Counseling
Meet the Starling Counselors!
Our counselors provide many important services for our school's families. They teach classroom guidance lessons, lead small counseling groups, work with individual students and consult with parents and teachers. We teach skills in leadership, test-taking, decision making, coping, communication, personal safety and protection, positive peer relationships, and career awareness. In addition, school counselors are available to offer support during crisis situations. Your child can visit the counselor if he or she is concerned about: making friends, adapting to a new school, classroom behavior, coping with family changes such as a new family member, divorce or death, completing work, being bullied, and anything that interferes with school success. School counselors are advocates on behalf of ALL students. Please reach out if there is anything we can do to help
Grades K-2
Aquarius Barnett
aquarius.barnett@gcpsk12.org
(678) 344-4539
Grades 3-5
Ashley Jensen
ashley.jensen@gcpsk12.org
(678) 344-4540
Starling Counseling Mission and Philosophy
Starling Counseling Mission
The mission of Starling Elementary School's Counseling Department is to enhance the learning process by supporting students’ social, emotional and physical development. The Starling ES counselors will provide a comprehensive developmental counseling program that cultivates lifelong learning by teaching academic, career and personal social skills to enhance future success.
The Counselors at Starling Elementary School believe:
- All students have worth and can learn.
- All students should have access to developmentally appropriate , best practices, enhancing academic, emotional and social development regardless of ethnicity, age, or special need.
- All students should have access to a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program where academic, career, and personal social domains are presented and attained.
The comprehensive school counseling program should:
- Consider the needs of all students, teachers, and parents at Starling Elementary School
- Be based on needs assessments, the ASCA competencies, GCPS counseling competencies, and GCPS AKS
- Be delivered by professional school counselors who abide by the ASCA Code of Ethics and Gwinnett County Professional Standards
- Communicate its mission, goals, and counseling program activities
Counseling Roles and Lessons Taught
The Elementary School Counselor
- Counsels individually with children
-
Teaches regular counseling core curriculum lessons in classrooms
- Conducts small group counseling sessions
- Consults with parents in private conferences about their child
- Consults with teachers
- Conducts parenting workshops
- Provides information on community resources for families
- Removes barriers that impact academic success
Individual or Group Counseling
Help children cope with difficult and/or unchangeable life events.
-
Help children recognize and make use of their potential.
- Give children the opportunity to share their feelings and concerns.
- Develop problem solving ability.
- Teach decision making skills.
Classroom Guidance Lesson Topics
-
Test Preparation
- Peer relations
- Career awareness
- Study skills
- Decision making
- Self-esteem
- Personal safety
- Cooperation
- Bully prevention
- Individual Differences