• Frequently Asked Questions in the Counseling Office

    Lauren Markovitz - Grades 6 & 7

    Amanda Wolf - Grades 5 & 8

    1. Who do I contact if my child is absent or has an early dismissal or is going to be tardy?

    You may inform the school one of the three ways: 

    • Log into PowerSchool, click on the Forms tab (under the More section), click on the Form under Student Attendance named SPF Public Schools Absence/Tardy/Early Dismissal/Pick up Change. Please include pick-up time for early dismissal.

    • Call the attendance line at (908)322-5215 and press 1 to report an absence, early dismissal, or tardy. Please call before 8:30AM. 

    • In an emergency, you can arrive at school and sign out your student from the front vestibule without notifying the school first. Please be patient while we locate your student and have them pack up. 

    3. Do I need to notify the teachers about an early dismissal or an extended absence?

    • Teachers receive an email each day with a list of the students who are absent and who are noted as having an early dismissal. Counselors do not need to be notified about a short-term absence or an early dismissal. 

    • With extended absences less than 10 days due to illness, students can follow along with missed work on Google Classroom. If needed, teachers are happy to communicate via email or Google Classroom about specific assignments to focus on.  Additionally, counselors can help gather materials to leave for pick up at the main office (i.e. a class novel that was left in the classroom). 

    4. What is the best way to contact teachers or share an academic concern?

    • Core subject team teachers meet on a weekly basis. You may email them as a team or contact a specific teacher by entering their first initial and their last name. For example, the teacher John Smith would be jsmith@spfk12.org. If you have a concern about a specific class, the teacher should always be the first point of contact prior to the counselor. 

    5. What is a team meeting and how do I schedule one?

    • In fifth grade, there are parent-teacher conferences scheduled throughout the year. However, for grades 6-8, it can be challenging to hear about our students' day when we rely on their reports. Team meetings are a collaborative, solution-focused opportunity to meet with the core subject team teachers (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Writing Workshop) and get a glimpse into the window of their middle school day. Parents can share concerns they see at home (i.e. extensive amount of time spent on homework) and teachers will share observations made in the classroom regarding academic, behavioral, and social functioning. 

    • To request a meeting, you can email the grade’s respective school counselor (Ms. Wolf, grades 5 and 8 at awolf@spfk12.org or Ms. Markovitz, grades 6 and 7 at lmarkovitz@spfk12.org) as well as Ms. Toll (ktoll@spfk12.org) and Ms. Galli (lgalli@spfk12.org). Ms. Toll and Ms. Galli are the counseling secretaries who have access to the teachers’ schedules. Sometimes, teachers may request these meetings as a proactive, collaborative way to best support the student. 

    6. Who do I contact if I believe there is an error in my child’s scheduling?

    • At this point in the year, all errors should have been corrected and all schedule changes should have been completed. However, you may notice an error for Semester 2 that was not caught. All schedule changes must be approved by the Administration. Counselors do not have the ability to make any changes to schedules without the approval from an Administrator (Dr. Holloway: kholloway@spfk12.org and Mr. Gerace: rgerace@spfk12.org). 

    7. When do I contact the counselor?

    • A change taking place at home (i.e. parent on vacation, loss in the family). We appreciate the heads up and can give your student a little extra TLC if needed.

    • Noticing academic concerns (spending an excessive amount of time on homework, disorganization that is impairing academic performance, etc.)

    • Assistance resolving a conflict with a peer

    • Academic or behavioral support once contact has already been made with the classroom teacher

    • Feels your student would benefit from a confidential check-in 

    8. How do I access PowerSchool?

    • Parents & students can access PowerSchool by clicking https://spf..com/public/home.html

    • Parents can create a Parent Account by following these steps: PowerSchool - Creating Account for Parents.pdf

    • Student access is granted for 7th grade and 8th graders ONLY.

      • To access, enter the student’s username, which is part of their email. For example, 29tsmith@students.spfk12.org would have the username 29tsmith

      • Enter the student’s password. Their password is their 6 digit student ID number. This is the number they use for their lunch account and email password.

    • Troubleshooting: If you have trouble with PowerSchool or other technology challenges click below: https://www.spfk12.org/domain/61

    10. How do I sign up for clubs?