We hope everyone had a terrific summer and are ready to make this a great school year! We are looking forward to working with all of you and to help make this year the best one yet! As School Counselors, we follow students throughout their 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years. This allows us to get to know and hopefully build positive connections with our students. We wanted to share a little bit about our School Counseling team with you.

Miss Kari Lamboni (6th Grade Counselor) - I am joining the Palmyra Area Middle School Counseling team this year and I am so excited to be a part of the Palmyra community. This will be my first year as a school counselor, upon completing my master's degree last year. I look forward to working with the students at Palmyra Area Middle School and am eager to meet some new faces. A few things I enjoy doing outside of school is any outdoor activity and enjoying the sun when I can. I am from Maryland/ Delaware and grew up around the beach, so I will be missing the beach but am excited to explore all that Pennsylvania has to offer. I look forward to meeting so many awesome students and I am excited for an awesome school year!

Mr. Andrew Capodanno (7th Grade Counselor) - This is my 2nd year at PAMS and I will be working with the 7th graders this school year. In addition to my Counseling position, this is my first year as the Head Junior Varsity Basketball season at the High School. Outside of school, I am a lifelong Michigan Wolverines and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and can’t wait for the upcoming football season (unless Michigan loses to Penn State). I feel very fortunate to work with such incredible students and faculty at the Middle School. I wish all students and families a fun and safe school year!

Mrs. Michelle Waiter (8th Grade Counselor) - This is my 24th year at PAMS and 27th overall as a school counselor! I am also the Director of our 7th Grade Outdoor Education Program and have been in that role for 22 years. I have been married to my husband Brian for 29 years, and we have one son Brayden, who is in 11th grade who plays tennis. I love getting away to the beach, going for walks, listening to music, and playing sports with my family and friends. I also enjoy cooking and baking when I have time.

Mrs. Janine Burrows (Counseling Secretary) - Hello! I am entering my 9th year as the counseling secretary at Palmyra Middle School. I have been married to my husband, Mike, for thirty-one years and we have two adult children, Michael and Katelyn. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and my two Golden retriever grand-dogs, River and Moose.

Each year we ask parents to update their information through logging into PowerSchool. It's important for the school to have updated contact information for your child for many reasons including being able to get into contact with you for any emergency, the nurse to be able to treat things like headaches, and for you to view your child's grades in PowerSchool. If you haven't done so already - please log into PowerSchool asap and complete the information that is needed. If you are having any difficulty logging into PowerSchool please contact Mrs. Burrows in the School Counseling Office at janine_burrows@pasd.us

ABC Keystone is offering an interactive career exploration opportunity for middle school students this fall at their facility in Manheim. Mr. Capodanno will be taking several students on Thursday, October 12th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to this event. This is a school-sponsored field trip and lunch will be provided. If your child is interested in participating, please call or email asap (andrew_capodanno@pasd.us). Space is limited! There is room for only seven students this fall.

Each year our 7th grade students participate in a career fair where they learn about occupations related to their interests. This year our career will be held on Friday, January 12th from 8-9:30 a.m. If you would be interested in sharing your career field with our students, please fill out the survey below and save the above date on your calendar. Someone from the middle school counseling office will follow up with you in the near future. Click Here!

Each year we offer academic support through our Peer Mentoring Program for struggling students in grades 6-8. The program will run from mid-November through April during PAWS period. School Counselors will partner up mentors and mentees to meet once or twice a cycle. Students will be able to finish classwork, complete homework, study for test/quizzes, work on projects, get organized, etc. Music ensemble times will be avoided so students can attend those graded courses.

Peer Mentors

We look are looking for students in grades 6-8 who are strong in their academic skills (who are keeping their grades at an 80% or higher), and are able to communicate and work well with others. Students will be surveyed to determine their interest in serving as a mentor. Teachers will then be asked to provide us with recommendations of students who show interest. Recommended students will then need a signed permission slip from a parent/guardian. New peer mentors will be trained for the program. Returning seventh and eighth grade students who were trained last year, will meet with the school counselors for a brief re-training.

Peer Mentees

Students who would like to recieve help through the peer mentoring program can contact their school counselor by stopping into the counseling office or sending an email to their counselor. Parents/guardians can also reach out to their child's school counselor on their behalf for the peer mentoring program.

Kari Lamboni - 6th grade counselor kari_lamboni@pasd.us

Andrew Capodanno - 7th Grade Counselor andrew_capodanno@pasd.us

Michelle Waiter - 8th Grade Counselor michelle_waiter@pasd.us

Is your child interested in getting involved in school? There are many opportunities through our club list for students to get involved. We will be providing information of the current club list for this school year once it is finalized!

This year is the 44th year of the Outdoor Education Program that takes place at Camp Swatara for Palmyra Area Middle School 7th graders! Students will be split into two weeks (Mountain and Stream - there is no difference in the programming) for the fall field trips and the spring camp weeks.

First up will be the fall field trip to Camp Swatara in October. Students will take a tour of camp to become familiar with their surroundings and see the facilities where classes and activities will be held. They will have an opportunity to get to know each other better through some team building activities. Lastly, students bury a "time capsule" of items, which they hope to recover in the spring during our first day back to camp in May.

Mountain Week

Fall Field Trip Date: Tuesday, October 10th

Sharks Team and half of the Lions team (HR's TBD)

Stream Week

Fall Field Trip Date: Wednesday, October 11th

Timberwolves Team and half of the Lions team (HR's TBD)

Rain Date (for either fall field trip) - Thursday, October 12th

The full list of "Important Dates to Remember" for the year, as well as much more information about the OE Program will be coming home with your student at the end of this month.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. The emphasis is to create awareness of this leading cause of death in order to help educate the public on how they can help to make a difference and help to save the lives of those who may be struggling. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's (AFSP) website is a great resource for this important topic.

Kari Lamboni - 6th Grade Counselor

Andrew Capodanno - 7th Grade Counselor

Michelle Waiter - 8th Grade Counselor

Janine Burrows - Counseling Secretary

Clare Missimer - School Social Worker (Secondary)

Visit our School Counseling page to access additional resources and information by clicking the link below!

Website: https://www.pasd.us/PAMS-Counseling
Location: 50 West Cherry Street, Palmyra, PA, USA
Phone: (717) 838-1331
Twitter: @PAMSCounselors