School Counseling Department

Elementary school is where children develop their competence and confidence as learners as well as their attitude towards school, self and peers.

Elementary counselors play a crucial role in helping to develop the academic, social and emotional skills that serve as the foundation for career and personal success.

In order to support and build a strong relationship with students through their elementary school years, counselors:

• Meet individually with students
• Work in groups with students
• Conduct structured lessons in classrooms

Academic support - elementary counselors:

• Help improve the academic success of all students by monitoring academic progress and performance and working with the teacher, students, instructional support teams and families to identify strategies to improve performance for struggling students.
• Present lessons in classrooms to teach students organizational and study skills.

Social/emotional support - elementary counselors:

• Work with students who have behavioral needs as well as those experiencing crisis situations.
• Help students to resolve conflicts and develop coping skills and strategies.
• Build relationships with all students by presenting lessons in classrooms teaching personal/internet safety and social skills.
• Help to promote good character traits in every student by promoting character education programs in school (i.e., bully prevention).

Career development/post secondary planning support - elementary counselors:

• Although most career development/post-secondary planning takes place at the secondary level, elementary schools begin introducing children to various careers and post-secondary options.
• Elementary students also begin the important work of learning about their own interests and values. This is an important first step of career exploration.

Family support - elementary counselors:

• Work with parents, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to plan and implement strategies and programs to help students be successful in school.
• Serve as a liaison between the school and community agencies to assist parents in obtaining needed services.

Transition support - elementary counselors:

• Work with students in pre-k and kindergarten to help them adjust to school.
• Invite new students to lunch.
• Work with middle school counselors to host student and parent orientations to help students and their families have a successful transition to 6th grade. Meet with middle school counselors to make sure that they are aware of student's needs to ensure a successful transition to middle school.

Middle school can be a very challenging time for many students as they move from childhood to adolescence. It is a time of rapid growth both physically and psychologically as they search for their own identity. This is a time that they begin turning more frequently to peers rather than parents for ideas and affirmation with a heavy reliance on friends to provide comfort, understanding and approval.

In order to support and build a strong relationship with students through their middle school years, counselors:

• Meet individually with students
• Work in groups with students
• Works collaboratively with families and teachers to support student success

Academic Support

Helping to improve the academic success of all students by monitoring academic progress and performance and working with the teacher, student, RtI team and families to identify strategies to improve performance for struggling students. School Counselors are available to help support students academically. Academic support may look different depending on each situation but may include some or all of the following:

• Working with each student to build a schedule and select courses that challenge them academically and set them on the right path to meet their post-secondary goals.
• Working with students individually or in groups to develop study, organizational and test-taking skills

Social/Emotional Support 

School Counselors are available to help support students. Social and emotional support can be provided in different ways and may include large group activities as well as small group and individual counseling. Some areas of focus include:

• Teaching strong decision-making abilities and help to develop self confidence in order to help students make positive decisions.
• Providing coping strategies for students who have undergone some element of stress or tragedy.
• Working with students to resolve conflict and create positive peer relationships.
• Helping students with behavioral issues find success in the classroom by working on strategies with the student, teacher and parents.
• Helping to promote good character traits in every student by promoting character education programs in school (i.e., bully prevention).

Career Development Support

At the middle school level, students explore their interests, abilities, and begin to think more about possible career goals.

• School counselors begin working with students on career exploration and post secondary plans.
• All students in grades 6-8 update their career plan annually

Family Support

The middle school years can be difficult for students to navigate as students work to carve out their identity. It is often a time that friend groups and interests may change and students are learning to balance academic demands too. There are lots of changes! With them, comes the continued need for home-school communication. As school counselors we are here as a resource to help families as they explore the best way to support their child. Some ways school counselors do this are:

• Communicating with parents and provide strategies to use at home that will help students find academic success in school.
• Serving as liaisons between the school and community agencies to assist parents in obtaining needed services.

Transition Support

Transitioning between grade levels is exciting, but can also be challenging for students. School counselors work to help transitions be as smooth as possible. Some of the things they do include:

• Working with the elementary school counselor to host student and parent orientations for students in 5th grade to help students have a successful transition to 6th grade. Meeting with the elementary school counselor to make sure that they are aware of students’ needs to ensure a successful transition to high school.
• Collaborate with teachers and families to help transition 6th grade students into 7th grade.
• Hosting student and parent orientations for students in 8th grade to help students have a successful transition to 9th grade.

HCS is excited to maintain community partnerships with Colgate University, Morrisville State College, and Utica University, aimed at enriching our students' educational experience.  These esteemed institutions will serve as additional support resources, offering unique opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and academic growth.  Through these partnerships, our students will have access to a wealth of resources and expertise, further enhancing their learning journey.  For more details on the specific offerings and benefits available through each partnership, we encourage you to visit the respective tabs of Colgate, Morrisville, and Utica University.  Together, we are committed to providing unparalleled educational opportunities and fostering a vibrant learning community.

Should further assistance be needed, please contact Victoria Pustay, High School Counselor, at vpustay@hamiltoncentral.org or 315.824.6327.