Bacich School Counselor & Social Emotional Learning

We believe that a student’s long-term health and well-being, and his capacity to contribute in a positive way to our world depends on a balance of social, emotional and core academic development. To support and build upon this foundation, the Kentfield School District adopted the program Character Counts! in 2001 to provide the school community a common language and focus. This program is based on six values called the Six Pillars of Character. They include: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

We believe that students must learn to reach beyond themselves. They must learn how to interact with others, how to listen, how to be sensitive to others' needs and how to be respectful of differing perspectives. Bacich School recognizes the importance of creating and modeling a culture of good character and supporting all students as they learn integrity, personal responsibility and compassion. Adults and children in our school community are asked to model these character traits through personal example.

The staff supports character education throughout the school day whether it is a classroom conversation during Morning Meeting, a private discussion with an individual at recess, an all-school assembly focused on a particular Pillar, or our school and district wide service learning projects. Character education is infused throughout our days.

Extraordinary individuals will shape the 21st Century. Meeting the challenges of our increasingly complex and culturally interdependent world will require citizens who have a solid sense of who they are and a respect for others, in addition to being academically strong and capable.

Our hope is that each of our students builds a healthy self-concept, a sense of connection to others, and an appreciation for what it means to be a kind and good contributing member of a community. We recognize that this developmental journey spans a lifetime, but the foundation begins right here during the earliest school years.

Character Education begins with all of us...

Main goals of the counseling program:

• To assist students with anything that gets in the way of their learning.
• To create a school culture of success for all.

How does this happen?

The school counselor provides:

1. Guidance Lessons: Provide guidance content in a systematic way to all students.
2. Individual Planning: Assist students in monitoring and managing their learning.
3. Responsive Services: Address the immediate needs of students.
4. System Support: Support and consult with staff and parents. Attend meetings regarding student success. Participate in school improvement planning and guidance program development.

How does the school counselor actually do this?

1. Classroom guidance lessons.
2. One-on-one short term guidance lessons.
3. Small group short-term guidance lessons.
4. Modeling social-emotional learning during recess.
5. Behavior Intervention Plans.
6. Collaboration with parents, teachers and community members.
7. Advocacy for students at student-focused meetings.
8. Acting as a systems change agent to improve equity and access, achievement and opportunities for all students.
9. Parent Education.

These are the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs that we use at Bacich and they have links should you want more information. Our teachers truly do an amazing job of integrating social-emotional learning into the curriculum and daily activities.