Counselors

Our Student Support Team
Counselor Ms. Melody Granger	Counselor Ms. LaToya Battle   Clinician  Ms. Hope Dollins

The school counseling team seeks to provide services for students, parents, teachers and school staff that will help to develop the many areas of a student's needs, including personal, social and educational development. The school counselors are available to all students and parents and help to ensure that the students acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed in educational planning, career development, and personal/social development in preparation for meaningful participation in a complex, changing world.Expectations play a major role in helping students be successful.  Research suggests that if parents and teachers hold high expectations for children, they usually live up to them. 

The following tips will help parents learn how to expect the best from their children and get it!

• Emphasize the importance of attending school

• Help your child set goals and achieve them

• Expect your child to try his/her best

• Always focus on the positive

• Be consistent about studying and completing homework

• Take time to talk, listen, and be there for your child

Counseling Services

As School Counselors, we are delighted to be at GMS serving students and working with families. This year, there are a lot of exciting and important things we will be doing in classroom, office, and school-wide. Please review the services that positively impact your student academically, behaviorally, socially and in planning for the future.

Individual Counseling- a student may need to see a counselor for some of the following reasons:

• Review and discussion of academic needs/organizational skills

• A loss of a family member or close friend

• Decision-making and problem-solving skills

• Improvement and aid in the development of positive self-esteem

• Family concerns or fears

Classroom Guidance- the focus of classroom guidance (mainly through Check and Connect) is to foster students’ academic, social, emotional and career development through a planned series of guidance lessons and activities.

Small Group Counseling- offered to provide additional support to students with common needs or concerns. Some small group topics include social and emotional learning. These topics include: 

• Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.

• Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.

• Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

• Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

• Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.