Bedford Central School District
Guidance Program: What you need to know.
Effective school counseling programs are a collaborative effort between the school counselor, families, and other educators to create an environment promoting student achievement. Education professionals, including school counselors, value, and respond to the diversity and individual differences in our societies and communities. Comprehensive school counseling programs ensure equitable access to opportunities and rigorous curriculum for all students to participate fully in the educational process.
-- The American School Counselor Association
Coordinator of the Guidance Department
Steve Marcisz
914-241-6031
A message from Mr. Marcisz
The mission of the BCSD Comprehensive School Counseling Program is to advocate and provide support for maximum student achievement in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social growth. School counselors work with parents, educators, school administration and the community to provide developmentally appropriate and comprehensive services that meet the needs of all students in order for them to become successful and productive members of a democratic and global society. We are determined to create a counseling program where individuals feel both a sense of identity and of community in an environment of trust, confidence, justice, and openly honest communication. The Guidance Department will provide experiences that are rich and that will help the individual advance toward maturity.
All of our counselors approach the role of a counselor from a personalized approach. All students are valued both as individuals and vital members of the larger school community. We believe that all students are capable of learning, achieving and acquiring knowledge.
All students have a right to, and will benefit from, a comprehensive counseling program that is culturally and developmentally appropriate. Students, with their parents, are responsible for monitoring their educational progress, assisted by their school counselor.
The role of the counselor is multifaceted. We help students recognize learning strengths, weaknesses and potential through a series of learning and career assessments. We additionally support the interpretation of these assessments with group and individualized meetings. Moreover, counselors coordinate activities and programs that support the academic mission of the school including advice on study skills and helping students develop stronger executive functioning and time management strategies.
It is common for counselors to partner with parents and the community and serve as liaisons between families, agencies, and the school. Continued participation in professional development and collaboration that enhances specialized skills in counseling, the use of technology, and other professional initiatives from national and regional organizations.