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Parents and School Counselors . . . Partners Helping
Kids
As students progress from one grade to the next,
their counselor moves with them, providing
continuity and time to really get to know students
and their parents. They take a holistic approach to
making sure each student has a positive experience
at O’Rourke Middle School and that they are
well-prepared for successfully meeting the
challenges of the future.
The president of the
New York State Counselors’ Association states the
following: "School counselors play an instrumental
role in shaping students for success – not just
academically, but socially, behaviorally, and
emotionally as well. For instance, they:
Help students deal with and diffuse problems brought
into school from home and outside the classroom;
Act as consultants to teachers and serve as sources
of institutional knowledge for administrators;
Provide academic and career guidance to students,
and help them meet and overcome emotional- and
mental- health challenges;
Establish and promote supportive learning
environments;
Develop academic and behavioral intervention
programs; and
Foster and maintain parental involvement."
At O’Rourke Middle
School, the school counselor focuses on helping
students balance the demands of school, family and
friends. Special attention is paid to teaching "life
skills" such as organization, study skills, time
management, responsibility, cooperation, teamwork
and other habits and attitudes that will serve
students well in any classroom, job or social
situation. Counselors are available as resources to
parents and caregivers as students navigate their
way through the middle years of their education.
Recommended Websites for
Middle School Parents
There are hundreds of
resources on the internet that Middle School parents
could find helpful. Here are a few that we
recommend:
www.girlshealth.gov A very girl- and
parent-friendly website from the U.S. Department of
Health that covers many topics from drugs and
bullying to illness and nutrition. A good starting
point for a parent-daughter chat on difficult
topics.
www.4parents.gov
Similar to the above site but equally
relevant to boys and girls. Includes conversation
starters and lots of tips on talking to your teen or
pre-teen.
www.allkidsgrieve.org/home.html A resource
for helping children deal with grief from many types
of loss including divorce.
www.educationatlas.com/study-skills.html
A resource containing tips for
improving study skills such as note taking, solving
math word problems, dealing with test anxiety,
effective listening and much more.
http://www.how-to-study.com A study skills
resource site
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