For my Practicum, I will be at Maryvale Middle School working with the School Counselors (Jolene Rice and Tricia Winnicki) in the Student Services Center.  Maryvale Middle School is located in Cheektowaga, NY, and is one of three Cheektowaga schools.  The school is in a suburban setting and currently has around 600 students enrolled in grades 6-8.  The Student Services Center consists of two school counselors, who work closely with the School Social Worker, the School Psychologists, and the Student Assistant Coordinator (also known as the Assistant Principal). 

 

Day 1 - Sept. 4

Being only the second day of the school year there was not much going on.  The first thing that I did when I arrived was attend a Code of Conduct presentation with Mrs. Rice, which was being given to all the 7th graders.  Went over basic issues dealing with behavior, dress code, items not allowed in the school, etc. 

When we returned upstairs, I was given last year's Child Study Team binder to look through.  The Child Study Team is basically responsible for determining if a student should be evaluated based on referrals from the teachers, and following up with progress reports students who are receiving services.  The binder included IEP's, 504's, referral forms, intervention records, evaluations, test results, progress reports, report cards, and follow ups. 

 

Day 2 - Sept. 9

The day began with a meeting to discuss 6th graders (as they are new to the school), that received counseling services at the intermediate school (3-5) to determine if services should continue, and if so with who.  People at the meeting included the Middle School Counselors, the two School Psychologists, the School Social Worker, School Nurse, and Student Assistant Coordinator.  Some of the issues that were brought up that were facing students included many students with family problems such as substance abuse, divorce, sibling issues, and one child whose father committed suicide.  For the more severe issues, the School Social Worker planned to meet with the students.  Other issues included behavioral problems which were going to be addressed primarily by the School Counselors.  Emotional problems such as depression, suicidal thoughts and self mutilation, were also occurring, with them being divided up between the Counselors and the Social Worker. 

After the meeting, I went through all the 6th graders' schedules to look for free periods where they would be available to come down to Student Services for an introduction.  Sixth grade is the first year that students have a School Counselor at the Maryvale Schools, so both Counselors like to invite all the 6th graders in (in small groups so they feel more comfortable) and just briefly discuss what happens in Student Services and the types of services they provide to students. 

 

Day 3 - Sept. 11

The main thing on the agenda for today was to get an overview of the Peer Mediation Program and run through the Training Agenda.  This was attended by myself, Mrs. Winnicki, Mrs. P (the School Social Worker), and the social work intern, Jessica.  At Maryvale Middle School, students in 7th grade are shown a video explaining what Peer Mediation is and then vote for classmates they feel would be a good peer mediator.  Peer Mediation is a way for students to sort out problems, with other students faciliating the conversation and the solution to the problem.  Rather than sitting down with an adult and being punished, students may get the option to go through Peer Mediation instead of say serving a detention.  Peer Mediators are 7th and 8th grade students that are trained to faciliate the conversation and problem resolution between their classmates.  The peed mediators do not SOLVE the problem for the students, but rather help the students come to an understanding and solve their own problem.  I will discuss the process more when I blog about the training day.  We went through the Facilitator binders and divided up who would go over each part of the program and who was doing which activities.  Myself and Jessica then reviewed the Peer Mediation videos and materials to make sure everything was in order, the video was working properly, and there were no typos or changes needed in the hand outs.

Today we also had a student at home crisis.  A student's step brother was arrested for fatally shooting his step father (not related to the student).  Mrs. Rice called the students mom regarding the incidence and how the student was handling it and any steps she thought the school should take.

Also today, some 6th graders came in for their introduction which I sat in on as well and was introduced to the students as well.

 

Day 4 - Sept. 16

Today was a rather uneventful day.  I put together training folders for the Peer Mediation training, that included all the hand outs overviewing the mediation process and sample mediations.  Also more 6th graders came down for their introductions.  Me and Mrs. Winnicki found it funny when one boy, who was very quiet the whole time and spoke very softly, "warned" us that he has an anger problem. 

 

Day 5 - Sept 18

Today began with checking class lists to make sure teacher lists matched what was in the computer.  This is similar to what happens at Canisius the first week where professors sort out who is in their class and the Registrars Office makes a final class list.  Teachers would send their lists down to Student Services, and we would look in the computer to make sure each student on the list was registered for that class in the computer.  Because it is still early in the year, students are still being switched around so there were a dew discrepancies.  Mostly this was because students who were receiving extra help testing out of needing it and a few tested in.

I then walked around with Mrs. Winnicki finding 7th grade students to let them know that they were chosen by their peers to be Peer Mediators.  We also gave them a permission form that they have to get signed by their parents saying it was okay for them to be a peer mediator.  The form explained that they would need to miss almost a full day of classes for a training session.

Also today, I began preparing answers sheets for InView testing of 7th graders.  (I will discuss the InView in a later entry)

 

Day 6 - Sept 23

Continued preperation of InView testing materials.  This included writing the students' names and ID numbers on their answer sheets, bubbling in this information, and filling in school information.

I also put together AIS (Academic Intervention Services) folders for the Student Assistant Coordinator (Assistant Principal).  This included filing of Intervention Records, Report Cards, Letters to Parents to put their student into the AIS program.

 

Day 7 - Sept. 25

The big day is finally here!  Peer Mediation Training!  Training will be led by Mrs. Winnicky, Mrs. P (the school social worker), Jessica (the social work intern), and myself.

I began the day by going to the grocery store with Mrs. Winnicki to purchase supplies for the day (juice, pop, donuts, plates, cups, napkins).  At 9:25 the 7th graders arrived.  These are the new Peer Mediators, who were selected by their classmates.  I kicked off the day with an ice breaker so everyone could get acquanted.  This involved writing down a few fun facts about ourselves on an index card, without putting names on them.  The cards were then collected, mixed up, and redistributed.  Each person then had to find the person whose card they had, by asking them about the facts on the cards.  Once everyone found the person whose card they had, it was their job to then introduce that person to the group.  The cards were then collected again, and read outloud to see if we remembered whose was whose.  Students then received their folders, either blue, green, red, or orange.  An introduction to peer mediation and types of communication was given by Mrs. P and Mrs. Winnicki.  The students then completed a listening role play exercise in pairs, where they practiced the three types of communication - non-verbal, reflective listening and paraphrasing.  We then introduced the students to the 5 steps of mediation, with each other us introducing a step (Mrs. P. did 2) - opening, listening, mutual understanding, creating options, and planning/closing. 

Lunch time!  The 8th grade returning peer mediators joined us at 12:15 for lunch and the rest of the day.  After lunch, Jessica led the group in another ice breaker activity to get the 7th and 8th graders working together.  This ice breaker was called the Human Knot.  Everyone stood in a circle and had to grab onto 2 other peoples hands that were not standing next to them.  We then had to work as a group to untangle the knot of people without letting go of anyones hand, to reform the circle.  After this, the 8th graders also received a folder.  By folder color, the students were then divided up into groups of 4, with one facilitator each.  Using mock scenarios, each group went through role play situations with 2 students being the mediators and 2 being the disputants at a time.  After an hour of this, we each selected one student from our group to participate in a role play scenario in front of the group.  We then went over various important forms in the peer mediation process including agreement the disputants sign before attending a mediation, the agreement decided upon in the mediation, the recommendation form outlining the problem that the mediators get before meeting with the disputants, a brainstorming worksheet, an immediate follow up form the disputants fill out, and a one week follow up form the disputants fill out a week after the mediation.  After this, we had a question and answer period, the students took the peer mediation quiz, signed the peer mediator pledge and we called it a day!

 

Day 8 - Oct 2

Today I  began working on a Peer Mediation bulliten board outside of the Student Service Center.  On the board, I put the index cards with the fun facts about the 7th grade mediators, hand prints with their names, and signs reading Peer Mediation, Meet Your New Mediators, And Your Returning Mediators.  I then prepared passes for the peer mediators to all come to Student Services the following morning. 

Today I also went with Mrs. Winnick into a 6th grade keyboarding class to discuss careers, the level of eduation needed for certain careers and what more education meant in a career.  This involved an activity in a computer program called Career Futures to take a quiz in which they were given an occupation and had to guess how much education was required.  They then each had to look up 10 occupations and write down the minimum education requirements.  Each years the students participate in some type of career exploration.

 

Day 9 - Oct 7

Today, we had the 8th grade peer mediators stop in to fill out index cards with fun facts so we could put them on the bulliten board as well.  We also took a picture of all the peer mediators to go up on the board as well.

I then began preparing testing materials and answer sheets for the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) and Career Interest Inventory, which is a test taken by the 8th graders.  The CII has the students self rate how much they would enjoy engaging in certain activities relating to various careers.  The DAT measures various abilities, such as verbal reasoning and mechanical reasoning.  The two are then compared to see if the students' abilities would allow them to succeed in the career areas they showed the most interest.  This is the 8th grade career exploration program.

I also went with Mrs. Rice today into two 7th computer classes to discuss career interests, education required for various careers, and average earnings.  This is the 7th grade career exploration program.  The students used the Career Futures Program, to assess their interests, and thus make career suggestions.  They then each had to look up 10 careers and the minimum education required and the average annual earnings. 

 

Day 10 - Oct 9

Continued preparing testing answer sheets for the DAT (writting names and ID numbers, bubbling this information in)

Today I also attended a parent conference regarding an 8th grade student who was having trouble in school.  The conference was attended by the girl's parents, her team teachers (subject area teachers), her counselor (Mrs. Rice), and myself.  At the meeting, the mother expressed concern about her daughter's performance and grades.  The teachers each updated the mother on her daughter's current grades and homework that was late.  It was brought up how the student often rushes through assignments and tests because she wants to be one of the first to be finished.  The teachers also offered suggestions to help the student ensure her homework is completed on time.  The teachers assured the parents that their daughter has the ability to do well, she just does not take her time.  The parent wanted to meet early in the year to try and solve the problem sooner than later when it would be a bigger problem.  It was decided that the teachers and parents would communicate once a week by email to monitor the student's progress.  The teachers also offered extra help during free periods and after school is necessary, especially in math, as the student was being tutored in math the previous year but the tutor was not able to tutor her this year.  Also, the parents said how they took away the daughter's cell phone, television and cheerleading, and that she was also not allowed to go to the school dance.  The teachers responded by suggesting the parents try some positive reinforcement and not just punishment.

 

Day 11 - Oct 16

For part of the day, I found worksheets and sample activities for a student who likes to journal rather than talk with the counselor.  This was meant to find other ways for the student to express themself in writing without just writing like a story.  Some of the other ideas I found included "Diary of My Feelings" worksheet, "How I see Myself/How Others see Me" worksheet, Problem Solving worksheets, and "Am I In or Out" worksheet to decide if she should participate in something or not

I also spent today exploring the Career Futures Program which I had mentioned the 6th and 7th graders using.  The program contained 3 sections, each with subsection.

First Section - Looking at Me

Subsections - Flight School:  how much education different occupations require

- Life on a Budge:  types of earnings, benefits, value of education, how earnings affect lifestyle

- Likes and Dislikes:  interest check list and possible career areas

- Climbing Skills Mountain - what are skills, what skills are needed for various jobs, and what are my skills

- A Picture of Me - learn about resumes, do's and don'ts of resume writing, put together own resume

Second Section - Looking at Occupations:  list of hundreds of occupations, including descriptions, web sites, videos, education, interests, job outlook, earnings and school courses

Thirs Section - My Portfolio

Subsections - Flashback:  likes and dislikes, pictures of me, looking at occupation

- Whats Next:  career goals, before and after using the program, personal qualities you possess and ways to improve ones you don't feel like you currently possess

- On To High School:  select a pathway and see suggested high school course plans, record school courses you plan to take

- Printables:  Career Futures Certificate for you, a letter home describing your work with Career Futures, a report summarizing your work for others to review

 

Day 12 - Oct 21

Today began with a new student arriving at the school for their first day.  Myself and Mrs. Winnicki, went over the student's schedule with him and took him on a tour of the school so he would know where all his classrooms are.  We then took him to his homeroom to introduce him to his teacher, before taking him to pick a locker, and bringing him back to his first class, which is the same as his homeroom.

I then went through the DAT answer sheets to see which students were missing sections because they were absent that day.  I then prepared a schedule for DAT make up times and dates for the students who were missing a section.

 

Day 13 - Oct 23

Today, I met Mrs. Rice at Sweet Home Middle School for th October Middle School Counselors Association meeting.  The meeting consisted of a presentation from Dr. Christopher Lopata, a professor at UB in the Counseling, School and Educational Psychology Department.  This presentation was concerned with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  The presentation overviewed High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Aspergers, Clinical and Associated Features of them, Assessment Considerations, Evidence-based Interventions, the Connections Program, and Adapting Techniques for Schools.  Dr. Lopata is a part of a team that is studying high functioning autism spectrum disorders, which includes Dr. Putnam and Dr. Nida from Canisius.  He also outlined the Connections Program which is a summer program for children with autism/aspergers.  The program consists of Structured Social Skills Groups, Face-Emotion Recognition, Interest Expansion and Interpretation of Non-Literal Language.

 

Day 14 - Oct 28

Today I arrived at the school to find out they were experiencing a power outage.  The classrooms were all dark, and the hallways only had a few lights, which were flashing.  All students were directed to the cafeteria where they were being supervised by teachers, the counselors and other staff members.  After keeping the students in the cafeteria for a couple hours, the students were released early for the day, as the school was unable to make lunches because of the power outage.  If the power goes out, the school can keep the students unless it will interfere with providing lunches.  The buses were brought back to the school early to take the students home.

 

Day 15 - Oct 30

Today, myself and Mrs. Winnicki, went into 2 classes to administer the InView pretest, which is meant to introduce students to the InView test which they would be taking the following day and so they could become familiar with types of questions that would be on the test.

Sections of the InView test include Sequences, Analogies, Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning-Words, and Verbal Reasoning-Context.  The test has very standardized procedures to it, with the proctor reading from a script and timing each section.  The students took a version of the same test in 2nd and 5th grade as well.

 

Day 16 - Nov 4

Today I began by going through InView answer sheets to see which students needed to make up the test

I also prepared passes for students that need to make up the DAT

I then attended a meeting with the counselors and social worker to discuss student groups that they wanted to run this year.  Groups they plan to run include Girl Talk to deal with issues girls may have, a Boy Social Skills Group for 6th grade boys, a Study Skills Group and a Changing Families Group to deal with issues such as divorce.

After the meeting, I attended a parent conference with Mrs. Winnicki, attended by the two of us, the student's father and the team teachers.  The meeting was to discuss the student's progress and his homework problem.  The student would often lie to his father about not having homework, or he would not record what his assignments were for his father to be able to check that it is done.  He also has a habit of handing in assignments late.  The father seemed very concerned, and wanted his son to do well.  The father said how he makes efforts at home to get his son to do his work but it is hard because his son acts like he doesnt care and lies about his homework.  The student was brought up to the conference, just so he could see that they were concerned and cared about how he was doing.  The student was played into the Extended Day program where he will stay after school each day to receive homework help and to make sure he completes his work.  If he does all his work Monday through Thursday, he does not have to stay on Friday.  The student was also asked what his goal for himself was as far as his grades and school were concerned.   He replied that he would like to be on the Merit Role, which is an 85-90 (one of his teachers had told their class that 85 was mastery level).  His teachers all agreed that it was very possible for him to achieve those grades, as he definately was smart enough, he just had to make sure to get his work done.

 

Day 17 - Nov 6

The day began with administering DAT makeup tests.  As Mrs. Winnicki was not there at first, I administered the Career Interest Inventory to three students who had missed it.  We then had 3 students come down to make up actual sections of the test.  After being read the directions and looking at a couple sample questions, I sat with the students to monitor the time.  I then turned over the test administration to Mrs. Winnicki as I had another task to complete.

Before moving on to my next task, Mrs. Rice showed me the form that they have to fill out should they have to put in a call to Child Protective Services (CPS).  She just had to put in a call to CPS, after a student told her how her father smoked pot in front of her and could be abusive at times.

I then went down to the Social Work office to work with Jessica, the intern, to find topics and activities to use during the Girl Talk group.  We went through a couple books dealing with group counseling, pulling out at least 2 activities from each section (such as Emotions, Relationships, Self Esteem) that we would want to do with the group.

 

Day 18 - 11/18

Began the day meeting with a student regarding extra help in mathy;  student was already in Math Lab but needing more help;  her mother said she could stay after school for extra help with the math teachers so we were going to contact the math teacher for her regarding staying after

I then created fliers for the Girl Talk group and hung them around the school

After this, I created an Excel spreadsheet listing which students failed which classes in the first marking period (10 weeks) which just ended.  Three spreadsheets were made, one for each grade.  This would serve as a way to track students who may need to go to summer school rather than just waiting until the end of the year and look at all 4 marking periods at once.

 

Day 19 - 11/20

The day began in an interesting way.  A student who had been out all year and was placed on home instruction showed up for school with no notice.  Previously, the student only went to the first day of school then stopped going due to high anxiety over school.  Mrs. Winnicki and I walked around to notify the teachers of his return.

I then prepared fliers for the Guys Skills group and hung them around the school.  Once I did this, I went through group counseling books to find activities for the group, which will cover topics such as anger management, social skills, stress and fitting in.

 

Day 20 - 11/21

Today I went with the counselors to the Children's Psychiatric Center in West Seneca for a tour of the school and facilities there.  Before the actual tour, a presentation was given regarding the services offered.  I found it shocking to learn that there were currently 41 children on a waiting list to get in.  The tour included seeing the school, hospital and living quarters as the children live at the site. 

 

Day 21 - 11/25

Today I prepared folders, hand outs and worksheets for the Guys Skills Group.  I then screen videos on depression, dating, bullying, taunting, gossiping, and anger management to make sure they were appropriate and to see what could be used during the various groups. 

 

Day 22 - 12/4

Today was my last day at my internship.  It was a good way to end my time.  After all the prep work, it was finally time for the Girl Talk group to start.  There were a total of 10 7th grade girls interested, so they were split into 2 groups of 5.  The groups were overseen by Mrs. P (the social worker), Mrs. Rice, Jessica (the social work intern) and myself.  The first session did not run as planned as the school had brought in drug sniffing dogs, and 2 of the girls were held in their classes and couldnt make it to the group until after the search.  While we were waiting we did an ice breaker called I've Got Mail, to get people moving and talking. The other group began with this as well.  The second group, because there was more time, began by establishing rules for the group which the girls came up with.  Both groups went through a list of potential topics and each girl picked the top 5 things they wanted to talk about.  After the groups were over, we tallied these to determine topics for each group.  The second group, again because of more time, took a pretest for the group to assess them on the various potential topics and where they currently stood.  They also made power cards for positive thinking.  Each girl made an "I am", "I can" and "I will" card, with something about themselves following each phase.  These were meant as a way to show them positive things about themselves, and the cards they got to keep in case they ever are feeling down, they can look at them and see the good things about themselves.