[0:00] Hi everyone.

[0:01] I'm Frank Tiano, the superintendent of schools.

[0:03] Thank you for joining us here for the second episode

[0:06] of Lions Pride, the show that provides you

[0:09] with a closer look into the Ludlow Public schools.

[0:12] As you may recall, the focus

[0:14] of Lions Pride will be on our students and staff

[0:17] and brought to you in two separate segments.

[0:20] In between each segment will be a video highlight of those

[0:23] or other LPS students and staff.

[0:27] But before we begin, I'd like to thank Mike Hill

[0:30] and Amy Ollari of Ludlow Cable Television

[0:32] for their work on producing the program during the taping

[0:35] and for it's post-production efforts.

[0:39] I think our first show came out really well

[0:41] and I'd like also like to thank our music department

[0:44] for providing us with a recording of the LHS fight song

[0:48] Roar Lion performed by the LHS band that you will hear

[0:52] during the opening credits.

[0:55] We have a great show today as we are talking

[0:57] with our school adjustment counselors

[0:59] and learning about their role in impacting our students'

[1:02] academic growth by supporting their social,

[1:04] emotional, and behavioral learning.

[1:07] In our first segment, we will see what

[1:10] that support looks like at the secondary level

[1:12] through a conversation with Amy Smith

[1:14] and Nathan Zucco,

[1:15] both school adjustment counselors at the Baird Middle School

[1:18] and LHS respectively.

[1:21] Later in the show we will have school adjustment counselors,

[1:24] Maura Ricardi from East Street School

[1:26] and Ashley Antoine from Harris Brook,

[1:29] and we'll learn how they support students

[1:31] and families at the elementary level.

[1:34] Thank you again for being with us. We'll be right back.

[1:53] Hi everyone, we are back.

[1:55] And with us we have Amy Smith and Nate Zucco.

[1:58] Thank you both for being on the show. Thank you.

[2:00] We'll start with introductions.

[2:02] Amy, you've been with us for the last 12 years

[2:04] as a school adjustment counselor at the Vets school,

[2:07] Harris Brook, and now the pride of Baird Middle School.

[2:11] That's right. And prior to

[2:12] that you were in the Springfield Public School Systems, also

[2:16] as a school adjustment counselor

[2:18] and you've also held roles as a mental health clinician.

[2:22] Contracted out to Springfield Public Schools, I believe.

[2:25] And just like your friend sitting next to you

[2:28] two degrees from Springfield College.

[2:30] Yeah, that's right Nate, go pride. Go pride.

[2:33] Alright, and with us over here is Nate Zucco.

[2:36] He's our school adjustment counselor

[2:38] here at Ludlow High School.

[2:40] Nate is a proud 2016 Ludlow High graduate.

[2:43] Yes, two degrees, a bachelor's

[2:46] and a master's degree from Springfield College.

[2:49] And as well as doing your internship here,

[2:53] while you are earning those degrees as well,

[2:56] you're both doing great things

[2:57] and we're glad that you're here.

[2:59] Thank you. So again,

[3:00] we're talking school adjustment counselors

[3:02] and it, as most of us of a certain age,

[3:06] remember our experience with school counselors,

[3:08] we called them guidance counselors at the time,

[3:11] and I, I saw my counselor and junior high

[3:15] and high school related to my scheduling

[3:18] and related to my life out

[3:20] after high school, whether that be college work

[3:23] and so forth, looking for references and things like that.

[3:27] I don't know the exact timeline,

[3:29] but over the years there's been increasing need

[3:32] for school adjustment counselors in the services

[3:35] that you provide with your additional set

[3:37] of skills and training.

[3:39] So just from the top, what is the difference

[3:42] between a school adjustment counselor

[3:44] and a guidance counselor or a school counselor?

[3:47] Our focus more is the mental health,

[3:49] the social emotional needs of the students while also

[3:51] working on the academic component.

[3:54] Yeah, absolutely. It involves, you know, con consulting

[3:57] with a bunch of different, you know, team members

[3:58] of the team, whether it's home, family, counselors, outside,

[4:02] you know, clinicians as well

[4:03] to best support the student here in the school in that with

[4:06] through our counseling interventions.

[4:08] So it seems like you work with the entire staff.

[4:11] Absolutely, yes. Yeah,

[4:12] Absolutely.

[4:13] And do you work with the entire student body or, or,

[4:17] or selected students?

[4:18] So our primary focus are our IEP

[4:20] and I, our 5 0 4 counseling and social skills children.

[4:23] But we also support general edu education students.

[4:26] We meet with all teachers, we support everyone,

[4:27] but our main focus is the mental health

[4:29] of our IEP and 5 0 4 students.

[4:32] And, and for a student who's on a 5 0 4

[4:34] or has special needs in their service grid

[4:38] means specifically they would see Mr.

[4:40] Zucco at a certain time. Right.

[4:42] You know, once, one time, 30 per week or,

[4:44] or something along those lines.

[4:45] Yeah, we do. I do weekly, biweekly.

[4:48] Some students I have for like monthly social skills,

[4:50] but yeah, it's really based on the need

[4:52] and whatever goal we're working on.

[4:54] So each, each student on a IEP plan,

[4:56] there is a specific goal focus with some benchmarks as well

[5:00] to help us reach that goal in the IEP period.

[5:02] But then similarly to 504s as well as, you know,

[5:06] 504s is an, is an identified, you know, concern as

[5:09] to why we are attached to that student.

[5:11] And then any, you know, students in the general,

[5:13] in the general ed program too, you know, they always,

[5:15] things come up and they, they need access to someone

[5:18] as well, so we're there for them as well.

[5:19] That's right. And not to be confused

[5:21] with an outside therapist.

[5:23] Absolutely, yeah. Or an outside social worker.

[5:25] Your main focus is,

[5:28] and what we do here in school is the students to learn

[5:31] and grow a academically

[5:33] and you provide support for them so

[5:35] that they can access the curriculum.

[5:37] Absolutely. It's very school focused.

[5:38] We wanna make sure that they're able

[5:39] to access the curriculum

[5:41] and the social emotional components of school.

[5:43] If it's bigger than that, then we absolutely make

[5:45] referrals into the community.

[5:47] Okay. And and by referrals into the community.

[5:50] So do you folks work with not only people here in school,

[5:54] but do you work with outside agencies as well?

[5:57] Absolutely. We have a wonderful district case manager here

[5:59] that we refer some of our families to.

[6:02] And then we have great connections within the community

[6:04] through DPH and everything that we

[6:06] get those services in place for them.

[6:08] And, and and that's Cara. That's Cara.

[6:10] Yeah, Absolutely.

[6:12] A lot of times we, once we, you know, have them outside,

[6:15] you know, with outside sources collaborate immensely with

[6:19] outside therapists, you know, doctors, things like that

[6:21] for recommendations that they might have

[6:23] for the student here at school that we could implement

[6:26] and you know, and some of them are just access

[6:28] to the counseling office as needed,

[6:29] but some of them are a little bit more structured too based

[6:31] on what, you know, that that provider is identified

[6:34] as their, as their need.

[6:37] So it's definitely a case management Yeah.

[6:38] Case management component here.

[6:40] Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.

[6:42] And, and, and we know, you know, for children no matter

[6:46] what their age, that when the adults in their lives are on

[6:48] the same page and working on the same skills,

[6:53] you know, that's vitally important.

[6:55] And you mentioned outside agencies as well

[6:59] as talk about your work with parents and,

[7:01] and how you provide support

[7:03] for families to support their child.

[7:06] Yeah, so a lot of students, a lot

[7:08] of times I'm on the phones with the families

[7:09] and we're working on, you know, this has worked really well

[7:11] with the student, can this follow

[7:12] through on, on the way home?

[7:14] You know, and sometimes it's just double checking that,

[7:16] that this is getting done

[7:17] or hey, did you do your, your, your mental check of the day

[7:21] and just making sure that those are

[7:22] also followed through on at home.

[7:25] A lot of it is just really having, having the patience

[7:27] to learn new things and the,

[7:29] and the really the, the just caring for your child, which,

[7:33] you know, we know all of our parents do.

[7:34] So it's really just being there

[7:36] and being open to a lot of this newness that's come up

[7:38] because like we said before, you know,

[7:39] the school counseling role has kind of changed over time

[7:42] and everything and we've identified more needs,

[7:44] but then it's just being open to what are those needs

[7:46] and how can we support them

[7:48] and that's, you know, a very team approach.

[7:50] You know, me collaborating with the, the families as well

[7:52] as the outside and all of us just working together.

[7:55] Right. There's definitely a lot of collaboration.

[7:56] Like the students trust us, they confide in us

[7:59] and just being able to be that connection between home about

[8:01] how to help them with their, the academics,

[8:03] whether it's organization piece

[8:05] or if they're struggling socially mental health wise

[8:08] and just being able to kind of carry

[8:09] that information over to the families.

[8:11] Yeah, that's important too.

[8:13] And you know, especially for children to be able

[8:16] to internalize some of those, you know,

[8:18] compensatory strategies as well.

[8:20] And, and that's, you'll see that gradual release as

[8:23] as they move through our system.

[8:26] And so oftentimes we work

[8:30] with students or we, you folks work with students

[8:34] in your role that children are referred

[8:37] to us or they're struggling.

[8:40] Can you tell us a little bit about what you do

[8:41] or maybe what the schools do proactively

[8:43] to help build those skills so that, you know,

[8:47] the entire student body is accessing those skills as well?

[8:51] Absolutely. So at the middle school I do

[8:53] teach an SEL class.

[8:54] I have a sixth grade group and I have a seventh

[8:56] and an eighth grade group together.

[8:58] And I meet with them week, weekly every single day.

[9:00] So we talk about just check-ins, having

[9:02] that trusted adult organizational skills.

[9:04] So just being a face and just being there

[9:07] for the children, just making sure that you're present.

[9:10] That's great. I think similarly at the high school is,

[9:13] is kind of is making those connections between buildings.

[9:15] You know, as the students, a lot of my, my freshmen,

[9:18] you know, were transitioning from eighth grade middle

[9:20] school, you know, over to the high school.

[9:21] So it's making sure that similar supports are in place

[9:23] or bef you know, at the start of the school year,

[9:26] touching base with them and saying, Hey,

[9:27] I know this was something that worked for you

[9:28] or this is something that you access in the past here,

[9:30] let's, let's try this as well.

[9:32] Or here's where you go in in case of you know,

[9:35] you need anything really.

[9:38] And then as well as just keeping up

[9:39] with those weekly check-ins, some students biweekly

[9:42] and really just whatever their need might be

[9:44] and whatever their area of improvement might be.

[9:46] Sure. Just identifying, okay, what's the consistency

[9:49] that we need to, to meet on,

[9:51] what do we wanna work on together when we are meeting so

[9:54] that it is a productive use of, you know, your time

[9:56] and all of our time

[9:57] and making sure that, you know, we have that growth mindset,

[10:00] you are able to achieve that.

[10:01] So a lot of times it's just identifying where are some areas

[10:03] of concern and then focusing on those to make sure

[10:06] that they're being, you know,

[10:07] addressed throughout the school year

[10:09] In, in developing that level of confidence.

[10:11] Absolutely. And confidence building is one of the biggest,

[10:13] one of the biggest pieces with

[10:15] It.

[10:16] And with anyone, somebody wants to have a connection,

[10:17] they wanna feel connected to an adult in the building,

[10:19] someone in their family.

[10:21] So just making sure we're making

[10:22] those positive connections all around.

[10:24] Oh, that's great. And and you'd mentioned too, just the

[10:28] communication between buildings, right?

[10:29] You know, in the second segment you we'll have Ashley

[10:32] and Maura with us and we have such a strong SAC group,

[10:37] you know, really enjoy working with you folks

[10:40] and just to keep that communication for families,

[10:45] consistency for students.

[10:46] I just wanted to shout that out.

[10:47] You guys are doing a great job with that. Thank, thank you.

[10:49] I really appreciate it. While we still have about a minute

[10:53] or two left, I know that I,

[10:56] I get asked this a lot in terms of what, what skills.

[11:01] We know that there's a youth mental health crisis out there

[11:04] and we know kids are struggling more than they ever

[11:07] have or in recent years.

[11:09] I, I should say if I'm a young parent, what,

[11:14] what skills do I want to develop or,

[11:17] or should I emphasize with my child?

[11:19] Just curious.

[11:21] I think a lot of patience,

[11:23] but also remembering that whether they're in middle school

[11:25] or high school, they're still children

[11:26] and they do need that, those eyes on them,

[11:29] whether it's on social media

[11:30] or in the community, that they still are looking for

[11:32] that guidance on how to make those positive choices

[11:34] and just to be present and aware. Yeah,

[11:37] Absolutely.

[11:38] I would say communication is one of the,

[11:39] the most beneficial things

[11:40] and just having that open line of communication.

[11:42] So if a student is online or something

[11:44] and something comes up of concern, knowing that I can bring

[11:47] that to, to, to my parent

[11:48] and not get, you know, in trouble necessarily

[11:50] for just coming across it

[11:52] but having that productive conversation with it.

[11:54] And again, with that, having that growth mindset,

[11:56] alright, what, what can we work on?

[11:58] How can we get to where we wanna be

[12:01] And students are, or children are going to make mistakes.

[12:04] Absolutely. Absolutely. And to have that communication so

[12:07] that they can help process and help learn.

[12:09] Good, great advice. Thank you so much for being here.

[12:13] See, thanks for having us. Thank you.

[12:14] Yeah, I told you it would go quickly, right? No.

[12:17] And so when we come back we will have Maura Ricardi

[12:22] and Ashley Antoine to talk about

[12:26] what a school adjustment counselor does

[12:27] at the elementary level.

[12:29] Stick around, we'll be right back. So

[12:31] At least three things that you have in common with

[12:36] that person that you don't talk to a lot.

[12:39] What is SEL?

[12:40] It's social emotional learning

[12:43] and I genuinely enjoy

[12:46] teaching it at Harris Brook Elementary.

[12:48] We really use it as a time to get to know each other

[12:52] for students to get to know one another, even

[12:55] with the students that who aren't necessarily comfortable

[12:59] with each other or have a hard time going out

[13:01] of their comfort zone to connect

[13:03] with students within the class that they

[13:04] typically wouldn't connect with.

[13:06] I really take it as an opportunity to be inclusive

[13:10] of everybody in welcoming and open.

[13:13] And so we all build a really positive environment

[13:17] within those SEL lessons.

[13:19] We open each lesson with a mindful minute

[13:22] and students have a chance to just sit quietly

[13:27] and become aware of their surroundings

[13:29] and aware of what's going on with them.

[13:31] To really be able to focus themselves to do their best

[13:36] learning and engaging during our

[13:38] social emotional learning lesson.

[13:39] It's really just amazing to be able to be in all the second

[13:44] and fourth grade classrooms to get

[13:46] to know all the students at Harris Brook

[13:47] and pass on a common language

[13:50] and a common theme so we all have a greater purpose

[13:53] and understanding of why we're at Harris Brook

[13:56] and how we can do our best to engage with one another.

[14:01] Hi everyone. We are back

[14:03] and as promised I have our elementary

[14:06] school adjustment counselors.

[14:07] With us we have Ashley Antoine from the Harris Brook School

[14:11] and Maura Ricardi from East Street School.

[14:14] Now the background on on these two wonderful

[14:17] counselors, Maura, we'll start with you.

[14:19] You went to Westfield State

[14:21] where you get a bachelor's degree in criminal justice

[14:24] as well as a master's degree in social work.

[14:27] And you've interned at the Springfield Superior Court.

[14:31] You're a residential caseworker,

[14:33] a behavioral health specialist for CBH,

[14:36] and you work with the Department of Children

[14:38] and Families for six years

[14:40] before you decided to make the jump into public education.

[14:43] You were in Monson for four years

[14:45] as a school adjustment counselor

[14:47] and you've been with us ever since.

[14:49] So glad you're on the show. Thank you so much. Thank you.

[14:52] And Ashley, this is your 10th year at Ludlow Public Schools.

[14:55] Yeah, 2013. My how time flies.

[14:58] And so you've worked at basically all

[15:01] of our elementary schools, East Chapin and Harris Brook

[15:05] now. You also worked for the Department of Public Health.

[15:08] Yeah, as a case load manager for families in shelters.

[15:12] pre-K behavior consultant for outpatient clinician.

[15:16] You also worked at DCF, your research assistant,

[15:21] direct care professional.

[15:22] You did your undergrad at Assumption College,

[15:26] master's in social work from Boston College

[15:28] and a certificate of advanced graduate studies from AIC.

[15:34] Welcome to the show again. Thank you.

[15:36] And just before we start, I want

[15:38] to know why I don't have a T-shirt like yours.

[15:40] We'll get you on the list. You can

[15:41] Definitely join our counselor crew.

[15:42] I wanna be on the counselor crew. They're outta stock, right?

[15:45] Oh, okay. I'm gonna write that. I'll put you on the list.

[15:48] Alright, so as you folks are in our conversation with Nate

[15:52] and Amy, just a few minutes ago,

[15:55] we talked about the difference

[15:57] between the school adjustment counselor

[15:58] and the school counselor guidance counselor that a lot

[16:01] of us remember from from our childhood

[16:04] and the focus of the SACS being more the mental health

[16:07] and mental wellbeing of our students.

[16:09] Another difference is in the training,

[16:11] and you folks are both

[16:14] have your master's degree in social work

[16:17] and the DESE license

[16:18] for school adjustment counselors actually

[16:20] slash social worker.

[16:22] So my question is, working in the public schools

[16:26] and working with children today,

[16:27] what experience have you had prior to coming to the schools

[16:31] that helps you now in your work with children and families?

[16:36] Yeah, I'll start. So as you had mentioned, kind

[16:40] of just going over like our history

[16:42] before we came here, I got my master's in social work,

[16:47] which was a 66 credit program.

[16:50] And then part of that program is choosing, you know,

[16:53] if you want a special licensure.

[16:55] And so I knew I wanted to be a school adjustment counselor.

[16:58] And so you get your initial license for three years

[17:01] and then you move on to your professional once

[17:03] you've hit your five year mark.

[17:04] This is my 10 year mark as a school adjustment counselor.

[17:07] And how I came to wanting to be here was from

[17:12] that previous experience of, you know,

[17:15] I worked in residential programs with youth who were placed

[17:17] outside of their homes.

[17:18] So it felt like being, you know, a mom on that shift to all

[17:23] of the boys or the girls program that I would be at.

[17:25] And then working for DCF, the Department

[17:28] of Children Families, really opening my eyes to the needs

[17:33] of our family and our community that was in Springfield.

[17:36] A lot of hardships, a lot of challenging things

[17:41] DCF doesn't have, you know, the greatest reputation always.

[17:44] But I had so much pride

[17:46] as a social worker going into these homes

[17:48] and these families opening their door to me to a stranger

[17:51] where we're talking about some really difficult things.

[17:54] And I loved working with those families and those children

[17:57] and sporadically through IEP meetings, I'd be in the school.

[18:01] And then that really gave me the drive to like, I want to be

[18:05] that person that's there for these children in this school,

[18:09] in this role because it can be really

[18:12] hard on the other side.

[18:13] And so that was kind of my, you know,

[18:17] getting over the bridge to the next part of my career.

[18:19] And I absolutely love this job

[18:22] and I love every day is a new day as a school counselor,

[18:26] I know we're gonna get into that,

[18:28] but being part

[18:30] of this child's life in their learning environment,

[18:33] but also connecting with their families

[18:35] and being compassionate to those families of like,

[18:38] I hear you, this is hard.

[18:40] I am the school counselor. Like, how can I help you?

[18:42] So I am thankful for, you know, having

[18:45] that foundational work with families

[18:48] to bringing it into my role

[18:49] as the school counselor here in the district.

[18:52] So you're able to see it from both sides. Yes.

[18:55] And you folks both still connect with outside agencies

[18:58] and that's something that our, you know,

[19:00] people watching this may not know that.

[19:03] Yeah. Right. So that's great that you have that. Sure. Yeah.

[19:05] And, and Ashley, how about you?

[19:06] So my trajectory is somewhat similar to Mauras actually.

[19:09] I started in residential

[19:10] and undergrad when I was at Assumption

[19:12] and when you're seeing, when you're in a residential program

[19:14] as essentially a child, I was like just 18, right?

[19:17] Sure. And were like helping raise these children.

[19:20] That's really where it started for me.

[19:22] I was also working in the school there at the residential

[19:24] facility as I was an undergrad.

[19:26] And it, I, it was, for me it was really eyeopening

[19:30] and connecting to be able to make an impact with these

[19:34] children at such a young age in the educational setting.

[19:38] From there, I actually was, as you said, I worked

[19:40] with preschoolers, but I also did outpatient.

[19:44] I was an outpatient clinician

[19:46] and that as well, I would see a child for an hour

[19:50] a week in my office

[19:51] and they would have, you know, issues at home

[19:53] or things that they struggled with at school.

[19:55] And it was really hard to get to the point

[19:58] of really understanding the whole child

[20:00] within an hour a week.

[20:01] Right. And so I, I would say connecting with families

[20:04] and being a part of that outside agency

[20:06] and connecting obviously with

[20:07] that child really gave me the passion

[20:09] and the drive to wanna be in a school to be able

[20:11] to support the whole child, the family.

[20:14] And then from there I worked

[20:15] with the Department of Public Health.

[20:17] I mean, really everything I've,

[20:19] I've done has given me experience.

[20:21] I've always worked with children.

[20:22] That's always been my trajectory since

[20:23] I, I was able to babysit.

[20:26] But I would say being in that small setting

[20:30] and then transitioning to the school

[20:33] and being able to see the whole child has been really

[20:35] empowering and, and very similar to Maura.

[20:38] I love coming to work every day.

[20:40] So it is difficult

[20:42] and as more so we'll get into it can be very difficult.

[20:44] There can be a huge workload on us,

[20:46] but really working with children,

[20:48] understanding the development of children, my coursework

[20:51] and my experience has really given me a lot of education in

[20:55] that and information in that.

[20:57] One thing I will add is I'm independently licensed

[20:59] and I, I have a small private practice now

[21:01] where I still see kids that hour a week.

[21:04] And that really does also help me with the clinical aspect

[21:08] of things, supporting students

[21:09] with mental health issues within the school.

[21:11] You know, as young as second grade,

[21:12] we see students coming in with these issues.

[21:14] And my experience with that has really given me

[21:18] and my education and that has really given me more

[21:20] of a strong suit to be able

[21:21] to support these, these students. So

[21:23] You still have a hand in the outside work.

[21:25] Yeah. Which helps to inform Yeah.

[21:27] You know, what you're doing. And it, it, it's amazing to me.

[21:31] You know, I've been in education a long time

[21:33] and I've seen the progression of needs of students

[21:36] and families and,

[21:37] and last month we were at the school committee

[21:40] and we had a panel presenting on the mental health crisis,

[21:44] youth mental health crisis, and Maura, you were part of

[21:46] that. Great discussion.

[21:48] Wonderful job. I, you know, when you talk about workload,

[21:52] you know, I think one of the showstoppers was Nikki Reed,

[21:56] your principal at Harris Brook.

[21:57] Yeah. Talking about what you do on a daily basis and,

[22:02] and that overwhelmed a lot of people.

[22:06] And could you just kinda walk us through

[22:11] what one of your days or, or weeks look like?

[22:13] I, I mean, in a good two minute, you know?

[22:15] Yeah. I mean summary. Sorry, that's a loaded

[22:19] Question.

[22:20] No, it changes really every day, right?

[22:22] So we service students on IEPs

[22:23] and it's, it, you need to decide, you know,

[22:26] what takes priority and obviously safety is a priority

[22:30] and connection is a priority in relationships.

[22:33] And so for me, I start my morning every day as, as much

[22:37] as I can outside of my office.

[22:40] There's unfortunately sometimes, you know,

[22:41] consultations with teachers.

[22:42] Sure. Not unfortunately, but like the unfortunate piece is

[22:45] we can't be there to, you know, sit,

[22:47] greet the children in the morning.

[22:48] But I try to on a daily basis,

[22:50] greet the children in the morning.

[22:51] And if I have a meeting, then I go

[22:52] to the hall as they're transitioning up.

[22:53] That's really important to me to be able

[22:55] to that piece of it.

[22:56] And then we, you know, I have a schedule where I,

[22:58] where I provide services to students who are on IEPs

[23:01] for counseling 504s for counseling.

[23:03] So depending on the day I am doing that,

[23:05] I'm teaching an SEL lesson just about every day.

[23:09] We just got some more support.

[23:10] So it's not necessarily every day sure.

[23:12] That I'm teaching the SEL lessons to kids.

[23:14] I'm supporting at recess

[23:15] and lunch in those unstructured times.

[23:17] Because I, I really take that as a serious part of my job.

[23:20] It's really important to me that I'm not

[23:23] necessarily providing services,

[23:24] but I'm just available to students in those unstructured

[23:27] times to help with their social

[23:28] And that's what they need you most emotional.

[23:29] Exactly. Yeah. And it's been awesome.

[23:31] We, I do lunch bunches.

[23:32] We have like a little side room in the new building.

[23:34] So I do that just about every day,

[23:37] the lunch bunch piece of things.

[23:39] And then providing support to teachers

[23:43] and observations within the classroom

[23:45] so I can then offer some suggestions and,

[23:48] and support to teachers.

[23:49] So basically that's, you know, the trajectory

[23:54] of my day. Right.

[23:55] And and you provide support for children, for families,

[24:01] for teachers, for the principals and

[24:06] Yeah, we have IEP meetings.

[24:07] We have the admin council meeting.

[24:08] Yeah, there's a lot. Yeah,

[24:10] A lot filling in. A lot of

[24:11] Filling In.

[24:12] Yeah. Yes, there is. And reaching

[24:12] Out to parents. Yeah. Yeah.

[24:14] And Maura, you have the little ones.

[24:15] So I do, I call them my little nuggets.

[24:17] Preschool to first grade. Yeah.

[24:22] I feel very fortunate that well and pressure,

[24:27] but very fortunate that

[24:29] I am the face when these children are starting their public

[24:34] school education and coming in.

[24:37] This is their first experience.

[24:38] Sometimes the little ones aren't even in preschool,

[24:41] so they're just coming in kindergarten full day.

[24:44] Here's the curriculum, here's the expectations.

[24:46] And, you know, it's overwhelming thinking

[24:48] about that for a 5-year-old.

[24:49] So my role, again,

[24:52] like every school counselor in this district,

[24:54] we are wearing many hats.

[24:56] Lots of different hats. And so every day

[25:00] as we know can look differently.

[25:02] But at the core of my work every day

[25:07] piggybacking on what Ashley said is

[25:09] connections and relationships.

[25:11] And those children know that Mrs.

[25:13] Ricardi loves them and is there for them

[25:15] and do everything I can to help them.

[25:17] And so what that might look like is 9:30

[25:21] to 10 every day I'm in the classroom doing

[25:23] social emotional learning.

[25:24] So I'm explicitly working with these students on

[25:29] specific social skills.

[25:32] You know, we follow life is good.

[25:33] And so we have our superpowers.

[25:35] And then we also are following the CASEL

[25:38] competencies every single month.

[25:40] And so I might be bringing in self-awareness this month was,

[25:44] we're wrapping up responsible decision making.

[25:47] And so it's really fun

[25:49] to like get on the floor with the kids.

[25:51] I often like, whether I have props or I'm reading a book

[25:54] or I'm doing an activity to reinforce kind of what

[25:57] that means and breaking it down for them at home

[26:01] and at school and, you know,

[26:03] what does it look like when your parent asks

[26:05] you to clean your room?

[26:07] You know, what do you do? And so we're, we're roleplaying

[26:09] and talking about where it means to be responsible

[26:11] and taking responsibility, you know, for yourself

[26:15] and the choices that you make.

[26:16] And they all laugh. 'cause I, I say to the teacher,

[26:19] can you get into Johnny's head and make a choice for him?

[26:22] And they're like, no, that'd be a superpower.

[26:25] So we talk about how only you are responsible

[26:28] for making these good choices and we're not all perfect.

[26:31] And yeah. So anyways, I could go on forever,

[26:33] but that's SEL lessons, IEP students who have social,

[26:36] emotional or behavioral goals.

[26:38] I'm working with them. The autism kiddos.

[26:42] We also do social groups for them.

[26:44] Lunch bunches, one-to-one counseling.

[26:48] No matter what your status is at East street school,

[26:50] whether you're special ed, you have a 5 0 4, you are just,

[26:54] you know, an average student coming in

[26:56] and you might come check in with Mrs.

[26:58] Ricardi. So I am available to all students,

[27:01] which goes along with all of the many hats.

[27:03] And that looks like, you know, very different things.

[27:06] But every day you'll see us high fiving,

[27:09] elbow bumping. I've

[27:12] High, high fived you both. No, I get it.

[27:15] And students, yes. I

[27:17] Think we have 367 at East Street kiddos.

[27:21] And I,

[27:23] getting in the classroom also helps me connect

[27:26] with everybody learning their names.

[27:28] They know me, I know them having bus duty,

[27:31] which isn't the best, but at bus duty I have

[27:35] to call everyone's name

[27:36] and check it off on the computer until they get on the bus.

[27:38] So it just is empowering to be part of a culture where

[27:43] we're on a first name basis.

[27:45] And you know, some of the kids

[27:46] and now their teachers are teaching, are talking about how

[27:50] not everybody likes hugs.

[27:52] And so a lot of the little kids at East Street are like,

[27:53] can I give you a hug Mrs.

[27:55] Ricardi? And they know I love hugs.

[27:56] So all the time it is a yes. Yeah.

[27:59] But it is a very special place to be

[28:01] and I love being their school counselor.

[28:04] It, it's, it's obvious.

[28:05] And you know, for both of you just, you know,

[28:09] we have about a few minutes left,

[28:11] but one of the things I just wanted to hit on is

[28:15] when you think of your roles, sometimes it's reactionary

[28:19] in terms of, you know, students in crisis and so forth.

[28:23] But it's very proactive in what we're doing as a district is

[28:26] to build those skills, those social and emotional skills.

[28:31] And just like teaching math, you know,

[28:33] you're teaching responsibility what that looks like

[28:36] and be able for them to internalize that

[28:39] because they're all coming from different places and,

[28:43] but that's what responsibility looks like at East Street School

[28:46] or, or Harris Brook.

[28:48] And that's just so vital.

[28:50] I just wanted to make sure that we highlighted that.

[28:52] Yeah, sure. And, and doing a wonder.

[28:54] And that's not just, just the counselors, that's all

[28:56] of us have that responsibility.

[28:59] I asked this question of Amy and Nate

[29:01] and just advice for parents.

[29:04] I mean, you know, my kids are in their twenties and so forth

[29:06] and we all struggle raising kids,

[29:08] but what, what,

[29:12] what skills should parents

[29:14] or adults talk to that you think we should have

[29:19] and, and make a recommendation in terms of helping children,

[29:24] Girl, mom over here.

[29:26] So I would say for sure having an ability to

[29:33] instill pause within yourself.

[29:36] So just to be able to stop instead of react,

[29:39] I think is extremely helpful.

[29:41] And that will then come with that.

[29:43] We'll, we'll be patience because unless we pause

[29:46] and kind of check in and reflect with ourselves,

[29:49] it's really hard to listen to a child.

[29:54] 'cause you know, the hustle and bustle of society,

[29:56] we're just always on the go, go, go.

[29:58] What sport are we bringing our kid to?

[29:59] What are we doing next? Where are we going next?

[30:01] And so I think I, this seems so simple and silly and cliche,

[30:06] but I literally have a reminder in my phone at three 30

[30:09] and then again at six 30 and then again at eight to pause

[30:12] and calm and it goes off in my phone to remind myself,

[30:14] okay, I, I'm here, I'm present.

[30:15] I need to pause, check in with myself

[30:19] and the visual reminder,

[30:20] and then I can be more present for my children.

[30:23] And I have it going off during the day when I'm at work

[30:25] as well, so I can be more present

[30:27] and available to the students.

[30:30] Because if I'm constantly worrying about

[30:32] what meeting I have next, what lesson I have next, planning

[30:35] for that lesson, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[30:37] It's easy to get caught up and not be present

[30:39] and really make that connection and listen.

[30:41] And, and I think it would be very helpful

[30:44] and beneficial if more of us could do that for,

[30:47] for children, for our children

[30:49] and ourselves. That's really good advice.

[30:51] I'll take that. Okay.

[30:53] Well it's like what she said, put it on

[30:55] Here. I'll set an alarm.

[30:57] It's What, it's, it's hard to be present.

[30:59] It is when your brain is going a lot of different places

[31:04] for our families.

[31:06] You know, a a big part of my day is,

[31:09] is consulting with parents.

[31:10] It's in my schedule,

[31:11] it's a certain color supporting them.

[31:15] And so I think my advice is to

[31:23] meet your child where they're at.

[31:25] Every child is different as we know academically, socially,

[31:30] behaviorally, strengths, weaknesses,

[31:32] they all present in a different way.

[31:34] And so however your child is, that is

[31:37] who they are and that is great.

[31:38] And they have strengths and they have

[31:40] weaknesses just like we do.

[31:41] So I think as a parent, you know, being a mom

[31:45] and being a school counselor, recognizing that

[31:48] and having these conversations be connected at home.

[31:53] Everybody is busy.

[31:54] There is not enough free time or minutes in our day.

[31:56] But like, where are those moments where you

[31:59] as the parent can make the connection that I am making

[32:02] as the school counselor with them during the day.

[32:04] And so, you know, maybe it is a five minute dinner,

[32:07] maybe you're not sitting at the dinner table,

[32:08] but you're in front of the TV

[32:10] or you're getting ready for this.

[32:11] We do something very simple at my house.

[32:14] Like we, since my daughter was in kindergarten

[32:17] and now she's in second grade,

[32:18] but you know, she'll say at the table, mom, you start,

[32:22] what's your rose and your thorn of the day?

[32:24] So we talk about one good thing about our day

[32:26] and our thorn is like, hmm, something

[32:28] that might have not gone well for you.

[32:29] And sometimes that really opens up some big conversations

[32:32] of like something she saw at school or something she felt,

[32:35] and we're talking about that, which is really powerful.

[32:38] So I also would love to tell families

[32:41] that it takes a village to raise our children as we know.

[32:45] And no one can do it alone.

[32:46] And so while we do have a spec specific role

[32:49] as school counselors, we are always here

[32:51] to connect families to what they need.

[32:55] You know, it's, it's, it's really hard

[32:58] and vulnerable to talk

[32:59] to an employee like myself when a parent calls and be open

[33:02] and honest about a struggle you might be having.

[33:04] Sure. But like, I wanna help you

[33:06] and I can connect you to this person.

[33:07] Or if I don't know the answer,

[33:09] I will tell you I don't know the answer.

[33:10] But here's what you can do. And that the website we now have

[33:14] the parents can access on our website under parent

[33:17] information that Massachusetts for youth programming,

[33:22] I might have said that wrong, but there, that parent

[33:25] link has access to like grief resources, quick videos,

[33:29] how do you talk to your child about this, anxiety,

[33:32] So I really want our families to know that there is

[33:36] support out there for you

[33:37] And we're starting to build those resources.

[33:39] Yeah. And you can find that on the

[33:43] LPS wellness page, on our, on our website.

[33:48] Ashley Antoine, thank you. Thank you. Maura Ricardi. Thank you.

[33:51] You're welcome. Nate Zucco and Amy Smith.

[33:54] Thank you for a great first segment.

[33:56] We are over time as I'm getting the signal,

[34:02] I'm just grateful that we are able to spend this time.

[34:04] Thank you. Talking about the important roles that you play

[34:08] in our schools and in our children and families lives.

[34:11] Thank you so much for joining us.

[34:13] Watch out for the next episode of Lions Pride.

Lion's Pride - Guests: Amy Smith, Nate Zucco, Ashley Antoine, Maura Ricardi

Transcript