The School Counselor role in the school environment supports ALL students through classroom guidance lessons. The next level of support we provide includes:
- Addressing food & other basic needs
- Prevention and skill building small groups
- Individual short-term check-ins
Thank you to all of you who returned the "Give & Receive" paper forms and electronic survey. It helps us know what your needs are and what resources may be available. JWES is grateful to work together with community partners to provide weekend food and snacks to students and families in need and delivery began last week. Special thanks to Bridgewater Retirement Community, Crosslink Community Church, Bridgewater United Methodist Church, and Bridgewater Presbyterian Church who support our weekend Food Bag Program. Students and families receiving food bags have been notified but please reach out to us if you are interested in participating as we have some limited spots available.
Small groups usually are a mix of 4-8 students that meet weekly, sometimes over lunch, to build relationships, practice social skills, and prevent common problems elementary school students might deal with. Some examples of topics covered are sportsmanship, friendship, self-esteem, worry/anxiety, and executive functioning skills. Small groups are run based on the needs reported by teachers/staff and families and are run throughout the year, depending on school counselors schedules, usually beginning in October or November. If your child is chosen to take part in a small counseling group, you will be notified with a letter and opportunity to opt-out.
Individual short-term check-ins are with students on an as needed basis. School Counselors have many of the same skills and training as licensed counselors in the community, but are unable to provide long-term counseling due to time constraints and large caseloads. Mrs. Strite and Ms. K use conflict resolution, solution-focused counseling, and check-in/check-out models to help students that have personal, emotional, or relational problems that get in the way of learning throughout the school day. We work hand-in-hand with teachers, administrators, and behavior support staff to help struggling students.
As always, please reach out to Ms. K (PreK/1/3/5) or Mrs. Strite (K/2/4) if you have any concerns you think we might be able to help with. Thanks for all you do to encourage your student to have a positive relationship with the staff at school that support them!
