GUIDANCE & COUNSELING

Department Chair

Dr. Tracey Segal

Phone: 516-441-4521

Secretary

Ms. Tracy Murtagh

Phone: 441-4520

Student Appointments

Students, make your appointment with the counseling center!

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

Counseling Department Staff

School Counselors

Dr. Tracey Segal, Department Chair

Phone: 441-4521

Mr. Jonathan Woods, Grade 6 Counselor

Phone: 441-4524

Ms. Heather Blasi, Grade 7 Counselor

Phone: 441-4523

Ms. Michele Israel, Grade 8 Counselor

Phone: 441-4522

School Psychologists

Dr. James Bowman, Last names A-K

Phone: 441-4535

Dr. Eileen Fusco, Last Names: L-Z

Phone: 441-4536

Dr. Kristan Melo

Phone: 441-4538

Social Worker

Ms. Wendy Murad, Social Worker

Phone: 441-4537

Counseling Center Information & Resources

About Us

The staff of the Counseling Center is comprised of three school counselors (one for each grade level), two school psychologists and a social worker. We work with students, families, faculty and administration through our comprehensive counseling program. Each service is aimed at helping children learn and develop to their highest potential. Our goal is to provide opportunities to promote "excellence and success for all students."

School Counselors

Counselors wear many hats, providing services to students, parents and teachers. We strive to establish open and trusting relationships with students and their families and teachers, in order to optimize students’ success in school.

How Counselors Help Students

Counselors work with students individually, in groups and in classrooms to:

Develop self-understanding and self-awareness
Build self-confidence and self-esteem
Encourage students to recognize and make the best use of their capabilities
Provide opportunities for students to feel successful
Discuss and work through educational and personal/social concerns
Facilitate transition from elementary to middle school and middle to high school
Help students recognize, understand and work through learning difficulties
Teach the decision-making/problem-solving process
Handle peer pressure
Encourage better interpersonal relationships and help resolve conflicts
Monitor academic progress by reviewing progress reports, report cards and by speaking with students
Assist with course selection
Teach life coping strategies to help deal with feelings
Offer tips on study skills, organizational skills and time management
Provide support during a crisis

How Counselors Help Parents

Counselors work with parents to:

Foster communication and understanding between parents and children
Offer strategies parents can utilize for homework and achievement concerns
Increase parental understanding of adolescence
Consult about concerns regarding their child’s growth and development in areas including self-esteem, family relationships, peer relationships, stress, values, and decision-making
Identify issues that may impact upon their child’s ability to learn
Facilitate communication between home and school
Assist in crisis intervention

School Psychologists

A school psychologist is a professional with specialized training in psychology and education. We use our training and skill to work with parents, teachers, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe, healthy and supportive environment. School psychologists understand child development, school systems, and effective teaching, and are prepared to help alleviate difficulties that may otherwise impede successful learning.

The role of the school psychologist is to:

Conduct individual psychological evaluations of students
Provide individual counseling for social, academic, behavioral and emotional concerns of students
Intervene in crisis situations
Meet with parents about various issues relating to problems at home and in school
Meet with students, parents and teachers to review test results and make recommendations
Assist families in obtaining appropriate outside psychotherapeutic treatment
Maintain contact with private therapists to coordinate treatment
Consult with administration about student and community concerns, program planning, staff training and intervention procedures
Offer suggestions to parents and teachers about how to help students
Develop and implement behavioral intervention plans
Conduct individual and group counseling sessions with students
Lead parent training groups

School Social Worker

The school social worker is instrumental in enhancing the school’s ability to meet its academic mission, especially where home, school and community collaboration is the key to achieving that mission.

The role of the school social worker is to:

Conduct individual and group counseling sessions with students
Assist in crisis intervention
Speak with parents about issues impacting upon a student’s ability to learn
Consults and shares information about students with teachers
Make home visits when necessary in order to help students and their parents
Assist families in obtaining appropriate outside help
Lead parenting workshops
Attend team meetings as needed to discuss students and plan helping strategies

Course Registration

Grade 6

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Grade 7

Grade 8

High School

Dear Parents/Guardians of current 8th Grade Students:

We are pleased to let you know that we are in the beginning stages of preparing your child for the ninth grade at Great Neck North High School. Throughout high school, your child will have many opportunities to take elective courses starting as early as next year. In early February, school counselors from North High will visit your child’s English class to begin the high school registration process. At the conclusion of this presentation, your child will be given a link to the list of Freshman Elective Offerings and Google Form through which they will rank their top five choices. Links to both are below.

Great Neck North High School Freshman Elective Offerings

Great Neck North High School Freshman Elective Google Form

Please review the above Freshman Elective Offerings and Google Form with your child as your approval is required. Once selections are made, your child will need to submit the form by February 16, 2024.

The North High School course catalog includes full course descriptions and can be found on the course registration page:

NHS Course Catalog Page

Our teachers are in the process of making course recommendations for high school placement. These recommendations will be finalized at the end of the year. In an effort to better inform you of this process, the requirements for Honors Placement in North High School are as follows:

Math: Placement in Geometry Honors requires a minimum course grade of 90% in Algebra I and a teacher recommendation.

English: English 9 Honors is not offered as a separate course. Ninth grade students enrolled in an English 9 Regents class have the opportunity to pursue honors-level study and credit by achievement. English 9 Regents teachers will explain the criteria for an English Honors designation early in the school year.

Social Studies: Ninth grade students enrolled in a Social Studies 9 Global Regents class will be given the opportunity to earn honors credit within their Social Studies class. Social Studies 9 Regents teachers will explain the criteria for a Social Studies Honors designation early in the school year.

Science: Eighth grade Algebra students will be considered for Physics 9 Honors placement at North High School. Placement in this course is dependent upon a student’s Quarter 1 and 2 combined average in Honors Algebra I and Earth Science in 8th grade, as well as teacher recommendations. Space in this course is limited, and so only a select number of students will be considered.

North High also offers academic support programs. Descriptions of these classes are as follows:

Math: Students designated by their Math 8 teachers as needing additional instruction to master the concepts and skills of Algebra I will take Algebra I with a Lab, a course that provides an extra period of math on alternate days for support.

Study Skills: The Study Skills Center offers classes for all grades and addresses a wide range of abilities. Students receive help with their academic coursework with which they are struggling. Pre-teaching and review are included in the instruction. Emphasis is placed on reading comprehension of materials in all curricula. Skills and instructional strategies are addressed in the context of the content material. Skills that are addressed are those necessary for success in all classes. These skills include time management and organizational skills, test-taking strategies, detail writing from expository material, the use of interpreting graphics and visual aids (such as webs, cause-effect, charts, and outlines), vocabulary development, critical reading/writing/thinking, and thematic document-based essay writing. Eighth grade teachers will recommend students for placement in study skills based on their performance in eighth grade.

If you have any questions, please contact either the subject area teachers or your child’s school counselor, Mr. Jonathan Woods at jwoods@greatneck.k12.ny.us or 516-441-4524 or Dr. Tracey Segal at tsegal@greatneck.k12.ny.us or 516-441-4521.

We hope that you find this information useful.

College Awareness

May 2023

We are excited to let you know about our fourth College Awareness scavenger hunt which is taking place during an extended homeroom on Monday, May 1, 2023, coinciding with the unofficial College Decision Day.

Since the beginning of April, Blazers Live students have been introducing collegiate vocabulary terms such as tuition, room and board, scholarship, GPA, public school, private school, in state, out of state etc. Using the vocabulary learned, students will be engaging in a school-wide scavenger hunt. During the scavenger hunt, teachers and staff will be present in hallways wearing spirit wear from the college or university they attended. Students will approach teachers and staff asking questions regarding their college experience(s).

The goal is for our students to use language relating to college while gaining collegiate awareness.

When colleges found out what we had planned, they were incredibly supportive. In fact, we received over 1,000 giveaways from colleges including:

Alabama A&M University
Alfred University
Bard College
Brigham Young University
California State University, Channel Islands
California State University, East Bay
Carnegie Mellon University
Central CT State Univ
Claremont McKenna
Colgate University
College of William and Mary
Colorado School of Mines
Davidson College
Elizabethtown College
Five Towns College
Gonzaga University
Hamilton College
Hollins University
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Kansas State University
Kingsborough Community College
LeMoyne College
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Los Angeles City College
Loyola College of Maryland
Loyola Marymount University
Monroe College
Montclair State University
Nassau Community College
New York University
Norfolk State University
Prairie View A&M University
Quinnipiac University
Randolph College
Randolph-Macon College
Rivier University
Roger Williams University
Santa Monica College
Seton Hall University
Siena College
Springfield College
St. John's University - Queens Campus
St. Joseph's University
St. Louis University
St. Thomas Aquinas College
State University of New York at New Paltz
Suffolk County Community College
SUNY Buffalo State College
SUNY College at Geneseo
SUNY Fredonia
Temple University
The College of New Jersey
The University of Akron
The University of Scranton
The University of Tampa
Towson University
Tufts University
University of Central Florida
University of MA Amherst
University of New Hampshire at Durham
University of North Carolina Wilmington
University of Illinois
University of Kentucky
University of Mary Washington
University of Michigan
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Scranton
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
University of Virginia
Utica College
Vanderbilt University
Virginia State University
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
Warner University
West Virginia University
Western New England University
Williams College

Each student will receive one of these generously donated prizes upon completion of the scavenger hunt.

We hope you are as excited as we are about this event!

Sincerely,

Dr. Tracey Segal, School Counseling Department Chairperson

Mrs. Michele Israel, School Counselor

Mrs. Heather Blasi, School Counselor

Mr. Jon Woods, School Counselor

Mrs. Tracy Murtagh, Counseling Center Secretary

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can students access the Counseling Center?

A. Students can make an appointment at any time using the following link: Student Appointment

Students will receive a pass in homeroom the morning of the appointment. Students should show their classroom teacher the pass prior to their appointment.

Q. What should students do if they are absent from school?

A. Students should have a homework buddy in each class and the buddy's phone number. They can call their buddies to find out what homework was assigned. In addition, students can use Google Classroom to keep up on assignments while they are absent. Upon returning to school, students should speak with each of their teachers to make sure they are up to date.

Q. What should students do if they are being bullied?

A. Students should immediately report any case of bullying to an adult in the building. There are many people here to help, including teachers, counselors, deans and administrators.

Q. How many report cards are generated in a school year?

A. There are four report cards throughout the course of the school year. Parents should check the parent portal on the district’s website to access these reports. Parents can call the Counseling Center at 441-4520 if they need a paper copy of these reports.

Q. How can an email be sent to a teacher?

A. Each member of the school faculty has an email address. Just type the first letter of the teacher's first name, the teacher's last name followed by the suffix @greatneck.k12.ny.us.

Q. How can parents set up a meeting with their child's teachers?

A. Please call Mrs. Murtagh in the Counseling Center at 441-4520 if you would like to schedule a team meeting.

Q. Can I change one of my classes?

A. As per district policy, middle school students may change course level (for example, Regents to Non-Regents) up until the end of the 2nd marking period. Students will not be permitted to change course levels after this deadline. Grades will not follow from one level course to another.

Exceptions: Exceptions to the add/drop deadlines may be made for ungraded and support classes such as study skills unless these courses are required by State Law, Board of Education Policy, Individualize Education Plan, or 504 accommodation. In cases of compelling educational need, these practices may be overridden by the building principal in consultation with the teacher, department head, and school counselor.