GUIDANCE COUNSELORS - MRS. HEATHER HOWARD & MS. KITICHA SAPP
Welcome to the Guidance Office! Our mission as your child's counselors is to assist you and his/her teachers in facilitating Howard's mission statement and goals for each and every student.
We would like to invite you to come in and get to know us and the services we offer and those offered from this office. You may come by school or call during "teacher hours" and make an appointment with us. You don't need to wait until you have a problem or special reason! We hope that, together, we can lay a good foundation for future success and achievement by making your child's years at Howard Middle a happy and rewarding learning experience.
Mrs. April Reid or Mrs. Catherine Sobeck-Guarin are our Guidance clerks who will greet you, set your appointments and assist you with enrollment documents.
TBA is our Information Processing clerk and assists the Guidance department as well as processing student information.
Ms. Kiticha Sapp is our guidance counselor who is assigned to all students with the last name beginning with the letters L through Z.
Mrs. Heather Howard is our guidance counselor who is assigned to all students with the last name beginning with the letters A through K.
Counselor's Goals
- Help children understand themselves and others
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Help to identify children with special needs
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Provide crisis intervention
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Develop plans to prevent academic/behavioral problems from developing
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Provide Career Awareness programs
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Coordinate the efforts of other professionals working for children
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Provide orientation for children coming to Howard for the first time
- Promote positive attitudes toward persons of diverse cultural, racial, ability, and socioeconomic backgrounds
GENERAL INFORMATION
Registration: All new students must register in the Guidance Office. Our personnel are familiar with all the requirements and can help you with questions. Click here for instructions and forms on how to enroll or withdraw your child.
Attendance: Taking attendance is the responsibility of the classroom teacher. If a child is not in his/her classroom by 9:35 am, he/she must check in at the Front Office before reporting to class. Also, if children are chronically absent, tardy, or picked up early, notices may be sent from the Guidance Office in accordance with Marion County School System policies and FL statutes. If your child is absent, upon your child's return to school, send a hand-written note as to the reason for the absence. If your child was seen by a doctor, please send the doctor's note. Students learn at home, in school, and in the community; however, if your child is going to be out for an extended period, parents/guardians must complete an Advance Absence Form to apply for an "excused absence" prior to the missed day(s). For more details concerning attendance, please refer to the Code of Student Conduct, Section IV - Attendance.
Signing Out Early: Please visit the Attendance Office to sign a student out of school. You must present your identification and be on the student's authorization list. No one under the age of 18 may check a student out of school. There will be no check-outs after 3:10 pm.
Official Records: Your child's cumulative records are housed in the Guidance Office. If you need to review anything in the folder please call ahead and make an appointment for someone to go over the contents with you. If you need a copy of any document in your child's folder we can provide it for you with a charge of 15 cents per copy. Again, please call ahead and we will try and have it ready for you or will send it home via your child. If you are transferring out of Howard we will make sure all necessary documents are forwarded to your child's new school.
*If you are a non-custodial parent who wishes to have copies of report cards, interim reports, and other routine school information, please see your child's teacher. You will be required to provide self-addressed, stamped envelopes for this request.
HELPFUL WAYS TO ENCOURAGE STUDENT PROGRESS
What does my future look like? Please check out the following information at:
MyFuture.com
How can I improve my student habits? Check back for updated information!