Vision, Beliefs, and Mission Statements

Vision Statement: Escuela Key Elementary School Counseling Services

The vision of Escuela Key’s comprehensive school counseling program is for all students to value themselves and others and strive for academic excellence, emotional well-being, and a strong, positive character. Our students will be biliterate/bilingual life-long learners and respectful, responsible, trustworthy, and kind citizens. Our students implement problem solving and critical thinking skills, ensuring they achieve post-secondary and career goals and thrive as successful and productive members of our diverse community and world.

Escuela Key Elementary School Counselors believe in the following essential values:

The Professional School Counselors serving Escuela Key believe:

All students have dignity and worth, can achieve to their fullest potential, and can meet high standards that will result in post-secondary and career success
All students have the right to participate in the comprehensive school counseling program
All students shall have access to a full-time, state-certified, master’s-degree-level school counselor who delivers purposeful and meaningful supports that are driven by data, research, and best practices
All students can benefit from learning in two languages and from the rich opportunities provided to become global thinkers and “world citizens” who understand and value diversity

We believe that the Escuela Key Elementary School Counseling Program must:

Be an integral part of the total education program, aligned with national, state, and county standards
Be developmental in nature, comprehensive in scope, and preventative in design in order to meet the needs of all students and bring about positive systemic change
Be welcoming and promote a safe and inclusive school environment that values and respects the diverse cultural identities represented in our school
Be developed, implemented, evaluated, and improved annually by the school counselors in collaboration with the counseling advisory committee, Key’s administration and staff, parents/guardians, community representatives, and Arlington Public School’s counseling supervisors
Be data-driven, results-oriented, and focused on closing the gap in an effort to provide equal opportunities and high standards
Be based on specified goals and developmental student mindsets, behaviors, and standards to promote student achievement, high attendance, positive behavior, social-emotional well-being and the overall attainment of the counseling department’s vision and mission

We believe that the Escuela Key Elementary School Counselors must:

Abide by the professional school counseling ethics as advocated by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), Virginia School Counseling Association, and the policies of Arlington Public Schools
Participate in professional development activities essential to maintaining a quality school counseling program
Provide leadership at the school and district levels to create systemic change that benefits all students
Collaborate with stakeholders in order to provide support throughout all aspects of the school community
Proactively advocate for the academic, career, and social/emotional needs of all students as well as for equitable access to resources and opportunities by fostering strong school, family, and community partnerships

Mission Statement: Escuela Key Elementary School Counseling Services

The mission of Escuela Key’s School Counseling Program is to provide a responsive, culturally sensitive and safe environment where all students have equitable access to a challenging and data-driven curriculum and opportunities that support the whole child. Academic achievement, career planning, and social/emotional development for all students is facilitated through a deliberate and comprehensive school counseling program integrated with a strong character education focus. Our counseling program is enhanced through advocacy and active collaboration with staff, parents, and community members to ensure that all students acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to aspire to excellence, reach their maximum potential, and thrive in our dynamic global community.

~ Edited 3/2022