Welcome back to school! I am delighted to be the new 8th grade counselor for the 2009-2010 school year. I hope to create stability and continuity for students who have experienced so many changes during the past year. To limit confusion, I would like to make you aware in advance that my name will become Mrs. Gonzalez in October. Essentially, my goal for this year is to facilitate student success. I will prepare students for the high school transition by acting as a resource to combat obstacles and reduce the impact of stressors that can inhibit success. I will aid in academic achievement as well as in fielding developmental milestones. Cultivating cues that define students’ identities and developing an awareness of how these identities fit into society will help them begin to recognize directions for the future and reveal personal assets that bolster individual accomplishments. Furthermore, I will assist students in developing a sense of community and kinship by fostering their individual strengths. Learning about oneself can help to increase appreciation of and tolerance for differences by illuminating the concept of how everyone fits within the greater context. I hope to be a first stop for students experiencing difficulties with any aspect of life, be it psychological, sociological, biological, familial, or environmental. Students, please come to my office whenever you need help with anything! Both my e-mail and my extension are available on the Guidance Department page. I look forward to meeting all of you and helping you have the best year possible!