Core curriculum lessons are provided regularly to students in grades 6^th – 8^th and will cover topics that promote academic, social/emotional and career education growth. Core curriculum lessons are delivered by students’ grade level counselor within the counselors’ Jigsaw classroom. Students and parents are notified of dates in which they will meet with their grade level counselor for core curriculum lessons.

The GCA counseling department desires to develop the whole child. The Character Strong curriculum is used to assist students with social and emotional development. Through the curriculum, students are provided with weekly lessons that cover areas such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making (Character Strong, 2021).

The GCA Counseling department cares about your child’s safety and will be teaching children about personal safety via a program by the Monique Burr Foundation whose mission is to educate and protect children and teens from all types of bullying, abuse, and victimization with our evidence-based prevention programs.

MBF Teen Safety Matters® is a comprehensive, curriculum for middle school students in grades 6-8 and high-school students in grades 9-12. The program educates and empowers teens and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, all types of abuse, relationship abuse, sex trafficking, and digital dangers (MBF, 2021).

Teen safety presentations are typically held during spring semester.

Small group counseling opportunities may be provided to students according to a specific identified need. Examples of small group counseling opportunities that counselors may offer students may be in the areas of academic support and social and emotional support.

The GCA Counseling department uses Naviance Student as a tool to assist students in grades 6^th – 8^th with career exploration.

What is Naviance Student?

Naviance Student, a website for students and families to access online resources, communicate with school staff and collaborate on college and career readiness activities (Naviance, 2020).

What can students do in Naviance Student?

Students can research colleges, scholarships, and careers in one location. They can also create individual plans that can be linked to college and career readiness. Students can communicate easily with teachers and counselors. For college and career readiness, students can request transcripts and recommendations for college applications as well as complete career assessments and perform college and career searches. Students can also create goals and track associated tasks and activities (Naviance, 2020).

GCA students can access Naviance through their GCA Clever homepage.

Please watch the video below or click the link below for additional information on how GCA uses Naviance Student.

Naviance Student

Middle Grades students are required to complete activities to satisfy the requirements of the State of Georgia SB 3/Creating Opportunities Needed Now to Expand Credentialed Training (CONNECT) Act and the SB 401/Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act.

Completing the requirements gives students a great opportunity to discover which career might be a great fit for them.  Students can also use Naviance to explore careers in depth and learn important information such as educational requirements, salary information and job descriptions.

Grade Level SB-3 and SB - 401 Requirements

6^th Grade

• Complete Naviance Career Cluster Finder

7th Grade

• Complete Naviance Career Key
• Add 3 careers to list

8^th Grade

• Complete the Naviance AchieveWorks Skills Assessment 

Each spring, 6^th and 7^th grade students are provided with lessons with the objective of providing them with information that will assist them in successfully transitioning to the next grade level. Sessions are presented by grade level counselors.

Students making the middle grades to secondary grades transition (8^th to 9^th grade) are provided with several sessions introducing them to the secondary grade level experience. These transition lessons typically take place throughout the school year and are provided by the 8^th grade school counselor and secondary grades counseling staff.

In the spring of each year, the 6^th grade counselor also partners with the 5^th grade counselor to provide rising 6^th grade students with information to help them to successfully transition to the middle grades.

• Georgia Crisis Hotline 1-800-715 - 4225 https://www.valueoptions.com/referralconnect/doLogin.do?e=Z2FjbSAg
• Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities - Search mental health services by your region in the state: https://dbhdd.georgia.gov
• Go to “Find Services & Contacts” > Field Offices
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - NAMI GA - http://www.namiga.org
• Nami Helpline Database: https://helplinefaqs.nami.org/
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Resources for dealing with depression: https://www.erikaslighthouse.org/teens/
• Resources for dealing with anxiety: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/anxiety.html

For Parents

• Parent Handbook for Childhood and Teen Depression: https://www.erikaslighthouse.org/the-parent-handbook-on-childhood-and-teen-depression-1/
• Georgia Parent Support Network: https://www.gcapp.org/toolkit/
• Resources for children and families affected by mental illness and learning disabilities: https://childmind.org/
• Helping children cope with anxiety: https://childmind.org/topics/anxiety/

*Please note Georgia Cyber Academy is not affiliated with these organizations. GCA does not endorse the organizations' sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/programs/services they offer. GCA does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, or completeness of the information from these organizations. Details shared are for informational purposes only.

• https://www.dougy.org/grief-support-resources/teens
• Resources for dealing with death: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/someone-died.html#catfeelings

For Parents

• 10 ways to help a grieving child: https://childrengrieve.org/resources/10-ways-to-help-a-grieving-child
• The National Center for Grieving Children & Families: The Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/ 
• Helping children deal with grief: https://childmind.org/article/helping-children-deal-grief/

• October
  • Bullying Prevention Month
  • Red Ribbon Week
  • Fire Prevention Week
• January
  • The Great Kindness Challenge
• March
  • Career Day