School Counseling Services

* Help develop positive attitudes among students towards self, family, and community.

* Counsel students individually and in groups to understand and appreciate their unique qualities and to grow personally and socially.

* Support students in developing an individual plan for academic success.

* Develop and deliver classroom guidance lessons that teach skills such as making healthy decisions, resolving conflicts, and respecting others.

* Assist students to become invested in their school success by showing them how school performance relates to career opportunities.

* Plan activities to prepare students for transition to and from middle school.

* Work collaboratively with students, parents, and teachers to identify and remove barriers that may impede student achievement.

* Act as a resource for students, parents, and teachers on services available within the school and outside community.

Academic Development

Counselors play a key role in fostering a positive environment for academic self-confidence, learning and success. Counselors help students set academic goals and develop plans to reach those goals. Counselors assist students in identifying academic strengths and areas for improvement. The counselors act as test coordinators for Page Middle School and assist in the organization and administration in the EXPLORE, TCAP, Gateway, and other assessments.

Personal/Social Awareness

School counselors assist students in developing positive, respectful attitudes towards self and others. Counselors assist students through individual and small group counseling as well as classroom guidance instruction. Students can visit the counseling department if they are seeking support in areas of academics, personal/social, and career development. Some of the topics discussed may include learning how to get along with peers, making good decisions, accepting responsibility, and recognizing strengths to enhance positive self-image. Counselors also act as a resource for students and families and may assist them in finding additional resources within the community.

Career Exploration

Counselors assist students in planning, decision-making and goal setting to achieve career awareness and employment readiness. The counseling department encourages students to explore careers based on their current interests. A career center has been provided in the counseling office to assist students in their career explorations. Students can search careers via the World Wide Web as well as utilize interest inventories to pin point careers that are related to their interests. Additional career exploration activities and events will be held throughout the school year to encourage career exploration and help students prepare for the future.

Counseling Counts

The Counseling program at Page Middle school is critical in meeting the academic and safety needs of its 922 students. Page Middle participates in the district-wide comprehensive school counseling and career guidance program, which is based on the Tennessee and National Standards for School Counseling Programs. This year the school counseling program is focusing on four goals. The middle school counseling staff and the faculty are committed to achieving high standards.

The four goals are to:

* Identify and develop skills necessary for academic self-confidence, learning and success.

* Develop positive attitudes for learning that extend to life experience.

* Learn steps in planning, decision-making, and goal setting to achieve career awareness and employment readiness.

* Display positive, respectful attitudes and knowledge toward self and others.