School Counseling

Welcome to the Guidance Office!

The Fort McCoy Guidance Department's mission is to provide a school counseling program that will lead to student excellence in academics, career awareness, and social/personal development.

To achieve this goal, the school counselors utilize a comprehensive, preventative guidance program. Students at Fort McCoy are provided with instructional lessons that help ensure that ALL students are on the road to success in school and life.

 

Big three

 

MEMBERS OF THE FORT MCCOY SCHOOL GUIDANCE STAFF

School Counselors

  • PreK – 5th Grade : Mary Taschenberger
  • 6th Grade – 8th Grade: Tiffany McQueen

Support and Diagnostic Staff

  • Registrar/IPC : Kristy Chesser
  • Guidance Clerk : Shannon Johnsen
  • Attendance Clerk : Dianne Timko
  • School Psychologist : Dr. Michael Mishkin
  • School Social Worker :Chandler Ash
  • ESE Specialist : Jessica Bryan

Counselors' Goals

  • Help children understand themselves and others
  • Help to identify children with special needs
  • Provide crisis intervention
  • Develop plans to prevent academic/behavioral problems from developing
  • Provide Career Awareness programs
  • Coordinate the efforts of other professionals working for children
  • Provide orientation for children coming to Fort McCoy for the first time
  • Promote positive attitudes towards persons of diverse cultural, racial, ability, and socioeconomic backgrounds

Phone Numbers

  • Guidance: 352-671-6332
  • Fax: 352-671-6334
  • Attendance: 352-671-6337

Parent Conferences

  • Elementary: Please send a note or call 671-6325 and leave a message for your child’s teacher that you would like to schedule a meeting. They will respond with a scheduled time.
  • Middle: Please call 671-6332. Conferences are held every day from 7:20-7:50.
     

General Information

Registration

Call Guidance at 671-6332 for registration procedures. 
 

Attendance

Taking attendance is the responsibility of the classroom teacher. If a child is not in his/her classroom by 7:55 am, he/she must check in at the Attendance Office before reporting to class. Also, if children are chronically absent, tardy, or picked up early, notices may be sent from the Attendance Office following Marion County School System policies and Florida Statutes. Upon your child’s return to school, send a handwritten note explaining why they are absent. If a doctor has seen your child, please send the doctor’s note. Any student absent more than five days in a rolling 45-day period will be required to have a doctor’s note for further absences to be excused until the expiration date stated in the letter the parent receives. This is per FL statutes.

Signing Out Early

Any parent wishing to sign a student out early must sign in at the front office and present identification. Then, please proceed to the Attendance Office to sign out your child. You must be listed on the student’s pick-up authorization list. There will be no checkouts after 2:00 pm.

Advanced Absences

A request for an advanced absence should be submitted to the attendance office 48 hours before the first date of the absence. All advanced absences must be approved by the Fort McCoy administration. Criteria considered for approval include student academic, attendance, and discipline history.

Official Records

Your child's official records have been or will soon be scanned into the Skyward student management system. If you have any questions, please call Guidance at 671-6332