Parent Letter

Cherokee Elementary 2020-2021 School Year

Dear Parents and Guardians,

My name is Laura Peden, and I am the school counselor at Cherokee Elementary School. I wanted to introduce myself and let you know about the services and resources that are available to you and your students, through our guidance and counseling program. This is my 11^th year in education and my fourth year as counselor at CES. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with you and your students this year!

The counseling program provides individual counseling, small group counseling, large group counseling, parent consultation, and teacher and administrator collaboration. Students have the opportunity to meet with me individually to address any issues or concerns that they might have. Students may come to me on their own, through teacher referral, or parent referral. Small group counseling takes place on an as needed basis. If several students are facing similar challenges, it is sometimes comforting to work through these situations with peers. Large group counseling takes place through classroom guidance lessons. Through classroom lessons, we address academic, career, and personal and social issues. We cover a variety of topics and complete various activities.

Not only am I here for the students, I am here for you as well. If you have a concern about your student, I am happy to meet with you or talk with you on the phone, regarding your child’s needs. Additionally, I collaborate with the teachers and administrators, to make sure that all of the needs of our students are being met. The counseling program could not be effective without you, so please let me know how I can help!

We also have resources available from Riverbend and the Healing Place. Our Riverbend counselor comes to the school once a week. This is a free service that provides counseling for a variety of issues. The Healing Place comes in once a month, providing small group counseling for students dealing with grief. This is also a free service that is available.

I look forward to meeting you and working with your students this year! My door is always open to help you and your students work through whatever life may throw your way!

Laura Peden

Counselor