End of the Year Counseling and Support Team Showcase highlights student supports

MDUSD is proud of the comprehensive supports offered to students in grades TK-12 to help them overcome challenges in school, as well as in their lives, so they can succeed academically and grow socially and emotionally as they progress through District schools. To highlight these supports and the staff members who provide them, MDUSD hosted an End of the Year showcase highlighting Counselors, College & Career Advisors, and Social Work specialists from every high school feeder pattern in the District on June 4 at Willow Creek Center. The showcase included special programs for students districtwide including wellness centers, expanded learning programs, work-based learning, support for students who are newcomers from other countries, homeless and foster youth, and Youth Empowerment Services (YES) for those who have not graduated from high school after four years.

This year, the event also included "flashlight" presentations by student support staff members from nine schools or programs, "shining a light" on specific strategies they are using to meet District goals such as improving grades, building school connectedness, increasing reclassification rates for English Learners, increasing college and career exposure, reducing suspensions, building conflict resolution skills, expanding dual enrollment college credit participation, and reducing elementary school tardies. It also included display boards featuring one-page descriptions of the work counselors, social work specialists and college and career advisors are doing at each of their school sites. The staff members who created the displays talked with visitors including principals during a "gallery walk," discussing their goals, challenges and achievements in the school year. They also explained how they work together to help students transition from elementary to middle school to high school. 

Monte Gardens Elementary counselor Annie Hagglund, who presented on building school connectedness, said the school gives awards to "Social Super Heroes" who show International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Traits. She also coordinates with counselors at Sequoia MS and El Dorado MS to prepare 5th-graders for middle school and hosted 6th-graders from the schools to speak to 5th-graders about what to expect. Based on feedback, she is now teaching students organizational skills such as using a planner, cleaning out their backpacks once a week and using color-coded folders. She said she enjoyed hearing the flashlight presentations from her colleagues. "It's so wonderful to see the amazing things everyone is doing," she said. "And it gives you ideas, such as community outreach to help students get to school on time with others who live nearby."

Pleasant Hill MS Counselor Lily Moore said she has worked with Counselor Robin Zahner to help about 30 students whose GPAs were below 2.0 to improve. The counselors offered homework groups, met with parents and helped students to create plans. By the end of the year, 5% of 8th-graders and 65% of 7th-graders had improved their GPAs, Moore said, adding that collaborating with families, meeting with students individually, and communicating with teachers netted the best results. She communicates with College Park HS counselors and social work specialists to help them understand the needs of incoming freshmen from her school. She and Zahner also help students learn social and emotional coping skills such as mindfulness, Moore said.

Mt. Diablo HS counselors and the College and Career advisor said they made 5,339 individual contacts with the school's approximately 1,400 students during the year, offering academic support such as informing them about graduation requirements and A-G course requirements for college admissions, enrolling in the online California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) platform, and Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE). They also worked closely with 20 students on improving attendance. Strategies discussed included going to bed early enough to get a good night's sleep, eating breakfast, and helping students to overcome transportation issues. College & Career Advisor Erika Ramos said proudly that the school also hosted the 6th annual HCBU Fair and helped students apply for scholarships, including 18 who received the Rossmoor Scholarship, the most of any school. 

Pedro Arroyo, MDUSD's Program Specialist for Counseling & Restorative Practices, said he has been working with schools to develop their capacity to implement restorative practices after conflicts. To do this effectively, he said, schools need to have a strong sense of student connectedness and feeling of belonging through relationship-building. Next year, he plans to implement a "training of trainers" strategy to help schools learn restorative practices. Oak Grove MS, Riverview MS and Hidden Valley Elementary will be receiving this support, he said, adding that Valley View MS also expects to work on restorative practices. "As a kid, I almost didn't graduate because I didn't go to some classes," Arroyo said. "But I went to some, because I felt a sense of belonging. So, a lot of this stuff is very personal to me."

Monte Gardens Elementary Principal Bess Inzeo stands with Counselor Annie Hagglund and Pedro Arroyo, Program Specialist for Counseling & Restorative Practices (left). Pleasant Hill MS Counselor Lily Moore stands in front of the College Park HS feeder pattern display (center). Mt. Diablo HS Counselors (l-r) Brian Rodda, Yaretzie Amaya, and Mala Datta, stand with College and Career Advisor Erika Ramos and Counselor Leidi Arias in front of their display (right).