Welcome to the counseling website for Adams Elementary School!  My name is Callie Sopiwnik and  I am the school counselor at Adams.  Most students call me Sra. Callie, which is great by me.   I went to Macalester College for undergrad, then graduated from the counseling program at the University of Minnesota in 2010.  This is my third year at Adams, and I have a lot of great stuff planned for the students!

Vision and Mission Statements

Vision

The Adams Elementary School Counseling vision is dedicated to educating the whole child and fostering a welcoming and respectful culture where all students are challenged and supported to be successful and where learners are given the opportunity to explore future aspirations.  In partnership with educators, families and the greater community, all students are encouraged to become bilingual learners and cooperative, caring citizens in order to promote self-worth, cultural understanding and future career opportunities.

Mission

To support and encourage the education of the students of Adams Elementary as well as the mission of the school through the delivery of a comprehensive school counseling program. The school counseling program will seek to create an equitable learning environment and ensure access for all students to be successful learners, placing  a strong emphasis on eliminating the racial achievement gap. 

What does a school counselor do?
Great question!  School counselors wear many hats, but the three areas my work primarily falls into are:

• Personal/Social
• Academic
• Career/College

Here are a few examples of some things I do in each category:

Personal/Social

Counseling is all about building a positive relationship between the student and the school counselor.  I build these trusting relationships with students individually and in small groups.  I talk with students about many different personal/social topics: friends, bullying, social skills, etc.  If a student is having difficulty in any of these areas, I will often meet with him or her to work on those skills.  Sometimes it is more helpful to work with a group of students and they can all practice building the same skills together.

Another way that I am able to work with students is through classroom lessons.  I try to get in to work with most classes several times per year.  I give lessons on anything from friendship to stranger danger to feelings.  This is a great way for me to work with ALL students.

Academic

On occasion I will work with a student who needs help with reading or writing.  This is most often a good time for me to build a relationship with a student while helping them with their academics.

Career/College

Yes- it starts this early!!  I work primarily with 4th and 5th graders to explore interests and think about future career and college options.  I work with the Get Ready curriculum, a fantastic resource provided by the State.  Through this program, all 4th and 5th grade students are able to take a field trip to a college or university during the school year.