Couseling and Guidance Plan

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Introduction

Alexandria Community School Corporation (ACSC) recognizes that children with high abilities may have unique affective needs, including increased capacity to think beyond their years, greater intensity in response, combinations of varied interests, personality characteristics and conflicts that are different from those of their same age peers. We appreciate the importance of providing a systematic and differentiated program of affective services for our high ability students K-12. This proactive approach will facilitate development of our students' individual potential and promote their positive adjustment.

Core Concepts

Core concepts which will be emphasized throughout the K-12 curriculum include:

  • Self-Advocacy
  • Leadership
  • Responsibility/Accountability
  • Service to others
  • Effective Communication
  • Career Exploration
  • Study Skills
  • Accepting Diversity
  • Friendships
  • Bullying/Conflict Resolution
  • Peer Pressure
  • Justice/Fairness
  • Perfectionism
  • Intensities

Grades 1-2 High Ability students are provided with lessons two times per month to support their social and emotional wellness from the district's school psychology intern. The Ball State Unversity Intern plans and delivers these lessons in conjunction with the classroom teacher and paraprofessional. These lessons are reinforced throughout the year. Topics include:

  • Communication with peers
  • Asking good questions
  • Working as a team
  • Creativity is valued
  • Everyone has different strengths and needs
  • Mistakes are part of learning

Beginning at the grade 3, ACSC recognizes the importance of emphasizing additional concepts:

  • Understanding giftedness
  • Planning/time management
  • Stress
  • Elitism
  • Overcoming stereotypes

As students formulate their post-secondary goals, ACSC will provide guidance in the following areas:

  • Scholarship
  • College Choice
  • Workforce Readiness

Guidance and Social Work Support Staff

Working in conjunction with our highly trained teaching staff supporting our high ability population, ACSC has three social workers: Two at the elementary level and one at the junior/senior high school. Additionally, we have two guidance counselors at the junior/senior high school building. The Intermediate building also has social work interns, supervised through a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College.

Social workers provide services in the following areas:

  • Home/school communication
  • Individual/Group counseling
  • Character development
  • Behavioral support
  • Referral to community agencies
  • Service Learning

Guidance counselors provide services in the following areas:

  • Individual counseling
  • Academic advising/AP potential
  • Career and college planning
  • Home/school communication
  • Testing coordination

Programs to Address the Affective Needs of High Ability Students

ACSC teachers and staff are an integral part of implementing programs and support for high ability students. Therefore, they participate in ongoing professional development in order to meet their affective needs. Affective themes and core concepts are integrated across the curriculum in the general education and high ability classrooms.

Character Counts/Character Education:

  • At the PreK-2 level, students receive 40 minutes of character education each week.
  • At the Grades 3-6, Assistant Principal, Mark Bartmas, leads the building in character education through Marvin Marshall's Discipline without Stress and Rewards. This program teaches expectations for behavior and self-monitoring prior to the transition to the junior high.

Miscellaneous:

  • Core issues are addressed at the grades 3-12 level through literature in the English/Language Arts classroom.
  • Guidance counselors meet with high ability students once per grading period as a minimum, additionally as requested by student.
  • Scholarship meetings, career and college, military, opportunities for Ivy League schools and the Indiana Academy.
  • All students in grade 10 take the PSAT for use in determining Advanced Placement (AP) potential for grades 11 and 12.
  • All High Ability students are encouraged to take as many duel credit and AP courses as they can to earn college credit while still in high school.

Meridian Services or Madison County Community Health Services

Meridian Services is a regional, private, not-for-profit behavioral health care system offering a range of inpatient and outpatient services. They provide case management, behavior therapy, and psychological counseling and therapy within the school environment.

Madison County Community Health Center provides Behavioral Services, psychological testing for the purposes of medical diagnosis, therapy for children and families, parent education, and other mental health services within our school environment.

School social workers can make a referral to Meridian Services or Madison County Community Health Services with permission from the parent if there is a behavioral or mental health concern outside of the scope of our educational expertise for treatment. High ability students may be referred for behavioral therapy and outside counseling/case management if needed. This is not a free service provided by the school corporation, so private insurance or Medicaid applies.

Guidance and Social Work School Staff:   
Missy Abernathy, Guidance Counselor at AMHS [email protected] 
Andrea Stafford, Guidance Counselor at AMHS  [email protected] 
Beth Hueston, Social Worker at AMHS  [email protected] 
Holly Eihler, Social Worker at AMIS  [email protected] 
Adrienne Wise, Social Worker at AMES  [email protected] 
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