October Counseling Corner
October
Your Counseling Team
Mr. Simenauer: School Counselor to our 6th grade students.
Dr. Stephenson: School Counselor to our 7th students.
Mrs. Jefferson: School Counselor to our 8th grade students.
Ms. Faust: Director of School Counselors, happy to meet with any student who would like!
TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD ADJUST TO MIDDLE SCHOOL
- Don’t create unnecessary stress about the transition. Successful students need to know that the same practices that made them successful in elementary school will make them successful as middle school students too. Focus on what will remain consistent.
- Don’t be too anxious about your child going to middle school. She will take clues from you, and if you are consistently talking to others parents about how worried you are, she will hear you. Your child is capable of handling middle school.
- Teach him daily organizational habits. Help your child learn organizational habits like checking an assignment sheet before leaving his locker every day or packing up his book bag the night before. Reinforce the importance of going to school with everything he needs.
- Get to know the teachers. It’s a good idea to meet each of your child’s teachers. Ask about their expectations. Find out how much time your child should spend on homework each night.
- Volunteer to chaperone school dances and drive kids to school sports competitions. You’ll meet other parents, school staff, and your child’s classmates.
- Go to school meetings and events. Attending concerts, plays, community event nights, and other activities is a good way to become familiar with your child’s school community.
- Find out about homework assignments and school tests. Register for a ParentVUE account if you do not already have one. Contact the front office if you need assistance registering!
- Talk to your child about school. Ask specific questions to draw out your child. Ask “How do you think you did on the math test?” “What games did you play in PE?”
- Give your child a quiet place to study and do homework. Find an area in your home that is free of distraction where your middle schooler can concentrate on homework. Be available to help if your child has questions.
- Check your child’s homework, but don’t do it for her. Offer to check math problems, proofread written papers, and look over spelling words. If you find a mistake, point it out to your child and help her figure out the correct answer.
- Post a family calendar in a central place. Write down important school dates, including parents’ meetings, due dates for projects, and test dates. Encourage your middle schooler to add to the calendar and to check it daily.
- Help your child expand his peer contacts and practice good social skills. Too often parents want to keep a child with former classmates because it seems easier than making new friends. This limits a child’s growth experience.
- Begin letting your child make decisions about how to spend and use his time, within limits of course. He can learn how to schedule social time around homework and school sports. Balance is the key.
- Learn how to listen and not take over a situation. It is often easier to just do it yourself as the parent, but your child will never learn how to solve problems with confidence if you don’t let him. Helping your child review the options, and evaluate his decisions is critical. Encourage your child to discuss their emotions with you. A child who feels emotionally connected and supported by their loved ones will thrive!
- Build open communication with your child. Even if your child tells you everything now, that will change. Being a good listener keeps these channels open.
- Learn how to communicate with the school. Identify who your contacts will be and practice making connections with the new system and new people in your child’s school day. Knowing the system will reduce your anxiety.
Are you concerned that your child may be depressed?
Please see the website below for symptoms to look for and resources. UBMS School counselors are also available to provide information and local resources to help your student through this difficult health condition.
Are you concerned that your child may have special learning needs requiring intervention?
Please see the link below to learn about the Child Find process at PWCS for school aged children. If you feel that your student requires specialized instruction due to a learning or emotional disability please contact your child's administrator or school counselor!
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
The definition of homelessness, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, includes children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Children and youth who are experiencing one of the conditions below, may be considered as homeless:
- Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
- Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
- Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations;
- Living in cars, parks, public spaces, bus or train stations, or abandoned buildings;
- Having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations; and
- Migratory children or youth living in circumstances described above.