The mission of Zucker Middle’s School Counseling Program is: Every Student. Every Day. No Exceptions. No Excuses. Our goal is to partner with parents, community, faculty and staff to provide a comprehensive, developmental counseling program addressing the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students thus preparing them with the knowledge and skills to be productive members of society.



Middle school counselors help to meet the needs of all students by:

Helping students understand themselves and others

Helping students develop communication skills

Helping students develop successful behavior patterns

Helping make school a successful experience for all

Helping to prevent problems from developing

Including parents in their children's education

Providing crisis intervention

MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELORS

Primary Function
• to provide a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program for all middle-level students
• to consult with teachers, parents/guardians, and staff to enhance their effectiveness in helping students
• to provide support to other middle-level educational programs

Major Responsibilities
1. Implementing the middle-level school guidance curriculum through coordination and/or delivery of classroom units and infusion in content areas 
2. Counseling individuals and groups of students toward academic and career development 
3. Counseling individuals and groups of students toward personal/social development and emotional growth 
4. Consulting with and training teachers, parents/guardians, and staff regarding the needs of middle-level students 
5. Referring students and their families to special programs, specialists, and community agencies when appropriate 
7. Participating in the intervention-team process and/or working with the school’s student support team 
8. Planning and evaluating the counseling program attending district, state and locally sponsored staff-development offerings
9. Pursuing continuous professional growth 

MS. LOTTS

I have been working as a school counselor for twelve years in Charleston, North Charleston and Summerville.  I attended the University of South Carolina where I earned a BFA in Art Education and The Citadel where I earned an M.Ed in School Counseling.  Most recently, I became a certified Career Development Facilitator.  I work with students, parents and school staff to maximize the academic, personal and social needs of students as they prepare to be productive citizens of the 21st century.  This year,​​ I am the 7th grade counselor and the 8th grade counselor for students whose last name begins with M-Z.  I enjoy working with students and their families.  Please feel free to contact me if you need anything or have any questions.​

MS. PAGE-DAWSON

Ms. Page-Dawson is the counselor for 6th grade and 8th grade students whose last name begins with A-L.

The PSAT is administered to students in the Fall or Spring of their 8th grade year.  Any student may participate as long as he/she registers and pays the $10 fee by the deadline.  If you would like further information about the test and what it measures, please click on the link below.

PSAT Information

Your child may want to take a practice test or review sample questions before the test administration - please click on the links below to access PSAT practice.

For more information about the test, please visit:

www.collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmqst-psat-10

For Free PSAT Practice on Khan Academy visit:

www.khanacademy.org

Kaplan is offering free, live lessons that cover all topics from the PSAT.  If your child can't make a live session, they can view the recording of the session as long as they've registered for it.  During this program, Kaplan's expert faculty will cover the most important PSAT content and tackle practice problems in live-streaming, one-hour lessons - all completely free.

For more information and to see where students register, you can click this link: www.kaptest.com/PSATPrepLive

Before entering High School, all 8th grade students in Charleston County Schools are required to have an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP). An IGP is a document used to assist students and their parents in exploring educational, professional, and secondary possibilities. The IGP will help your student explore educational opportunities that align with their college and/or career goals. The IGP is built on a student's academic record, life experiences, and the results of assessments. It can be modified over time as the student's interest and skills develop or change. Following eighth grade, students will review and update their plans annually with school counselors. Please call or email Ms. Page-Dawson or Ms. Lotts to schedule your student’s IGP meeting at your earliest convenience. These are short meetings and typically don’t take longer than ½ hour.

If your student’s last name begins with A-L, contact Ms. Page-Dawson at naquita_dawson@charleston.k12.sc.us or by phone at 843-207-3078.

If your student’s last name begins with M-Z, contact Ms. Lotts at jordane_lotts@charleston.k12.sc.us or by phone at 843-207-3010

You may also sign up for your student's IGP using this link:  (to be announced).

Thank you so much. We look forward to meeting you and completing your student’s IGP.

The largest program of its kind, participants in the Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search identify academic strengths, develop abilities and interests, and celebrate their achievements at a crucial time when they are forming their identities and looking ahead to the future. TIP assists families in determining how advanced their students’ academic abilities are and what level of educational challenge is appropriate.

As part of the talent search enrollment, Duke TIP registers eligible seventh graders to take either the ACT (no Writing) or SAT (no Essay) as an above-level test. This allows students to have greater insight into their abilities and it gives them the opportunity to preview a college entrance exam.

Whether you are new to TIP or participated in our 4th–6th Grade Talent Search, we hope you’ll take a moment to learn about this talent search, its valuable benefits and resources designed specifically for academically talented youth, and its qualifications for enrollment.

Eligibility Is an Honor

As a seventh grade student with strong intellectual abilities, you are eligible to participate because you achieved a qualifying score at or above the 95th percentile on a recent grade-level test. You have been identified as part of a select group who would benefit from participation in our program for academically talented students.

Do I Qualify?

• You must be in the seventh grade (or a current eighth grader who skipped seventh grade).
• You must meet the test score requirements.

Students must have one of the following (available from your school’s counselor):

• score at or above the 95th percentile on an accepted subtest or total battery/composite of a grade-level standardized achievement test, aptitude test, mental-ability test, approved state criterion-referenced test or
• have a standard score at or above 125 on the full scale or composite score on an IQ test that is no more than two years old.

 Scores from either of the two most recent test administrations are accepted. For most seventh grade students this represents scores from either the sixth grade or the fifth grade. Students need to qualify in only one of the accepted composite or subtest areas.

For more information, please go to the Duke TIP website: https://tip.duke.edu/

**Student will be notified if they are eligible by the end of September/early October.

Connecting Learning & Life

Naviance is a comprehensive college and career readiness solution for middle and high schools that helps connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals. (http://www.naviance.com/)

  JZMS Naviance Page:
https://student.naviance.com/jzmss

Chrome is the preferred browser

Username: first three letters of last name, followed by first three letters of first name, followed by last four digits of student id (i.e. - smitom3211 - like the gmail username)

Password: Entire Student ID (number only, found on bar code on back cover of student agenda - may be 5 or 12 digits)

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