COUNSELOR PANEL AT PTA & JHB CAMPUSES
On Monday, October 5th and Thursday October 8th the Counselors across all divisions
gathered on the Pretoria Campus and the Johannesburg Campus for a panel discussion with
two groups of parents.
The purpose of the two panels was to allow the counselors to elaborate on their roles and
responsibilities at each division, stress their areas of expertise and interest, and to allow
parents to express their questions and/or concerns. Both events went over the allotted time
of one hour as parents had many relevant questions and interesting comments to share with
the counselors.
Lee Cassidy, Counselor on the Elementary JHB campus: Lee is in her 2nd
year as a counselor at AISJ, and feels that this year is off to a much better start than last year,
as she was able to be here at the very beginning of the school year. Before coming to AISJ,
Lee was living and working in Morocco. This year Lee has made a tremendous effort to get to
know all of the names of the 400+ students of the JHB Elementary School. Knowing each child
individually is crucial in helping her to establish a sense of confidence and resiliency skills in
her students. Lee works closely with Elementary Teachers to implement a clear Guidance
Curriculum for each grade level. She makes sure to be in each classroom every few weeks,
and this is helping her to get to know her students on a deeper level. Lee likes to do small
group work as well, which often focus on friendship and conflict resolution issues. Lee enjoys
helping students set realistic behavioural goals for themselves, and takes the approach of
asking them, “When the last time that you felt good about yourself?”, and working from
there, rather than always focusing on the negative aspects of why they are in the counseling
office.
Eliza Pomiecinska, ES and MS Counselor on the Pretoria Campus: Eliza
is brand new to the AISJ community and is coming to us from Doha, Qatar. She has the largest
age range of students, from pre-K to 8th grade, and thus has to wear many “counseling hats”
to address the varied issues of small children up to teenagers. Eliza has a very strong interest
in “Mindfulness and Yoga for young people”, and working on her degree in” Play Therapy”.
Elementary focus: Like Lee on the JHB Campus, Eliza goes into the Elementary classes on a
regular basis to teach specific lessons around social and emotional health. She often uses role
play to address and get the discussions going on friendship and social issues. Eliza’s main goal
at the elementary level, is to increase self-esteem and self-confidence in her students.
Middle School Focus: As Eliza is also the counselor for the 6th-8th graders, she is overseeing
the new Advisory Program of CPR (Circle of Power and Respect). She is working closely with
each grade level to establish clear and relevant lesson plans for various themes throughout
the year. The Advisory Program will also address issues related to Health and Wellness, such
as Puberty, Eating Disorders, and general Healthy Habits. Eliza is happy to have parents drop
in or make an appointment to see her anytime.
Kendel Leet, Middle School Counselor on the JHB campus: Kendel is in
her 2nd year at AISJ, and like Lee, was very happy to be here for the start of the year, as
opposed to last year. Kendel stressed that although the chronological age range for Middle
School is three years (grades 6, 7 and 8) the emotional and developmental range can be
around 5 to 6 years, as the students are all going through puberty at a different rate. In
addition to this range across the division, she noted that even within each grade level, there
is a two year age range. This is not uncommon in International Schools, but it is a good
reminder for teachers that students in the same class, may be at very different developmental
stages from each other. Although this can be challenging, it is also exciting to see them
change so dramatically through the 3 years. Kendel described how she meets on a regular
basis with the Middle School Teachers at each grade level to identify any students that may
need academic, social and/or emotional support or intervention. At the end of each meeting,
a clear “Action Plan” is established for each student. Kendel’s main area of focus this year,
like Eliza will be on establishing and overseeing the new Advisory/Imbizo program of CPR
(Circle of Power and Respect). Antidotes from teachers and students so far, indicate that the
program has been very well received. Both teachers and students are happy with the format
and themes that will be addressed throughout the year. The feeling of community and sense
of belonging has definitely increased overall in the Middle School this year
Ann Ireland and Melissa Johnson-Schnyder, High School Counselors
at JHB: Both Ann and Melissa are in their 4th year of working at AISJ. Currently the High
School has 300 + students from grades 9-12. Ann explained that she and Melissa divide up the
alphabet to determine their caseloads (Ann works with students whose last names begin with
A through M, and Melissa works with students whose last names begin with N through Z).
This allows the counselors to get to know their students in 9th grade, and to move up with
them through the grade levels. Both Ann and Melissa focus on pastoral care for students, as
well College/University Counseling. Ann really enjoys the one-on-one aspect of working so
closely with students, and getting to know their specific academic and emotional needs.
Melissa is passionate about College Counselling, as she has been doing it for over 15 years
now. She loves guiding students on their journey to find their best University placement and
discussing their future aspirations and career goals. Both counselors are making “Transitions”
a priority for themselves this year, in terms of guiding 8th graders from both campuses into
the High School,; welcoming and monitoring new students, and finally, preparing the 12th
graders for their next steps beyond High School graduation.
Dee Slattery, JHB Counseling Intern and High School Health Teacher:
Dee is currently in her 5th year at AISJ. Before becoming a counseling intern, she was the
Department Head for PE and Health, as well as being a Science teacher. Dee is very excited
about moving into this new professional realm, and shadows and Ann and Melissa on a daily
basis to glean all that she can about being a High School Counselor. She is also working with
her own small cohort of students, one-on-one to address their social, emotional and academic
needs.
Parent Comments, Questions and Suggestions:
Comments and questions varied on the different campuses, but here some of the
highlights from both sessions:
STRESS/BALANCE and MINDFULNESS:
Parents liked the idea of adding Mindfulness into the curriculum and Advisory programs at
each division.
There was concern expressed about the stress levels of High School students, especially the
12th graders in the full IB Program –“this can’t be good for learning!”
The HS Counselors said that there is strong awareness of this at their level, and with
teachers and Administrators, so they are trying to find creative ways to address this with the
students. Yoga and Mindfulness sessions are offered in various ways, but they are also
looking at establishing a different program (“Pathways”) for students who may not want to
do the full IB Diploma. They suggested a summer course for students called the “Pre-IB
Program” that has been incredibly helpful for the students who were able to participate in
it.
CULTURAL AWARENESS AS COUNSELORS:
Parents were curious about how counselors handled all of the very different cultures that
make-up our school community?
There was also some concerns that the American culture can sometimes be too dominant.
All of the counselors here at AISJ are very familiar with the pros and cons of being a TCK
(Third culture Kid), and thus are constantly trying to help students navigate through the
process of moving through different “cultural settings” on a daily basis.
Counselors are also aware and sensitive to the fact that some parents have no idea what
the counselor’s role is, and often feel ashamed, embarrassed or angry when they are called
in for a meeting.
SCREEN TIME:
Monitoring and addressing Screen Time is a constant issue with parents and their kids. It can
be a battle of the wills, and some parents are not sure about how to limit time on the
screen, when schoolwork is a big part of it.
As counselors, we don’t have easy answers for this, but it is important to remind your child
that it is not their computer (it is the school’s), and you as a parent have every right to view
and monitor what they are doing. Good communication with the teachers, counselors and
administrators can help if you have concerns or questions around this issue. A great
resource for parents is the following website: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parentconcerns
Note: as counselors, we highly recommend that all devices that connect to the internet
(laptops, phones, ipads etc…) be charged outside of your child’s bedroom at night, so there
is no temptation for them to go online and disrupt their sleep patterns and to access
websites that may be dangerous or inappropriate
CONFLICT RESOLUTION:
Parents wanted to know if conflicts were handled in the same way across all divisions.
Counselors stressed that conflict is a normal part of life, but we definitely want to help our
students address conflict in productive ways. The approach differs as students become
more mature at each division.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL AWARENESS:
How are students learning about the dangers of substance use and abuse?
Students are explicitly taught about the dangers and effects in the Health Education
curriculum, but Advisory is also a place to address some of the reasons that a child or
teenager might turn to drugs and alcohol-ie- issues of self-esteem, peer pressure, stress and
escaping their reality.
CAREER GUIDANCE:
High school parents were wondering when students start to explore potential career
options for themselves.
This is started in 10th Grade through the use of the Naviance Program, which is a program
that eventually helps with the College and University application process
Before 10th Grade, “Learning Styles”, “Intelligence Inventories’, and “Interests/Hobbies” are
addressed in the Middle School.
STUDENT COMFORT LEVELS IN TERMS OF SEEKING HELP FROM THE COUNSELORS:
Parents were wondering if students actually feel comfortable coming to the counselors’
offices on their own. Sometimes children may feel that they are ‘telling’ on another child if
they seek guidance from a counselor.
Counselors stated that this is a very big challenge for them. It is very important that
students get to know their counselor well before most of them would feel comfortable
coming to them with an issue. Thus counselors try very hard to be part of the school life in
other ways. This can happen through:
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Orientating all new students
Addressing students individually or in small groups at the start of the year
Attending field trips and going on Classroom Without Walls school trips
Participating in classes in different ways
Having lunch with students and being present during the breaks
Being present when the buses arrive and depart campus
Going to Advisory groups or having their own Advisory group
EDUCATING TEACHERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS
Does the school address and educate its teachers on the importance of their interactions
with students?
Yes, teachers have been educated in our Child Protection Policy, and Principals at all levels
do stress this with their teachers, as research shows that good relationships with students
lead to better academic results overall. There are of course incidents where there is a
conflict or misunderstanding between a student and a teacher. If parents and students feel
that it has not been resolved, please make sure to contact a counselor, principal and/or the
teacher directly. It is important that students feel safe in our school.
USING PARENTS AS RESOURCES:
Our parent population also have vast levels of expertise in many different areas, and it was
suggested that many would be willing and excited to share that with students. Counselors
and Principals could help to foster this partnership and create opportunities for this to
happen.
All in all, the counselors felt like the panel was time well spent, and hopefully the parents
did as well.
If you are not sure about stepping in to help your child (this came up a lot), please don’t
hesitate to contact the appropriate counselor and talk through different possible ways of
handling the situation with your child.
Lastly, we leave you with the final thought that the counselor’s job in the end, is to make
sure that your child is happy and health here at school 
If you would like to contact the counselor for your child’s division, please see below:
Lee Cassidy, JHB-ES Counselor: [email protected]
Eliza Pomiecinska, PTA-ES & MS Counselor: [email protected]
Kendel Leet, JHB-MS Counselor: [email protected]
Ann Ireland, JHB-HS Counselor (A-M): [email protected]
Melissa Johnson-Schneider, JHB-HS Counselor (N-Z): [email protected]
Deanne Slattery, JHB Counseling Intern: [email protected]