Our School Counseling Program Fall 2021
Dear Maplewood Community, Welcome to a new year at Maplewood! And what a year it is! I am so delighted to be welcoming back students for fulltime, in-person school! I am Kendall Cunningham (Ms. Cunningham to students) and I am Maplewood’s full-time school counselor. This is my eighth year serving the Maplewood community. Being a school counselor allows me to participate in the lively school environment and build relationships with students while supporting their personal/social/academic needs. I am a parent of two PPS students and I especially enjoy working with students and their families as they progress through school. As with the last few years, Maplewood will once again be using the Toolbox program across the whole school (more at toolboxproject.com). Toolbox is designed to help develop student resilience by teaching kids tools/strategies that they can use in different situations. Stay tuned for ways in which you can use Toolbox at home to support student growth! What exactly does an elementary school counselor do? Very broadly, a school counselor supports students by working to remove barriers to school success. To this end, the school counselor collaborates with school staff, students, and families to help support all learners. An elementary school counselor can lead guidance lessons in the classroom, work one-on-one with students and families, lead small groups, assist students with transitions, help families connect with community resources, and mediate conflicts between students. These are just a few examples of the many things a school counselor does. This year Maplewood is fortunate to have Jeremy Schlott, social worker, with us halftime. We will be working closely together to help support students and families. See his intro below. Finally, I want to acknowledge that these last few years have been very challenging for all of us. Whether your family has struggled with isolation, job loss, grief, distance learning, or parenting stress, we have all been carrying a lot. A lot. I’d like to be part of your team to support your student through this time of transition. You can call me at 503-916-6308, email me at kcunninghamparm@pps.net, or fill out this google form. The form is also linked in my email signature and on my website connected to Maplewood’s mainpage. Once again, I am excited to be serving the Maplewood community. 
Kendall Cunningham
Maplewood School Counselor kcunninghamparm@pps.net (503) 916-6308 Monday to Friday 7:45-3:30 Link to my Fall 2020 Welcome Video |
