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Counseling Program

Welcome!

As the School Counselor for the Elementary and Middle School grade levels at Banning Lewis Ranch Academy, I want to provide all of our students support in the areas of academics, personal / social development, and career development. The Counseling Office provides a warm and confidential place where students can build on their skills to be successful at whatever they do.

Explore the website to find out more!

Tabitha Panariso

School Counselor

About the Counselor

About Me...

EducationI am a recent graduate from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. I have been in school for what seems like a really long time, recieving my Bachelor Degree in Sociology and my Masters Degree in School Counseling. I am a National Certified Counselor and am beginning the process to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. PersonalI have been married to my wonderful husband, Ethan, for about three years now. Although he is a Colorado Native through and through, I grew up a Military Brat- and have lived in many places. I like to consider myself an adopted Coloradoan. We have a cat, named Socks, who thinks he is a dog. He tends to play catch and follow us around. I also love the mountains, hot tea, and sitting on the porch reading a good book.

School-Wide Programs

Peace Builders

Peace Builders is BLRA's program that helps create a safe, positve environment and encourages a common language between teachers, students, and administration. Mr. Parker, Mr. Vinchattle, and I frequently visit the classrooms to do lessons on the six core principles. You can find more information at: http://www.peacebuilders.com/

Coming Soon!!

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Visit http://www.tolerance.org to learn more about this nation wide campaign.

Red Ribbon Week Door Decorating Contest

Click through to see all the awesome doors that the K-8 classes created and decorated.

In the Classroom

Second Grade

We will be learning more about friendships in second grade with various activites and lessons. Just recently, the second grade read Shel Silverstiens book, "The Giving Tree." and talked about gifts that are free and easy to give to those around us. We also made our very own giving tree as a reminder of everything we learned.

Third Grade

We are using the book, "Stick Up for Yourself! Every Kid's Guide to Personal Power and Postive Self Esteem" in these classes. We have created personal heart maps to focus in on what is important to us and over the next couple of weeks will be discussing responsibility and how we are responsible, and in control over our feelings, actions, and words.

Small Groups

As part of the counseling program, I am offering various types of small groups this year. The work done in these groups compliments that of what is done in the classroom. Self-awareness, coping skills, and other developmental elements are learned and contribute to student acheivement in academic areas. Once a student feels secure in themselves and their circumstances, whatever they may be, they have the ability to focus more and give greater effort in all areas of life.

2011 Small Group Schedule

Small Groups have started for the Fall Season... However, if you are interested, please let me know so that I can start preparing for Spring.

Peace Corp

What is Peace Corp? A leadership group for 7th and 8th graders (although this year, 6th graders are invited to sign up too!). They will be empowered to teach, mentor, and and help build the peace at BLRA. What will they do? Peace Corp members will take what they have learned through Peace Builders and become representatives. They will be shown how to go into K-5 classrooms and teach about the program. These students will also play a huge part in transitioning our 5th graders into Middle School. They will be deployed to other areas as well including our upcoming Mix It Up Day and welcoming new students to BLRA. How can they join? Applications are outside my office now. Students are required to fill it out and turn it in. In addition to the application, there is a short interview process.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a school counselor do ? School counselors are responsible for creating a comprehensive counseling program that reaches 100 percent of the student population. By utilizing the American School Counseling Association National Model, school counselors make sure to engage students in individual sessions, group sessions, and in the classrooms. We focus on the academic, the social/personal, and the career elements of school. This is a proactive, and not a reactive program. We help to create an environment that is safe and caring for all students. What kinds of issues do you see students for? I am here to assist with any issues that may be interfering with your child's education. I see students who have friendship problems, academic concerns, dealing with death of a loved one, or any other life change. How can I refer my child for services? You are more than welcome to call me at 719.570.0075 ext. 108, email me, send a note through your child, or complete the contact form online. I would be glad to answer any questions that you might have! How does confidentiality work? Confidentiality is the professionals promise or contract to respect a students privacy by not disclosing anything revealed during counseling except under certain conditions. There are times when a counselor must breach a students confidentiality such as when there is clear and imminent danger to themselves or others. This includes cases where a counselor suspects child abuse or neglect. Will my child be embarrased to see the counselor? No! I strongly believe in being a visible presence in our school. Students see me in the hallways, in the classroom, and even in the morning greeting them. Because of this, students are excited/not nervous about seeing the counselor. What should I do if I suspect my child is being bullied? 1) Focus on your child. Be supportive and gather information on the situation. Never tell your child to ignore the bullying, this can lead to the situation becoming more serious. Don't blame the child for the bullying or did something to provoke the bullying. Listen carefully to what your child tells you about the bullying. Ask them to describe who was involved, and how and where each bullying episode happened. Empathize with your child, tell them that bullying is wrong, not their fault and that you are glad they had the courage to tell you all about it. Ask your child what they think can be done to help. 2) Contact your child's Teacher, Counselor or Administrator. Parents are often reluctant to report bullying to school officials, but bullying may not stop without the help of adults. Do not contact the parents of the student who bullied your child. This is usually a parent's first response but sometimes it makes matters worse. 3) Help your child become more resilient to bullying. Help to develop talents or positive attributes of your child. Suggest and facilitate music, athletics and art activities. Doing so may help your child be more confident among their peers. Encourage your child to make contact with friendly students in his or her class. Your child's teacher may be able to suggest students with whom your child can make friends, spend time, or collaborate on work.
Resources for Parents

Resources

Check them out!

Contact Me

Banning Lewis Ranch Academy

7094 Cottonwood Tree Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80927

719.570.0075 X108

http://www.blracademy.org/

Home

About the Counselor

School-Wide Programs

In the Classroom

Small Groups

Peace Corp

FAQ

Resources for Parents

Contact Me

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