Monthly Focus  //  October 2019

what is bullying?

What is the role of the elementary school counselor?

The elementary school years set the foundation for developing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for children to become healthy, competent, and confident learners. Elementary school counselors have an impact on these years by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program and collaborating with school staff, parents, and the community to create a safe and respectful learning environment. By providing education, prevention, early identification, and intervention, elementary school counselors help their students achieve academic success, develop an understanding of career opportunities and develop social/emotional skills in response to issues they face.
- American School Counselor Association, 2017 -

understanding the difference between being rude or mean and bullying

Monthly Focus  //  october 2019

As we all know, students who get bullied at school have a harder time concentrating on the work that needs to accomplished during the day. Bullying can distract them away from social aspects that help them to grow and mature into the person they are meant to be. It destroys self-esteem and leads to destructive behaviors. A child's perspective can be skewed toward a more negative understanding of what their world really is. Preventing bullying is something teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and students must be actively pursuing. 
​
"Most kids play more than one role in bullying over time. In some cases, they may be directly involved in bullying as the one bullying others or being bullied and in others they may witness bullying and play an assisting or defending role. Every situation is different. Some kids are both bullied and bully others. It is important to note the multiple roles kids play."            
                                                                                               The Roles Kids Play in Bullying, stopbullying.gov, September 2017

5 Top resources: Counseling

resources  //  2019-20 School year

​These resources are links to sites that can provide additional help and support for you and your child(ren). 

ABOUT ME

My name is Michele D'Avignon. Most of the students just call me Ms. D (it's a lot easier than D'Avignon). This is my third year working as a school counselor. I have the great honor of counseling at Diamond Valley. The students at this school display a wide variety of characteristics that keep me moving. Before getting my Master's Degree from Utah State University, I worked as classroom teacher at Lava Ridge Intermediate School for 10 years. I was privileged to work as a Special Education teacher, English as a Second Language (ESL) Coordinator, At-Risk teacher, Social Studies teacher, and Language Arts teacher over the course of my tenure. 
As a counselor, I will be working with your child to develop social/emotional skills to help them succeed at school. This process requires classroom lessons, small group sessions, and individual counseling. Working with students at the elementary level gives me the opportunity to instill important traits before they move to secondary school. 

Educational links​

    STAY UPDATED!