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As elementary school counselors, we are responsible for providing all Potomac View Elementary School (PVES) students with assistance so that they can succeed in school. Through individual and small group counseling, we help students with any problems they encounter that may inhibit their learning experiences. Classroom guidance lessons are also conducted to assist students in acquiring skills essential to their future success. These skills are aligned with the district, state and national (ASCA) school counseling standards and focus on the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for successful academic achievement, career development, and personal/social growth.
Self-referral forms are available for students outside the counseling office and through their classroom teachers. Ms. Masino's office hours are Monday through Friday,
Should you have any questions or concerns about the Elementary Counseling Program, or if your child is having problems that may affect their academic progress, please feel free to contact the counselors at 703-491-1126 or via email at masinoma@pwcs.edu.
Please check this site frequently for updates and information.
COUNSELING DEPARTMENT NEWS AND ACTIVITIES Information Nights released for Specialty ProgramsLast year, we had more than 50 students apply for specialty school programs! Students can apply to more than one program and determine which program to attend should they be accepted, but a separate application must be completed for each program. If a student is accepted to a program that is not at the school closest to your home, transportation will be provided to the specialty school location.
SCHOOL INFORMATION I. MARY G. PORTER TRADITIONAL SCHOOL, Grades 1-8, 703.580.6501 Information Night Thursday December 17 at v Required student uniforms and school service hours for both parents and students v Personalized educational plan for each student v Stresses rigorous academic instruction, strong performance expectations, and high behavioral standards v Admission determined by a lottery system when number of applications exceeds space available Essay required and to be completed at Porter II. INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME, Beville MS 703.878.2593 Program Coordinator: Ms. S. Johnson (johnsosl@pwcs.edu) Information night Thursday, December 10 and Tuesday, January 12 from 7pm-8:30 at Beville v Designed for highly motivated students who have demonstrated the ability to achieve academically v Challenging, comprehensive academic middle school course of studies v Students are required to perform a minimum of 30 hours of community service per year III. FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM, 703.494.5157 Program Coordinator Ms. Stone (stonejm@pwcs.edu) Information night Wednesday January 13, v Offers special foreign language programs in French and Spanish v Students receive one high school foreign language credit for work done in the 6th and 7th grades, and one high school credit for work done in the 8th grade Essay required and to be completed at PVES IV. MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PROGRAM, 703.491.2171 Program Coordinator Ms. M. Rehberg (rehbermk@pwcs.edu) Information night Thursday, December 10, v Intensive program in mathematics and science to challenge and motivate students while developing their critical thinking skills through discovery and exploration Essay required and to be completed at PVES If essays are required (as indicated above) they MUST be completed at PVES during the week of January 11. I will schedule students to write their essay once I receive their application. COMMUNITY WORKSHOPSClasses are offered on various topics in both Spanish and English. Courses include: Living Apart, Parenting Together; When Families Get Angry; Systematic Training for Effective Parenting; Equipping Teens. If you are interested or if you think this may be a good idea for others, courses are usually $40 per individual or couple to cover class materials. Please check the website for more details. Virginia Cooperative Extension
JUST CALL ME THE “PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR”That’s right; we are no longer called “guidance counselors.” Actually this has been changed since 2004, but it is evolving slowly. According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), counselors need to be “consistent in their language…and identify themselves as `professional school counselors’ and not simply as `guidance counselors’.” The article in the December 2004 issue of the Professional School Counseling Journal also advocates for identifying the department as the “professional school counseling department" instead of the "guidance department".  BIG/LITTLE MENTORING PARTNERSHIP WITH FREEDOM HSSelected students from grades 4 and 5 are invited to participate in an eight week mentoring partnership during the spring. Volunteer mentors from Freedom HS work with the elementary students after school once a week for an hour. Thirty minutes are spent on schoolwork and the remaining thirty minutes are spent in cooperative play in the gym or outside. If you are interested in having your child participate this spring, please contact Ms. Masino at masinoma@pwcs.edu
We are a Recognized ASCA Model ProgramOur school counseling program has met the criteria to become a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) by the American School Counselor Association. Our school is one of more than 200 schools to achieve RAMP status since the program's inception in 2004 and the third school in the county to achieve this designation (Bull Run Middle School and Bristow Run Elementary are also ASCA Model Programs). We plan to continue to deliver a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program at Potomac View Elementary and appreciate being recognized by the National School Counselor Association!
 SPORTS NIGHTFor one night each spring, the counseling department works closely with the PE teachers at Potomac View, Kilby and Featherstone to bring you SPORTS NIGHT! This will be our third year planning this fun event, so look for more details to come!
Sports Night is an event held at a local high school that brings together three local elementary schools. The staff members at each school compete in silly relay races like Scooter relay, Hippity Hop, Mr. Sports Night, Hockey and Basketball dribble, three legged race, beach ball relay and others while the students and parents cheer for their teams. The main ideas of Sports Night are: To show off our own "wellness" and to promote the wellness initiative to our students by showing that the teachers are active in a positive way! We also have this event in April to psyche the kids up to do well on their SOLs and to bring the community together for a fun event that evokes school spirit. http://pwcstv.com/vod.asp?vod=Y&auto_num=994 Again, we look forward to organizing this event and hope to see you there! Department Files
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Department Links  American School Counselor Association (ASCA) WebsiteInformation for parents about the school counseling programs in the US. Elementary Counseling in PWCSThis link takes you to the PWCS Elementary Counseling Website and includes the school counseling curriculum that we follow at Potomac View Elementary. |
