Dear Parents or Guardians:

Welcome to Peacock Primary School. The School Guidance Counselor's role is a diverse one. It involves many functions - four primary ones which are as follows:

Counseling - individual and small group. Counseling aids the child/children in developing a realistic and positive self-concept and an understanding of oneself in relation to others. These "others" include peers, teacher, family and community. In counseling, a counselor and student or students work together to define, solve, or adjust to personal and/or learning problems. Students may be referred for counseling support by parents, teachers, or other child care providers.

Consulting - the goal of consultation is to provide the optimum positive school environment for the child. This goal is achieved through consultation with significant others in the child’s life such as teachers, parents, and/or administrators. Our school follows the Pathways to Programming guidelines set out by the Department of Education. These guidelines provide a framework for teachers in initiating the consultative process. The teacher is usually the first advocate to initiate action on behalf of a student. The essence of consultation is that two persons or more come together to collaborate on their ideas and efforts on behalf of the child.

Coordinating - this involves making use of both the resources of the school and those of the community. Within the school setting the Guidance Counselor is a member of the Safe and Supportive Environment Committee. With other members of the school staff, the counselor ensures that programming is in place for a) character building activities, b) a bullying prevention classroom program, c) the ASK school discipline program and d) a school crisis response plan. Also, in the role of coordinator the school guidance counselor may make referrals and liaise with for example, Child Youth and Family Services, Public and Mental Health, the Northern Labrador Child Development Team, Behavior Management Specialists , and District Staff - specifically, the Educational Psychologist and the Speech and Language Therapist. As well, students entering Kindergarten with special needs are usually made known to the guidance counselor through an ISSP team Manager. The Guidance Counselor works within the school to accommodate for the needs of the child.

Cooperative Assessment - the objective of this function is to administer, after consultation with parents and teachers, the individual diagnostic tests related to academic and intellectual abilities. Behavioral evaluations may also be performed by the counselor. The purpose of assessment is to establish appropriate learning and behavioral intervention strategies.

My name is Jean Blake and I am the Guidance Counselor here at Peacock Primary School. You may reach me at 896-3896.

Check out these links

www.childandyouthadvocate.nl.ca