Counseling

For the 2022-2023 school year, PGES is focusing on 4 MAIN character words. Each quarter of school, PGES and its students will dig deep to understand each of these words; KINDNESS, RESPECT, HONESTY and RESPONSIBILITY.

Mission

It is the mission of the school counseling program at Poplar Grove to work collaboratively with faculty/staff, students, families and community members to help meet the academic, personal/social and career preparation needs of ALL students. It is our hope that by following the State of Tennessee standards, all students will be academically prepared, well adjusted members of society, lifelong learners and productive citizens.

The following principles of the Tennessee Comprehensive School Counseling Program* guide the curriculum, mission, activities and overall focus of the Poplar Grove school counseling program.

Guiding Principles

All students* can achieve.
All students* have dignity and worth.
All students* need, deserve and must be provided a quality education.
All students* need, deserve and must be provided the support and guidance of caring, knowledgeable and skilled adults throughout their educational experience in order to ensure success.
Quality comprehensive school counseling programs are vital to the overall success of all students*, schools and communities.

[*Regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status, learning ability level or language]

Bullying Prevention

Tennessee Policy on Cyber Bullying

“Cyber bullying” is defined as the use of information and communication technologies, — such as e-mail, cell phone text, or picture messages, instant messaging, and defamatory personal Web sites, social networking sites, and online personal polling sites – to support deliberate, hostile behavior intended to frighten or harm others.

FSSD/PGS Policy on Bullying

School bullying is widespread across schools in the United States. It is estimated that thousands of children refuse to go to school each day because they dread the physical and/or verbal abuse that they suffer at the hands of their peers. The counselors of the Franklin Special School District have defined bullying behavior as an act that occurs when someone with more power intentionally hurts someone with less power over and over again in a physical, social or emotional manner. The guidance department at Poplar Grove strives to work with students, parents, teachers, administration and other community members to increase awareness of bullying and be proactive in reducing its occurrence. Our mission is to make school a place where every student feels safe and valued. Videos, classroom discussion, various anti-bullying materials and speakers from the community are used as part of the guidance department’s efforts to help students be aware of what bullying is, what to do when you see bullying occur and ways to help the victim. Our goal is for all students to develop the social and emotional skills that will give them greater success in their peer relationships, their academic performance and in their adult lives.

Character Education

“Children develop character by what they see , by what they hear, and by what they are repeatedly led to do.” —- James Stenson

The Character Under Construction Coalition was formed to teach and encourage good character in our community. It is a joint effort of Franklin Special School District, Williamson County Schools, Chamber of Commerce, 4-H Clubs and various community groups. This community effort hopes to instill in our children those characteristics that help them grow into responsible citizens of Williamson County.

Franklin Special School District has been instrumental in organizing this community effort. Every school in our district emphasizes “Character Under Construction.” The community businesses and religious organizations continue to support us in this effort.

The community coalition has designated these specific character traits to be emphasized throughout the community in the following months:

August - Character
September - Respect
October - Responsibility
November - Perseverance
December - Caring
January - Courage
February - Citizenship
March -Trustworthiness
April - Cooperation
May - Fairness

Your help will be so valuable in these life lessons! Please encourage your child to practice these good character traits at home. Praise those character changes that your child makes as he/she matures. This is a school, family, and community effort. We all need to work together to support “Character Under Construction.”

Counseling Standards

The Guidance Department at Poplar Grove follows the Tennessee Department of Education School Counseling Standards. “The standards and expectations for academic development guide the school-counseling program to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize learning; for career development serve as a guide to provide the foundation for acquiring the attitudes, knowledge and skills that enable students to make a successful transition from school to the world of work and from job to job across the career life span; for personal/social development provide the foundation for personal and social growth, which contributes to academic and career success.”

Tyler Johnson, School Counselor

Mercy Counselors

Ms. Jennifer Dunn, MSW, LCSW

Ms. Katie Ploeger

The Franklin Special School District has a collaborative partnership with Mercy Community Healthcare to offer clinical therapy in all of the FSSD schools. This approach eliminates transportation and time-related barriers for children to receive services, with parent permission/referral.

The approach is unique and integrative, as the Mercy therapists are able to meet with the child at the school during the school day. The therapist are often able to accommodate the demands of the academic day, by seeing children during their related arts classes or during lunch.

Mercy's highly trained and licensed therapists provide a spectrum of interventions from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), play based, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), somatic experiencing sessions, art therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

They offer individual, group and family counseling, depending on the need. Because the therapists are in the school buildings, they are able to meet the social and emotional needs of their clients within their comfort zone, and foster a safe, loving and nurturing environment. With permission, the Mercy therapists can also provide integrative services and continuation of care, by collaborating with other providers and team members to create “wrap-around” services and support maximum growth.

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Poplar Grove Elementary