Smith School Welcomes Ms. Barbone

With Mrs. Christine Bradley returning to the RHS School Counseling Department after the retirment of long time counselor and head basketball coach, Mr. Kevin McGuire, we are excited to introduce our newest school counselor at Smith School, Ms. Merrill Barbone. Ms. Barbone will has been assigned to half of the 7th and 8th grade students for the 2021-22 School Year. Please see her note to our community below.

Hello Rams,

My name is Ms. Barbone, and I am so excited to be working with the wonderful families of Ramsey and Saddle River this school year. To tell you a little about me, I graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and quickly returned to Montclair State and received my Master of Arts in School Counseling. I served as a high school counselor in a previous district for the past two years, and I consider myself lucky to be working with the students at Eric S. Smith Middle School this year. Some fun facts about myself: I am the proud mama of a fur baby named Syd and I named him after the mischievous boy from Toy Story. He is an energetic Boxer, I’m sure that tells you a lot about his personality. In my free time I love to travel, stay active, hang out with my friends, boyfriend and family, and sing my heart out to any song on the radio. Also, I know I am biased….but being a school counselor is the best job in the whole wide world! Looking forward to working with you this year!

College Rep Visits in the Fall

Each fall, over 100 colleges/universities visit Ramsey High School to recruit applicants and answer any questions interested students might have. For Seniors, it is important to attend these visits if you intend to apply to their institutions this Fall. More often than not, these visiting college reps will be among the first people to read your applications, so you do not want to squander the opportunity to make a great first impression! College Rep Visits are also open to 11th Graders; however, we recommend all 11th Graders only plan to attend 2-3 Rep Visits for schools of interest. Rep visits begin on September 20th and will continue through November.

Check your Naviance Student account to see who is visiting us! Contact your school counselor with questions. In the meantime, here are some "Rep Prep" pointers:

Visiting with college admission representatives is an opportunity for you to network, learn more about schools of interest, and influence your application positively. Keep in mind that when you meet with admission representatives, you not only represent yourself, but represent our school and future applicants as well. It is likely that the reps who visit our school will be the people reading your application; try to make a positive impression. You want those reps to remember your name, in a good way, and to have those relationships translate into positive outcomes.

Tips for making your visit with an admission representative great:

• Learn when the schools you are interested in are visiting; the schedule is on Naviance Student under the “Colleges” tab or the "What's New" link on your Naviance homepage.

• Sign up on Naviance Student at least 2 days in advance of the rep’s visit. A reminder email will be to the email account linked to Naviance. It is your responsibility to notify the teacher from the class you will be missing and have your teacher sign off on the pass. You do not sign up in Guidance—only via Naviance.

• Arrive knowing something about the school.

• Dress neatly on the day of the visit (try not to wear a tee shirt bearing the name of a different college).

• Be interested in what the rep has to say; listen with your eyes and your ears.

• Make sure you fill out an information card, even if you are already on the school’s mailing list.

• Ask important questions, not questions that can be answered by looking on their websites.

• Before or after the session, introduce yourself personally to the rep and shake his/her hand.

• Don’t abuse the privilege and remember that all absences from class count; you are responsible to make up all missed work!

Smith School Counseling September Happenings:
6th grade Transition Meetings

Over the next week, our 6th Grade Counselors, Ms. Jennifer Roberts and Mr. Jim Steinemann, will be visiting 6th Grade PE/Wellness classes to meet with their students in small groups to introduce our students to the school counseling department, share our role in their middle school experience, and help the students with an activity to help them reflect on their academic strengths and areas for opportunities for growth to set SMART goals for the 2021-22 school year. Be sure to follow up with your child about their meeting!

RHS School Counseling September Happenings:

12th Grade Post-Secondary and College Application Meetings

Last week, our RHS Counselors began visiting our 12th Grade English classes to discuss post-secondary planning in small groups. These meetings will wrap up this week. Students will set up and link their Common App applications with their Naviance Accounts so we can electronically submit application materials to your Seniors' schools of choice and review the finer points of the application process this fall and winter. We will follow up with 1-on-1 meetings in the coming weeks. Be sure to ask your Senior about the transcripts and reminders we shared with them!

Next week, we start our small group meetings with our 9th Graders!

Depression Screenings and
Mental Health and Wellness Presentations

This year, the Guidance and Counseling Department and the Child Study Team are collaborating to administer depression screenings for all students in Grades 7, 8, and 10 in consultation with West Bergen Mental Healthcare personnel. On Friday, September 17th, a Survey question was placed after the log-in to the parent portal. This question requests your consent to screen your child for depression using the Columbia DISC Depression Scale. A "yes" answer grants us this permission; an answer of "no" means you do not provide your consent. Your student will NOT be screened unless we have your consent.

The depression screenings will be followed by a presentation on mental health and wellness strategies as well as a review of district and community resources for students and families. We plant to administer the 7th and 10th grade depression screenings in the fall and the 8th grade depression screenings this winter.

Remember if you ever have a concern for your student, you should contact us in the Guidance and Counseling department for support.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at this time.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

Research shows that asking someone if they are thinking about suicide will not put the idea in their head or push them into action. In fact, asking someone directly, “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” may be the question to help save their life.

Being a Stigma Free community means it's o.k. to not be o.k., and we aim to support one another to get the help they need to feel and be at their very best!

Important Fall 2021 Dates to Remember