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Welcome to MacFarland's School Counseling Site!

My name is Ms. Perrine, and I am the school counselor at MacFarland Intermediate School. I hope everyone had a nice summer and is ready to start the 2017-2018 school year. I will be updating this website along the way to keep students and parents informed of the counseling agenda. Remember to check in each month.  

                                 I wish everyone a fantastic school year!

~Ms. Perrine

What to Expect from the Counselor this Year

1) Classroom Guidance Lessons - This year I will be visiting the fourth grade classrooms to talk about the complicated dynamic of bullying. Students will learn how to recognize and report bullying along with other important skills involved with being an Upstander. The fifth grade curriculum will focus on character education which will follow MacFarland's Character Education program.

2) Individual Counseling - Throughout the year I will be meeting with students who present individual concerns. Topics such as anger management, bereavement, stress management, organizational skills, test preparation, and friendship are among the most commonly addressed.

3) Lunch Groups - One of my favorite counselor responsibilities is Lunch Bunch. This year I will be running two sessions of lunch groups (one in the fall and one in the spring). Students who have signed up for lunch group will attend once a week and will practice social skills, discuss topics of interest and any other necessary activities.

4) Peer Facilitators - I have recently selected a group of about 30 students to serve as Peer Facilitators. This group of students has been nominated by previous teachers, counselors and/or administrators for their outstanding leadership and friendship skills. Facilitators will join lunch groups to model friendship and work on counselor-run activities (e.g. Red Ribbon Week decorations). I am looking forward to working with this group!

5) I&RS - As chairperson of I&RS I will be processing referrals, organizing meetings, communicating with parents and other tasks required to have a productive team. If a parent or teacher notices that a student is struggling in class, please let me know and I will begin the process of having the I&RS team discuss possible interventions.

6) Character Education - Similar to the Unity Program which currently exists at PMS and CBS, students will be exposed to a list of words and associated behaviors that define a person of character at MacFarland. The goal of the program is to teach students words and actions that MacFarlanders feel are important when becoming a good citizen, friend and all around human being. Students will be held accountable for the set of words and will participate in fun activities to build character. More to come on this soon!