We’re sure 6th grade will be the beginning of an exciting adventure for your child.  The jump to middle school can be daunting at first due to the sea of new faces, changing classes and mastering the dreaded combination lock!  But have no fear – the sixth grade staff is here to help and for the first time, your child will have a School Counselor.  This year your sixth grade counselors are Kristen Moloney and Gregory Millings.

            So what does a School Counselor do? 

• Soon we will be meeting each child in order to get to know him/her and to build a relationship.  Therefore, should a problem or issue arise, your child will feel comfortable seeking us out for guidance.  Here are some examples of things your child may come see us about:

• Transitioning to a larger, different environment
• Difficulty succeeding academically
• Difficulty with peer relationships (i.e. bullying, “he said/she said” conflicts, etc.)
• Learning to relate to adults (i.e. teachers, support staff, etc.)

• In addition to meeting with students individually and communicating with parents, we also run a variety of groups and classroom activities.  Examples of counseling groups and lessons we will be offering are:

• Bully Prevention Lesson
• Social Skills/Friendship Group
• Academic Success Group
• Brown Bag Lunch Group

We look at 6th grade as the beginning of a three-year journey we will be taking with your children.  We will be moving along with them from grade to grade.  This will help us continue to build upon the relationships we will be starting to develop this year.  We look forward to a happy and successful year!