Individual Counseling Services:
Individual Counseling is provided based on legal guardian, teacher, and counselor referrals. The school counselor provides short-term counseling to students based on concerns/struggles that are negatively effecting their academic performance. A school counselor does not provide therapy and will make an outside referral if she sees that there is a need for an outside licensed clinical therapist or other outside community resources.
Crisis Counseling provided as needed
Homelessness Liaison Ms. Murtaugh is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Liason at WLIS. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law created to support the enrollment and education of homeless students. McKinney-Vento is intended to provide homeless students the same educational opportunities as housed students by removing as many barriers to learning for homeless students as possible. If your family is facing homelessness, please contact Ms. Murtaugh.
Referrals to Community Resources-- If you are looking for community agencies, therapists, mental healthcare, housing support, food assistance, or any other local assistance, please contact Ms. Murtaugh for information in our community.
Group Counseling Services:
Small Group Counseling is provided every quarter throughout the school year. Group counseling topics include: academic success skills, making positive choices, friendship skills, divorce, self-esteem building, along with other topics. If you would like to refer your child for any of the above counseling groups, please contact Courtney Murtaugh by phone at 765-746-0500 ext. 4305 or email: [email protected]. The counseling groups are typically 10 group meetings that last approximately 30 minutes and take place over lunch (eating as a group) as much as possible.
Classroom Guidance Lessons:
Classroom Guidance Lessons are lessons designed to help students understand and deal with normal developmental tasks and issues in academics, career readiness and citizenship development. The varying 45 minute lessons are taught by the school counselor in each classroom, approximately five times per school year. Examples of guidance lesson topics include character education, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, career interests, stress management, decision-making strategies, etc... These lessons are provided for all students through a collaborative effort by the teachers and counselor. Check out the monthly calendar tab for details about the 2022-2023 school year.
School-Wide Initiatives:
Backpack Program- Many local volunteers and donations make this wonderful program possible. Students/families in need of assistance receive a bag of food for the weekend, each week of the school year. The inconspicuous bags are anonymously delivered to each student's home on Friday afternoons and left at the door. This program makes it possible for many of our WL families to provide home-cooked meals on the weekends. Please contact the school counselor if you are interested in this program.
Body Safety and Abuse Education- In 2018 the Indiana Department of Education created Indiana Code 20-30-5-5.7 which says that all schools shall provide age appropriate instruction on child abuse and child sexual abuse to students in kindergarten through grade 12, every school year.
School-Based Consultation with parents, teachers, and specialists as needed for individual student concerns.
Coordination of Services- The school counselor is the coordinator of Response to Intervention plans which assist students who are struggling academically, behaviorally or emotionally. She also participates in a team to plan and implement educational plans such Individual Education Plans and 504 meetings throughout the school year.
Individual Counseling is provided based on legal guardian, teacher, and counselor referrals. The school counselor provides short-term counseling to students based on concerns/struggles that are negatively effecting their academic performance. A school counselor does not provide therapy and will make an outside referral if she sees that there is a need for an outside licensed clinical therapist or other outside community resources.
Crisis Counseling provided as needed
Homelessness Liaison Ms. Murtaugh is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Liason at WLIS. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law created to support the enrollment and education of homeless students. McKinney-Vento is intended to provide homeless students the same educational opportunities as housed students by removing as many barriers to learning for homeless students as possible. If your family is facing homelessness, please contact Ms. Murtaugh.
Referrals to Community Resources-- If you are looking for community agencies, therapists, mental healthcare, housing support, food assistance, or any other local assistance, please contact Ms. Murtaugh for information in our community.
Group Counseling Services:
Small Group Counseling is provided every quarter throughout the school year. Group counseling topics include: academic success skills, making positive choices, friendship skills, divorce, self-esteem building, along with other topics. If you would like to refer your child for any of the above counseling groups, please contact Courtney Murtaugh by phone at 765-746-0500 ext. 4305 or email: [email protected]. The counseling groups are typically 10 group meetings that last approximately 30 minutes and take place over lunch (eating as a group) as much as possible.
Classroom Guidance Lessons:
Classroom Guidance Lessons are lessons designed to help students understand and deal with normal developmental tasks and issues in academics, career readiness and citizenship development. The varying 45 minute lessons are taught by the school counselor in each classroom, approximately five times per school year. Examples of guidance lesson topics include character education, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, career interests, stress management, decision-making strategies, etc... These lessons are provided for all students through a collaborative effort by the teachers and counselor. Check out the monthly calendar tab for details about the 2022-2023 school year.
School-Wide Initiatives:
Backpack Program- Many local volunteers and donations make this wonderful program possible. Students/families in need of assistance receive a bag of food for the weekend, each week of the school year. The inconspicuous bags are anonymously delivered to each student's home on Friday afternoons and left at the door. This program makes it possible for many of our WL families to provide home-cooked meals on the weekends. Please contact the school counselor if you are interested in this program.
Body Safety and Abuse Education- In 2018 the Indiana Department of Education created Indiana Code 20-30-5-5.7 which says that all schools shall provide age appropriate instruction on child abuse and child sexual abuse to students in kindergarten through grade 12, every school year.
School-Based Consultation with parents, teachers, and specialists as needed for individual student concerns.
Coordination of Services- The school counselor is the coordinator of Response to Intervention plans which assist students who are struggling academically, behaviorally or emotionally. She also participates in a team to plan and implement educational plans such Individual Education Plans and 504 meetings throughout the school year.