Welcome

Overview

As the school counselors,  we work with all students in order to provide academic, emotional, and social support. We offer a variety of services including classroom guidance lessons (K-5), small group counseling, short-term individual counseling, crisis intervention, as well as consultation for parents and teachers.

We realize that success for all students begins with strong home-school partnerships and we appreciate the continued support from our school community. It is an absolute joy to work with your children!  Thank you for all that you do to raise responsible, loving, and respectful kids.  Join us as we prepare our students for readiness in college, career, and life!!!!

Mission

The mission of the Dutchtown Elementary School counseling program is to develop and implement a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program that focuses on providing all students with access to services supporting their academic, social-emotional, and career development. In collaboration with all community stakeholders, parents and school personnel, students will demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving, and the effective communication skills necessary to prepare them in their quest to be lifelong learners.

Vision

The vision of the Dutchtown Elementary School counseling program is to ensure and foster a high-quality learning environment that empowers all students to strive for personal excellence and innovation. Our program services will promote equity and access for all students in the areas of college and career readiness, academic, social-emotional and physical wellness. Dutchtown Elementary students will acquire the competencies and life skills for which they utilize consistently and effectively in  pursuit of  their chosen career goals and post-secondary options. In collaboration with teachers, parents and community stakeholders, our students will become safe, respectful and responsible contributors to a changing world.

The Counselor’s Role

What does the school counselor do?

Counseling is a helping process in which the school counselor provides a safe, nurturing environment to foster a trusting relationship with students.  In this confidential relationship, students can explore their feelings and experiences in hopes of finding a meaningful, positive solution to their personal issues.  The school counselor can help students grow socially and emotionally by providing a listening ear and by teaching skills such as: understanding and managing feelings, solving problems, making friends, and more.

How do we work with students?

Using the American Association of School Counselors (ASCA) Model https://www.schoolcounselor.org/ (hyperlink) our Comprehensive School Counseling Program (CSCP) hyperlink will offer the following:

Brief Individual Counseling- The counselor meets with the student in individual, one-on-one sessions to help solve problems that are interfering with their learning and sense of well-being. 

Core Curriculum classroom lessons: Classroom Counseling (now known as Core Curriculum)- The counselor goes into the classrooms to teach knowledge, skills and attitudes that will help students reach their full potential in the areas of academic, career and social emotional development.

Small Group Counseling:  Students will have an opportunity to participate in small group sessions for varying issues based on our personal insight, teacher and parent referrals. Group availability is selected by the counselor based on amount of need. If group is unavailable, the counselor can work with a student individually. Parents will have to sign a permission letter before students are allowed to participate and are enrolled into the group. Some of the groups that may be offered include: Coping Skills, Family Changes, Managing Emotions, Parent Deployment, Conflict Resolution, Grief and Loss, etc.

Schoolwide Events: There will be many fun and exciting events throughout the school year designed to foster a community of learning and caring, as well as awareness about issues that may be occurring in the community or the school. Some of these events are: Red Ribbon Week, Career Days, Kindness Week, etc.

 

Parent and Teacher Consultation- The counselor meets with parents and/or teachers regarding issues with students.

Responsive Services- Includes crisis intervention, consultation, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

Georgia Crisis and Access Line

GCAL is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year to help you or someone you care for in a crisis. GCAL professionals will:

• Provide telephonic crisis intervention services.
• Dispatch mobile crisis teams.
• Assist individuals in finding an open crisis or detox bed across the State.
• Link individuals with urgent appointment services.

2.                 Meet Your DES Counselors

Counseling Referral Link/Page https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1a61-Ods-z6zKOtGfih_VxMQszppJX36INeIfNVV7C54/edit

Frequently Asked Questions

How do students get to see the counselor?

It's easy for students to see their counselor; however, students cannot leave the classroom to come to the counselor's office without teacher permission. Safety first! Students are discouraged from waiting in the office when the counselors are occupied unless it is an obvious emergency. The counselor will see the student as soon as possible.

What should parents do if they need to see a counselor immediately and they are not available?

Parent concerns are very important to us; however, we ask that you also consider our commitment to our students when trying to meet. The best way to meet with the counselors about concerns/questions is to schedule a meeting/conference by calling the school the school or emailing us. This way, we are able to get a brief understanding of the situation and gather the necessary information and resources in preparation for our conference.  Our goal is to ensure a successful meeting with results that will inevitably benefit the student.

Are counselors available to sit in on parent conferences?

Yes, we are definitely available to sit in on parent conferences at the teacher or the parents' request. Please let us know in advance so that we can schedule and plan for the meeting.

Will the counselor be available to conduct core curriculum classroom lessons?

School counselors are required to implement large group counseling sessions within their core curriculum. The counselors will conduct core curriculum lessons with each class monthly. These include specific state mandated lessons, such as Speak Up Be Safe and career lessons. Other lessons include learning within the social emotional and educational domains.

What are some issues or concerns that I can discuss with my child's counselor?

Personal hygiene, socialization issues, problems with making friends, dishonesty, conflict at home, change in family dynamics, adjustment to new stepparent, divorce, school anxiety, issues with bullying, and other emotionally related issues.

Do school counselors keep confidentiality?

As your school counselors, we develop confidential relationships with students. This means that information gathered through meetings with students and parents/guardians will be shared on a "need to know" basis only.  We work to maintain the privacy of students and their families.  When information needs to be shared, we will assess who needs to know and what information needs to be known to best help students and their families.  We tell students, "What you say in here, stays in here!” Except if (1) someone is hurting you,  (2) you want to hurt someone,  (3) or you want to hurt yourself.

3.                 Attendance Counts!

Attendance

Please take a moment to review the Henry County Parent/Student Handbook which highlights the county's attendance policy.

In the event that your child experiences vomiting, diarrhea or fever, please allow them to remain at home.  They may return to school when they are symptom-free for 24 hours without medication.

When your child returns to school, please provide a note for the front office with the following information (even if you sent your child's teacher an email):

1.  Your child's name

2.  The date of the absence

3.  The reason for the absence

4.  Parent signature & contact number

                        -OR-

A medical excuse from a doctor or dentist's office. 

When notes are provided, your child's absence will be excused for the day(s).  Otherwise, your student's attendance record will be documented with an unexcused absence.  Students with three or more absences will receive a letter indicating the accumulation of unexcused days.   

For assistance with attendance, please contact your school counselors. 

Tardies

Students may arrive at school as early as 7:10.  

Breakfast is served from 7:10 - 7:35.  

Students who arrive after 7:35 must be accompanied by an adult to sign in at the front office.

Here are some tips to avoid being tardy:

1. Make sure your child has everything together before you pull to the front of the building.
2. Leave 10 minutes earlier when there is bad weather.
3. Get your child an alarm clock and begin to train him or her to be responsible for rising when the alarm goes off.
4. Don’t EVER let a child wait until the morning to do homework, get papers signed, or pack a lunch!
5. Choose and lay out clothing for the next day before going to bed.
6. If you simply cannot get your child here on time, consider having them ride the bus, if possible.
7. Let your child eat breakfast at school and avoid the morning hassle!

 

Supervision

Georgia's Guidelines for leaving a child without adult supervision:

• Children under 8 years old should never be left alone, even for short periods of time.
• Children between the ages of 9 and 12, based on level of maturity, can be left home alone for brief periods of time.
• Children 13 and older can generally be left as babysitters, with the exception of children in foster care. It is not recommended, however, that 13 year olds babysit infants, small children that require special attention due to medical conditions.
• Children 15 and older can be left home alone overnight, depending on the level of maturity of the child.

Other safety precautions to consider when leaving a child unaccompanied: Don't leave the child responsible for food preparation that involves the stove; have a neighbor or relative check in regularly or have the child check in with an adult; make a safety plan that includes 911, and rehearse it with your child.