Hello Wolves! Welcome to the fourth edition of the School Counseling Newsletter for the 2021-22 school year. Report cards for the first semester were posted on ParentVUE a couple of weeks ago. We have a few weeks more to Spring Break, and then the last stretch of the school year will be upon us! The time keeps flying!

This new semester brought up a few changes and additions to our team. We are happy to announce that LMA recently hired a new School Counselor and a Dean of Students, please keep reading to learn more about them and their roles.

In this issue you will find:

• Welcoming our new School Counselor and Dean of Students!
• LMA School Counseling Program Overview (Semester 1)
• MYP 8th Grade Promotion Policy
• Community Resources & Events
  
• Save the Date(s)!
• Contact Information

Hello LMA Family! My name is Miriam Jaimes, I am so excited to be joining the counseling team at La Mirada Academy. As a school counselor my goal is to collaborate with staff, families and community to best support the social emotional, college/career and academic needs of all students. I believe a student centered approach gives students the ability to reach their educational goals. I began my career in education as a Restorative Practice Coordinator which then sparked my passion for school counseling!

A bit about me… I was born in San Diego and raised in Escondido. I am a first generation college graduate, I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Masters in counseling. I am bilingual in Spanish and English. I'm recently married and have a two year old puppy, Nala! I enjoy spending time with loved ones, trying new foods, exploring new places and spending time at the beach. I look forward to getting to know all of our Wolves and their families. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need any type of support for you and your family!

I am very excited to be a part of the LMA team as Dean of Students and I am looking forward to getting to know all the students, staff, and families in our community. As Dean I will be supporting staff and students with both academic and behavioral programs and doing my best to add to the positive culture here.

I am a San Marcos native and resident, having attended Woodland Park Elementary, San Marcos Junior High, and San Marcos High School. I earned a BA in political science at UCLA and I have a MA in Teacher Leadership from Grand Canyon University. I am married and I have two daughters (ages 21 and 22) who both graduated from Mission Hills High School. Serving my hometown San Marcos community is very important to me. I have 27 years of experience in education at the high school and middle school levels. When I am not at work I can be found at the beach, on the hiking trails, or doing anything outdoors and in nature. I also have a passion for traveling having visited 20 different countries.

During the months of February and March we celebrate the School Counseling and School Social Work professions. One of the things that our Counseling Team does as part of this celebration is creating an overview of our services and facilitate presentations to staff and families about the work we have done and plan on doing at our school. We also have fun recess/lunch activities with our students to remind them that their Counseling Team is here to support them when they need a bit more help in their academic, social-emotional and career development, and to celebrate their successes!

To access the presentation please click on the following link:

LMA 2021-2022 School Counseling Profile

Attention Families with 8th Grade Students!

SMUSD has an 8th grade promotion policy that you need to be aware of. This policy basically states that if your student is failing 2 or more classes on their last report card or has a suspension during the last quarter of the school year, they will not be able to participate in any promotion celebrations which include the promotion ceremony and any party or activities planned for 8th graders. In addition, 8th grade students with 2 or more failing classes during their first semester report card* will attend an academic review meeting and placed in an academic contract. To read the full policy please click on the following link:

SMUSD 8th Grade Promotion Criteria

Please have a conversation with your 8th graders about this policy, and monitor your student progress through ParentVUE and Google Classroom. Never hesitate in contacting your student's teachers and/or school counselor for additional support.

*The policy states first progress report of semester 2, however LMA uses the data from the final report card of semester 1 due to the different grading system and timeline

Please click on the following links for a comprehensive list of resources:

• Student Wellness
• Mental Health and Counseling Resources
• Emergency Psych Evaluation Centers
• Community Resources (Housing, Food, Etc.)
• Technology Resources and Support
• North San Diego County Food Resources

School Counselor (Last Names A-L)

Email: marthaanahi.amador@smusd.org
Website: https://lamiradaacademy.smusd.org/
Location: Room A-128
Phone: (760) 290-2006

School Counselor (Last Names M-Z)

Email: miriam.jaimes@smusd.org
Website: https://lamiradaacademy.smusd.org/our_school/school_counseling_department/school_counseling_staff/miriam_jaimes__school_counselor
Location: Room A-126
Phone: 760-290-2016

School Social Worker

Email: gloria.ortiz@smusd.org
Website: https://lamiradaacademy.smusd.org/
Location: Room A-127
Phone: (760) 290-2444