MBA School Counseling Program Jaime Bohan

School Counseling Mission Consistent with the National Standards for School Counseling and the Somers Vision Statement. The School Counseling Program is committed to assisting students with the achievement of their academic, career and personal/social potential. American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio for Middle School Counselors to be 1:250. MBA is 1:413 students

Academic Planning Responsibilities Grade 8: Coordinate with SHS counselors for 9th grade scheduling: –Arrange visit to MBA for presentation –Review all course selection forms for completeness, all signatures, and proper credits –Consult with parents on choice selection –Oversee course selection entry: »Take students to computer lab to input selections, teach the course entry process, review all entries »Meet with students who are absent for entry process. Review all course selection during final PPT at MBA: invite case manager from SHS to PPT, review course selections, recommend special education courses. 8th grade Career Awareness field trip to UCONN Review and process applications for students applying to schools outside of Somers Coordinate Technical/Vocational School Visits to visit interested students. –Review all applications with students and parents, –Complete admission packet-all records and recommendations –Consult with School Counseling Department at Technical Schools on behalf of MBA students –If student is not accepted, ensure proper schedule is in place for SHS

Academic Planning Responsibilities Grade 7 Meet with all students, each quarter, who receive interim reports and also those who receive a “F” on report card. Arrange for visits from Technical/Vocational High schools to visit MBA for the entire grade. Prepare students for the transition to 8 th grade and class expectations Grade 6 Meet with all students, each quarter, who receive interim reports and also those who receive a “F” on report card Attend all 504 meetings at SES to create a accommodation plan for 6 th grade. Meet with all students on the transition to MBA and introduction to School Counseling

Transitions Special Education and alternative education, arrange private tour of SHS several visits Step Up Day to MBA and also to SHS. Coordinate with School Social Worker the interests of MBA students for Helping Hand at SHS, attend Transition 504 meetings at SES and create accommodation plans for MBA. Prepare students for the transition to the next level To middle school and high school)

Social/Emotional Development Responsibilities Attend to daily “crisis” situations for adolescent middle school students. Individual counseling sessions that focus on family, friendship, behavior, other adolescent issues. Daily Friendship Groups for Grade 6 and 8: social skills, new student lunch group, female adolescent peer groups Offer Peer mediations- when mediations are not occurring, connect peer mediators with 6 th grade students to assist with various tasks. Support Alternative Education Program, as our rooms are connected, with student issues, peer issues, family issues. Grade 7 Resource Room weekly group meetings that focuses on character education topics.

Counseling Services Individual planning: Meet with 413 students at least one time individually and in a group Guided study hall – Meets daily or every other day for reluctant learners-students who are have repeatedly received an “F” on their report card, students who do not complete homework, students with organization issues. – Review homework that needs to be completed, work on projects, organize notebooks, lockers, review for tests and quizzes – Daily communication with teachers on progress or lack of progress Develop Plan of Action for students with interims and F’s on report cards. Create behavior plans for students who display reluctancy in learning and display inappropriate behavior. Meet and review interim reports, quarterly, with students (6-8). Develop a plan for improving grade before quarter ends, incorporating teacher and parent input. Meet with all students individually to complete career interest inventory yearly. This inventory is carried into the high school and used by the career counselor.

Coordinating Coordinate services with outside agencies for students and families. Complete referrals to agencies for counseling support Arrange Big Brother/Big Sister students from SHS for MBA students. Arrange tutor services between SHS and MBA at Public Library. Contact with staff at SHS to arrange a schedule for students to attend tutor services at the library, after school Facilitate the PPT process for all special education students, Review referrals to special education, facilitate meetings : (Level 1 PPT, annual reviews, triennial reviews), adjustment of schedules for students following meeting, transitional planning to MBS and SHS. Case manage all 504 students in MBA. Ensure student accommodations are being provided through regular education classrooms, and then facilitate annual meetings to review plans, making adjustments where needed.

CMT Coordinator CT Mastery Testing for MBA-Grades 6-8 Time: 2 months of planning. This years testing lasted for 3 weeks Daily: FOR ALL 3 GRADES Arrange all testing material, for that days test. Sort, prepare with additional materials and box. Deliver all secured materials to each classroom, every testing day. Oversee administration of testing, monitor for security breaches, sick students or refusal students. Security Breaches-communicate with Director of Curriculum, arrange for new testing material and administer new test. Collect and account for each classrooms materials upon completion of testing, every testing day. Prepared materials for next days testing

CMT Coordinator Make appropriate modifications/accommodations for Special Education and 504 students: finding locations for testing, support staff for students, arranging computer set ups for typed responses. Conduct all Make-Up Testing for absent students No more than 2 tests administered in one day’ Arrange with students and teachers for administration of make up testing Administration and monitoring of make up testing sessions. Time: approximate time of 3 weeks. Packaging Materials: Check, review all material and sort all booklets, per grade level and testing subject.. For new students to district: Gather all demographic information. Complete each testing booklet for demographic information, special education services, free/reduced lunch meals Provide staff training through faculty meeting on the administration of the CMT’s.

Curriculum Management Deliver, evaluate and revise a planned sequential and developmental curriculum to all students during Life Skills classes. Deliver the school counseling curriculum in a classroom setting. Deliver 2-3 lessons (6 periods-each lesson) in all 3 grade levels. Differentiate lessons to address student needs. Lessons that are currently being done Grade 6 Grade 6: Peer Pressure and Peer Relations Grade 7 Grade 7: Communication, Decision Making, Area Technical Schools Presentation Grade 8 Grade 8: Career Interests, Coping Skills and Feelings.

School System Consult with grade level teams and special education department to address student needs, 413 students. New students to the district Orientation to MBA, with a buddy to assist with transition Create and arrange class schedules after reviewing academic folder for correct placement Provide orientation to MBA, rules, policies and expectations “Getting to Know You” session to familiarize with new student’s interests and abilities. Update student schedules (throughout school year): intervention placement, changes in study hall, chorus/band changes Adjust report cards-each quarter as needed Verify honor roles, communicate with both parents and students the calculation of honor roll. Calculation of Junior Beta Club and Presidential Excellence Academic Award Oversee while administrators are out of building Act as administrator designee at PPT when administrators can not be present.

Programs Current: Peer Mediation Programs Train 8 th grade students on the process of Peer Mediation- 1 day training Arrange mediators when referrals for mediation are completed Supervise all mediations When students are not involved in mediation-arrange mentor friendship with 6 th students-organization, basic friendship skills, basic motivation –These meetings occur everyday during the school day, during the 8 th grade students lunch for 20 minutes Friendships groups 6 th grade groups for social skills, building strong friendships, or resolving conflicts with friends 8 th grade groups for surviving adolescence with friendship problems, building a foundation for high school

Programs Random Acts of Kindness Week Coordinated with SAVE club and Advocate of Good Heart Committee Students decorated school with hearts with ideas for acts of kindness towards one another Students and teachers recognized others for acts of kindness towards each other, and received certificates (this is ongoing) Made staff appreciation bags for all at MBA No Name Calling Week Week to address Bullying and to stop name calling in MBA Arranged the “Advocate of Good Heart Committee” comprised of 7 th grade students Students wrote a proposal for the week and presented to principal for support in activities Students were encouraged to stop name calling within the school Students made posters, wrote poems and letters as admission criteria into a dance for Valentine’s Day

Professionalism Guidance Advisory Committee- meet two times/year to update community members on school counseling program at MBA, review programs and collaborate on methods for improvement Somers Comes Together Committee- meet two times/year to update community members on school counseling program at MBA, collaborate with local agencies for additional services available to Somers families Students Support Team- meet one time/6 day rotation, for students with behavior or academic challenges-develop action plans, review quarterly, take in new referrals for students to join specific groups Project CHOICE Committee- collaborate with SHS and SES for ways to improve the CHOICE student experience at MBA Meet with CHOICE Students daily, in the morning for breakfast, periodic meetings with MBA students to ensure all needs are met Arrange after school transportation with SES bus for MBA students-extra help, extracurricular activities Crisis Intervention Team- ongoing as concerns/issues arise