Counselor's Corner

Welcome to 2023! We are so excited to welcome your children to another semester at BOMLA.

Now is the time for a fresh start. Let's take this opportunity to set goals and stay ahead of the responsibilities coming our way. Continue to have conversations with your children about their grades, attendance, and behavior this semester. Everyone starts on a clean slate so be sure to check in early and stay up to date with their progress. We encourage our brothers to use this momentum to continuously meet our high expectations.

In this Newsletter you will find information on schedule changes, transcript reviews, summer job opportunities, and much more.

I wish you and your families a safe and successful January!

- Mr. Mason Dover

Schedule change request will be accepted starting January 9th and ending on January 18th. There will be no changes granted after January 18th. It is important that brothers and guardians have discussed any potential changes before submitting a request. Brothers will receive an email confirming the change or denying the request. I will not accept request via email or walk-in. The Schedule Change Request form must be completed for consideration.

It is recommended that brothers remain in their current courses as it can be difficult to master the second semester of a course without the knowledge and skills from the first semester. Brothers should have a valid reason for requesting the change. Brothers experiencing errors to the schedule impacting graduation requirements, joining an athletic program at their home school, or needing adjustments to meet UIL requirements should submit a schedule change request. Schedule change request to switch teachers, class periods, or general electives will be denied. Request will be granted based on availability in the desired class and the impact on the individual schedule.

Each month I will provide a professional development meeting designed for parents. We will discuss topics on mental health, academic success, and college/career readiness. The goal of these lessons is to educate and inform parents so they can continue to be advocates for their students success.

This months PD for Parent's will be focused on understanding your childs academic transcript. How can you best support your child when they have failed a course. The PD for Parent's segment will take place during Coffee with the Principal.

At BOMLA we encourage parent support and input. Throughout this year, please utilize the Counselor Request Form/Parent to arrange a time to meet with me. I will do my best to connect with you within 24-48 hours of your request. However, keep in mind that there is a high volume of needs at the start and end of each semester. It may take me more time to connect and arrange a meeting.

I am excited to announce that the Counseling Services Team was able to secure Holiday support for 14% of our campus population. This is an increase of 12% compared to the 2021-2022 School Year.

The support was made possible through partnerships with Alpha Business Images LLC, Builders Bourbon Society, and Tzu Chi. Friends of BOMLA played a major role in securing these partnerships.

It is our goal to ensure that our brothers and families are supported in all aspects of life. Please feel welcome to reach out should you need support.

On November 28th, all eighth-grade brothers were given a lesson on high school graduation requirements, endorsements, and school choices. Students were given one hard copy of the Endorsement Four Year Plan document. Eighth graders will review this document with their parent, select one endorsement, and return the signed document to the front office.

I have received a total of 59 endorsement selection sheets. Brothers that fail to submit their endorsement selection by January 20th, 2023 will be auto-enrolled into the multidisciplinary endorsement.

Please review the information below.

We conducted four small groups for the Fall 2022 semester. These services provided meaningful support to 19 BOMLA brothers.

The counseling services team is aiming to conduct four more small groups in the Spring 2023 semester. Please complete the Small Group Request form to identify small groups your child would benefit from.

This school year Class with the Counselor will be held once a week in the library during A, B, and C lunch. This seminar style session will provide brothers information on a variety of topics that aren't widely covered in classroom guidance, but are still highly important to our brothers success. Class with the Counselor is optional for all students. Topics for the month of January are "Setting Goals", "Wellness", and "Credit Recovery".

Each month, our amazing science team agrees to host the counselor for classroom guidance. Brothers are provided a 45 minute guidance lesson on various topics. This months topic is an College & Career Readiness.

Upon completion of the lesson brothers will master the following!

• Describe their goals for life after high school

• Accurately list basic facts about postsecondary education
• Describe several reasons why postsecondary education is need to achieve their goals
• Students will identify the major college entrance exams

The health and wellness of our brothers and families are of high importance to the counseling services team at BOMLA. We know that if our brothers basic needs are not met, they will struggle to meet our high expectations. Please click the images below for more information.

Lead School Counselor

Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy

Dallas ISD

Email: mdover@dallasisd.org
Website: https://www.dallasisd.org/domain/16152
Location: 3030 Stag Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-749-2115