School Counselors’ Newsletter NEED TO KNOW!!!

Francis C. Hammond
School Counselors’
Newsletter
Welcome to our Counselor Corner!
We are so excited to be a resource for you and your
child throughout the year. Your School Counselor can
help you and your child with a variety of academic,
career, and personal/social issues. Last week, all gradelevel counselors visited your child’s classroom to
explain how we can help them and how they can
access us. Please feel free to contact us with any
questions or concerns you may have, and we will help
you as best we can! Following is our contact
information and the letters of the alphabet by last
name that we each serve.
Meet the Departments
Director of School Counseling:
Denee Scott—denee.scott@acps.k12.va.us
8th Grade
Administrative Assistant:
Tammy Sturdivant—tsturdivant@acps.k12.va.us
703-461-4123
A-F Counselor:
Christina Bevilacqua—
christina.bevilacqua@acps.k12.va.us
G-M Counselor:
Nicole Bonds—nicole.bonds@acps.k12.va.us
N-Z Counselor:
Brent Rademacher—brent.rademacher@acps.k12.va.us
7th Grade
Administrative Assistant:
Wendy Alfaro-wendy.alfaro@acps.k12.va.us
703-461-4105
A-K Counselor:
Charrisa Washington—
charrisa.washington@acps.k12.va.us
L-Z Counselor:
Kidist Square—kidist.square@acps.k12.va.us
6th Grade
Administrative Assistant:
Kate Barrozo—katie.barrozo@acps.k12.va.us
703-461-4108
A-E Counselor:
Nicole Alestock—nicole.alestock@acps.k12.va.us
F-N Counselor:
Cassandra Jackson—cjackson@acps.k12.va.us
O-Z Counselor:
Katie Migliorini—katie.migliorini@acps.k12.va.us
October 2014
Volume 1, Issue 1
NEED TO KNOW!!!
October is Anti-Bullying Month. Our focus as a
school is to educate and encourage students and
staff to stand up against bullying and bullies. Bullying
in middle school is probably one of the hardest levels
of aggression a young person has to face. While
there is no universal definition of bullying, the core
element is intentionally aggressive, repeated verbal,
social and/or physical abuse. Cyber bullying is one
of the highest forms of bullying within schools.
How can parents help?
It all starts with having conversations with your child
about school, their interaction with their peers and
any issues that may have occurred during the day. It
is important as parents to have ‘the talk’ about
bullying and look for the signs of bullying so that
things do not end up out of control. Parents can help
by instilling proper values and giving their children
every possible tool to work with. Training is the key to
helping your child avoid bullying in middle school.
Teaching them they have rights and to respect the
rights of others goes a long way.
Middle school is a training ground for life and parents
must teach young people how to cope with the notso-nice people of the world.
Francis C. Hammond has taken the pledge against
bullying, Join us in the pledge and put an end to
bullying.
• I agree to not bully other students
•
I will help students who are bullied by
speaking out and getting adult help
• I will include students who are left out
Bullying Facts:
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28% of U.S. students in grades 6–12
experienced bullying.
70.6% of young people say they have seen
bullying in their schools
6% of students in grades 6–12 experienced
cyberbullying
Only about 20 to 30% of students who are
bullied notify adults about the bullying.
Counselor’s Corner Newsletter Page 2
Important Dates to Remember…
Tips for Success
You can set your middle school student up for
success this year with some basic pointers.
Have your student follow this checklist to get
off on the right foot:
[ ] I attend school every day unless I’m
really sick, and I get there on time.
[ ] I get 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
[ ] I eat a healthy breakfast in the morning.
[ ] I pay attention in class.
[ ] I write down my assignments for each
subject in my agenda book.
[ ] I start my projects when I get them (not
the day before they are due!).
[ ] I spend 5-10 minutes each day organizing
my materials, and I come to class
prepared
[ ] I complete my homework on time.
[ ] I review and read each day.
October Fun facts
Did you know….October is …
Hispanic Heritage Month
Disability Awareness Month
Drug Prevention/Red Ribbon Week
National Cookie Month
Lupus Awareness Month
Blindness awareness Month
 More American presidents were born
in October than any other month.
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October 7th
PTA Board and Planning Meeting, 7:00PM in D200
October 13th
Student Holiday
October 14th – October 17th
Hispanic Heritage Celebration Week
October 15th
PBIS Student Reward Event
October 22nd
Coffee with the Principal/Parent Workshop
9:00AM & 7:00PM
October 23rd
Early Dismissal for Students
Parent/Teacher Conferences
(Please contact your grade level
administrative
assistant to set up your conferences)
October 24th
Early Dismissal for Students
October 23rd – 31st
Red Ribbon Week
October 30th
Harvest Moon Dance 6:00-8:00PM
Every Wednesday in October
Wear a blue shirt to support anti-bullying
Get Involved with the FACE Center of ACPS
What is FACE?
The Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center of ACPS is our way of involving families in the
educational experience of students. Through free information, resources, workshops and fun activities for
students and their families, the FACE Center helps to connect you and your family to the academic achievement of your
children.
Why is family engagement so important?
Family engagement is critical to the success of every ACPS student. But why? Because your child wants to please you! It is
part of a child's natural development to seek the approval of his/her parents. So if you hold education up as a priority and
establish high expectations for your child, he/she will naturally strive to do his/her best. Your involvement matters so much!
Go to http://www.acps.k12.va.us/face-centers/
To check out the “Parent Tool Box” or sign up for workshops like this:
Anti-Bullying and Peace-Building Forum
A Workshop for Middle School Parents & Students
Thursday, October 16, 2014
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Jefferson-Houston School