Gannett Peak Elementary: Student support Services
Student Support Services
Our student support services start in the classroom at GPE. Our dedicated school counselors ensure that classroom lessons from the curriculum Character Strong are presented to every class each week. Character Strong focuses on Casel learning standards to help students learn necessary academic behaviors as well as skills to sustain positive relationship building and social skills. These Casel standards are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, & responsible decision making.
At GPE we use data to inform our decisions on how to provide the best support for students who might be struggling to access their academics. We are currently using a universal screener called the DESSA that reviews the Casel standards we are following. If a student demonstrates that they are low in a standard we work as a team to provide small group instruction that helps to target the standard. We will continue to use data to see how students respond to the increased support as well as if there is any positive impact on academic achievement, attendance, and behavior.
The use of data helps us to assess our program as well as support our wonderful educators in their pursuit to provide quality instruction to all students.
**School counselors do not offer long-term counseling for complexe issues. We will utilize our skills to target short-term individual counseling that is goal oriented and will help students to access their education. Our support staff also offer a variety of different supports to promote positive behavior & connection beyond individual services. If your student can benefit from long-term individual services we would be more than happy to help connect you to local community mental health services. In the school we do not create a treatment plan, rather, we create school appropriate plans using behavior & screening data to help students understand and manage their social emotional world.
Gannett Peak Elementary:
OUR MISSION
In partnership with families and community, we educate students to become responsible citizens who respect one another and have the motivation, skills, and knowledge to succeed.
OUR VISION
By setting high expectations and providing diverse learning opportunities, we will empower students to succeed in careers, college, and life.
GPE School Counseling:
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Gannett Peak School Counseling Department is to prepare, inspire, and empower our diverse student population to achieve their greatest potential in an ever changing world. Through collaboration with families and community, the GPE Comprehensive School Counseling Program is proactive and engages the whole child to be responsible citizens who respect one another in and out of the classroom. The school counseling department will help support students to be equipped with the essential skills to be successful, with motivation, and the knowledge to succeed.
OUR VISION
Gannett Peak School Counselors envision a future where all students are achieving their greatest potential emotionally, personally, and academically. Students are empowered to respond to life’s challenges with resilience.The School Counseling Department sets high expectations for students’ behavior and mindsets that will support them in and out of the classroom. The school counselors empower students to be life-long learners to succeed in careers, college, and life.
More about our Character Strong Curriculum
PurposeFull People and CASEL Standards.pdfCasel Standards
This curriculum helps students to learn and grow positive academic behaviors for the classroom.
Creativity K-2 Lessons.pdfExample Lesson
Grade K-2, Creativity
PurposeFull People and CASEL Standards.pdfCasel Standards
This curriculum helps students to learn and grow positive academic behaviors for the classroom.
PurposeFull People ASCA Alignment 2022.pdfASCA Student Standards
The Casel standards are crosswalked for our guiding ASCA standards.
Kindness_Kickoff_School_Wide_Newsletter .pdfWe are all about kindness
In addition to our curriculum we utilize positive behavioral supports to teach, model, and reward good behavior for our Cougars. We support students who might struggle with following these expectations to ensure their support matches their need so that they can have success in the classroom and school setting.
Throughout our building students follow expectations for being:
Responsible
Respectful
Safe
More information on the DESSA Screener
Aperture-Education-About-DESSA.pdfDESSA
There are eight subscores: These align with the standards from Character Strong
Self-awareness
Social awareness
Self-management
Goal-directed behavior
Relationship skills
Personal responsibility
Decision making
Optimistic thinking
DESSA 2 mini Forms English - Preview Version.pdfDESSA-mini
DESSA English - Preview Version.pdfFull DESSA
If a student needs more support from a DESSA screening we select and implement time bound small groups that will help build strengths and skills in the area of need. These groups utilize curriculum that teach the same standards that are taught from classroom lessons. This is very similar to what a child would receive if they demonstrated a need for targeted instruction in reading, writing, or math. We will always send out communication if your child demonstrates a need to be pulled for targeted instruction so check your mail as well as SeeSaw for updates. We will continue to progress monitor students' strengths and needs throughout the year with our DESSA tool.
CharacterStrong-Tier-2-Curriculum-and-ASCA-Alignment-2023.pdfMore on our small groups
We care about our learning standards and helping our students reach all of their goals.
