KDS DAR Guidance & Counseling Program Components
The KDS DAR Elementary Guidance and Counseling program is both pro-active and reactive. It is composed of four delivery components; school guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services and system support.
The Guidance Curriculum component is pro-active and focuses on character education with children. The Mendez “Too Good for Drugs” and “Too Good for Violence” programs use puppets, stories, role-play and music to help children learn about actions and consequences, appropriate ways to express anger, stopping-thinking-and considering outcomes before making decisions, learning about healthy life choices, and long-term and short-term goal setting. The Guidance component also explores study skills, academic development, peer relationships, personal safety skills, examines different careers and exposes children to opportunities that will await them after graduating from KDS.
The Counseling/Responsive Services component is reactive and focuses on responsive services through consultation with community resources, crisis counseling (due to death of a parent, divorce or another traumatic event), and peer facilitation (conflict resolution). Parents and teachers can complete surveys and small groups are formed to help students deal with anxiety, divorce, death and negative behaviors such as cheating or stealing.
In addition, the counselor also has duties necessary to Individual Student Planning and school-wide System Support . The counselor completes necessary observations and paperwork for students being evaluated for special education or behavior problems such as attention deficit. She facilitates all standardized testing procedures. She maintains the state required records and reports that deal with the school’s Building Based Student Support Team. The BBSST is a committee of grade level representatives (teachers) that discuss the problems of at-risk students and make suggestions for early interventions that can provide the student with more opportunities to succeed in the classroom. The counselor is a resource that teachers can turn to for assistance with parent/teacher conferences or writing behavior plans for students. She provides supportive services for the office staff with regards to certain state reports that deal with attendance and federal funding.
You may contact the counselor by calling the school
and asking to speak with Mrs. Kim
728-2226
