Guidance at St. Thomas More School

 The Guidance Office assists students who are dealing with emotional, social, behavioral or academic issues. Two guidance counselors are available to meet with students as needed. Students can be referred to the guidance counselors by teachers or parents. In addition to individual counseling, counselors conduct small group counseling on a limited basis. Also weekly classroom guidance programs, which address social and emotional development, are scheduled in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Counselors conduct the Child Protection Catechesis in kindergarten through eighth grade each year as well. Counselors welcome the opportunity to work with St. Thomas More children to make their school experience a positive one.

About the Counselors...

Sister Patricia Luss - is the Director of Student Services and Guidance Support. She was Vice-Principal at STM for 5 years and now serves in the Guidance Office. Previous to her ministry at STM, she was Principal in several schools for a total of 20 years. Sister Pat also has experience teaching at the intermediate, junior high, and high school levels. She enjoys interacting with students and challenging them to be the best persons they can become by "letting their light shine".

Mrs. Susan Perun - is a certified K-12 school counselor who has been at STM since 2004. She has worked with children as a counselor, teacher and catechist for over 20 years. Her focus is on encouraging students to be positive and on helping them solve their own problems while offering support and reassurance.

Sister Pat and Mrs. Perun work together with the parents, teachers, administration and staff to meet a child's individual needs. They are committed to nurturing the whole child by supporting a student's social/emotional, behavioral and academic development. Please call them at 610-432-0396 (Sr. Pat, ext. 5; Mrs. Perun, ext. 8) for assistance.

From the Counselors...

All parents are encouraged to monitor the texting and online chatting of their children. These methods of communication increase over the summer months while school is out.  Problems can occur because of the personal nature of conversations and the opportunity to create a different persona online.  Children sometimes make unkind remarks or use inappropriate language that they may not ordinarily use if they were speaking in person. Please be aware of this possibility and help your children to use the Internet and cell phones in a positive way.

Also remember to supervise the video games that your children are playing, especially those that they might borrow from a friend. Check the content rating to determine if it is age-appropriate. For younger children and those children who tend to worry, consider the television programs and movies they are watching to decide if they are appropriate for their cognitive and social development. We have included some websites to help you make safe and suitable choices for your children.