MAKING FRIENDS & SOCIAL SKILLS

TIER 2 SMALL GROUP

SANTIAGO CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL 22-23

CLAIRE RODRIAN

SUMMARY
Santiago Charter Middle school is working to decrease the number of
7th grade student absences and build social-emotional competency over
the course of the '22-23 school year. Through a six-week, 30 minute lunch
time small group on making friends and building social skills, seven
students were able to engage with one another to address the root
cause of their anxiety in coming to school while also learning new social
skills.

NEED
Santiago Charter Middle school implemented a tier 1 intervention called
"minute meetings," in which the counseling staff met with every 7th grade
student for a brief period of time. According to the data from this
intervention, a significant number of students felt anxious about their
relationships with peers and making friends. Many students expressed feeling
nervous about coming to school because of lack of peer relationships. They
felt anxious specifically about lunch and nutrition time. Our team proposed
the creation of a social skills group for these students.

ASCA MINDSETS LEARNING

& BEHAVIORS
M2 - Sense of acceptance, respect, support
and inclusion for self and others in the
school environment
B-SS 2 - Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with
other students who are similar to and different from them
B-SS 9 - Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the
situation and environment
OBJECTIVES
Understanding that making and maintaining friendships are
important
identifying healthy/unhealthy friendships
Utilizing appropriate body language, boundaries and personal
space
Understanding the skills to make a new friend

GROUP ACTVITIES
LINK TO GROUP
PLANNING
WORKSHEET -

WEEK 1 - Introduction to group and each other WEEK 4 - Self-esteem bracelet making activity

WEEK 2 - Finding things in common by playing WEEK 5 - Writing recipes for healthy and unhealthy
"Never have I ever" and "2 truths and a lie" friendships

WEEK 3 - Initiating new relationships activity WEEK 6 - Wrap up and goal discussion

DATA & RESULTS

In the first 3 weeks of the second trimester, the students

school per week.

in our group were missing an average of 3 days of

40%
DECREASE
IN DAYS
In the 3 weeks following our group, the number of

MISSED!
absences for students in our group was down to an
average of 1 day of school per week.

pre-test

post-test

5
4
3 100% OF
STUDENTS HAD

2 SOMEONE TO SIT
WITH AT LUNCH
POST-GROUP

1
I think it is important
to make new friends
and maintain the ones
that I have
new people
I know what a I feel comfortable I know how to start I have people to
healthy friendship starting talking to a new spend time with at
looks like conversations with person school during lunch
or nutrition

REFLECTION NEXT STEPS

I will continue to track the attendance data for my
TThis group was somewhat limited because it met at
group for the next few following weeks. I also sent
lunch. Some students skipped group to each lunch. I
my students a follow up email with a few more
would have loved for the group to be a bit longer and
helpful documents including some handouts that I
also to meet at a different time of day. Overall,
used as well as a review sheet. I also will be
students were very receptive to the activities and the
available if students need to meet and follow up
group as a whole. individually

COUNSELING TEAM SCHOOL CONTACT INFO

Roshni Patel - Counselor 515 N Rancho Santiago Blvd,

Orange, CA
Kerry Vicencia - Counselor

Claire Rodrian - Intern (714) 997-6366

Joshua Cheng - Intern

Link to counseling website