Counselor's Corner
March 2023
Classroom Counseling Lessons
Your student receives a classroom counseling lesson once a month from me during their resource time. Lesson topics include kindness, growth mindset, making and keeping friends, conflict resolution, cooperation and teamwork, character education, career awareness, bullying, personal safety, and so much more. These lessons help support Social Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL is a lifelong process of learning how to better understand ourselves, connect with others, and work together to achieve goals and support each other.
Small Group Counseling
My goal is to help all students succeed academically and socially. To do this I often work with students individually or in small groups. Small groups generally consist of 6-8 students from the same grade level. Groups meet for approximately 30 minutes once a week for 6 weeks. Parent permission forms will be sent out prior to the start of group.
Current small groups include 2nd Grade Self-Control and 3rd-5th Grade Attendance Success. Previous groups held this year included 1st Grade Social Skills, 3rd Grade Lunch Bunch, 4th Grade Lunch Bunch, and 5th Grade Girls Self-Confidence & Healthy Friendships. More groups will be added throughout the year. If you would like your child to participate in a counseling small group please let me know.
How Do I Refer my Student to Speak with the Counselor?
To refer your student to be seen by the school counselor, please complete the School Counselor Request Google Form. If you need more immediate assistance, please call me at 912-882-4839.
Milestone Testing: 3rd-5th Graders
3rd-5th grade student will take the Georgia Milestones in May. Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards. See testing schedule below. Testing will begin promptly at 9:00 am each morning. Practice tests are available at GA Experience Online. The primary purpose is to let students experience, firsthand, the functionality of the online testing platform. The sample tests are not graded. For tips on helping your student manage academic anxiety, please visit Strong4Life.
Volunteering
If you are interested in volunteering at SMES, you must attend a volunteer training session.
Purple Up Day
Purple Up Day will be Friday, April 14th. T-Shirts are on sale for $12 each. All orders and money are due by Friday, March 24th. Please contact Ms. McCaskill with any questions.
Camden Community Behavioral Health Resources
Click
here to open the Camden Behavioral Health Providers, Prevention Services, and Groups Resource List. For immediate access to routine or crisis services, please call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at
1-800-715-4225.
Meet Your School Counselor, Ms. McCaskill
My primary goal is to help all students become better learners by providing a comprehensive counseling program that meets their academic, career, and social/emotional needs. I meet with students individually, conduct small groups, and teach classroom counseling lessons. I provide solution-focused brief counseling to help students overcome issues that have an impact on their school performance, but my role is not to diagnose or provide long-term therapy. I am, however, happy to provide a list of community resources if you are interested in outside counseling services. I also work closely with parents, administrators, and teachers regarding attendance concerns, Section 504 plans, and the MTSS process. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can help with!
