School Counseling
Middle School
Welcome to the HMS Counseling Department
Dear Parents:
Be prepared to marvel at the tremendous physical, emotional, and intellectual growth that punctuates the middle-school years. It is quite normal for these changes, along with the demands of academics, peers, and society, to create tension and conflict that affect student behaviors. It can be a difficult and awkward time as students continue to adjust to changes in their bodies, worry about peer acceptance, and try to stay atop the standards of our youth’s culture. Rest assured, inside is still that child that needs a parent’s love and protection though they will certainly clamor for independence and privacy.
With the challenges presented by the “in-between years,” our goals as school counselors are clear:
• To aid students in the acquisition of decision-making, problem-solving, and coping skills.
• To help resolve any issue that interferes with student learning.
• To be leaders in the area of bullying prevention.
• To provide a supportive learning environment.
• To assist students in developing an understanding of self and others.
• To improve the self esteem of students.
• To help students become more responsible and independent.
• To assist students in developing effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• To maximize the academic success of students.
• To facilitate the transition at each grade level.
To meet these objectives, we will provide individual counseling, visit classrooms to facilitate small group and whole-class lessons, and work closely with staff to foster academic and social-emotional growth. We will also work to organize and coordinate educational, community, and family resources. It is our approach to be proactive in the journey of a student rather than purely reactive.
We encourage parents to communicate concerns and questions but also request that a teacher’s right of first communication be respected when dealing with specific classroom issues. In our experiences, a polite conversation with a teacher will often bear positive results.
We look forward to working with you and your child to promote a safe, supportive, and positive learning environment. Please see our MS Teams page to determine who your student's counselor is.
Sincerely,
The Counseling Department at Hopkinton Middle School
Keefe Tech 8th Grade Career & Technical Program
We will be visiting Keefe Regional Technical School this November! We are asking you to review our Career and Tech Program Guide and complete this form to choose two Programs you would like to visit. Based on your choices we will select a third Program for you.
Counseling Services
Hopkinton Middle School provides a variety of mental health supports to students. Service providers consist of a school psychologist, an adjustment counselor, and three guidance counselors (one per grade). Counselors work with students individually and in small groups, teach guidance lessons in the class‐ room, and support the academic, social, and emotional development of all Middle School students. All of the counselors collaborate to provide the whole student body with a range of long‐term and short‐term services, including transition services for incoming 6th grade students and outgoing 8th grade students, crisis intervention services, referral to community mental health services and prevention services, coordination of peer tutoring, and orientation for new students. The Counseling Department at Hopkinton Middle School is dedicated to ensuring the appropriate social, emotional, and academic development of all Middle School students.
Resources
Helpful Documents & Forms
Helpful Links
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Keefe Tech
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Jeff's Place - Children's Bereavement Center - http://jeffsplacemetrowest.org/
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Over parenting Anonymous - http://www.wendymogel.com/articles/item/overparenting_anonymous/
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Parent Resources for Coping with Loss and Grief
Signs and symptoms of stress in children; Warning signs that a child may need help coping; Grieving, Commemorating; Developmental phases in understanding death, plus additional resources
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Stand Up 2 Bullying
Helpful information and resources on bullying - https://www.apa.org/topics/bullying
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Stopbullying.gov
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This site emphasizes action steps individuals can take to prevent and stop bullying in their schools and communities. It also features easy-to-use tools and resources for community leaders, young people and families. -http://www.stopbullying.gov/
Contact Us
Keith Verra
Post Secondary Planning
Navigating the College Process in the Digital Age
More on Post Secondary Paths Less Traveled
Resources for any student considering prep school, taking a gap year or attending a two-year program with the goal of transferring to a four-year college...
- Some schools, like Dean College (http://www.dean.edu/), offer both two- and four-year programs, where students earn their associates degrees and have the option of earning their bachelors degrees in some areas. Another common pathway, is students who earn their associates degree, or attend one college for a few semesters, and then transfer to another four-year school with a strengthened academic profile.
- Other schools that are know as four-year schools, like University of Hartford, may also have a school for associate degrees that students can graduate from or transfer from into the four year colleges. http://www.hartford.edu/hillyer/ ).
- In addition to two and four year degrees, Mitchell College has Thames Academy (http://www.thamesacademy.org/), a residential post-graduate program for students with academic challenges, documented learning disabilities, or other learning differences who can benefit from a structured learning and living experience that prepares them for the transition to college or a career.
- Find other schools that offer associates degrees by using the "School Type" tab in the SuperMatch college search within Naviance Student
Prep schools, which are also called preparatory schools, are available around the country and around the world. There are some key factors that make a prep school different from a regular public school beyond the name. Among the differences are the high costs, educational standards and small class sizes.
- Check out http://www.boardingschoolreview.com and their Top 10 Reasons to go to Boarding School
- Think you may be interested? Click here for a list of Prep Schools and Post Grad options
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A few notes on taking a Gap Year from TeenLife's Guide to the Gap Year:
- This can be time well spent that leads to students gaining confidence, a strong sense of personal responsibility, heightened resilience, and a level of maturity about learning, work, the world, and themselves.
- Gap students do go or return to college! In their survey, 90 percent had returned within a year, and 80 percent returned within six months. Further, some colleges have tracked these students' GPAs and they report higher GPAs than their peers.
- Gap students report a (re)ignited passion for learning and are able to connect formal education with real-world experience; 60 percent say their gap year experience impacted their choice of major and career.
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Year of Community Service Check out these videos of City Year Volunteers to find out why they serve... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChwK4XJbUYg&list=PL44DCA37A41B78674
How can the Military be a part of my four-year degree?
- One pathway is to join the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-officers/rotc.html/
- Admissions into one of the United States Service Academies is highly selective and there can be an extensive application process. If successful, cadets/midshipmen receive taxable pay, free room and board, and pay no tuition or fees. There is also a minimum term of duty, usually five years plus another three in the reserves.
- The academies include: The US Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY (Army), The US Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, MD, The US Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, CT, The US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, NY, and The US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, CO.
The Changing Admissions Landscape at Massachusetts Public Colleges
Admission to the University of Massachusetts is handled separately by each UMass campus. UMass has four campuses for undergraduates and graduates, each with its own identity and academic and research specialties. In addition, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, located in Worcester, includes a School of Medicine, Graduate School of Nursing, and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. UMass also offers continuing education at each campus and accredited degrees or certificates online via UMassOnline. Learn more about the wide range of UMass academic offerings. (from https://www.umass.edu/admissions/)
MassTransfer (http://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/home.asp) has two main purposes:
- Provide community college students who complete associate degrees and enroll in linked MassTransfer programs with the full transfer of credit, guaranteed admission, and a tuition discount (each based on final GPA); and
- Provide any student in the Massachusetts public higher education system who completes the MassTransfer Block with the benefit of satisfying the general education/distribution/core requirements at any other public higher education institution
Commonwealth Honors Programs
Massachusetts is the only state in the country to offer an integrated network of honors programs throughout the public higher education system. There are Commonwealth Honors Programs in community colleges and state universities and on the campuses of the University of Massachusetts. (https://www.mass.edu/system/honors.asp)
LGBTQ Students:
Check out College Choice for a list of the 50 best colleges for LGBTQ students.
An Introduction to College Athletics
Let us first set the tone with the Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the High School Interscholastic Level and then remember that there are more than 380,000 student-athletes and most of them go pro in something other than sports. So while college athletics may be a factor in the college search, for some, much more than others, it is still just one factor and students should choose colleges that fit their other factors as well. Remember, a career-interrupting or ending injury could happen to anyone, you want to make sure you'd be happy at that school without athletics too.
Students who may have the opportunity to play at the Division I or II level in college, need to be sure to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse (http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/how-register). The Clearinghouse determines both academic eligibility and amateurism status.
Be sure to check out the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete for help registering and to find out more about recruiting timelines and guidelines.