HANDOUTS SESSION 2
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
School Levels
Elementary
Middle
High
School Personnel All Schools Have
Principal
The Instructional and Administrative Leader of the School
Vice Principal(s)
Guidance Counselor(s)
Front Office Staff
 Secretary
 Bookkeeper
 SIMS Operator
Works with student data—attendance etc.
Media Coordinator / Media Center (Librarian)
Social Worker (shared with multiple schools)
School Psychologist (shared with multiple schools)
School Nurse (shared with multiple schools)
Janitorial Staff
Cafeteria Staff
TEACHERS!
Other Personnel
Teacher Assistant
EC (Exceptional Children) Coordinator
EC Facilitator
Media Specialist
Volunteer Coordinator
Literacy Specialist / Reading Recovery
Speech Therapist (usually shared with multiple schools)
Occupational Therapist (usually shared with multiple schools)
Curriculum Specialist
School Resource Officer (Sheriff Department)
Others?
Other School Based Entities
Site-Based Decision Making Team (SBDM)
Sometimes goes by other names; includes parents and staff
PTA /PTO/ PTSA (not all schools have an active one)
ESL Instructor and/or coordinator
MEETING WITH A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR
A guidance counselor helps to guide and structure student’s educational and vocational
direction as they pass through unstable and confusing times in their lives.
WHAT THEY DO:
●Use resources to guide students towards their educational goals.
●Encourage students to achieve their goals.
●Help students determine courses of study.
●Understand what the student's motivations and skills are.
●Understand student's needs and struggles.
ACTIVITIES:
1 Counselors spend time with students and parents together to maintain updated
information about the student‘s progress in school.
2
Guidance counselors use existing records of academic performance, teacher
evaluations, and an overall understanding of students’ needs to help students succeed
academically.
COMMON QUESTIONS YOUTH MAY ASK COUNSELORS
1. What are the required and recommended courses—for graduation and for college prep?
2. Which elective courses do you recommend?
3. What options are there for higher education for a student like me?
4. How can I qualify for work study in college? Scholarships? Grants?
5. What kind of groups are in the school that I can get involved with?
6. Do you have any information to help me start exploring my interest and related careers?
REMEMBER: Conversations between students and counselors are extremely confidential.
They are there to help students, and not to judge or expose their personal life. Prospective
counselors should be comfortable with teenagers and have excellent communication skills
COMMON QUESTIONS PARENTS MAY ASK COUNSELORS
1. How can I help my son/daughter to be successful in the school?
2. Where can I get information about scholarships and grants?
3. What will my son/daughter’s expenses be while they go to college?
PREPARING FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOL STAFF
Before you go, find out:
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Services and programs the school offers
Discipline policies
Grading policies
Extra-curricular activities
Health and safety programs
Talking with a Counselor or Teacher
 Talk about your teen’s strengths and weaknesses
 Share with teachers/counselors information so she will understand your
teen’s needs
 Learn about the school and its curriculum
 Get to know the teacher/counselor
 Ask questions
 Work with your teen’s teacher/counselor and the school in planning
What you can learn from the Counselor or Teacher
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Your teen’s behavior in and out of the class
How she/he feels about her/himself
How she/he gets along with others
Your teen’s current level in reading and math
Your teen’s test results and what they mean
Subjects your teen is taking and how they are doing
Books and materials your teen is using
Share Your Visit with Your Teen
 Tell your teen what was discussed in the visit (some things they may not
need to know)
 Talk with your teen about any changes or plans for improvement
 Be positive
 Seek assistance or support from a support group or other parents
COMMUNICATION STYLES
AGGRESSIVE, PASSIVE, ASSERTIVE, PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE
1. The Aggressive Communication Style:
You stand up for yourself in such as way that completely disregards the other person’s
feeling, position or interests. Aggressive behavior can come across as an attempt to
humiliate, control, hurt, belittle or disregard the other person. It encourages the
recipient to be more aggressive to you. It achieves the short-term goal but has longerterm negative consequences – it damages relationships, doe not promote trust and leads
to more negative communication in return.
2. The Passive Communication Style:
You are self-denying, emotionally dishonest, and inhibited. The major goal of the
passive behavior is to avoid hassles, conflict and the disapproval of others. The general
attitude conveyed by the non-assertive personality is that she/he is less important than
other people. On the surface the person looks passive and content as there is no visible
sign of aggression, but in reality the person is often quietly boiling below the surface.
3. The Assertive Style:
Characterized by honesty, self-respect, straight forwardness and the ability to express
your thoughts and ideas without infringing on the thought and ideas of others. Assertive
communicators stand up for themselves in a way that does not violate the rights of
others person.
4. The Passive Aggressive Style:
This is a subset of the aggressive style. Individuals who employ this method will choose
to indirectly communicate to convey displeasure. Passive aggressive communicates in a
way that while not direct, has the intent to share your hostility about the issue at hand
without directly communicating your concerns
HOMEWORK SESSION 2:
CONTACTING SCHOOL PERSONNEL
Based on our discussion about school communication and parent-teacher
conference, make one contact with your teen’s teacher (or another key school
person in your teen’s life) in the next week.
Parents: Contact a teacher or school counselor to talk about things are going
for your teen this week
Youth: Talk with a teacher or a counselor this week about a concern you may
have or about higher education.
This might be a phone contact, a note about an upcoming assignment, a
request for a conference, or just a note to say thanks. You might want to be in
contact about progress before the next report card, how to help your teen get
ready for tests, how to help with your teen’s work at home, offering volunteer
help, etc.
Parents:
This week I plan to contact _______________________________________
By ____________________________________ (phone, note, visit, etc.)
about ________________________________________________________
Youth:
This week I plan to contact _______________________________________
By ____________________________________ (phone, note, visit, etc.)
about ________________________________________________________