by-one. I will have each student send the next person out when their minute meeting is over. I would like to keep these to a minute, but I imagine that will be quite difficult. Look forward to an email coming soon with scheduling details.

**__ How can a Student see the School Counselor? __**  -self-referral -teacher, administrator, or staff referral

-parent referral

-counselor observation You can call, email, or talk with me about any student you think may need additional support on an issue. Students can request to see me and walk down to my office to leave a referral note, which will be right outside my door. If I am available, I may just take that student immediately. I will be sure to communicate if they are with me. For the first initial visit, especially from an elementary student I will contact parents to let them know that they visited without sharing confidential information. Either via email, phone call, or a letter sent home.

**__ When should you Refer Students to the School Counselor? __** __ The following should be considered emergency referrals and referred immediately: __ -Suspected evidence of child abuse, physical, or mental -Signs of self-injury -A child who cries or gets sick daily -A child who becomes unable to function in a normal way -Any behavior change in a child that is sudden or unusual. -A child undergoing a traumatic family experience -Indications of mounting hostility between a child and a teacher or her/her peer group __ Other referral topics include, but are not limited to ____ … __ -Academics -Anxiety -Anger -Coping Skills -Goal Setting -Grief and Loss -Divorce and Separation -Friendship -Loneliness -Relational Aggression -Stress -Social and Communication Skills -Empowerment and Organization Skills -Mediation -Family Concerns -Managing Feelings -Impulse Control **__ Confidentiality __** The School Counselor keeps information confidential unless disclosure is __required__.

I will inform parents and/or appropriate authorities when the student’s condition indicates: Harm to Self Harm to Others Harm from Others Confidential Student Information This year you will receive a red 3 ring binder. This binder will contain all accommodations, IEP's, BIP's or any other confidential student documentation. I will be putting these together the first week of school. Once you receive this notebook, I need for you to sign a receipt of accommodations. This will be done through the link below.

Receipt of Confidential Student Documentation **__ How to Report to the Department of Family and Protective Services __**  __ Contact Information: __   []   1-800-252-5400 Reports made online take up to 24 hours to process. Call the hotline if:
 * You believe your situation requires action in less than 24 hours.
 * You have insufficient data to complete the required information on the report.

If you use the online reporting system, be sure you have at least 45 minutes. Remember, you don’t have to go through this process alone. I will help you!!!

__** Character Education **__

This year we will focus on monthly core values. We will have daily announcements just as in the past. I will use these in my monthly lessons in your classrooms. More resource links will be added at a later time.