We welcomed many new staff members to St. Viator Elementary School this year. We know it is more challenging to connect with the faculty given facemasks and social distancing measures, so we are making some introductions and sending out pictures of our new faculty. Meet Ms. Michelle Dall, our new School Counselor.
As the St. Viator School Counselor, Ms. Dall helps students meet their social-emotional needs so that they can better achieve academic success. She is available to work with all of our students, from Pre-K through 8th grade. While this is her first year as the St. Viator School Counselor, last year Ms. Dall worked in the school as the academic coach for the Title I program.
Ms. Dall started her career almost 10 years ago, running an afterschool program through a non-profit organization. She described that, “During this experience, I realized my passion for helping students succeed and overcome challenges. I decided to pursue school counseling and have been in a counseling role for the last 5 years.”
A School Counselor supports students’ social-emotional challenges through a variety of approaches. Ms. Dall details, “I provide individual and small group counseling services, classroom guidance lessons, and collaborate with teachers, parents, and staff to address student needs.”
When we were preparing for this introduction, I asked Ms. Dall her favorite St. Viator experience to date. She shared, “My favorite experience so far was giving a lesson to the preschool classes on "Tucker the Turtle." (I use a turtle puppet to teach self-regulation skills to young children in a friendly and fun manner.) Tucker shares a short story on how he learns to stop and think before acting, and also how to calm down by taking 3 deep breaths inside his shell. The children in preschool were so adorable and sweet to work with. They remembered the steps and demonstrated understanding. I was delighted to help support their social-emotional development at an early age.”
Ms. Dall is at St. Viator on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during our regular school hours. For more information about her, visit her "Counselor Corner” at: https://sites.google.com/stviatorchicago.org/virtual-counselor-corner/home. You can reach her directly via email at mdall@stviatorchicago.org.
Welcome Ms. Dall to St. Viator Elementary School!
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