Student Support Services In the Press / Awards
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Greg Mizel, Associate Superintendent, Student Support Services, Poway Unified School District, received the Administrator of the Year
“Greg has been a strong advocate for our district’s school counseling program. He has promoted and advocated for school counseling and mental health from day one since accepting the position as the associate superintendent for Student Support Services.”
Full SDCOE article linked here
Two Poway Unified Counselors Named 2021 San Diego County School Counselors of the Year
The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is proud to announce that Nicole Pablo, Twin Peaks Middle School, and Fran Hjalmarson, Los Peñasquitos Elementary School, have been named the 2021 San Diego County School Counselors of the Year by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE). The recipients received surprise visits at their schools today and were recognized by their colleagues, family members, and PUSD leadership in front of students and staff. They also each received a $500 check from sponsor North Island Credit Union.
Interview with CBS8 | PUSD Press Release | Times of San Diego Article
PDFs
School & Student Safety
Poway Unified receives funding to continue mental health offerings
Before the pandemic, Poway Unified schools had an average of one counselor for every 600 to 700 students.
With the help of COVID funding, the schools now have an average of one counselor for every 300 to 400 students, according to Greg Mizel, associate superintendent of student support services.
School threats and safety, mental health are topics at Poway Unified safety summit
“They went above and beyond,” he told a group of parents and others gathered for the first quarterly School Safety Summit of the year on Sept. 22.
The May 26 call, by a robotic voice that threatened shootings at Del Norte High and a nearby elementary school, was referenced many times during the meeting, which was held at the Poway Unified district office. The threatening call and lockdowns come two days after an 18-year-old gunman stormed into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas and opened fire, killing nineteen students and two teachers, and wounding seventeen people.
Superintendent Marian Kim Phelps recalled that parents were trying to sneak onto the campus in an attempt to get to their children.
Tracking lockdowns at San Diego County school
Last week leaders at Poway Unified let ABC 10News tag along as they went on school vulnerability walks. A group of leaders from the district and campus officials walked the grounds of several campuses looking for points where schools are vulnerable and areas where safety can be improved.
Poway Unified considering campus security specialists at elementary level after latest shooting
Poway Unified officials are sharing with the community what they are doing to help protect students from potential gun violence, after lockdowns at several district schools following the deadly attack at a Texas Elementary school.
While schools brace themselves for the worst, students beg for an end to gun violence
Two days after the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary, students at San Diego’s Del Norte High School got a glimpse of the kind of fear people at the Texas school undoubtedly felt that day.
Anonymous threat leads to lockdowns in Poway Unified schools, offers glimpse into campus response
The call came early Thursday afternoon, threatening violence at two North County schools. A robotic voice calling from a Google number told authorities that somebody was going to shoot up Del Norte High School and a nearby elementary school, San Diego police said.
That information triggered lockdowns at Del Norte and several other campuses in the Poway Unified School District. After two hours and multiple searches by police or sheriff’s deputies, authorities gave the all-clear.
San Diego parents, school leaders, law enforcement devestated after Texas shooting
The San Diego County community is reacting to another mass shooting at a school. The shooting was at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas where an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers Tuesday.
Poway schools assessed for safety, emergency response during tours
Tim Ware, coordinator of school safety and security services for the San Diego County Office of Education, is learning about Poway schools by meeting with everyone from principals to custodians to procure threat assessments.
Mental Health & Student Wellness
2023 County School Counselors of the Year Recieve Surprise Awards
In addition, four special awards in school counseling leadership – Advocate of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Community-Based Organization of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement – were announced this week.
Students staying mentally fit for the summer
Counselors explain the summer slide phenomenon and what can be done to combat it.
Poway Unified counselors discuss the pandemic impact on students' mental health and learning loss
School is out for summer. That phrase should trigger excitement for families, but not for parents with kids struggling in school. Many are still reeling from pandemic-related shutdowns.
Poway Unified officials report rise in depression and anxiety in students due to pandemic
Students at Poway Unified are exhibiting more symptoms of depression, anxiety and isolation due to the pandemic, school counselors and psychologists said Thursday night at a virtual summit.
The number of students having suicidal thoughts and engaging in self-harming behaviors is increasing, they said.
Two Poway Unified counselors names 2021 San Diego County School Counselors of the Year
Nicole Pablo, counselor at Twin Peaks Middle School and Fran Hjalmarson, counselor Los Peñasquitos Elementary School tell us all about it.