Counseling
Grenada Elementary School’s counseling program focuses on academic, career, and social/emotional development to foster opportunities for the well being of all of our students.
We have two certified school counselors, Kim Graves and Melanie Harlow. Mrs. Graves primarily works with Kindergarten and 1st grade students, sprinkling in a few PreK students along the way. Mrs. Harlow primarily works with 2nd and 3rd graders, though students get to know both counselors as they are highly visible in the school.
Our counselors are sometimes called to be liaisons in various roles with administrators, teachers, staff, and decision makers. They are often seen on duty, wandering through the cafeteria, in the library, in the classrooms, in the hallways — wherever there are students and staff. School counselors work with students in individual, small group and classroom settings. The most important thing for a school counselor is to be visible, approachable and be able to work not only with students, but also parents, staff and administration.
Issues such as friendships, working well with others, students adjusting to school, learning how to make decisions, being able to manage feelings, and dealing with peer pressure and bullying are just some of the areas in which they are trained.
Counselors work with students who experience a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties to help them find ways of handling themselves that enhance their well-being. It is important for our parents, guardians and caregivers to realize, school counselors do not provide “therapy” or “traditional counseling.” We aim to support our students, along with their families/guardians in obtaining outside services if the student needs outside resources. We collaborate with other mental health professionals and when necessary work with them to obtain the best outcome for our students.
Counselors at GES PreK-3 also help facilitate standardized testing and assessments to support teachers and administration.
<Links to Graves and Harlow>
