Our Guidance Counselors

We are very lucky in Raymond to have wonderful, dedicated Guidance Counselors for our students at all three schools.  I do not remember my guidance counselor (this is not an age related comment) because their primary responsibility at that time was to answer questions about college.  I did most of the research on this myself, and the extent of my involvement with guidance was to sign up for SAT tests!
The times have definitely changed and our guidance counselors are more important than ever before.  Since February 2-6 was National Guidance Counselor Week, I thought this would be a good time to fill everyone in on just what our guidance counselors do in our schools these days.  I'm not sure that everyone has a clear picture of the enormous responsibilities we place on our counselors.

Depending on the grade or age of a student, listed here is just some of what can take place in a counselor's day:

• Early intervention of academic needs
• Social skills
• Decision making skills
• Goal setting
• Substance abuse education
• Referrals
• Consultations
• Career awareness
• Conflict resolution
• Collaborating with parents, teachers, administrators
• Counseling goals for IEP students
• Organizational skills
• Assessments
• Coping strategies
• Providing resources for parents, students and staff
• Suicide prevention
• Anti-bullying education
• Parent phone calls
• Career Day
• School climate
• Behavioral management plans
• Scheduling changes
• Continuing professional development
• Academic plans
• Mental health issues
• Graduation
• Developing positive attitudes
• Transitioning students from one school to another
• Seacoast School of Technology decisions and scheduling
• College awareness
• Boyfriend/girlfriend issues
• Education on making good choices
• Peer mediation
• Help with the grieving process
• Crisis intervention
• Attendance issues
• Evaluating data
• Introducing new students to the school community
• Meeting with school resource officer
• Problem solving skills
• Instrumental part of many school committees
• Compiling transcripts
• Hearings
• Letters of recommendation

How many students does a counselor interact with in a day?  It varies. Do we count all the times they get stopped in the hall?  The unexpected phone calls? The unplanned meetings?  The crisis that just happened?  The calls to come to the office for a student?  Just the scheduled appointments?  The parent/student meetings? What about their RAP group?  Calls to the playground for an issue?  There may be a daily agenda put in place by one of the counselors, but we all know what they say about "the best- laid plans".  One thing I do know, their days are never 'boring'!

 The American School Counselor Association has much more on the following web pages, including tips for parents and information on the many hats our school counselors wear:

http://schoolcounselor.org/administrators/role-of-the-school-counselor.aspx
http://schoolcounselor.org/parents-public 

Here's a huge 'thank you' to:  Sue Puchaz, Bryan Lister, and Tricia Wentworth (our high school counselors); Suzanne Lussier, Lindy Moule, and Jill Dunham (our middle school counselors); and Veronica Forman and Allie Chartrand (our elementary school counselors).  I truly appreciate everything you do for our students and staff!

Bring 'Em Back

The high school recently invited several Alumni back to be part of a panel discussion with our juniors.  This 'Bring 'Em Back' event is in its second year at the high school and is well received by our students:  providing them with a small taste of life after high school.  This year's event featured students who were in various stages of their lives and schooling.  At the panel I attended, one student was a stay-at-home mom; one was a senior in college; two students were freshman at college; and two students were sophomores.  They all had different stories to tell about their experiences.  One of the freshman lives at home and commutes to college while also holding down a job while another student attends a college in upper state New York and only gets home on vacations. Their experiences were as varied as our students!

Our high school students were very attentive, showed great enthusiasm, and asked some really good questions- they wanted to know what it is like "out there".  I think many of our students realized that they will all end up in different places and it is important to know as much as possible about the choices and options they have before high school is over. 

Students asked question about everything: from how to get along with a roommate to concerns about classes to questions on scholarship opportunities.  The alumni also spoke about such things as working and studying (time management) and what its like to come home as an adult after being away at school. Lots of things that none of us thought about while in high school ourselves!  A big thank you to Liz Koch and Randy Lacasse for putting together this wonderful event for our students.

Girls on the Run

This title sounds almost like a show where you would expect monsters chasing kids down the street!  It is nothing like this and actually (in my eyes) gives girls a "running start" through adolescence.  This program is currently being run for girls in grades 3-5 at the Lamprey River Elementary School and promotes well being.  According to the philosophy of the "Girls on the Run" program:

"The Girls on the Run lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development.  Participants explore and discuss their own beliefs around experiences and challenges girls face at this age.  They also develop important strategies and skills to help them navigate life experiences. We start with helping the girls get a better understanding of who they are and what’s important to them.  Then, we look at the importance of team work and healthy relationships.  And, finally, the girls explore how they can positively connect with and shape the world."

If you happened to see the excellent presentation done last week by 2nd Grade Teacher, Kelly Garcea and two of her students, it is easy to see their passion about the program, how it has helped them see things differently, and prepared them to react (or not) to peer pressure.  The students spoke to the School Board about the feeling of belonging they have within the group and their pride at running a 5K at the end of the three month program.  Every week, Ms. Garcea explained, involves a new theme for the girls to work on.  One example was 'gratitude' and the girls each expressed ways in which they are grateful.  Another important component to this program is 'community' and how to make your community a better place.  The girls spoke from the heart about some of the things they have done:  everything from role playing to making positive posters to hang around the school.

Ms. Garcea also explained that there is a waiting list to join the program and a desire to have the Girls on the Run 6th-8th grade program at the middle school.  She said it is sometimes difficult to find advisors for the program as it is done on a volunteer basis.  If anyone is interested in running a program (either an additional elementary team or to start a team at the middle school), please contact Ms. Garcea at the elementary school (895-3117).  All coaches go through a training session and more information is available at: 

 http://www.girlsontherunnh.org/get-involved/events

Although it may be too late for an additional spring team this year, the Program Directors typically put the fall teams together in May/June.  The sessions are the same for all teams:

• Session Calendar: 10 weeks, 20 lessons.
• Structured Curriculum- with lessons that build upon one another  
• Healthy Snack at each lesson
• Involvement in a Community Impact Project that the girls design.
• End of Season 5k Celebration (This spring season's race is Sunday, June 7th- Concord)
• At least two trained coaches (one CPR/First Aid Certified with the girls at all times)
  
  
  I'm proud we offer such a great program for our students and only hope that the program grows.  Thanks to Ms. Garcea and our student presenters for sharing this with everyone.

 


   

Project Safeguard

Last week our 7th grade students attended a program called, "Project Safeguard" at the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter.  This program is sponsored every year by the Raymond Coalition for Youth as part of their efforts to help our students make good choices.  The flyer from the Coalition states:  Project Safeguard "is an offsite conference addressing current issues impacting teenagers today with a focus on providing them correct information to help them make positive healthy choices for their future. Class sessions offered address peer pressure, self-esteem, alcohol, tobacco and drug education, media messages, Internet safety, and communication between parents and students."

This conference for our 7th graders has taken place for the last 7 years at the SST!  I am most impressed with how each year this program has kept current and addressed topics of interest to our students.  This year, there was information about social media such as Facebook, up-to-date information on advertising gimmicks, and trends the police are seeing.  So different from topics of 7 years ago!  Of course there was also information on tobacco and the mixed messages to which our teenagers are exposed.  The best part is, parents are also encouraged to attend and hear about the confusion surrounding marijuana, as well as, the truth about such things as e-cigarettes.

I spoke with some 7th graders to find out what they thought about the day.  Here are some quotes.

"I loved the police officer who spoke to all of us [Detective Labell]."
"It was such a fun day."
"I really learned a lot- some stuff I thought I knew but didn't."
"The cookies were awesome- I guess I should say something else, because I did have fun."
"I liked meeting the teenagers who are a part of the Coalition, because I am part of them at the middle school." (The middle and high school both have an Action Team sponsored by the Coalition.)
"I can't wait to go to SST when I am in high school".  (The facility really impressed our 7th graders.)
"I loved it!"  (Many students answered exactly like this.)
"It was fabulous."  (Quote from a teacher who chaperoned the event.")
"I loved the 'Dope Show'!"  (Many students loved this Jeopardy style game.)
"The stuff about ads- did you know they try to get you to buy things?"

A big thank you goes to Celeste Clark and the Raymond Coalition for Youth, all of their supporters, and presenters at this event and for the many things they do to help our students make those good choices. Follow the link below for a nice article on this event.

Article Link:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150115/News/150119425

 

Learning Styles

One of the things that parents notice about their children is how different each one is from the other(s)!  It seems so strange that even in a family of all boys (mine), each one is different:  in looks (somewhat), temperament, likes and dislikes, and, especially, their learning styles.  I'm sure that most parents notice that one child may love to take things apart and see how they work, while another has his nose in a book as often as possible.

What is a learning style?  Dictionary.com states that a learning style is "an individual's unique approach to learning based on strengths, weaknesses, and preferences".  Howard Gardner did a lot of work on this theory (also called "multiple intelligences").  Most researchers say there are seven different learning styles:  visual (prefer pictures and images); aural (prefer sound or music); verbal (prefers using words both speech and written); physical (prefers using your hands, body and sense of touch); logical (uses logic and reasoning); social (learn best in groups or with other people); and solitary (prefers to work alone and study independently).  There are other names for these learning styles depending on the author and/or researcher and some say there are even more than these seven.

What is acknowledged is that each of these learning styles use a different part of the brain.  It's also true that it's not just one learning style that each person uses, but a combination.  So, if you are putting together a bike, you might prefer to read all the written instructions first (verbal) or look at the diagrams (visual) or just start putting the bike together (physical).  Most of us use a combination of these things. Of course, this is a simplistic example, but knowing a little bit about what a person's best learning style is can help teachers and students develop strategies for their best way to learn.  It is also a way to help with frustration when learning a new skill.

If a student is a visual, physical, and social learner, he might learn multiplication tables best by using flash cards with a partner.  A solitary,verbal, aural learner might write out a list and say the tables out loud to herself.  The complication is that a person may have a different learning style dependent on the task!  Language arts may appear easier for a verbal learner but this same person might use physical, logical learning styles in a science class. 

 The point is that all of us must work to find the best way for our students to learn:  there should be opportunities for students to explore what works best for them and recognizing the method that works best for each student is just one way to approach learning.  Often students have a choice on a final assessment:  a video presentation, a poster, a Powerpoint, an oral presentation, a model etc.  It is important that a student can demonstrate that they have learned a concept and can apply it.  Giving students a choice to demonstrate learning can sometimes be the best way to do this as a student's approach will be based on "strengths, weaknesses, and preferences". We are all complex learners and learning can take so many different forms!  
 

What is JAG?

I'd like to tell you about a program at our high school that you might not know much about.  It is JAG- Jobs for America's Graduates.  JAG has been at the Raymond High School since the 2003-2004 school year and is a nation wide program found in 38 states.  Their mission statement reads:  "The mission of NH-JAG is to affect positive change in the lives of young people, by raising awareness of the future, increasing leadership skills that promote educational success and developing conscious personal and career choices through collaboration with parents, schools, employers and community organizations."

Students who are in this program have a dedicated period to attend a JAG class as part of their schedule.  In this class, students learn leadership skills, interviewing skills, the application process, visit businesses, and are provided with support for course work.  Our students take part in at least three events each year on the state level:  a Career Development Conference, the NH Seat Belt Challenge and the Annual Leadership Awards, where students have an  opportunity to earn scholarship money.  Last year, our JAG program made a wonderful public service message about the importance of wearing seat belts.  For this, they needed to do research on accidents involving teens. The Raymond High School Seat Belt Challenge message was very well done and can be downloaded and seen at– RHS CS PP. 

We are very lucky to have sponsorship from the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in the form of mentors for our students.  Wal-Mart is also a state sponsor along with Hannaford, Bank of America, and Boucher Public Relations.  With Wal-Mart's Greg Sevinski taking the lead, our students meet with their mentors to find out about the working world, including interview practice, applications, internships and tours.  I have attended both award ceremonies and induction ceremonies, and I can tell you that our students are proud to be associated with JAG and the success it helps them achieve both in and out of school.

Happy Holidays to You and Your Family

No matter what you may celebrate during this holiday, the most important thing to me about this season is family.  I hope that everyone has an opportunity to be with those they care about over the coming days.  While many of us have family members who live far away, are in the military, or can't be with us, this season helps us to focus on what is truly important and to make connections.  Have a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, happy new year in 2015.