School Counseling

1. GET ORGANIZED. Utilize “assignment sheets” an agenda book, binders. Etc. daily to write down assignments for each class. Share this with your parents each night.
    
2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Set a specific designated time each day that you dedicate solely to homework and studying. Be consistent; make this a routine. After you complete your daily work, show it to your parent so that they can check it.
    
3. STUDY FOR A SET AMOUNT OF TIME AND AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY REGARDLESS IF YOU HAVE HOMEWORK OR NOT. Even if you have “no homework”, which should be very rare, you should still study for upcoming test, work on future projects, review class notes, vocabulary, reread textbook chapters, etc. Studying needs to become habitual, like brushing your teeth.
    
4. CHECK YOUR GRADES REGULARLY ON SIS. Students and parents should check SIS frequently. SIS is in real time and updates automatically. Check for missing assignments and upcoming tests, quizzes, or projects. If you see something that you have a question about, contact the teacher.
    
5. GET EXTRA HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT. Go to your teachers when you are having trouble with a class and ask them for the extra help that you need.
    
6. SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF. Set short and long term goals for yourself.
   
   Short term goals - Use your agenda daily, complete homework, study. Frequently check your grades on SIS and work on areas that need improvement
   
   Long term goals - Quarterly; pass all classes successfully. Yearly; earn the quality points to be promoted to the next grade.
    
7. DEVELOP A CONTRACT WITH YOUR PARENTS. Sit down with your parents and develop a contract incorporating your short and long term goals. Set up rewards and consequences based on achieving your short and long term goals. It is important for you and your parent(s) to stick to the contract for this to work.
   
   I AGREE TO…….      _______________REWARD ________________ CONSEQUENCE
   
   Use my agenda
   Complete my daily & weekly assignments
   Study for tests and complete projects
   Check my grades on SIS
    
8. DECIDE THAT EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT. Decide that education is important. Make it a priority and embrace it a as a core value. Understand that there is a pay-off at the end for you, and consequently you will take it more seriously and perform better.

Academic/Classroom Concerns

1. The first course of action is to contact your child’s teacher.
2. If there are problems in more than one class, and you have already spoken to the teachers and attempted to correct the problem with your child, the Team Leader for your child’s group of teachers can schedule a conference.
3. The Guidance Department does have some tools available that might assist you in monitoring your child’s responsibilities. These include Daily and Weekly reports, which your child is responsible for presenting to his/her teachers. We encourage all parents to monitor their child’s planner, which is provided within the first month of school.

Scheduling Concerns

1. If your child does not have Language Arts, Reading, Math, Social Studies, or Science on their schedule, contact us immediately – these are required classes.
2. If your child has changed his/her mind about an elective and is asking for a change, we are unable to help. We can correct scheduling errors but are not able to assist with preferences.

Other Concerns

1. Crisis can occur unexpectedly. If we know of significant problems occurring in your child’s life, we can determine if we are able to offer special assistance/support. We are also able to recommend other agencies that can offer help. Some agencies will provide a counselor to visit your child at school at little or no cost.
2. Serious problems/potential problems at school are of concern to both Guidance and Administration at CMMS. Sometimes it is unclear whether to call Guidance or an Administrator. If a harmful problem has already occurred, Administration will deal with the necessary discipline and follow-up. If a situation can be prevented, please contact either Guidance or Administration.