School Counseling Program Mission and Vision


Mission Statement

Students leaving Parkside Middle School will do so socially and emotionally healthy and prepared to embrace a culturally diverse setting. Our students will demonstrate good citizenship as future leaders within their communities and be able to effectively navigate and positively contribute in an ever-changing and growing technological world.

Vision Statement

The Parkside Middle School Counseling team will deliver a comprehensive program that focuses on providing a safe and welcoming environment for all students. Students will have the support necessary to explore their social and emotional learning in order to cultivate academic success. The school counseling program will prepare students to be confident, responsive, reflective, innovative, and engaged citizens. The School Counselors welcome family and community member engagement in providing this comprehensive support.

Philosophy

The Counselors at Parkside Middle School believe:

  • All students have the right to a comprehensive school counseling program that is developmentally appropriate and supportive of their academic, personal, social, and career goals.
  • All students can learn and when supported by a student - focused learning environment can achieve optimal success.
  • Learning requires the active participation, engagement, mutual respect and individual accountability of students, teachers, staff, parents and the community together.
  • Learning is a lifelong process that is either positively or negatively affected by one's own mindset, and that a positive mindset can be learned.

The School Counseling Program at Parkside Middle School will:

  • Ensure that all students have access to a safe, nurturing, student- centered environment into which a growth mindset philosophy is integrated, promoting optimal success and achievement.
  • Be preventative in nature, incorporating research based practices, strategies and techniques.
  • Utilize data to identify student needs in the creation of school counseling program and school wide goals that will address specific developmental competencies, and be reviewed at least annually review to ensure such goals are met.
  • Base its Guidance Curriculum and activities upon the Prince William County Guidance Curriculum and the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors standards of student success to meet the academic, personal, social, and career goals of all students and to close identified achievement gaps.

All School Counselors at Parkside Middle School will:

  • Advocate for the needs and success of all students while promoting the development of self-advocacy skills within all students.
  • Adhere to the ASCA Ethical Standards.
  • Continually assess program goals and the needs of our school community to ensure that the goals of the school and of the school counseling program are being met.
  • Collaborate with families, teachers, staff and community to assist in meeting the developmental needs of all students.
  • Participate in the continuation of our professional learning through ongoing professional development activities.