Counseling Center

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Counseling Center

Mrs. O'Bannon, Mr. Green, Ms. Tiedt

Counseling Center Announcements

Summer Weight Lifting Camp @ RHS

Summer Volley Ball Camp @ CHS

Grief Support Groups for Children
begins on May 7, 2012 (click to see the brochure)

Nurturing Parenting Class in Spanish - Begins Feb 8

(English version)

Counseling Department Personnel

Mr. Darryl Green, Counseling Director - Mr. Green serves as counselor for all of 7th grade and half of 6th grade, last names K-Z.

Mrs. Flora O'Bannon, Counselor - Mrs. O'Bannon serves as counselor for all of 8th grade and half of 6th grade, last names A-J.

Ms. Belinda Tiedt, Counseling Secretary

Counselors' Corner

Summer Hours -

Summer Hours will be Monday-Thursday from 7:30-5:00. Please call 582-7600 (ext 6626) to make an appointment if you wish to speak with one of the counselors. Mr. Green will be working most days throughout the summer, Mrs. O'Bannon and Mrs. Tiedt will be out the month of July.

Summer Connections -

Click here to get information about a summer connections program being offered by the counsleing depratment.

Volunteer Oppertunities -

Click here for a Youth Volunteer Directory

Assurance Wireless -

There is a resource for families in need of a free cell phone with 250 free minutes each month. You may qualify for Assurance Wireless if you participate in any of the following government programs:

Virginia Medicaid
Food Stamps/SNAP
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) or Section 8
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program
OR
You may qualify based on household income.

For more information click here.

Bullying Prevention -

See what our students are learning about bullying prevention.

Germanna Dental Hygiene Program -

Germanna Dental Hygiene Program is looking for clients for Free dental help

They are located at Spotsy Career & Tech and are open for business 3:00 pm to 8:30 pm Mon.-Thurs. call 540-423-9823 for an appointment

Cell phone program -

SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers. Follow the link for more information.

From the Counseling Secretary's Desk

REGISTRATION/WITHDRAWAL

If you are planning a move out of Thornburg Middle School, please notify Belinda Tiedt, counseling secretary at extension 6621 or via email, as soon as possible. There is a check-out procedure that your student needs to follow to help make the transition as smooth as possible. See the registration information page for more details.

PHONE NUMBER/ADDRESS CHANGE

If you have any changes to your current phone numbers (home, cell & work), or address changes please contact Ms. Tiedt. The school will not be able to contact you in the event of any type of emergency if we do not have correct information on file.

E-MAIL ADDRESS

TMS is in the process of updating all e-mail addresses in the auto dialer. Please send your current e-mail address to Ms. Tiedt. When sending your e-mail address, please include your student(s) full name(s) and/or student ID number.

ABSENCES

Please see the new attendance policy. In the event that your student(s) misses school, please call 540.582.7600 X6603 and leave a message including your child’s first and last name, grade level and why they are absent. Please follow up with a written note explaining the absence.

HOMEWORK REQUESTS

If you would like to request homework for missed assignments, please call before 9:30 AM., or leave a voice message at any time on the attendance line (X6606). Requests will be honored for absences two days or longer. Please include the following; first and last name of student, days missed, are books needed from student locker and who will pick up the assignments. Please allow 24 hours for requests to be filled. Assignments will be available for pick up in the Counseling Department office after 2:30 pm the following day. Please indicate whether you have home access to SCORE when making your request.

Activities and Groups

1st Nine Weeks

First few weeks of school the counselors will be monitoring class sizes and making any necessary schedule cahnges.

First week of school Mrs. O'Bannon will be assigning Homeroom Jaguar Buddies and by the end of September students in need will be matched with adults in the building for our JAFA program.

Mr. Green will do classroom lessons on study skills for the 7th grade students.

Mr. Green and Mrs. O'Bannon will do classroom expectations lessons with the 6th grade and goal setting with 8th graders.

Mrs. O'Bannon will do goal setting with 8th grades.

Mr. Green and Mrs. O'Bannon will be getting to know the students through activities and groups.

2nd Nine Weeks

Peer tutoring begins around November 15th. If you have any question, or want your student to be a tutor, or to receive this service, please contact Mrs. O'Bannon. For a definition of the program please check out the Counselor Corner on the TMS home web page.

The second nine weeks classroom guidance lesson for all 7th and 8th grade students will be on Sexual Harassment.

The second nine weeks classroom guidance lesson for all 6th grade students will be on careers or conflict resolution.

3rd Nine Weeks

During the third nine weeks 6th grade students will be doing career exploration. The 7th grade students will be focusing on careers and high school planning. 8th Grade students will be looking at high school planning and graduation requirements.

4th Nine Weeks

Mr. Green and Mrs. O'Bannon will work on scheduling with the students and testing.

Classroom lessons to look forward to:

6th grade--Careers

7th grade-sexual Harassment

7th and 8th grade--Diploma options

7th and 8th grade--Academic and career planning

6th-8th grade--Course scheduling

6th-8th grade--Test-taking strategies

Groups being offered throughout the year:

Friendship Group-6th grade
Girl Issues-7th and 8th grade
Changing Families--divorce, step- and extended families
Study Skills--organization, study methods, and time management
Friendship Skills--characteristics of a friend, converation skills and monitoring friendships. 6th grade

Ongoing Initiatives

Perfect Attendance - The perfect attendance winners are recognized monthly for their effort and presented gift cards or other items as rewards

September 2011 Perfect Attendance Winners

December, January, 1st Semester Perfect Attendance Winners

February 2012 Perfect Attendance Winners

April 2012 Perfect Attendance Winners

Peer tutoring - Students in need of academic help are paired with student volunteers for extra assistance.

JAFA (Just a Friend Away) - The JAFA program has been in place since 2000 and begins each September. Students in need are assigned a mentor.

BINT (Bullying is Not Tolerated) - more details here

Jaguar Buddies - program set up to help new students feel at ease. Homeroom representatives greet new students, tour them around the building, and assist during the new student's first week.

Wall of Fame - This program recognizes students who are "caught" doing something positive by receiving individual congratulations from the principal and posting their photo and achievement on the wall, plus a letter sent home to parents.

Character Education - schoolwide focus on character theme words for each nine weeks: responsibility and fairness, trustworthiness, kindness and respect, and citizenship.

First Nine Week Character Education Winners

Name in Lights - students or parents can purchase an advertisement on the cafeteria's scrolling marquee to recognize birthdays, accomplishments, or any other noteworthy occasions - nomination form