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What is the role of the school counselor at West Plains Elementary School? The school counselor is called upon to do many things during the average day! Part of each day is spent in a classroom teaching skills, providing information, and discussing many topics to help the child become a positive, productive citizen in our demanding society. Part of each day is assisting different children who may be having a harder time when compared to their peers. Each day is different and may call on a different skill. Needless to say, being a counselor is a rewarding experience and no two days are alike.
Being a school counselor also means busy times! During the 2019-2020 school year, I will be spending time in each second grade, third grade as well as fourth grade classroom doing character education. These classroom lessons will be conducted from the beginning of the school year through part of third quarter. These interactive sessions will help a child learn what is expected in many aspects of their lives. Time permitting, I will be conducting small group counseling sessions covering topics including being a child of divorce, anger management, social skills and issues surrounding grief and loss for second, third, and fourth grades. These sessions will last until March when it will be time to prepare for MAP testing, kindergarten screening as well as possible retention of current students. All of these are important activities support our mission statement of "Excellence in Education, Service, Life" and in building future ZIZZERS!
If you would like more information regarding the role of a school counselor, you may visit www.dese.mo.gov and click on the school counselor's information. You may also contact me for additional information or with special requests to see a particular student. Please feel free to email me at michelle.miller@zizzers.org or call (417)256-6158 extension 4120.
