Pleasantville High School Thomas Mitchell Marissa Prager Jaclyn

Pleasantville High School Thomas Mitchell, Marissa Prager, Jaclyn Sileo, Catherine Staluppi

Welcome to Pleasantville High School! ¡Colors: White and Green ¡Mascot: Pleasantville Pythons ¡ 53% male, 47% female ¡ 56% Caucasian, 18% African American, 15% Hispanic, 10% Asian/Island Pacific, 1% multiracial ¡ 12% students with disabilities ¡ 33% economically disadvantaged ¡ 87% of graduates go to two or four year college after graduation

Mission Statement ¡The mission of Pleasantville High School, in connection with the community, focuses on providing quality education and support services to a diverse student population by ensuring an outstanding, nurturing and dynamic learning environment, while preparing our students to be productive citizens. This mission will be achieved through data driven planning, implementation and evaluation.

Vision Statement ¡ Pleasantville High School will provide a safe, respectful and inviting education environment by adhering to the following goals: ¡ Interact positively and communicate appropriately with all students, parents and others. ¡ Keep the students’ needs above all other needs. ¡ Offer a comprehensive, coordinated curriculum which focuses on academic rigor and relevance ¡ By creating an environment where equity, self-expression, and accessibility prevail. ¡ Prepare students to become model citizens and be socially responsible ¡ Develop and maintain trusting, respectful relationships among all community members. ¡ Continuous updates with regards to technology ensuring students are equipped with skills necessary for success

Role of a School Counselor ¡Facilitate individual and group counseling ¡Coordinate resources and services for students and families through community outreach ¡Collaborate with all members of the school community ¡Advocate for all students ¡Collect data to provide programs that impact the success of students

A “Typical” Day of a School Counselor ¡ 7: 30 -7: 50: conclude activities from prior day ¡ 8: 00 -8: 30: read and return emails ¡ 8: 30 -9: 00: phone calls ¡ 9: 00 -9: 45: designated department meeting time, LST, 504, etc. ¡ 9: 50 -10: 50: open door ¡ 10: 50 -11: 30: review students grades, attendance, etc. ¡ 11: 30 -12: 00: talk to teachers/students regarding pressing issues ¡ 12: 00 -1: 00: lunch ¡ 1: 00 -2: 00: appointments ¡ 2: 00 -2: 45: finish phone calls, emails, paperwork

Activities Overview ¡Academic ¡ Time Management/Study Skills ¡ Honor Roll Ceremony ¡ College Application Workshop ¡Social ¡ Red Ribbon Week ¡ Crisis Intervention ¡ Dangers of Social Media ¡Career ¡ Career Fair ¡ Resume/Portfolio Preparation ¡ Mock Interviews

~ September 2014 ~ ◄ Aug 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Oct 2014 ► Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Scheduling Conflicts New entrantsschedules, tours, lockers, etc. 9 Scheduling Conflicts New entrantsschedules, tours, lockers, etc. 10 Scheduling Conflicts 11 Scheduling Conflicts 12 13 14 15 16 Meet the teacher night 17 Meet the teacher night 18 19 Retention meetings with parents. 20 22 Student Mediations : Class Bullying, fighting, inappropriate language/behavior s, 23 Student Mediations : Facebook, Cyber bullying, Bus Issues 24 25 Portfolio and Resume Prep. 26 27 29 30 Meet with administration to plan/review upcoming yearly guidance activities (Push-In lessons, assemblies, College Fair, Financial Aid Night, etc. ). 21 28 Crisis Interventions (i. e. self-esteem, suicide, depression, anxiety, divorce, bullying, bereavement, home life conflicts, etc. ). Send out letter to parents informing them about upcoming College Night including college applications/deadlines. Retention meetings with parents.

Academic ¡ Scheduling Conflicts ¡ New entrants-schedules, tours, lockers, etc. ¡ Meet with administration to plan/review upcoming yearly guidance activities (Push-In lessons, assemblies, College Fair, Financial Aid Night, etc. ). ¡ Meet the teacher night. ¡ Send out letter to parents informing them about upcoming College Night including college applications/deadlines. Outcomes: Preparing our students and their families for the upcoming academic semester by ensuring they are properly advised and informed.

Social/Developmental ¡ Student Mediations - bullying, fighting, inappropriate language/behaviors, Facebook cyber bullying, bus issues. ¡ Crisis Interventions - i. e. self-esteem, suicide, depression, anxiety, divorce, bullying, bereavement, home life conflicts. ¡ Scavenger Hunts – Opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with a new school and learning environment. Outcomes: To ensure students are aware of the outreach and support services that are available to them and to engage in group activities offering intervention.

Career ¡ Update/Create Resumes ¡ Learn about the variety of traditional and nontraditional occupations ¡ Fill out The Common Application (two resumes) ¡ Requirements for college and job applications are reviewed ¡ My fast web account created ¡ Two College/university visits ¡ Outcomes: Guide school counseling programs to provide the foundation for the acquisition of skills, attitudes and knowledge that enable students to make a successful transition from school to the world of work, and from job to job across the life span.

Academic ¡ PSAT/ACT Prep Workshop ¡ For students in grades 9 -12 ¡ Focuses on time management and study skills ¡ Ask group to rate their time management skills, where/when they will study, how they study ¡ Assessment tool – Study Plan Worksheet ¡ Review what to expect on the test day and how to prepare properly for it Outcomes: Student’s will be prepared for the upcoming standardized tests, and acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

Social ¡Freshmen Groups ¡ Each counselor will meet with their Freshmen in groups of 12 -15 at a time ¡ Group will begin with of a few ice-breakers ¡ Discuss their current feelings about being in high school and talk about goals for the next four years ¡ Benefits of getting involved, making new friends, and joining clubs/sport teams. Outcome: Student’s will acquire social skills and understand the advantages of being involved in their school and setting goals.

Career ¡ Mock Interview Workshop ¡ Geared toward 11 th and 12 th graders ¡ Held for 2 hours in the evening (parents may attend) ¡ Career Counselors will speak to the students ¡ Students will be taught how to dress for an interview and the proper way to act on an interview ¡ They will receive information and then have the opportunity to do a mock interview with a career counselor Outcomes: Students will be properly prepared for career opportunities in the future, and develop the skills and training to achieve success.

Academic ¡Honor Roll Ceremony ¡ Grades 9 -12 ¡ A time to recognize the students who have done an exceptional job for the quarter ¡Outcome: students feel supported in their studies and will encourage them to continue to do well. It will also encourage other students to want to strive for higher grades.

Social ¡ Red Ribbon Week: Say No to Drugs Campaign ¡ Promotes drug awareness and advocates against it ¡ Decoration Day ¡ Decorate banners, put red bows around school, on your person, etc ¡ Information Day ¡ Assembly with Guest Speaker ¡ Reach Out Day ¡ Say 3 positive things about a classmate ¡ Red Rally Day ¡ Pep rally, everyone wears red ¡ Pledge Day ¡ Students pledge to be drug free ¡ Create a banner that students sign ¡ Outcome: Students will form a bond with other students and will learn about how social settings can have an impact on your life.

Career ¡Career Fair ¡ Open to all students and parents ¡ Geared towards 11 th graders, 12 th graders, and parents ¡ Representatives from local businesses will be there to provide information and possible future job openings ¡Outcome: For our small population of economically disadvantaged families, this gives them an opportunity to be involved in the community and possible find a job to support their family. Also, it gives students an idea of what types of careers are out there

Career ¡ In the classroom lessons for each grade, students will fill out a career and interests questionnaire. They will then break into groups and rotate doing different activities that coincide with different electives that our school offers. At the end of the lesson they will fill out another questionnaire rating each activity that they enjoyed on a 1 -10 scale. ¡ From there as the counselor we will be able to look over these questionnaires to help students choose elective courses that would help them possibly decide a career for the future based on what they liked and disliked. We will use this information to help students make their schedule for the upcoming school year. Outcomes: Students will be able to effectively find a career path that best suits them and their interests.

Academic ¡Certain days will be blocked off just for the completion of student’s college applications. ¡Counselors will meet with their seniors and make sure that every part of the application process is complete before the application deadlines. ¡Parent teacher conferences will be held with students present to discuss the student’s progress. Outcome: Students, parents, teachers, and counselors will be able to effectively help the student succeed by all working together and understanding exactly where the student stands academically.

Social ¡Financial Aid Night ¡This night will be all about getting information out to parents and students about how the financial aid process works when it comes to applying for colleges. ¡We will have volunteers from financial aid departments in local colleges come and speak to parents and students. Outcomes: Both parents and students will have a better understanding of their options when it comes to financial aid for college.