The elementary school counselors are available to address the social, emotional and academic needs of all students in grades K-6. The counselors work closely with the administration, staff and parents to help our students feel confident, responsible and productive. They counsel, consult and collaborate with families to provide strategies to improve academic and/or behavioral achievement.

Services Offered

The Warrensburg Elementary Counseling Services provide the following support methods for students:

• Academic Counseling for At-Risk Students: Students will evaluate their academic progress and develop a plan for improvement
• Crisis Counseling: A short-term intervention that helps people deal with the immediate effects of a crisis
• CSE Annual Reviews: Review, discuss, analyze and evaluate a student's progress toward annual goals in order to address their unique needs related to their disability
• Group Counseling: Supports student success academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally in a group setting upon request from parents or teachers
• Individual Counseling Support: Offers one-on-one support to improve student success academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally upon request from parents or teachers
• Mediation/Conflict Resolution: Students can discuss their situation in a safe, controlled, and supervised environment, with the goal of attending school peacefully and minimizing interference with their schoolwork or daily activities
• PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports): Implement the WES PRIDE Standards and distribute Pride Tickets when behavior is on target. Students can use tickets for prizes
• Referrals to Community Resources: Counselors collaborate with the social worker to connect families with community resources, ensuring support between home, school, and the community
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Implement the SEL program Second Step in each classroom weekly
• Summer Academy Recommendation: Recommend students for summer programming

The counseling services in the district also cover scheduling. Staff from the counseling team help to organize new student orientations, parent nights, parent/teacher conferences, open houses, 7^th grade orientation, and the monthly pride assemblies. The counseling team also assists new/transferring students as they adjust to their new district.

Second Step
The elementary counseling staff goes into the classrooms throughout the school year to bring students social and emotional learning through the Second Step program. This program provides an extra dimension to education, focusing on improving cooperation, communication, and decision making.

Meet the Counselors

Ms. Fisher joined the district in the fall of 1998, originally serving as the school social worker for grades K-12. Now, as the school social worker for the elementary school, she provides individual and group counseling, visits 1st-3rd grade classrooms to teach Positivity Project lessons, and helps students and families connect with various supports and resources. Therapy dog work is her passion. Once a week, her dog Teddy, a 3½-year-old Labradoodle, joins her at school. Teddy loves interacting with students and staff alike. Miss Fisher enjoys being part of the close-knit community at WCS and supporting all students and their families.

Mrs. Morris joined the Warrensburg Elementary staff in 2021. As the K-6 school counselor, she helps students learn to manage their emotions and teaches coping skills. Mrs. Morris visits grades 4-6 to provide lessons on the Positivity Project, bullying, restorative circles, and career exploration for 6th graders. She also works with students individually and in small groups on a wide variety of topics.

Mr. McKernon joined the counseling team at the elementary school in 2022. Mr. McKernon serves as the school psychologist and 504 chairperson for the elementary school. He is also a member of the PRIDE and MTSSi committees. Throughout the day, he completes evaluations and data analysis to make informed decisions for students' educational programming. He also joins classes to share the lessons from the Positivity Project. Mr. Mckarnon received his advanced graduate degree from Castleton University.

Uncertain Housing
Is your housing uncertain? Click here to learn how the Warrensburg Central School District can help.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports–Integrated (MTSS-I)

NYSED’s MTSS-I Framework has been designed to take a holistic approach to identifying and addressing students’ unique needs, using a lens that is responsive to every student’s social identity, culture, and language. The framework adopts fairness and equity as core principles that help to drive access to opportunity, and to ensure an unwavering focus on supporting the academic, behavioral, and social emotional growth of every student across the State.

Click here to read the Warrensburg Elementary School’s MTSS-I plan.

You Miss School, You Miss Out: Attendance Policy

Absences add up! Missing just two days a month means a student is missing 10% of the school year. Our teachers are dedicated to helping students succeed, and reducing unnecessary absences is key to reaching their full potential. Please review our attendance policy here and help your student avoid unnecessary absences, consider planning transportation in advance, scheduling appointments and vacations outside of school hours, and establishing a consistent sleep routine