School Counseling Program

The role of the school counselor is to help every student thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.  In partnership with students, staff, family, and other members of the community, the school counselor strives to prepare students to become effective learners, achieve success in school, live successful and rewarding lives, and develop into contributing members of our society. The goal is that each and every student builds the skills they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond. 

The Middle School Counseling Program is:

• Comprehensive

• Proactive

• Equity based

Comprehensive

The counselors use six different delivery methods to try and reach all students where they are.

• School-Wide Programs: Allow them to spread a message to all students, such as an ongoing bully-prevention initiative.

• Classroom Lessons: They visit individual classrooms and teach lessons on social, emotional, and mental health.

• Small Groups: They work with groups of students on conflict resolution or meet with students who have similar needs.

• Individual Sessions: Students who need one-on-one support. Some students need one session to discuss a current situation, while others may need long-term support.

• Transitions: Working with students who are transitioning from elementary school into middle school or middle school into high school. They also work with students new to South St. Paul to make sure they are receiving the support they need to be successful.

• Partnering with Families: Working with families to make sure they are meeting the students' needs. Making positive phone calls home and letting the families know where their student is academically and emotionally.

Proactive

SSP Middle School Counselors know it’s important for them to be proactive and not reactive to students. They spend passing time in the halls and want students to know who they are. They're goal is to be accessible to all. At the beginning of the school year, they send out a welcome survey to students and staff.  They visit Connections classes and speak with students about how they can better support them in the three domains: academic, social-emotional/equity, and college & career development. This helps our School Counselors understand where they need to focus their attention. They is to revisit the survey throughout the  school year and have students and staff answer the same questions again to see where things have improved or where more support is needed.

Equitable

The counselors strive to make services equitable for all students. They work closely with the Cultural Liaison team to help reach students with cultural differences or families where English is their second language. The goal of equity-based services is to meet each student where they are at and to help them be as successful as possible.

How do students receive help?

All students have access to a Google Form that makes it easy for them to request an appointment with their counselor. If a teacher sees a student struggling academically or socially, they may ask a counselor to meet with them and provide support. If families feel their student needs support in any of the areas, they may reach out to their student’s counselor and request a meeting. 

Visit the Student services Page for Family Resources