School Counseling Department
Gainesville Middle School
Quarter 2 Newsletter
What Parents Need to Know about Vaping and Juuling
A “What Parents Need to Know about Vaping and Juuling” information session will be held at Gainesville Middle School Thursday, December 6th @ 7pm. in the gym.
A representative from the Prince William County School District Student Assistance & Prevention Programs department will discuss the rising teen trend of vaping, with the use of products such as e-cigarettes, e-cigars, vape pens and Juuls.
Thursday, Dec 6, 2018, 07:00 PM
Gainesville Middle School, Limestone Drive, Gainesville, VA, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Presentation
S.O.S Signs of Suicide Presentations
The Signs of Suicide lesson was given to all 7th grade students (unless they opted out or were absent) between Oct. 22-26 in the library during encore class time. The main focus of the lessons were to help students:
Recognize signs or symptoms that you or someone else may have depression or be at risk of suicide.
Learn how to respond to someone at risk: A.C.T. (Acknowledge, Care, Tell)
Outcomes of SOS
One Warm Coat Drive
Did you know that nearly 15% of Americans are living in poverty and struggling to provide warm coats for themselves and their families? This year, Gainesville Middle School partnered with Gainesville Pediatric Dentistry and One Warm Coat to hold a coat drive.
The generosity of our GVMS families and staff has been overwhelming.
So far we have collected 145 coats! Our goal is 200 coats by Nov. 30th.
Thank you for your help and support!
Thanksgiving Meals Provided for Families in Need
We are grateful that our GVMS families will have a warm meal this Thanksgiving Holiday.
The New Life Church coordinated with our social worker, Mrs. Brown, to provide 13 Thanksgiving meals (turkey and sides) for GVMS families in need.
GVMS students and staff raised money through the Turkey Feather competition and each family also received an additional gift card to Giant.
If you are aware of a family in need please do not hesitate to reach our to the Counseling Department and/or our School Social Worker.
School Counseling Advisory Council
Our fall meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather, however the presentation can be found below in the "Documents" section.
If you would like to be a part of our next Advisory Council in Spring 2019, please email Mrs. Amy Shelton.
High School Specialty Nights
You are able to download this flyer at the bottom of the newsletter.
NOTE: Patriot’s AP Scholars Program will be open to 50 transfer students (rising 9th grade students only)
Small Groups
"Stress Busters" Small Group:
The 7th grade "Stress Buster" small group just wrapped up their last session. The group was led by Amy Shelton, 7th grade School Counselor and Melanie Brown, School Social Worker.
Participants learned to better manage their stress and anxiety, develop better time management skills, and discovered how their thoughts influence feelings and behaviors. Students were given pre and post surveys, and results showed that the students perceived that their stress was reduced, increased their use of healthy coping strategies, and they felt like they were managing their time better.
Classroom Guidance Lessons
6th Grade:
Lesson: Technology: Choice and Consequences
Dates: December TBD
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will learn to demonstrate responsible behavior and to the skills necessary to communicate and interact effectively when using computers, smart phones, the internet and social media.
2. Students will learn to apply critical thinking skills in the analysis of peer relationships and interactions online and in the real world.
3. Students will learn the real world implications of poor decisions made online and will understand how their personal feelings influence decisions and effect actions.
4. Students will be able to identify supportive peers who can assist them in times of difficulty and responsible adults who can assist them in times of difficulty and/or crisis.
Lesson: Orientation to School Counseling & Learning Styles
Dates: Weeks of September 17th & 24th
Learning Objectives:
1. Introduce students to the GVMS Counseling Department and the role of their middle school counselor. Discuss how to meet with their school counselors, emergencies and confidentiality.
2. Discover and incorporate study strategies consistent with learning styles.
3. Apply knowledge and learning styles to positively influence school performance.
7th Grade:
Lesson: Pause Before You Post
Dates: November 9th-16th
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will learn to demonstrate responsible behavior and develop skills necessary to communicate/interact safely when using electronic devices (computers, cellphones, social media, internet etc.).
2. Students will learn to apply critical thinking skills while fostering positive peer relationships and interactions online and in society.
3. Students will learn about the possible consequences of making poor decisions when using social media.
4. Students will be able to identify at least two supportive adults who may assist them if they should encounter trouble when using social media.
Our School Resource Officer, Officer Johnson, came to speak with students during the presentations about legal consequences of illegal or inappropriate online activity.
8th Grade:
Lesson: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Dates: Week of September 3rd
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will understand what THJSST is and how to apply to it
Lesson: High School Transition and Specialty Programs
Dates: Weeks of October 1st & 8th
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will gain knowledge of high school opportunities and begin to prepare for the transition to high school.
2. Students will be able to identify the different high school specialty programs in PWCS.
3. Students will be able to assess the different programs and see which program best suits their interests.
4. Students will be able to identify the application deadline date and the process of completing the application.
Contact Information
Registrar & School Counseling Secretary:
Mrs. Patty Lopez : lopezpa@pwcs.edu
Ms. Karen Mosley, M.Ed: mosleykl@pwcs.edu
6th Grade Counselor:
Mrs. Erin Tracy, MA : tracyem@pwcs.edu 7th Grade Counselor:
7th Grade Counselor:
Mrs.Amy Shelton, M.Ed, MPH, RD: sheltonab@pwcs.edu
8th Grade Counselor:
Ms. Amy Kaczkowski, MSEd, NCC: kaczkoal@pwcs.edu
School Psychologist:
Mrs. Eboni Gadson, M.A./Ed.S., NCSP: gadsonec@pwcs.edu
School Social Worker:
Mrs. Melanie Brown, LCSW: brownms1@pwcs.edu
Website: https://gainesvillems.pwcs.edu/about_us/counseling_department
Location: Gainesville Middle School, Limestone Drive, Gainesville, VA, USA
Phone: 703-753-2997