Meet Our Counselors


Kristy Brown Purple x5206	Deb Burns Orange x5208	Lauren Hessen Red x5207	Susan Gill Blue x5209

NEEDED: CAREER DAY PRESENTERS career hats
We are looking for volunteers to share their careers and educational experiences with the students. Each Schoolhouse will be holding a separate Career Day so many presenters are needed.

Red House – May 14 from 8:30-11:30 AM
Please call Lauren Hessan, Red counselor X5207

Orange House – May 14 from 12:00-3:00 PM
Please call Deb Burns, Orange counselor X5208

Blue House – May 16 from 8:30-11:30 AM
Please call Susan Gill, Blue counselor X5209

Purple House – May 16 from 12:00-3:00 PM
Please call Kristy Brown, Purple counselor X5206

National School Counselor's Week

National School Counseling Week is Feb. 4-Feb. 8th. This year's theme is School Counselors: Creating Pathways to Success. We'll be having morning announcements each day next week that will highlight the various ways School Counselors help students succeed and help create a safe and comfortable learning environment. Mrs. Burns, Miss Hessan, Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. Gill want to thank our students, parents, and staff, and administration for their ongoing support.

Reach For The Stars

Hat Day

Attention Parents!!!
Do your children spend time on the internet? If so, you need to check out this web site. It will help you become informed about cyber bullying. It's called Cyber Bullies - What You and Your kids Need to Know. You can find it at http://ezinearticles.com/.

The Avon Grove Anti-Drug and Alcohol Task Force has a new informational website: http://www.teacherweb.com/PA/AvonGroveHighSchool/TaskForce/.

Our Role

The counselors at AGIS are here to work with students, parents, and teachers. Students can elect to visit their counselor if they are having problems at home or school that affect their learning. Counselors work with students individually, in small groups, or in the classroom to solve problems related to a variety of issues including school anxiety, family changes, death or grief, friendship, making responsible choices, etc.

Guidance Class, Part of the Specials Cycle

Sixth Grade

The Skills Special is lead by the School Counselors in each house. The sixth grade curriculum revolves around understanding the dynamics of bulling. The specific concepts covered during the cycle include:

Understanding and identifying what bulling is, and the characteristics of the roles people take in a bullying situation.
Be able to tell the emotional consequences of bullying.
Discuss in small groups to identify where inclusion and exclusion occurs at school
Gain awareness of stereotyping and prejudice
State in their own words the rules for bully-proofing the classroom
Gain an increased empathy for the victims of bullying
Acquire and practice strategies for the victims of bullying
Learn and practice strategies for the bystanders of bullying
Develop understanding of self esteem and how it effects your relationships
Develop empathy/tolerance through understanding point of view

Skills are developed through group discussion, small and large group activities, role play, student presentation and work sheets.

Fourth Grade

The 4th grade skills special is taught by the 4 school counselors. We are in each classroom for 1 cycle to focus on building skills to help the students succeed. The lessons tie in with our school themes of respect, responsibility, honesty and anti-bullying.

Define bullying and types of bullying behavior.
Generate examples of bullying.
Explain the roles of bully, victim and bystander.
Gain awareness of the emotional consequences of bullying.
Gain knowledge of strategies to deal with bullying.
Gain knowledge of strategies to help others who are being bullied.
Generate a plan to stop bullying in their classroom and school.
Differentiate between tattling and telling an adult.
Gain knowledge of the characteristics to look for in friends.
List the steps to make a friend.
List ways to be a good friend.
Describe their options in resolving conflicts with friends.
State the definition of a compliment and be able to give and accept one.
Define respect and list ways to show it at school and at home.
List the steps in problem solving.
Identify strategies to deal with stress.

Community Mental Health Agencies

The following is a list of outside counseling resources that can help both students and families deal with a variety of issues.

Chester Country Department of Human Services www.chesco.org/human
(Refers to help with basic needs, housing/shelter, health care, mental health, mental retardation, senior citizens, protective services, substance abuse treatment, crisis services, domestic violence, transportation, education, financial assistance, disaster services, legal services, and employment.
(610) 873-1010 or (610) 932-8557
Neighborhood Services (610) 932-8556
Family Services (610) 696-4900
La Communidad Hispanica (610) 444-4545
Mission St. Maria (610) 268-3365
Northwestern Human Services (610) 444-0555
Kennett Square Counseling Center (610) 444-9665
West Chester Psychiatric (610) 431-3575
Christian Counseling and Therapy Associates of Westtown (West Chester)
(610) 431-0340
For information and referral services, contact Chester County CARES
(610) 436-4040
For more information about parent support groups for children of special needs students, contact ARC of Chester County at (610) 696-8090 or www.arcofchestercounty.org

Updated 2/14/08