(9/96) Special services are sometimes available. Please make an appointment to discuss your child's progress/problems with his/her teacher first.
A number of support services are available for students who require additional educational or psychological assistance. Some of the services available are: a school psychologist, outside counseling services, speech and language therapist, adaptive physical education specialist and a special education teacher. Any parent or teacher may request a conference with the School Study Team (SST) to discuss student problems and intervention/recommendations. Students not qualifying for special education may receive prescriptive instruction in our computer program, tutoring, and/or counseling. All students participate in activities and programs to build self-esteem. Citizenship, character, sportsmanship as well as acedemic achievements are emphasized.
(9/26/96) Monte Vista is very happy to announce that our Care Counselor grant for $10,000 was approved by the Glendale Unified School District. The Care Counselor program offers students with a variety of needs, the support to problem solve and develop communication strategies. Mrs. Karen Carlson, a licensed marriage and family counselor, is our Care Counselor. She is on site one day a week (Monday). Students are seen for a variety of reasons and the length of time in the program varies with each child. Students can be referred to the program by teachers, staff, parents and sometimes even the child.
A hidden jewel among our staff is Karen Carlson, our Care Counselor, who has been counseling at Monte Vista since 1994. Rather than reading, writing and arithmatic, Karen works with matters of self-esteem, emotions, and feelings. She help the kids to feel good about themselves and make positive choices in their challenging lives. Karen's heros are some of the children she works with who manage to put their lives back together after terrible things have happened to them at a very young age. Before coming to Monte Vista, Karen worked as a child therapist in area clinics and schools, and she currently teaches at Phillips Graduate Institute, where marriage, family and child counselors receive their training.
Karen is no stranger to this area. She was raised in La Crescenta, attended Glendale Schools, and taught grades 7-12 at Daily High and Roosevelt Junior High Schools. One of her funniest memories was when a boy at Daily High rode a motorcycle through her bungalow, and the principal told her that she didn't have good classroom control. Yeah, right! C.V. High gym teacher Jan McCreary, taught Karen three important life lessons which she still practices today: 1. women are just as important as men; 2. your body is your friend, take care of it, and 3. team sports and collaboration is bigger than the individual effort.
Karen's favorite childhood memory is camping with her Dad in the Sierras. She feels her family was special because her Dad knew how to play and her Mom knew the importance of being serious.
On her free days, you might find Karen planting in her garden, curled up with a good book, or watching her sons play soccer. She has traveled to a small pueblo in Mexico where she lived without running water or electricity, but her favorite vacation destination with all the amenities is Maui. Her pets are not the ordinary run of the mill dog and cat. Her household includes Flamie the iguana, Boy the gopher tortiose, Speedy the box turtle, and she's hoping soon to adopt a snake. Her favorite children's book is Tunes for a Small Harmonica by Barbara Wersba and her favorite children's author is M.C. Kerr. Her favorite adult book is A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton, and her favorite adult author is Dorothy Allison. Karen's food of choice is Indian Dal.
Mrs. Carlson's Homework Tip: If you fall behind, don't let that stop you from getting back on track. Don't give up!
R.S.P. Adult Contact: Mr. Craig Thompson
Speech Adult Contact: Sarah Conrad
Psychologist Adult Contact: Irene Schonberger
Care Counselor: Karen Carlson
Special Education Assistant: Jennifer Goebel
Copyright © 1996, Monte Vista Elementary School, Last update on 10/1/96 1:38:08 PM (PST).
Web Page Author - Diane Barner