Counseling

Hello!  I’m Darren Mackaravitz (a.k.a. Mr. Mack) and I’m so happy to be the
school counselor at Pioneer Elementary. I have worked in the RE-3 District
since 2022 and love working with the students at our school.

Here’s what our school counseling program at Pioneer Elementary looks like:

•  Classroom lessons twice a month with every class: this time with your students is one of my favorite parts of my job.  We get to practice social skills through games and special activities that encourage self-awareness, regulation, cooperation and inclusion.
• Teaching tools: I work with students to identify different skills that will be helpful for managing their emotions when they experience them. 
• Group counseling: when a student has a specific need I will work with their teacher and the grade level team to organize a special group that will last around six weeks where we work together to develop or build the necessary skills for them to be successful.
• Individual counseling: whether it’s a big change or just having a hard day, I’m here to help the students of Pioneer Elementary carry some of those difficult feelings.  We will also work on developing strategies for how to manage those big feelings because we all have them!
• Teacher consultation: I will work with the staff here at Pioneer to support all our students' academic and social emotional needs. 
• Parent support: as a parent and a counselor, I recognize that sometimes ages and stages can be difficult.  Please feel free to reach out to me to discuss your child’s needs and know that I have to reach out for support too because parenting is a wonderful and challenging journey. 

Most importantly, I will work to support your student in a way that communicates both through words and actions that their ideas, thoughts and feelings matter very much. I' m so excited for another year of learning and growing at Pioneer Elementary!

Darren Mackaravitz