They will also master the following Behavior Standards:

• B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions

• B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control

• B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

(American School Counselor Association, 2021)

• Student participants will also sign an assent form that will be created using an age-appropriate list of expectations. This will help student participants take ownership of their group work.

The following ground rules will be preset by the school counselor, but will be discussed as a group on what these ground rules look like and sound like:

• Group members will show kindness

• Confidentiality expectations

• Group participation

• One person speaking at a time

• Active listening as others are talking

The students can add further ground rules, with guidance from the school counseling. We will discuss what each one looks and sounds like. Some examples of ground rules they may want to add would be how they will treat our meeting space and activity supplies, and specific actions they do or do not want from other group members.

• During this stage, it is important to allow group members to become acquainted with each other, set the group norms, and begin building trust (Missouri Department of Education & Secondary Education 2015). Students will participate in an opening icebreaker activity called "Find Someone Who". They will have a list of 5 characteristics and they need to find another group member with that characteristic. Group norms will be set as a group, with a few present norms already included. Group discussions will take place on what each norm looks like and sounds like. Confidentiality will be explained and its importance discussed. If a student breaks confidentiality, they will be removed from the group and receive an office referral.

Stage 2:

• Stage two of a counseling group involves collaboration to meet group and individual goals (Missouri Department of Education & Secondary Education 2015). Group members will be encouraged to work together by continually opening up with ice breaker activities to build their relationships with each other. Some icebreakers will include short team STEM challenges, as well. The school counselor will check in with group members between sessions using the student participants attendance tracker and end of week lunch bunch.

Stage 3:

• The third and final stage of group counseling is closure of the group (Missouri Department of Education & Secondary Education 2015). The school counselor will begin preparing for group closure during Week 4. During the close of that session, the school counselor will mention that there are two sessions left and name the topic for each session. This will be repeated during Week 5 in the same manner. During the final session, student participants will be free to share anything they would like with the group as the final activity.

The school counselor will need to exhibit qualities of a transformational leader with his/her energy level, passion for the students well-being, and attentiveness to the emotional factors of their school attendance.

The school counselor will also need to exhibit situational leadership. As with most classrooms and leadership of children, a variety of situations can occur in a given timeframe. There will be times when student participants need to be told exactly what to do and other times where they will be able to exhibit choice in decisions for the group. The school counselor may also face times when they have to encourageethe group participants to participate or become fully engaged with an activity. The school counselor will also have to offer a lot of coaching and support, depending on the activities they are doing.

Cherry, 2023

Cherry, K. (2023b, June 27). How to lead: 6 leadership styles and frameworks. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312

Guide Response Serv Small Group Counseling Guide 2015 | Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2015). Dese.mo.gov. https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/guid-respon-serv-small-group-counseling-guide-2015

Texas Education Agency. (2018). The Texas model for comprehensive school counseling programs. (5th ed., pp. 23–27). Texas Counseling Association.

2 Texas Education Code § 33. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm#33.000

Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (6th ed.). Basic Books.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm#33.000

Imparting of information - students will learn about the importance of school attendance and the negative effects of chronic absenteeism

Existential factors - students will hear and learn about their responsibilities in school and how those responsibilities are not met when they are absent

Direct advice - students will receive direct advice on overcoming obstacles to their school attendance

Interpersonal learning - students will identify and learn what obstacles they face to attend school

Yalom and Leszez, 2020

• Counselors inform parents and legal guardians about the role of counselors and the confidential nature of the counseling relationship, consistent with current legal and custodial arrangements. Counselors are sensitive to the cultural diversity of families and respect the inherent rights and responsibilities of parents/guardians regarding the welfare of their children/charges according to law. Counselors work to establish, as appropriate, collaborative relationships with parents/guardians to best serve clients (American Counseling Association, 2014).

This ethical requirement from the American Counselors Association will support the school counselor as he/she establishes a working relationship with the parents and guardians of the group participants. It also holds them accountable to the confidentiality of student participants for things shared during each group session. This confidentiality is important to protect the minor child from having shared information given to adults outside of the group, with the exceptions of self-harm or threat of harm to others.

• an individual planning system to guide a student as the student plans, monitors, and manages the student's own educational, career, personal, and social development (Texas Education Code, 1995).

It is a legal responsibility of a school counselor to offer services that will help a student succeed academically. Chromic absenteeism creates gaps and barriers to a student reaching their full academic potential. Creation, forming, and leading a group that focuses on helping students who are at risk of truancy. This legal guidelines supports the school counselor in their quest for the Roll Call Rockstars group and the use of the school counselors time spent in planning, implementing, and evaluating this group.