Martin Kellogg Middle School

The role of the school counselor is to provide students with the tools necessary to help with the student's personal/social, career and academic success. Here at MKMS, our counseling department encourages every student to reach his or her highest potential.

Every student, every day.

• Individual Planning

• Individual/Group Counseling

• Developmental Guidance Classes

• Collaboration with students, staff, and families

• Responsive Services

With Whom Do School Counselors Work?

• Students: Counselors work directly with students to help them plan for the future, to learn strategies for school success, and to develop decision-making skills.

• Teachers: Counselors work with teachers to discuss student progress and placement. They also make suggestions to teachers to help students succeed.

• School Administrators: Counselors meet with administrators to advocate for student needs.

• Parents: Counselors work with parents to help them communicate with teachers, students, and outside resources.

• Outside Resources: Counselors work with outside resources such as Youth & Family Services, private counselors, private/magnet schools and technical schools.

The school psychologist provides direct support and interventions to students, consults with teachers, families, and other mental health professionals (i.e., school counselors, school social workers) to improve support strategies, works with school administrators to improve school-wide practices and policies, and collaborates with community providers to coordinate needed services.  (Source: National Association of School Psychologists)

The role of the school social worker is to provide services related to a person’s social, emotional and life adjustment to school and/or the larger community. School social workers are the link between home, school and community providing both direct and indirect services to students, families and school personnel to promote students’ academic and social success.

Academic Resources

• PowerSchool - Login to view current grades. If you need your login information, please see your school counselor or Mrs. Sadlosky, School Counseling Secretary.

• The Secret to Doing Your Homework Fast - Tips on how to make the homework process easier.

• Back to School, Study and Organization Tips

• Time Management PBSkids

Learning Styles

• Learning Styles and Strategies

College and Career Resources

• Naviance - Login to explore careers and view your Student Success Plan. Your username is your first initial and last name (mkellogg) and your password is first initial, last initial, and student ID (mk12345). If you have trouble logging in, please see your school counselor.

• Naviance Student - Navigate to Naviance Student using your device’s internet browser. Martin Kellogg’s Naviance Student platform can be accessed using the following address: student.naviance.com/mkms

• UCanGo2 - Middle School workbook

• Kids - Career exploration website

• KnowHow2Go - College and Career Readiness website

• Eight Components of College and Career Readiness Counseling

• BIG FUTURE - Parent Action Plan by the College Board

• Planning for College and Careers

• KnowHow2Go - Resources for Middle School Students

• Student Success Plans - Individualized plans that are student driven and support student growth in the areas of academic development, college/career development and social/emotional/physical development.

Personal Resources

• Kids Health

• Teens Health

How to Help Your Child at Home

• Resources for Parents of a Middle School Student

• Additional Parent Resources from Newington Public Schools Website

• Helping Your Child Series - Booklets/information packets on various topics on how to help your child from U.S. Department of Education.

• A Good Morning Schedule for a Teenager in School

• New Student Orientation Packet

• Tips on Building Resilience

• Teacher's Tips: How Parents Can Help

• Top Summer Learning Activities for Middle Schoolers

• Activities for Anxious Kid

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Academic Support

• PowerSchool - Contact your child's school counselor or Mrs. Sadlosky, the counseling secretary for login information.

• Keep Your Middle Schooler Organized

• Study Skills for Middle School - This article provides ideas for helping your children get organized, questions you can ask in place of, "Did you do your homework?", and other helpful tips and strategies.

• Promoting Academic Success at Home - Back to school: 10 ways parents can promote academic success

• Quizlet - learning tool for students

• Khan Academy

Learning Styles

Knowing your learning style and being able to use it to your advantage is a great tool for any student. For example, understanding how you learn best can help you study more effectively or help you develop your own methods for staying focused in class. You can use this information to develop your own best practices for learning both in and out of class.

Encourage your child to try out some of the strategies from the Learning Styles Worksheet or by visiting the following websites:

• Education Planner - Self-Assessments

• Tips on helping support your child’s learning at home: Learning styles

Each spring, Martin Kellogg Middle School collaborates with the elementary schools on the 4th to 5th transition program to help students successfully transition from the elementary school to the middle school. The administration, grade level teachers, and support staff are very involved in the process of ensuring students and families feel excited about the transition and alleviate any anxieties that they may have.

The transition program activities include the following

• Mr. Lambert, MKMS School Principal, visits Grade 4 students at their elementary school.
• Grade 4 students go to MKMS Orientation.
• Grade 4 parent night at MKMS.
• The 4th and 5th grade teachers meet in June to discuss class lists.
• 5th grade teachers send Welcome Letters to 5th grade students over the summer introducing themselves and providing the supply list.
• In August, MKMS Student Council offers student tours (please look on MKMS website over the summer for the dates).
• During the first few weeks of school, the school counselors visit classrooms and have students play School Resources Jeopardy. For frequently asked questions, please view the Frequently Asked Questions Handout.