Welcome to the South Valley Middle School Counseling website. I'm Christine Koon and I am excited to be the counselor at South Valley. I love getting to know the kids and being a part of their education. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, cooking, reading, following my daughter in her education and sports, camping and four-wheeling, photography and scrapbooking.
Why counselors in middle school? The counselor's role is to help students to understand themselves, accept themselves, and to help them make decisions that affect their lives. If there is something getting in the way of a student being successful, it is the goal of a school counselor to provide the tools and guidance to help remove those barriers, whatever they may be. Counselors can help monitor academic progress, time management, friendship issues, and a host of other issues. Counselors frequently consult with teachers, the school psychologist, school social worker, administrators, outside therapists, and community resources. Students utilize the counselors office frequently. They meet with the counselor individually, in groups, eat lunch with the counselor, or just come in to say hello. Counselors also help with the transition from 5th to 6th grade and 8th to 9th grade. Here are some reasons students might want to talk to the School Counselor: "I had an argument with my best friend and she doesn't want to be my friend anymore." "Some kids in my science class are talking about fighting after school." "My parents argue all the time and I don't know what to do." "My grandfather is really sick and I'm scared he's going to die." "My mom just had a baby and she doesn't have time for me anymore." "We're moving again!" "My dad wants me to be an engineer like him, but I want to be a pilot." Here are some reasons parents might want to talk to the School Counselor: "This is John's third school this year, and he's having difficulty adjusting." "My husband is being deployed in two weeks and Carolyn may need some help coping with this change." "Sam used to be excited about school, but lately he doesn't seem to care." "My wife and I recently separated and our daughter could use some help understanding this." "My son seems to be the target of some teasing and bullying after school. Can you help?" Feel free to peruse this website for helpful parenting tips, typical middle school student behaviors, and other helpful resources. If there is anything that you would like to see on this site, please let me know! I am available for parents and students Tuesday - Friday 7:30 - 4:00. You can reach me by phone at (970)785-2205 or by email at [email protected] |
|