(STAFF NEWSLETTER #3)
School Counseling: Thanks to everyone who continues to whole heartedly support BECA's first school counseling program this year and also to those who weren't sure exactly what all this was about! I know it can be difficult to justify shared time when you cannot see what is happening in student sessions, due to confidentiality regulations. In reviewing the data that interests you, I hope you will learn a little more about our SJBS population, understand more about the impact of the school counseling program, know that your sacrifice of class time has been worthwhile, and utilize your counselors in the future! In the beginning, a lot of time was spend gathering, analyzing, and translating both student and guardian needs assessments (45 confidential parent forms in Spanish- Bless Me!). I used this information to begin the services listed below. You saw a trend in the first part of the year of many classroom visits, individual sessions, and mediations being run. I began meeting with families and participating in our Wednesday parent group. Peer helpers and upper groups were implemented during the 3rd Parcial. The focus of the 4th Parcial will be lower groups and the continuation of all needed services. Below you will find the following reports: Counseling Needs Assessment, Counseling Interventions Delivered, Counseling Group Data: Parent Living Abroad, Counseling Group Data: Death of Parent. Thank you for taking the time to read and again, for all of your support this year!
COUNSELING NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Bilingual Education for Central America
San Jerรณnimo Bilingual School
2011-2012
PRE TRIP:
Date: April 2011
Interview: Mike and Laurence
Significant Student Needs: Grief and Loss, Family Members Living Abroad
STUDENT DATA:
Date: September 2011
Grades: 3-9
Total Students: 153
Completed Surveys: 143 (93%)
____% of completed surveys indicated that students needed support regarding:
37% parents living in another place.
41% death of a close family member.
42% help making friends.
46% help in school.
Additional Survey Questions for Upper Students:
Grades: 6-9
Total Students: 78
Completed Surveys: 70 (90%)
Is bullying a problem in school? YES (57%)
Is peer pressure a problem in school? YES (39%)
I work for money. YES (11%)
GUARDIAN DATA FOR THEIR STUDENTS:
Date: September 2011
Grades: K-9
Total Students: 247
Completed Surveys: 45 (5.5 %)
Note: No Kinder/Prepa surveys were returned.
____% of completed surveys indicated that students needed support regarding:
27% parent who lives in another country.
33% loss of a parent.
18% academics.
9% parent who struggles with alcoholism.
Note: Parents often indicated a concern for academic planning after S.J.B.S. Parents wanted more information regarding: how to help student develop strong character, future planning beyond S.J.B.S., technology training, supporting students through transitions (separation, divorce, family changes, moving, grief and loss), drug prevention, common illness, how to support students through change (grade level academics, mood, friendships).
COUNSELING INTERVENTIONS DELIVERED
(based upon surveys, binders, referrals made by students, teachers, parents, administration)
FOR STUDENTS:
-INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING- array of topics including (but not limited to) friendship, academics, family changes, abuse, suicidal ideation, bullying, conflict-resolution, grief and loss, phobias, personal changes, behavior modification
-GROUP COUNSELING- Grief and Loss, Parent Living in Another Place/Country
-CLASSROOM LESSONS- sharing, bullying, peer pressure, solving problems with words and listening to our peers, including all students vs. having cliques, personal space, homework, violence, positive vs. negative risk, careers (SHOUT OUT TO KEN!), cool down corner, positive attitude, study schedules, compliments (SHOUT OUT TO JESSICA FOR SUPPORTING COUNSELING AT S.M.B.S.!)
-MEDIATION (Conflict-Resolution) Sessions
-PEER HELPER Student Support and Mediations
-ANTI-BULLYING Program- LED BY SEAN (ALSO A SHOUT OUT FOR YOUR EMERGENCY SCHOOL PROCEDURES PROJECT!)
FOR PARENTS:
-Parent/Family TEAM PLANNING- abuse, suicidal ideation, academics
-Parent Group/CHARLA- every other Wednesday LED BY ANDREA AND STEPHANIE. Topics include (but are not limited to) future planning/banking, talking about sex, helping students through family changes, positive discipline, positive communication, First Aid and CPR- Thanks, KIM!, common illness and disease (HIV and AIDS), personality inventory.
UPPER COUNSELING GROUP DATA: PARENT LIVING ABROAD
School: S.J.B.S.
School Counselor: Sarah Zelenak
Dates: January-April 2012
Grades: 7-9
Participants: 7
Sessions: 8 (45 minutes each)
Activities: Movement, Art, Music, Life Timeline, Writing, Discussion
1- How are you now feeling about your parent living in another country?
Unresolved/Very Bad 0……………5………………10 Pretty Resolved/Much Better
PRE-GROUP: 0,0,2,3,5,5,5
POST-GROUP: 6,7,8,8,8,8,8
2- Have you truly had a chance to talk about how you feel? Y/N
PRE: NO (5), KIND OF (1), YES (1)
POST: NO (1), YES (6)
3- Have you been able to have an open conversation with other people your age who are going through the same thing as you? Y/N
PRE: NO (3), KIND OF (2), YES (3)
POST: NO (1), YES (6)
4- Do you feel alone in this situation, like you are going through this by yourself? Y/N
PRE: NO (4), KIND OF (1), YES (2)
POST: NO (7)
5- I know how to deal with change in positive ways. T/F
PRE: FALSE (2), TRUE (4), N/A DATA (1)
POST: TRUE (7)
6- Was group what you expected? Y/N Please explain.
“Yes, it was better than what I thought.”
“No, because I didn’t thought about getting to know much better this people and to be able to talk with them.”
“Yes, be this group shows us that we’re not alone and that we can count with them.”
“Yes, because it was fun.”
7- Do you feel like you got what you wanted to get out of group?
“Yes I really got a lot of support and I could express myself.”
“Yes, because now I understand much better changes and that I am not alone.”
“Yes, I have change my thoughts and my opinions, and I hope that there can be another one like this… I get support and help about my feeling.”
“Yes I have a lot of things I wanted to share.”
8- Did group change your view on anything that will help you in your life?
“Yes because at the first part I didn’t understand why my mom got to The United States and now I understand.”
“Yes because now I know that not all things are for bad and I started to see life in a little bit more positive way not always in a negative way.”
9- If Miss Sarah Z could do one thing differently in order to improve the group experience for others, what would it be?
Don’t change anything. (1)
More time. (6)
10-Would you recommend this group to other students who also have a parent/family member living in another country?
Yes (7)
11- Free Choice Response
“It was a really good idea to have this group cause we have some time to share our ideas with people with the same situation.”
“Thanks… I hope there could be a counselor next year because it is very helpful for us and I liked it so much.”
“I have learn that you’ve not the only one that have this problem and that if you need help this group can help anyone.”
“It was fantastic. I liked a lot.”
“I just want to say to you that I appreciate that you take your time helping us.”
“This group is the second best thing that happened to me in 7th grade.”
UPPER COUNSELING GROUP DATA: DEATH OF PARENT
School: S.J.B.S.
School Counselor: Sarah Zelenak
Dates: January-April 2012
Grades: 8-9
Participants: 5
Sessions: 8 (45 minutes each)
Activities: Movement, Memory Album- Art and Writing, Music, Discussion, Movie
1- How are you feeling about the loss of your parent(s)?
Unresolved/Very Bad 0……………5………………10 Pretty Resolved/Much Better
PRE-GROUP: 1,3,4,5,6
POST-GROUP: 5,7,8,9,10
2- Have you truly had a chance to talk about how you feel? Y/N
PRE: NO (3), YES (2)
POST: YES (5)
3- Have you been able to have an open conversation with other people your age who are going through the same thing as you? Y/N
PRE: NO (2), KIND OF (2), YES (1)
POST: YES (5)
4- Do you feel alone in this situation, like you are going through this by yourself? Y/N
PRE: NO (3), KIND OF (1), YES (1)
POST: NO (4), YES (1)
5- Do you feel like you got what you wanted to get out of group?
“Yes, because I wanted to see what others think.”
“Yes, because I express myself with other people.”
“No, but I really like how we do all this art to remember our parents.”
6- Did group change your view on anything that will help you in your life?
“Yes it help me a lot because I know that by saying what I feel is good for me.”
“That I learn how to share my feelings to other people and that I know that they will hear me.”
“That before I thought that I will always be in this sadness and that I just can’t do nothing but now I can express myself by doing art.”
7- If Miss Sarah Z could do one thing differently in order to improve the group experience for others, what would it be?
Don’t change anything. (2)
I don’t know. (1)
More time. (2)
8- Would you recommend this group to other students who also have a parent/family member living in another country?
Yes (5)
9- Free Choice Response
“This group is very good because I shared all my feelings and I like that.”
“That now that I say something about my parent I don’t resist to cry. Before I felt that my words didn’t come out of my mouth. Now I can talk to anyone.”
