The counseling staff at ASM serves as academic advisers, future-planning guides, and provides guidance to students and families during the school years. ASM has counselors in each division, elementary, middle, and high school.
Counselors work with students, individually and in small groups, on social, emotional and academic development issues, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, and problem-solving. They help students assess their strengths and weaknesses, and their interests and abilities, serving the broad goal of learning and applying responsible decision-making in their day-to-day and long-range planning.
Elementary Social Emotional Learning Curriculum (K -grade 5)
Our social emotional learning curriculum helps children learn the skills they need to manage their relationships with one another and with the adults in their lives. Using the Responsive Classroom strategies, our elementary school counselor visits classrooms to assess individual student needs, and coordinates with classroom teachers to generate needs based guidance lessons to assist in children's social, emotional, and academic growth. Each day our students begin their day with a ‘Morning Meeting’ as a way to build classroom community and a positive climate for learning.
Upper School Social Emotional Learning Curriculum (6th -12th grade)
Students in the Upper School are part of an Advisory Program which implements the Character Strong curriculum. Once a week, Advisory time is spent in various activities and discussions to build community among students and teachers. Examples of lesson topics include: developing skills and mindsets around building positive habits; understanding our emotions; increasing empathy; ways to improve themselves, their school, their relationships and the world.
Upper School students also receive throughout the school year lessons based on the needs of the student population in order to be successful in everyday life. These lessons are primarily designed and delivered by the Upper School Counselors to best support the social and emotional development of our students. The program strives to teach students the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for academic, career, and social/emotional development.