August 4, 2019

Welcome back, Cobras!! I hope you all had a fun and adventurous summer break with a chance to recharge and get ready for the upcoming school year! I am SO excited for all of the amazing things that are in store for this year.

We have an update to the bulletin board this month and the theme is "Let's TACO 'bout it!". I love my August bulletin boards because it is a chance for me to advertise a lot of the topics I can cover with students. Some of the incoming 6th graders, or some students new to our school or district, may have never had a school counselor before, so it's important to me that I make sure every student knows what I do and how I can help them navigate middle school and life.

Back to school bulletin board!

WEB!

Back in April of this year, Mrs. Liebman (Leadership, ELD) and I were asked to take on a new project: WEB. WEB stands for Where Everybody Belongs and is a 6th grade transition program with the goal of ensuring that incoming 6th grade students feel welcome at their new school. WEB Leaders, or selected 8th grade students, will serve as mentors to our 6th graders this upcoming school year. Mrs. Liebman and I jumped at the opportunity to receive WEB training and to become the WEB Coordinators because the program is truly incredible. WEB will have long-lasting positive impacts on our school such as increasing test scores and grades, decreasing discipline referrals, and improving attendance. And this program won't just impact the 6th graders; it will impact the entire school. In addition to 6th graders feeling welcomed and confident as members of our Cooley family, the 8th grade students serving as WEB Leaders will grow as leaders on our campus through their dedication and commitment to not only our 6th graders, but also each other. Cooley already has an amazing school culture built on a foundation of positive relationships between staff, students, families, and community, and WEB will only seek to strengthen these relationships.

Our 6th grade orientation will take place the day before school, August 7, from 9am-1pm in the gym. This event is a student only event, and parents or guardians can join their sixth graders following orientation to complete check in.

WEB Leaders at WEB Training on August 1st.

Summer Fun!

Over the summer, I had, yet again, the opportunity to attend the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) Annual Conference. This year's conference was held in Boston, MA. This conference is always amazing because it gives me the chance to network with school counselors from all over the world. It is energizing to be surrounded by colleagues and friends, and plan for the upcoming school year.

During my time at the conference, I signed up for an online course offered through ASCA titled Closing the Achievement Gap. Following the online training, I received my Closing the Achievement Gap Specialist Certification and I now feel confident identifying achievement gaps based on school data, as well as designing and implementing appropriate interventions addressing the identified achievement gaps. I look forward to using the tools acquired in this training to promote success for all students.

I've been lucky enough to find friends in school counselors from all over the country. Representing Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, and California!

Other Training!

In addition to the Closing the Achievement Gap Certification I completed over the summer, I also completed the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools Training (CBITs). The CBITs program is a school-based group intervention. One benefit of school-based programs is that they are increasingly accessible to students. By providing services in the school setting, we are able to counteract some of the barriers students and families may face when looking to access mental health services, such as transportation or cost. The program is designed to reduce symptoms of PTSD, depression, and behavioral problems. It also aims to improve student functioning, grades, attendance, peer/parent support, and coping skills. To find out more about this program, you can visit http://cbitsprogram.org/.

Lastly,

Don't forget to stay up to date on important information and events by following me on social media!

Instagram: @cooley_missgrace

Twitter: @Cooley_counselr

I can't wait to see you all on August 8! See you soon, Cobras!