Counselor Corner- Marie Bracciale, Ph.D., 322-6171 ext. 39208

mtbracci@volusia.k12.fl.us

Parent Resource Lists:

Community Resource List

Daytona Community Resources

211 Live- United Way

United Way Community Help

Attendance Matters- Check in and Connect Group

Florida's Compulsory School Attendance Law

PST Problem Solving Team

Problem Solving/RtI/PST

​Volusia County Schools Problem Solving process is a data driven process that assists students, families and teachers in seeking positive solutions for all students. The primary goal of the PST is to support teachers and parents by generating effective research- based academic and behavioral strategies for individual targeted students. In addition, Problem Solving Teams can use school-wide and class-wide data to monitor the success and difficulties of groups of students and can offer academic and behavioral interventions to be applied to class or school- wide issues. Contact Dr. Bracciale x39208 if your child need help with academics or behavioral issues.

Why Elementary School Counselors?

"Today's young people are living in an exciting time, with an increasingly diverse society, new technologies and expanding opportunities. To help ensure they are prepared to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders and citizens, every student needs support, guidance and opportunities during childhood, a time of rapid growth and change. Children face unique and diverse challenges, both personally and developmentally, that have an impact on academic achievement."

– "Toward a Blueprint for Youth: Making Positive Youth Development a National Priority," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Elementary School Students’ Developmental Needs

The elementary years are a time when students begin to develop their academic self-concept and their feelings of competence and confidence as learners. They are beginning to develop decision-making, communication and life skills, as well as character values. It is also a time when students develop and acquire attitudes toward school, self, peers, social groups and family. Comprehensive developmental school counseling programs provide education, prevention and intervention services, which are integrated into all aspects of children’s lives. Early identification and intervention of children’s academic and social/emotional needs is essential in removing barriers to learning and in promoting academic achievement. The knowledge, attitudes and skills students acquire in the areas of academic, career and social development during these elementary years serve as the foundation for future success.

Elementary school counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population. Elementary school counselors don’t work in isolation; rather they are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students achieve school success. School counselors align with the school’s mission to support the academic achievement of all students as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st century. This mission is accomplished through the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive, developmental and systematic school counseling program. ASCA’s Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success are the foundation for this work. The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2002), with its data-driven and results-based focus, serves as a guide for today’s school counselor who is uniquely trained to implement this program.

Elementary School Counselors Implement the School Counseling Program by Providing:
School Guidance Curriculum

• Academic support, including organizational, study and test-taking skills
• Goal setting and decision-making
• Career awareness, exploration and planning
• Education on understanding self and others
• Peer relationships, coping strategies and effective social skills
• Communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution
• Substance abuse education
• Multicultural/diversity awareness
• Individual student planning
  

Academic planning

• Goal setting/decision-making
• Education on understanding of self, including strengths and weaknesses
• Transition plans

Responsive Services

• Individual and small-group counseling
• Individual/family/school crisis intervention
• Conflict resolution
• Consultation/collaboration
• Referrals

System Support

• Professional development
• Consultation, collaboration and teaming
• Program management and operation

Elementary School Counselors Collaborate with:

Parents
Parent education 
Communication/networking 
Academic planning 
College/career awareness programs 
One-on-one parent conferencing 
Interpretation of assessment results

Teachers
Classroom guidance activities 
Academic support, including learning style assessment and education to help students succeed academically 
Classroom speakers 
At-risk student identification and implementation of interventions to enhance success

Administrators
School climate 
Behavioral management plans 
Schoolwide needs assessments 
Student data and results 
Student assistance team building

Students
Peer education 
Peer support 
Academic support 
School climate 
Leadership development
Community
Job shadowing, service learning 
Crisis interventions 
Referrals 
Parenting classes 
Support groups 
Career education

**These examples are not intended to be all-inclusive

Why Elementary School Counselors?

Elementary school years set the tone for developing the knowledge, attitudes and skill necessary for children to become healthy, competent and confident learners. Through a comprehensive developmental school counseling program, school counselors work as a team with the school staff, parents and the community to create a caring climate and atmosphere. By providing education, prevention, early identification and intervention, school counselors can help all children achieve academic success. The elementary school counselor holds a master’s degree and required state certification in school counseling. Maintaining certification includes on-going professional development to stay current with education reform and challenges facing today’s students. Professional association membership enhances the school counselor’s knowledge and effectiveness.

The "ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student" describe the knowledge, skills and attitudes students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness and social/emotional development. The standards are based on a survey of research and best practices in student achievement from a wide array of educational standards and efforts. Download the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. Download the program planning tool. 

Mindsets & Behaviors Database

Use the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors database to search for grade-level competencies that support the standards. Searches can be completed by keyword, grade level, domain or standard. Each competency is designed to meet student developmental needs and align with academic content. The database also allows school counselors to contribute new competencies that support and align with a specific standard.

The ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student

Each of the following standards can be applied to the academic, career and social/emotional domains.

The ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors are organized in three broad domains: academic, career and social/emotional development. These domains promote mindsets and behaviors that enhance the learning process and create a culture of college and career readiness for all students. The definitions of each domain are as follows:

Academic Development – Standards guiding school coun­seling programs to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn.

Career Development – Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students 1) understand the connection between school and the world of work and 2) plan for and make a successful transition from school to postsecondary ed­ucation and/or the world of work and from job to job across the life span.

Social/Emotional Development – Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills. 

School counselors encourage the following mindsets for all students:

1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being

2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed

3. Sense of belonging in the school environment

4. Understanding that postsecondary education and life-long learning are necessary for long-term career success

5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes

6. Positive attitude toward work and learning

Category 2: Behavior Standards

Students will demonstrate the following standards through classroom lessons, activities and/or individual/small-group counseling.

 ASCA Counseling Standards​​