The Mannion Middle School counseling department functions as a responsive, supportive unit in providing direct services to children, parents, and teachers. The counselors take an active role in the academic, emotional, and social development of our students. The primary role of our counselors is to help build a foundation for learning by assisting students to develop self-respect, awareness of others, and positive attitudes toward acquiring knowledge. Our fundamental goal is to help students acquire skills, which will help them through life. Middle school counselors are not to serve as therapists. If situations arise where these services are needed, parents must seek services independent of the school, as school counselors do not make private referrals.
Students may see their counselor for any reason. If a student feels a need for someone to listen to a concern, the counselor will give the child the attention he/she needs, and will help in arriving at an acceptable solution to the problem.
Some of the reasons for students to see the counselor include the following:
- Adjustment to School Problems
- Conflicts with Peers
- Conflicts with School Personnel
- Family Problems
- Learning or Study Difficulties
- Loss and Grief
- Substance Abuse
Mannion Middle School strongly urges parents to call the counseling office and let us know when their children are in need of counseling services.
Class & Schedule Changes
Students are often concerned about their schedule of classes. The most frequent request that counselors hear from students is that their schedule needs to be changed. Changes will be made for the following reasons:
- Student is misplaced in a leveled class
- Student is unable to acquire a musical instrument, and needs to change out of music elective
- Schedules are changed to balance numbers in classes due to increased or decreased enrollment
We do not make changes because of:
- Conflicts with teachers or other students
- Student would rather have a different lunch
- Student would rather be in another class with special friends
Social Worker/Mental Health Professional
The social worker/mental health professional will provide support to students, staff, parents, and community members at Mannion Middle School.
Students
- Assisting students in understanding and accepting self and others
- Developing intervention strategies to increase academic success
- Helping students develop appropriate social interaction skills
- Provide crisis intervention
- Teach conflict resolution and anger management.
Parents
- Alleviating family stress to enable their child to function more effectively in school and community
- Assisting parents in accessing and utilizing school and community resources.
Alternative Educational Opportunities
A variety of educational opportunities exist for the young adult who chooses not to pursue a high school diploma through traditional means, may be credit-deficient, or may have been removed due to behavior. Please refer to the following information regarding these choices.