Kiwanis Club of San Diego names Alyson Ramirez School Counselor of the Year

The Kiwanis Club of San Diego recently honored Alyson Ramirez, head counselor at De Portola Middle School, as the district's 2014-15 Counselor of the Year. The award was presented at the Counseling and Guidance Department End-of-Year Meeting held May 29.

De Portola Principal Ryan Brock supported Ramirez's nomination by stating, “Simply put, she amazes me. She handles an incredible workload with a tremendous amount of responsibility with grace and ease. I never hear anything but overwhelming praise for her and the work she does. She is an amazing head counselor, woman and mother. She really deserves this honor and she represents so many great aspects of school counseling.”

Ramirez has been a school counselor in San Diego Unified for 12 years. She grew up in Brawley, CA and moved to San Diego to attend college. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Guidance Counseling. In addition to her work at De Portola Middle School, Ramirez is a member of the district’s Crisis Response Team.

Principal Brock, vice principals Heather Potter and Suzanne Fore, and school counselor Amy Ericson attended the event on May 29 to support their colleague. The Kiwanis Club of San Diego has been a long-time partner-in-education with district's Counseling and Guidance Department.

Serra High counselor says goodbye after 43 years

Serra High counselor Susan Skinner was one of more than 700 employees who retired last week. Skinner spent 43 years with the San Diego Unified School District. Watch story from NBC 7»

School counselors honored during National School Counseling Week

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, is being celebrated this week, Feb. 3–7, 2014, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

School counselors are being saluted for being actively engaged in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests and talents; for working in a partnership with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today's world; for focusing on positive ways to enhance students' social/personal, educational and career development; and working with teachers and other educators to provide an educational system where students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic and optimistic aspirations for themselves.

Professional school counselors are certified, experienced educators with a master's degree in guidance and counseling. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program.

"School counselors work with all students to remove barriers to learning by addressing students’ academic concerns, career awareness in post-secondary options and personal/social skills,” said Kwok-Sze Wong, Ed.D., executive director of the American School Counselors Association. “Comprehensive school counseling programs help to increase student achievement and provide a much-needed resource for students, parents, teachers and administrators. School counselors are integral to student success."
More than 32,000 school counselors nationwide will be participating in the week's festivities. Parents or community members with specific questions or concerns about school counseling programs should contact the school counselors at their local schools. More general information can also be found on ASCA's website, www.schoolcounselor.org.

Three counselors get $1,000 grants for excellence from San Diego Downtown Kiwanis

Longtime Counseling Department supporter Kiwanis Club of San Diego has awarded three, $1,000 grants to school counselors Nico Negrette of Balboa Elementary in Shelltown, Clara Hayashigawa from Miller Elementary in Tierrasanta, and Trina Lee, head counselor at Hoover High in City Heights.

During the 2012-2013 school year, it sponsored an incentive project to support the school counselors with the Six-Step Accountability Process known as MEASURES (Mission, Element, Analyze, Stakeholders-Unite, Results, Educate Stakeholders) and subsequent Results Reporting. School counselors who participated in this process drafted their MEASURES with principal support and monitored the progress of their students.

At the end of the 2012-2013 school year, they presented their results through a peer review process and three school counselors were recognized at the All School Counselors’ Opening Meeting on September 19 at San Diego State University.

 San Diego Unified School District extends its congratulations to all three recipients and their gratitude to the Kiwanis Club of San Diego for its continued support.

Madison High counselor helps keep African American, Latino boys on track

Meet Roana Clark, Madison’s Dropout Prevention Program Mentor.

Known as "Ms. Penny," a nickname given to her by her oldest brother, Clark works with students and families as part of Madison’s Safe and Supportive Schools initiative. Now in its third school year and supported by a grant from the California Department of Education, Clark works with young African American and Latino men, and their families.

The men are struggling in school; she provides guidance, intervention and support when needed. She monitors student attendance, conferences with students and often their parents, conducts home visits and provides tutoring and homework help after school.

Her goal is to get young men thinking about their future and taking responsibility for their achievement. African American and Latino males are consistently clustered at the bottom of the achievement scale and are more likely than any other group to be suspended or expelled from school, according to several studies. Getting involved with these students early, before larger problems develop, is an effective ways to prevent some of the challenges that these young men face as they become young adults and enter adulthood.

"Ms. Penny has a talent for encouraging young men to take an interest in their academic progress and responsibility for their actions," said Richard Nash, Madison principal. "She is also an advocate for parents when they have a concern about their student’s progress or behavior at school. She is one of the staff members to whom teachers turn to when they think a young man can benefit from extra guidance and support."

Ms. Penny has a Master’s degree in counseling, education and guidance and has worked with students and families in San Diego Unified from elementary through middle school, and now in high school. Many Madison students know her from Lindbergh/Schweitzer Elementary School, where she worked from 2005-09.

Ms. Penney is based in Madison’s Family Resource Center (Bungalow B6). For more information, contact Clark at rclark2@sandi.net or 858-496-8410 ext. 4056.

National School Counseling Week is Feb. 4-8

National School Counseling Week will be celebrated Feb. 4-8 to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. This special week, sponsored by the American School Counselors Assn., highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. This year’s theme is "School Counseling: Liberty and Learning for All."

The week provides the opportunity to honor and thank school counselors for the important role they play in helping students examine their talents, strengths, abilities and interests. Counselors work in professional partnerships with teachers and support personnel to provide an educational system where students can realize their true potential. As all educators focus their efforts on improving academic achievement for all students, it is important that we recognize school counselors for their continuing efforts in reducing barriers to learning and in providing the support necessary for all students to achieve at the highest level.

For information about San Diego Unified's Counseling and Guidance program, visit the Counseling and Guidance Department website.

Board President, Mayor, local psychologists join to make schools safer

Dr. John Lee Evans, Board President and a clinical psychologist, has announced that the San Diego Psychological Association, City of San Diego, the San Diego Unified School District and others will be joining to provide a community-wide solution to the problem of extreme violence against schools.

The news conference, held Jan. 22, included Evans, Board of Education District E member Marnie Foster, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, San Diego City Council Member David Alvarez, San Diego Unified School District Police Chief Rueben Littlejohn, San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne, and representatives of the San Diego Psychological Association. ASB presidents Daniel Hamilton from La Jolla High and Marcus Dearing from University City High also joined the call for change.

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Celebrate National School Counseling Week

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, will be celebrated Feb. 6-10, 2012, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do.

This year's theme, "School Counselors: Helping Students Be Brilliant," highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Visit the Counseling and Guidance website to learn more about what our district counselors do for our students and schools.

Taft Middle School Students "Mix It Up" at Lunch

Changing habits can be tough for anyone, but students at Taft Middle School chose to break out of their comfort zones and “Mix It Up” at lunch to bring attention to the epidemic of bullying.

Students participated in a nationwide “Mix It Up at Lunch Day” activity Nov. 18 where they were asked to sit in a different place and with different individuals than they typically do at lunchtime. This national campaign, launched by the organization Teaching Tolerance a decade ago, encourages students to identify, question, and cross social boundaries.

Taft Middle School’s lunch court was rearranged and specially decorated for the event. Every student was randomly grouped using colorful wristbands with letters to identify which group they would sit with at lunch. Students got their lunch and joined their assigned table, each having a student leader/facilitator, and were encouraged to engage in conversations with those at their table to discover what they had in common with one another. The event concluded with music and group dances like the Macarena, Cupid Shuffle, and Y.M.C.A.

“This is one of the many ways Taft Middle School is trying to address the epidemic of bullying,” said Principal Mike George. “It was truly an amazing sight to see our students “Mix It Up.”
For several days leading up to the lunchtime event, students were involved in lessons during their first period classes that fostered thinking about concepts such as differences/similarities, isolation, prejudice and “isms,” among other topics. According to Teaching Tolerance, studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.

The event was sponsored by the PBIS committee and ASB.

For additional information, contact Vice Principal Lynn Ryan at 858-496-8245 or mryan@sandi.net.