Vision
Through the collective efforts of Blackhawk Intermediate School staff, families, and the community at large, the students at Blackhawk Intermediate School are educated in a positive, safe, and comfortable learning environment where they have opportunities to enrich their academic, career, and social/emotional development. Each student is supported, valued, and respected for his/her unique learning style to ensure overall success. Supported by the school counseling program, all students at Blackhawk Intermediate School participate in a curriculum that focuses on rigor, relevance and relationships. As students strive to become productive and confident citizens in the community, they are empowered to persevere, exhibit accountability for their actions, display respect, and demonstrate trustworthiness. As goal-oriented learners, our students continue to strengthen their skills necessary for a “college and career-ready” education.
Mission
Through leadership and advocacy, The Blackhawk Intermediate School’s School Counseling Program promotes rigor, relevance, and relationships among students by providing:
- Academic support to maximize student potential
- Career awareness and exploration
- Strategies for healthy decision-making skills
- Social and emotional competencies
Therefore, the collaborative efforts among The Blackhawk Intermediate School’s school counselor, teachers, parents, community members, and administration will ensure that all students have equitable access to opportunities to succeed in a global community.
Get Used to Hearing RIASEC! World of Work is an excellent way to learn about careers and interests. BIS will be starting this exploration this year with 3rd grade, with the rest of the Elementary grades tackling this in earnest next year. Mr. Abel will be also introducing this in Counseling lessons as we gear up for the Vehicle Career Fair in May!
What is World of Work? World of Work is a career initiative started in Cajon Valley San Diego. Duquesne City School District is partnering with three other Pittsburgh districts to provide students in Pennsylvania with real-world, relevant career opportunities. World of Work provides early exposure and self-awareness to career paths starting in our youngest grade levels. This exposure is done by supporting the individualized needs of each student learner and matching their interests with career learning. The four steps of World of Work include: Exploration, Simulation, Meet a Pro, and Practice. In Exploration, students participate in an interest survey called the “RIASEC” survey. Once students receive their individualized results, they learn about new jobs in different industries. They are allowed to explore careers they may not have known before. During Simulation, hands-on experiences take place engaging students in activities they learned about during Exploration. They broaden their knowledge with learning about necessary skills and values for different careers. Meet a Pro allows for connections to be made with students and people who are currently in those professions. Real-life experiences are shared and students see the work they are interested in first-hand. The final stage of Practice provides students with enough knowledge and exposure to take what they learned to practice through play, school projects, homework, socialization, and volunteer work!
This 5-week classroom-based program introduces Kindergarten students to essential social skills for building positive relationships at school. Through interactive lessons, students learn about:
Using “Put-Ups” (manners, greetings, apologies, and compliments)
Listening skills
Coping with anger and frustration
Standing up for themselves as “Courageous Cougars”
The program includes simple homework assignments that reinforce learning at home and set the stage for healthy peer interactions.
This program, introduced in the fall and reinforced in the spring, teaches first and second graders practical ways to resolve conflicts respectfully. Students explore the five key strategies for compromise:
Taking Turns
Sharing
Finding Middle Ground
Doing Something Else
Voting
Lessons include discussion, role-playing, and skill-building activities. The goal is to help students independently apply problem-solving skills in real-life situations with classmates, friends, and family members.
Small-group counseling opportunities are offered throughout the school year to support students with specific social or emotional needs. Past group topics have included:
Group offerings vary based on student needs and may change throughout the year.
Students and/or parents can request for a student to meet with Mr. Abel on a variety of topics or needs. Students have seen Mr. Abel for such situations as being bullied,low self-esteem, behavioral issues in the classroom, anger management, coping skills for anxiety, and other mental health concerns. Please reach out if you need any help for your child so they can focus, cope, and succeed at school!
The Beaver County Behavioral Health (formerly known as The Base Service Unit) has created a list of provider information and addtional resources for families.
Click here to search for AR books!
This site is created by The Highmark Foundation and The Bullying Prevention Institute and provides updates on bullying prevention research and resources.
This site is helpful to find resources and ideas about internet safety and cyberbullying.
This site is for parents and children. It gives great information about Internet Safety.
This is an informative, yet interactive, site for children and their families to learn more about ways to prevent bullying.
This site is intended for both parents and children. Click away to read about information regarding children and their health/wellness.
This site is for parents and provides numerous links on ways to effectively communicate with your children.
This site includes information relevant to school counselors in PA.
This is an interactive site for children and adults about ways to take a stand against bullying!
This site will give you updated information and research related to bullying.