4.6 Support Services Available

4.6 Support Services Available

INTRODUCTION

North Mobile is comprised of around 500 students ranging from grades K-8. The population of NMCMS is diverse with Caucasian, African American, American Indian, and Hispanic and Asian students. Over 70 percent of the student body receives free/reduced lunches. The diversity of this population can be seen reflected in the students we are educating, the level of competency of the students, and the availability of community resources. The Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Plan for the Mobile County Public School System and the local plan for North Mobile is designed to transcend these diversities through the implementation of a comprehensive, developmental, proactive counseling and guidance program that will meet the challenges, needs, and constraints of our students.

The Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance program at North Mobile is delivered by Tammera Carbo a certified School Counselor and consists of many components. Among these components are individual, group, family and classroom sessions, The Peer Helper Program, Testing, and Career Development. Each component is planned and implemented based on student, parent, teacher and administrator needs.

Students request individual sessions by completing a referral form and placing in the counselor’s box. A teacher, administrator or parent may refer a student the same way or may refer electronically. After meeting with the student, the counselor may make recommendations to the student, teacher, administrator or parent concerning the information presented. Confidentiality will be strictly adhered to and only information pertinent to the student’s academic success, safety or the safety of others will be shared.

Group counseling is an integral part of the Guidance Program at North Mobile. We are well aware of the effect of peer involvement and have found that giving students an opportunity to share issues and learn appropriate coping skills in the presence of other students can have a positive and lasting effect. Groups also allow the needs of more than one student to be met at a time, thereby increasing student-counselor contact without compromising the programs efficacy. Groups are tailored to the specific needs of the students. We may have groups on anger, grief management, appropriate classroom behavior, trauma or study skills going on in the same semester. We assess the needs of the students through teacher, parent and student referrals.

Family Guidance is offered anytime a parent wishes to communicate with a counselor. The parents may meet with the counselor alone, or may meet with the student and the counselor. A teacher conference may also be required. Parenting classes will also be offered. The purpose of the family guidance situation is to make sure that a student’s progress is being handled with a team approach. It is our goal to make sure that the school and the family are working together to promote a consistent, safe learning environment for the student.

Classroom guidance and Advisory sessions are delivery modes used to present information concerning drug education, character education, study skills and general information on topics such as grief and anger management. Sessions are developed based on current school needs.

The Peer Helper Program is a major part of the Guidance Program at North Mobile. The Peer Helper Program consists of four components; tutoring, peer mediation, mentoring and the big brother, big sister piece. Students will be chosen through an application process to join this leadership team. They will have extensive training and will then implement the program.

Career Development will involve student research using theKUDER career program. The interest inventories in the KUDER program will help students identify career interest and correlate those interests with the work place. Students will attend a career fair to further allow exploration and to expand their knowledge of opportunities in our Gulf Coast community. Four year plans for high school will be completing using this program as well.

Testing is a demanding part of the counselor’s job at North Mobile. A counselor is designated to be the test coordinator and is responsible to provide and supervise the administration of high stakes testing. Analyzing test data and preparing a user friendly version of how data expresses student learning styles and effective teaching strategies is part of these responsibilities.

The Guidance Department is very excited about the opportunity to serve at North Mobile. The open and amiable atmosphere allows for creative and innovative interventions with students, faculty and families creating a constantly growing and developing program. It is a rewarding experience to see struggling students become successful and energized about learning. This is the foundation and the primary goal of the guidance program at North Mobile.

We are careful to make sure that all students are given equal access to all events at North Mobile. It is our belief that any student can achieve given the right opportunities. Ethnicity, neither socio-economic status, physical or learning challenges nor any other factor should determine the opportunity for a student to receive the necessary services for academic and social success. We want every student at North Mobile to become a productive and responsible citizen of Mobile County. We believe the future of our country lies with these students, therefore we refuse to minimize the importance of uncompromising commitment to their developmental, social and academic growth.

North Mobile County K8 and the Counseling Department will follow all ASCA Ethical Guidelines.