Don Juan Avila Middle School - Guidance/Counseling

Guidance/Counseling

Guidance/Counseling

WELCOME!

Don Juan Avila Middle School (DJAMS) promotes the highest standards and fairness to all students. DJAMS staff members are enthusiastic, caring, competent and ready to meet your child’s educational needs. We know that each child’s future depends on how much and how well he/she learns. We know that when children work as hard as they can, they gain skills and knowledge that will enable them to be successful as students and adults.

Guidance Department Staff

Guidance Department Staff

Ms. Becky Gonzalez	Registrar/Guidance Secretary	reegonzalez@capousd.org
Mr. Justin Morrison	School Counselor (Lay-Z)	jrmorrison@capousd.org
Mrs. Lucy Nelson	Guidance Technician	lknelson@capousd.org
Mrs. Lorena Salter	School Counselor (A-Law)	losalter@capousd.org

The Guidance Secretary/Registrar is the first point of contact for parents and students enrolling in Don Juan Avila Middle School. Transcript requests should also be made to the registrar. Should you have any questions regarding enrollment, transferring to another school, or transcript requests, please contact the school registrar Ms. Becky Gonzalez at 949-362-0348 during office hours or by email at reegonzalez@capousd.org.

Our Guidance Technician, Mrs. Lucy Nelson is also available to assist parents/students at lknelson@capousd.org.

You may also contact one of the school counselors through email - Mrs. Lorena Salter (last names ending A-Law) at losalter@capousd.org or Mr. Justin Morrison (last names ending Lay-Z) at jrmorrison@capousd.org for support or questions - or you may call the school at 949-362-0348 during the hours of 8:00-4:00.

Don Juan Avila Middle School has a School Counselor on site every day.

School Counselors help students reach their educational and career goals by providing students with information and resources to help them succeed in reaching their individual goals. They can assist in this process by helping students create an educational plan, understand their options, determine resources and, when necessary identify alternatives.

School Counselors work with parents, students and teachers to assist students in meeting their individual needs through individual meetings, group presentations, and participating in parent-teacher-student conferences. School Counselors meet with students struggling in academics as well as students seeking academic guidance and planning throughout the school year. Their duties include most aspects involved with academic planning, career guidance, and placement testing as required. Although making an appointment is advised, students are always welcome to stop in to see their counselor during non-class time if they have questions or need assistance.

School Counselors also work with students in the following areas:

Short Term Individual Counseling
Crisis Counseling
Small Group Counseling
Classroom Guidance Lessons
Community Resource Referrals
Conflict Mediation
College & Career Month Activities

Students may be referred by a teacher, staff member, parent, or self-referred. If your counselor is unavailable, students should fill out a student counseling referral form with Mrs. Nelson or another office staff member. If it is an urgent request, possible abuse, neglect, threat to self or others, a School Counselor will be contacted and the student will be seen the same day. The counselors may also be reached by phone 949-362-0348 or if not an emergency via email at losalter@capousd.org or jrmorrison@capousd.org.

See the Counselor's Corner linked on the left for more information.

The school psychologist is responsible for evaluating the needs of students in an educational setting and may perform psychoeducational assessments to determine appropriate programs and instructional processes to enable students to achieve maximum achievement and adjustment. The school psychologist is part of the school's Student Study Team, which assists in understanding and seeking solutions to students' social, emotional, or academic problems and issues.

The School Psychologist provides direct support and interventions to students, consults with teachers, families and other school educators to improve support strategies and collaborates with community providers to coordinate needed services. The mission of the school psychologist is to help students, families, and educators understand and resolve both long-term, chronic problems and short-term issues that students may face that may affect their academic success.

The School Psychologist will seek to:

improve academic achievement by promoting student motivation and engagement, conducting psychological and academic assessments, collecting and interpreting student and classroom data, and reducing inappropriate referrals to special education
promote positive behavior and mental health by improving student communication and social skills, assessing students emotional and behavioral needs, and promoting positive peer relationships and social problem solving
support diverse learners through assessment for diverse learning needs, plan appropriate Individual Education Programs for students with disabilities, and monitor and communicate with parents about student progress
create a safe, positive school climate by supporting social-emotional learning, participate in the implementation of school-wide positive behavioral supports, identify at risk students and school vulnerabilities, and provide crisis prevention and intervention services when necessary
strengthen family-school partnerships by assisting with the navigation of special education processes, connecting families with community service resources, and help engage families with teachers and other school staff

You may reach our School Psychologist, Ms. Marina Gambardella by email at mngambardella@capousd.org.