The primary goal of the school's counseling program is to promote and enhance student learning. As student advocates, the grade-level counselors consult and collaborate with teachers, parents, and administrators to assist students to succeed in the academic, social, and personal realms. More specifically, the grade-level counselors help students adjust to middle school, discover and nurture their talents, make responsible decisions, set goals, and cope with problems involving school, friends, and/or family. The school counselor monitors and fosters the individual progress of the students by participating in team meetings with teachers, facilitating tutoring and mentoring programs involving high school students working with middle school students, and participating in the Student Assistance Program (SAP), which identifies and works to address the needs of at-risk students. In an effort to help students achieve success in the academic, social, and personal domains, the school counselors engage in individual, small group, and crisis counseling as needed.
One of the key components of the Strath Haven Middle School counseling program is the school counseling rotation. School counselors work with the same cohort of students for four years: grades six through nine. This rotation allows the school counselor to help students adjust to middle school in grade six, monitor students' progress through seventh and eighth grades, and then help the students transition to high school in ninth grade. In addition, the school counselors carefully work with students who are new to the district to help ease the transition to a new school environment.
Students may visit their grade-level counselor at any time, as long as they have a hall pass. If the student has an urgent problem and the counselor is not available, the student should report to another counselor, the nurse, or the main office. In an effort to help students make the most of their middle school experience, the school counselor facilitates communication between home and school. Parents with questions or concerns regarding their child are encouraged to contact the appropriate grade-level school counselor.
