Maine West Counselor Newsletter

CONTENTS
Welcome Registration Bullying: A Detailed Look Q&A Counselor/ Parent Roles Upcoming Events Motivation Suggestions Group Counseling Info. RAMP Study Skills Counselor spotlight

Issue 1/ Winter 13 Your Maine West Counseling Staff

Gilit Abraham 847-803-5763 x5810 Allison Adams 847-803-5763 x5763

Carla Bader 847-803-5767 x5767

WELCOME!

Parents and guardians, we are excited to share with you our new form of communication: the quarterly newsletter! We are striving to keep you up to date on what is going on at Maine West specifically from the counselors. We hope this allows you to stay better connected with your student(s) and us. Look forward to new topics each issue.

Rosanna Giricz 847-803-5770 x5770 Eliades Hernandez 847-803-6653 x6653 Elizabeth Hoover 847-803-5761 x5761 Brian Nagorzanski 847-803-5756

+ on: Begins
Monday, Jan. 28th Ends on: Friday, Mar. 8th
You will receive a copy of your students future courses the week of March 11th in the mail. If you have any questions or concerns adjustments can be made until March 22nd.

Course Registration Information

Your child will have the chance to meet with their advisor during this time to choose classes for the upcoming semester. Their counselor will send your student a pass with specific times and dates for their meeting to take place. These advising meetings will last about 15-20 minutes and will always take place during their study periods or lunch. Considerations for course selection are based on the recommendations from your childs teacher, classroom performance, and students elective requests. Contact a

Bullying: Helpful Hints and Bullying Tips is a hard topic how angry you are. Your
to discuss with your student. Here are some helpful tips that might help you discuss bullying with your son or daughter. 1. Use TV shows or other media outlets as an example to start the conversation. Helpful questions can include what did you think of that? or what could that person have done? These questions can be a segway into ones such as Have you ever seen something like this at school? Have you ever experienced this? 2. Always focus on offering comfort and support for your student if they are being bullied, no matter child might feel as if they have disappointed you, so stay understanding. 3. 7. Ask your child what they believe you can do to help stop bullying. If they have a suggestion, follow through. 8. Ask your student what they have done if they have ever witnessed someone being bullied and how it made them feel. 9. Always encourage your child to be honest with you about what happens at school. 10. Have your son or daughter describe what bullying means to them and what someone who bullies acts or looks like. Dont question your student if they come to you and say they are being bullied. If you turn your child away once, they might not come back for help again. 4. Remind your son or daughter they are not alone. 5. Ask your student about the good and bad parts of their day. Any bit of information could lead to a conversation about bullying. 6. Talk about classes and school newsletters at home. If your student doesnt want to attend an event, try to get to the bottom of why they
For more information visit: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/b ullying/what-parents-cando

are hesitant.

Is your child is being bullied? Watch for these warning

Low self esteem Depression/ withdrawal Loss of interest Slipping grades Making excuses not to go to school or faking illness Unexplainable injuries Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics or jewelry Turning to violent behavior Substance abuse Loss of friends Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, or talking about suicide Changes in eating habits

What does a school counselor do for my child? It is important that professional school counselors provide services not only for students in need, but for all students. We make a measurable impact in every students life, assisting with academic, college/ career, and personal/ social development. Counselors are trained as educators and mental health workers. This allows us to serve as facilitators between parents, teachers and students on all matters concerning

Meet or contact the

What can I do for my Find child? out who your childs school counselor is.
touch with the appropriate you learn about school policies on behavior, attendance and dress. You should also be aware of the school calendar and important dates. The school locate resources in the community if and when you need them. Work with the school counselor to identify resources and find solutions to problems. If your child is officials. It is important that

Upcoming Events Jan. 28th Mar. 11th Class Registration Feb. 12 @ 7:00pm College Night for Juniors Feb. 14 FAFSA Completion Workshop March College Panels Placement Test for Seniors

counselor at least three times per school year. By communicating with your childs school counselor at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year, parents and counselors can students success. Learn about your childs school and social connections from the school counselor. When you need information or assistance, your students school

have a positive impact on the counselor can also help you

counselor can help you get in having problems at school

Parents are encouraged to stay informed about school events by regularly checking the school calendar found on the homepage of the school website (http://www.west.maine207. org) School counseling updates will be listed on the announcement section in the Student Personal Services (SPS) Department link also
3

Motivation Suggestions for Parents discuss resources available within and outside of the school,
and get information as to how such programs can benefit your child.

+ department

Small Group Info. The counseling

Keep a relationship with your kids that it open, respectful and positive o This will allow you to be most influential with them, which is your most important parenting tool Build relationships with your teenagers teachers o Find out what each teacher expects of your child and how you can help meet these expectations Hold high expectations for your childrens learning o Believe in their ability, and promote curiosity, persistence, and problem-solving to help them develop an inner motivation to learn Expect that homework will be done o Keep track of homework assignments and regularly look at your students completed work. Stay informed about what your teen is working on so that you can help at home

facilitates a wide array of small groups throughout the year. Do you think your child would benefit from a small group? Please feel free to notify the school counselor. This year we run groups on the following topics:

Academy Group

Academic Group

Recent Immigrants Group

Positive Choices Group Diabetes Group Social Anxiety (Girls) Group LGBT Group Grief Group for Immigrants Grief Group

Up It

RAMP-ing
Maine West High School Counseling Department has been busy

preparing to apply for RAMP status! RAMP, which stand for Recognized ASCA Model Program, will enhance Maine West School Counseling Departments efforts to align its program to the national standards of school counseling put forth by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The ASCA National Model answers the question, How are students performing differently as a result of what school counselors do? The counseling program in a RAMP school focuses on the needs of all its students it includes collecting data, developing interventions, and delivering school wide or small group interventions based on the data. Being awarded the prestigious, research-based, and nationally recognized RAMP award will put Maine West High School on an elite list of schools and will not only benefit the students but the community as a whole. Maine West Counseling Department is excited about this endeavor

and will keep you updated about the outcome!

A Look At:

School can be very stressful. Knowing good study skills can make the
difference between feeling prepared for a test and getting a good nights rest or pulling an all-nighter and wanting to scream. Taking an interest in your childs schoolwork helps your child to succeed. Here are 10 good tips to help your child maintain a stress-free attitude before tests or project

STUDY SKILLS

1. Use an assignment notebook to plan out both short-term and long-term work. 2. Make deadlines. Determine when it is reasonable to have certain parts of projects, reading assignments, papers, and studying done. Without a set deadline, it is easy to put everything off until the end. 3. When working on a project, do NOT try to tackle the entire project at once. Break it down into smaller, more manageable parts. 4. Keep the place of study neat and organized. If you can find where everything is, you wont waste time searching for it. 5. Take notes from class lectures. Write down what the teacher puts on the board as

6. Take notes when reading textbooks. Then when it is time to study, you just need to review your notes. 7. Use a reading comprehension study strategy like SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Repeat). 8. Make flashcards to remember key points, dates, formulas, and vocabulary. 9. Color-code your flashcards! Sometimes just writing the information in different colors can help you to have another way to remember what information goes together. 10. Use an acronym or mnemonic device. For example, use Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Salle to remember Order of Operations for math (Parentheses,

USE SQ3R!
Survey Look through your reading assignment. Read headings, bold vocabulary, introductions and summary paragraphs. Study the pictures and graphs. Question Think about the who, what, where, when, why or how to turn each heading into a question. Note any questions or activities at the end of the lesson Read Carefully read the material to find the answers to your questions Recite Try to recall in YOUR OWN WORDS the important details

C O U N S E L O R

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S P O T L I G H T

Featured: Currently, we are happy to be collaborating with a group of DePaul

School Counseling Graduate students! Last semester, these eager, future counselors developed a needs assessment that was administered to all the students. Their data findings provided us with the information needed to better serve the social/emotional needs of your children. This semester, they are creating their own comprehensive, developmental school counseling program to fit the counseling program here at Maine West. Their hard work will definitely give us an extra push in completing our RAMP application for the upcoming year! 5