• Intermediate Guidance Service

    Learning Common Sense Approaches to Common Questions

    Students in grades 4-6 get to know their counselor in a variety of ways. The Counselor goes into the classroom to teach lessons 4-5 times a year. These lessons include Personal Safety, Drugs, Careers and Bullying. Students may ask to see the counselor individually or participate in various groups that are run throughout the school year. Specific group topics are dependent on the needs of the students. In the past, groups have included Anger Management, Study Skills, Problem Solving, Newcomers, and Friendship. Groups are usually 4 to 10 weeks.

    Another important role is to be available to students, parents, teachers, and non-teaching staff to deal with issues that arise on a day-to-day basis. The counselor coordinates with outside agencies as well as school staff and families to address academic, behavioral and emotional needs of students.

    Social Emotional Learning

    Social emotional learning is an important factor to support achieving academic success. The role of the K-6 School Counselor at Washington Park School is to provide services to teach social emotional skills to all students. These services include brief individual counseling, small group counseling and classroom lesson plans. In addition, the K-6 School Counselor works collaboratively with administration, teachers and community-based agencies on various tasks.

    Social emotional programs include:
    • Student Assistance Program (SAP)
    • Blessings in a Backpack
    • Operation Warm Coat Distribution
    • Red Ribbon Week/Drug and Alcohol Prevention
    • Truancy Responsibilities