Simona McKinney

Ms. Simona McKinney
Counselor
sdmckinney1@cps.edu

As the counselor of Newberry Academy, I would like to think that I work with every single student during each school year.  From the very first day of a student’s career at Newberry when I coordinate the request for records—to the very last day before graduation from Newberry when I help ensure that each student has found the best high school for him or her, I provide guidance services to help meet their social emotional needs. 

I develop programs for our students such as: Red Ribbon Week (which celebrates being Drug Free), Diversity Week, and Career Week.  I also support the teachers with our school-wide social emotional curriculum: Second Step.  Second Step focuses on teaching students about empathy, problem solving skills, and anger management strategies.  Along with this, I plan training for our teachers and staff  to support their ability to attend to the emotional growth of all students.  I also coordinate school-wide testing: EXPLORE for eighth graders, Limited October Testing for eighth graders, and ISAT testing for third – eighth graders. 

I help seventh and eighth grade students navigate through the high school application process by organizing Newberry’s High School Fair in October and meeting with students and parents one-on-one to review high school applications.  It is important to me that each eighth grader have as many choices as possible in the spring when deciding on a high school.

For students who need additional support, I offer individual counseling services.  This is generally for students who are going through a difficult transition at school or home.  I also work with students in counseling groups; I lead a support group for students of divorced or separated parents as well as a social skills and self-esteem group.  In addition, I work with students who are having conflicts with others and help mediate these issues using peace circles. 

As the case manager of Newberry Academy, I coordinate the special education services at our school.  For students who have an identified disability, I meet with their parents, teachers, and related service providers (e.g., psychologist, nurse, social worker, speech pathologist, and occupational therapist) to develop an Individual Education Program.  I work to advocate for each student with a disability so that they are educated in the Least Restrictive Environment possible.  Thus, I work closely with both the general education teachers and the special education teachers to help ensure that students with special education needs are included in the general education classrooms as much as possible.

For students who have yet been identified to have a disability, I work with the parents, teachers, and related services providers to identify these students and evaluate the need for special education.  If a student is behind academically, we all work together to close the gap between the student and his or her peers.

Prior to joining Newberry Academy, I worked as an outpatient counselor in a community mental health agency.  I received a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Loyola University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.