H. P. Garcia Elementary, Temple ISD
CREST 2018-2019
A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT DOCUMENT SPONSORED BY THE TEXAS SCHOOL COUNSELING ASSOCIATION.
254-215-6106
Hector P. Garcia Elementary
2525 Lavendusky Dr.
Temple, TX 76501
PRINCIPAL'S COMMENTS
SCHOOL COUNSELING ADVISORY COUNCIL
SCHOOL CLIMATE
The school counselor, Campus Leadership Team, school faculty and staff work together to ensure all students are safe while attending school. As a strong team, together, we offer a safe and positive school climate by advocating for a school environment in which diversity is valued and learn to be respected. Character counts, peer mediation, conflict resolution, discovering culture, and anti-bullying presentations are primarily led by the counselor and seconded by students and staff. Exercising of Trust Based Relational Interventions® (TBRI) strategies are also done daily in order to create a physical, social, and psychological safety net for our students. Another intervention of the school counselor is student attendance. Working with parents, teachers, and students, the school counselor identifies barriers for students to attend school, targeting those who are chronically absent by doing home visits, calling, texting, emailing, promoting grade level attendance competitions and parent workshops. In addition to these roles and responsibilities, the school counselor is also a member of the Campus Crisis Team where she assists with emergency drills such as lockdown, severe weather, shelter-in-place, medical emergencies, and fire evacuation drills. According to the American School Counselor Association Model® guidance lessons and counseling services are done in whole groups, small groups, and individual meetings in order to maintain the safety and well-being of students.
School wide safety, all visitors must sign in at the front office, where identification is required and run through a computer system before access is granted to school grounds. All school volunteers must pass a background check before working with students. Parents and students are kept informed of school events via phone calls, letters, flyers, school website, and home visits.
The following graph is an example of what the school counselor and the CLT have accomplished concerning student safety and school climate.
STUDENT RESULTS
GOAL 1
The graph for goal 1 states: The counselor and the CLT will decrease the number of bus suspensions by 39%.
GOAL 2
The graph for goal 2 states: The counselor and the CLT will decrease the inappropriate physical contact by 64%.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
GUIDANCE CURRICULUM AND PERCENTAGE OF TIME
Guidance lessons double in the 2017-2018 school year, which attributed to a 64% drop in Inappropriate Contact and a 39% decrease in restitution and theft. Kelso’s Choices, Bully Blockers, Trust Based Relational Interventions®, and Restorative Discipline are taught and exercised with fidelity throughout the school year.
RESPONSIVE SERVICES AND PERCENTAGE OF TIME
RESPONSIVE SERVICES 30%
Kindergarten-5th grade weekly small groups are focused on the tenets of the Whole Child Approach. Community mentors and counselor consistently work with 4th & 5th graders and all staff members mentor or assist with at-risk students providing yearly support.
INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PLANNING AND PERCENTAGE OF TIME
Counselor met individually with all 5th graders and engaged with parents to smooth the middle school transition process. In fall and spring, local presenters came to school and introduced opportunities to different careers.
SYSTEM SUPPORT AND PERCENTAGE OF TIME
The counselor provided staff development to teachers and parents on topics of bullying, test anxiety, 504 Plans, homelessness, child abuse, and testing through the Duke TIP Program.
OTHER MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
- CREST Award 2017: The Counseling Program at HPG was recognized by the Texas School Counseling Association (TSCA) for having an important program that assists all students, parents, and community alike. This award applies to all 4 domains.
- Model Professional Learning Community (PLC) Recognition in 2017: HPG was recognized as a Model PLC by Solution Tree due to high, continuous schooling and exemplary collaboration within the faculty, staff, counselor, parents, and students.
- Texas Education Agency (TEA) Recognition: Hector P. Garcia received state distinction for the school year 2017-2018 by TEA for Top 25% Comparative Academic Growth and Top 25% Comparative Closing the Gaps. The counseling program along with the Campus Leadership Team worked as a team for students’ academic growth.
- No Place For Hate® (NPFH): For the school year 2017-2018 Hector P. Garcia counseling program was awarded a banner for participating in a national anti-bias program where students learn bullying prevention approaches and understanding challenging bias.
- Hector P. Garcia Elementary, honored by the Texas Educational Agency (2015), met State Standards with Distinction in Science. The Counseling Program assisted students to reach their goal by promoting a safe and welcoming learning environment where the student’s needs were the primary focus.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND RESOURCES
ACADEMIC DOMAIN
- Veterans of Foreign Affairs Bell Post 1820: This organization has been extremely generous in donating two large shipments of school supplies, assuring all students have the necessary school materials and replenishments throughout the whole school year. On top of that, they also provide grade level read-alouds and assist with our yearly school events.
- Duke TIP: Duke Talent Identification Program identifies academically talented students while providing rich scholarly opportunities to enhance their critical and creative thinking skills. Enrolling in the 4th-6th talent search empowers our students to reach a higher educational level and be acknowledged by their own learning achievements.
CAREER DOMAIN
- 4/3D CR, Quicksilver Troop: This unique United States Army partnership provides the students with the chance to ask questions, investigate, and learn about the military, deployments, and trainings. Military personnel are present on a regular basis by attending school events throughout the year, including Career Day.
- Baylor Scott & White Health Care: This partnership presents various health and wellness topics concerning opportunities in the medical field. Scott & White doctors’ perform hands-on presentations in the fall and attend Career Day in the spring.
PERSONAL/SOCIAL DOMAIN
- Bell County Community Relations and Prevention Services Department: Prevention Technicians come to school several times a year and present the juvenile referral process, conflict resolution strategies, bullying, the meaning of Red Ribbon Week, and are present on Career Day.
- Health Screening: School nurse and Baylor Scott & White Health Care nurses conduct health screening to identify health barriers to personal/social development. Visual Acuity, Air conduction, Spinal for Scoliosis, Self-Responsibility and Hygiene Talks are provided for our students. Referrals are done with parent input and health needs such as hearing or visual aids filled by community business support.
PARENT COLLABORATION
The major components of the counseling program and examples of how the school counselor engages parents for an increase parental interaction with the school are as followed.
GUIDANCE CURRICULUM
RESPONSIVE SERVICES
Services and resources are provided to students who are struggling or are facing an immediate need. Phone calls are made immediately to parents to discuss and work collaboratively on resources available such as individual or group counseling, guidance, community services, and Communities in Schools referrals.