​Dear Parents and Guardians,                                                                                                

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year at Mary G. Porter Traditional School. I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is ready to learn and have a great school year. I am Christie Kargbo, your Director of School Counseling. I will be working with all students in the Elementary and Middle School Level. This year, Ms. Laura Carmack will be our Elementary Counselor. She will providing services to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade students. 

As your School Counselors, we will help all students in 3 main ways: Individual Counseling, Small Group Counseling, and Classroom Guidance lessons. We will visit each classroom at least once a month to conduct lessons/class meetings on a variety of topics. Teachers may request extra guidance lessons if they so desire.  

Students can see us individually by self referral, parents, or teacher referrals. Parents are encouraged to contact the office if you would like us to chat with your child about an issue or difficulty they may be facing. We will typically meet with a child for 3-5 sessions on a topic and if we feel that more help is needed, we will refer and collaborate with outside counseling.

We will conduct small groups as needed throughout the year on topics such as New to Porter, Friendship, Motivation, Stress, Divorce (Banana Splits), Social Skills, ect. If we feel that your child could benefit from a small group, I will send home a permission form for your child to participate. Parental permission is required for small groups and confidentiality will be maintained. Small groups will be conducted during lunch time or encores so minimal instructional time is missed, however that is not always possible.

If there is another group you would like to see added, please list it and if we receive enough interest, I’d be happy to facilitate it.

Please email me to obtain a form that you will need to sign in order for your child to participate (Kargboce@pwcs.edu). These forms will also be handed out to your child during homeroom.

I am so excited for this new year and know it will be a productive and exciting one. Please feel free to call me at 703-580-6501 or email Kargboce@pwcs.edu .

Thank you,

Ms. Kargbo