COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS COUNSELING NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2023
SEPTEMBER 2023
WELCOME TO THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR!
“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen ” Conan O’Brien (American television host)
My name is Ashley Giljum, and I am your daughter’s Middle School Counselor The most important part of my job is being available to your daughter This is done through one-on-one meetings, small group meetings, and classroom lessons I am here to help with her academic progress, social/emotional development, and overall wellbeing
Communication between home and school is key! I will be communicating with you through emails, upcoming presentations, and this monthly newsletter (emailed around the rst day of each month) Should you have any concerns about your daughter, please call or email me I look forward to partnering with you and your daughter this year!
STUDY SKILLS, GIRL TALK, & OWNING UP
In addition to individual and small group counseling, students participate in a variety of classroom guidance lessons. Our sixth graders participate in a study skills course (1st quarter), which focuses on the transition into middle school – including tips on organization, study skills, and test-taking strategies The sixth graders also will participate in the Girl Talk program bi-monthly during the school day beginning in September Girl Talk is a peer mentoring program that utilizes our Upper School girls as mentors Quarterly counseling lessons also will take place with the sixth graders and focus on topics including school resources, stress and coping strategies, friendship and con ict resolution, and self-esteem.
Our seventh and eighth graders will participate in the Owning Up curriculum to help them with topics such as healthy friendships, con ict resolution, empathy, body image, eating disorders, and the media’s portrayal of females in our society. Owning Up will begin in the second quarter
PEER-2-PEER TUTORING
Peer-2-Peer tutoring is now available for all Viz Middle and Upper School students! The goal of this program is to provide a productive and positive learning experience in which one girl is the tutor, and the other is the student Tutors gain leadership skills while using their academic knowledge in a subject area to support a fellow student. Students in this program will gain one-on-one attention and positive reinforcement from their peer tutor. Students in Grades 6 through Grade 12 may apply to be a tutor or sign up to receive tutoring
Students can access more information by logging into the Viz Portal, clicking on the Resources tab, and then clicking on either the Middle School News or Counseling Resources tile. This site allows students to select from a list of available tutors based on grade level, subject matter, and availability Note that this site may only be accessed by someone with a Visitation Academy email address If you have questions or would like more details, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.
MS PARENT RESOURCE NIGHT
Please mark your calendar for Thursday, September 21, at 6:30 p m for our annual MS Parent Resource Night in DeChantal Hall. All Middle School parents are welcome, but we encourage all new Middle School parents (all sixth, new seventh/eighth) to attend this informational evening with me, Ashley Giljum, Middle School Counselor Information regarding classroom lessons, transitions, resources, and support during academic and social challenges will be addressed Please see the survey information below, regardless of your ability to attend this event.
Study Skills club (optional for interested seventh graders and new eighth graders) will begin on Thursday, September 7, from 3:00-3:45 p m
Please have your daughter reach out to me directly if interested This will continue on Thursdays after school during September and October
SURVEY INFORMATION FOR MS PARENT RESOURCE NIGHT
SURVEY INFORMATION
Do you ever wonder what is going on in the mind of your middle schooler? Are you curious about the habits of our Viz students –around media usage, stress, and sleeping patterns? To gather data about these Middle School student habits, I have created surveys – for students and parents The links to grade-level parent surveys are listed below, and student surveys will be emailed directly to the students This survey will only take a few moments of your time Once data is gathered from all the surveys, I will include the ndings in the upcoming MS Resource Night presentation on September 21 noted above
Please complete your respective grade-level survey(s) below by Friday, September 8
Sixth-Grade Parent Survey
https://forms.o ce.com/r/YVm4ReJ9Cd
Seventh-Grade Parent Survey
https://forms o ce com/r/MhsTT5cA2w
Eighth-Grade Parent Survey
https://forms.o ce.com/r/bjQ1ECQUU4
UPCOMING DATES - FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
Optional Study Skills Club for ALL Grade 7/NEW Grade 8 Students – September 7, 14, 21, 28, and October 5, 19, and 26 (3:00-3:45 p.m.) (Note - will skip October 12 due to ERB Testing)
Girl Talk (Sixth Grade) – begins in September
Owning Up (Seventh Grade) – TBD starting 2nd quarter
Owning Up (Eighth Grade) – TBD starting 2nd quarter
ERB Standardized Testing (Middle School) – October 10-12 (various times)
(Note: There will not be a late start on Wednesday, October 11, but there will be an early dismissal at 11:30 a.m.– no lunch nor extended day offered. Additional details to come. We ask that your daughter please be present on these assessment days If your daughter misses any of the ERB testing, she must make up testing at a time to be determined outside of the school day )
Optional Cotillion (Eighth Grade) – September 26 and October 3, 10, 17, and 24 (3:30-5:00 p m )
(Note: Formal dinner/dance will be held off campus on Thursday, November 2.)
Please sign up using the Viz Portal or reach out to me directly
UPCOMING DATES - FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS/GUARDIANS
MS Parent Resource Night with Mrs. Giljum, Viz MS Counselor
Thursday, September 21, from 6:30-7:30 p m in DeChantal Hall
Enter at the Circle Drive entrance near Buder Gym
All MS parents are invited; however, parents new to our Middle School are encouraged to attend.
Information regarding classroom lessons, transitions, resources, and support during academic and social challenges will be addressed.
No RSVP is needed to attend
CHADS Coalition for Mental Health presents “Signs of Suicide (SOS): Training Trusted Adults”
Wednesday, September 27, from 8:00-9:00 a m at Visitation Academy (room location TBD)
Per the CHADS Coalition website (https://www.chadscoalition.org/), the SOS program is an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program that has demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression
· Our middle school students will receive an age-appropriate version of this training from CHADS by grade level in Oct /Nov during the school day
· This optional session is for middle school parents and guardians only. It will help you gain an understanding of the material that your middle school student will receive during the student presentations. You will also receive valuable knowledge on this topic and learn talking points for future conversations with your children
· If you are interested in attending, please register by completing this quick formhttps://forms o ce com/r/DRwTgyrXyt
· For additional questions, please contact Mrs. Giljum at mailto:agiljum@visitationacademy org
MS Parent Book Club with Mrs. Giljum, Viz MS Counselor
We will meet on three dates: September 15, October 6, and October 20 from 8:00-9:00 a m in Jane’s Place
Enter through the main entrance (Door 4) as early as 7:45 a m
We will be reading the book QueenBees&Wannabesby Rosalind Wiseman and discussing a section of chapters at each meeting. You may purchase the book at various locations. For a
link to order via Rosalind Wiseman’s website, please click here https://rosalindwiseman.com/all-books.
Please plan on the following to be discussed at each meeting –
o September 15th – Introduction through Chapter 4
o October 6 – Chapter 5 through Chapter 8
o October 20 - Chapter 9 through Chapter 12
· For those who cannot attend, I will distribute notes/talking points to interested parents following each meeting.
· If you are interested in attending or receiving notes/talking points, please contact Mrs Giljum at mailto:agiljum@visitationacademy.org.
Rosalind Wiseman Presentation – Open to all Visitation Academy community adults
Wednesday, October 25 at 6:00 p m
Enter at the Circle Drive entrance near Buder Gym. An email from Visitation Academy with additional details (and a registration link) will be sent to you soon.
School
6-8 agiljum@visitationacademy org (314) 625-9225 visitationacademy org
MRS. ASHLEY GILJUM, MSW Middle
Counselor Grades