Counseling
The counselor at Elm Middle School is Ms. Marissa Garay. As counselor, she is responsible for educating all of our current and incoming students on the College & Career Pathways program.
In addition, Ms. Garay oversees Elm's course selection process and delivers services addressing a multitude of areas in which our students need support.
Meeting with the Counselor
Students are required to meet with Ms. Garay to make course selections; these meetings happen at various times throughout the year.
Elm encourages students to reach out to the counseling office for anything they may need in the way of student services, including but not limited to problem-solving, friendship, peer pressure, academic improvement, grief and divorce.
In conjunction with the rest of Elm's student services and administrative teams, our counselor hosts grade-level meetings to familiarize our students with the Pathways program.
During these meetings, students receive an overview of the opportunities available to them in the program so they can make informed decisions. Our counselor then has individualized meetings to further support them with anything related to College & Career Pathways.
Using Naviance
To assist with the counseling process, Elm students in all three grades (6-8) use the Naviance system for career exploration.
Naviance is a college and career readiness platform that helps connect academic achievement to postsecondary goals. It allows students to create a plan for their futures by helping them discover their individual strengths and learning styles. This enables students to explore the college and career options best suited to their specific goals, interests and strengths.
Elm students begin by taking Naviance's career interest survey.
From there they are able to apply the information they gained about their career interests to make well-informed course selections.
Suicide Prevention Resources
AnnMarie's Law, enacted in 2015, was created to provide suicide awareness and prevention to Illinois school students and school staff. As noted by the Illinois State Board of Education, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 24.
District 401's practices and procedures regarding suicide prevention are governed by Board Policy 7:290, "Suicide and Depression Awareness and Prevention."
In addition, the District's Student Services Department recommends the following resources:
► CRISIS TEXTLINE
- 24-Hour Crisis Line is accessible via text.
- Link to the website is available here.
- Text "home" to 741741 to gain access to a crisis worker.
► NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE
- The Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.
- English: 1-800-273-8255
- Spanish: 1-888-628-9454
- www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
To Learn More
For additional information about the Elm Counseling Office and its services, we invite you to visit the links below. These links include the Naviance login page.