Counseling

Elementary School Counseling

Welcome to the world of Elementary Counseling at the International Community School of Addis Ababa (ICS). As I begin another exciting year as your Elementary Counselor, I want to share with you some of my roles and responsibilities working with the ICS students, parents and teaching staff. Throughout this academic year, I will be working with our elementary teachers, teaching assistants and their students with classroom guidance lessons as well as with individual and group counseling. In my work at ICS, I can be seen as a friend, a listener, a helper and a problem solver.

At the beginning of the school year, I take time to work with new ICS students and parents as they get familiar to life at ICS and also within the city of Addis Ababa. Coming to a different place always poses some challenges and I want to make sure that our new students feel comfortable within their classrooms and outside on the playground. Before the first day of school, some elementary student ambassadors will help classroom teachers give tours of the campus. There is a buddy system and also “Getting to Know our New ICS Friends” luncheons to help ease the transition for students who are coming to ICS for the first time. For parents, Don Tingley and Ruth Laney, our Secondary and Middle School Counselors respectively and I have a Transitions Meeting at the beginning of the academic year to assist them with their needs. It is so important that we all get off to a wonderful start here at ICS.

Throughout the year, you will see me traveling from class to class with a bag of items such as hoola hoops, sponge balls, bean bags, cones and maybe even some rubber chickens. In our many team building activities with these materials, I help students learn to make good decisions and also to develop skills in getting along with others. The team building games are a major component of our Elementary Character Days that take place throughout the year. The Character Days also give students an opportunity to consider how they follow the ICS Way – Making a Difference by taking care of ourselves, taking care of others and taking care of this place and IB Learner Profile traits as they write their thoughts on reflection sheets. With select groups of grades 4 and 5 students, I will work to help develop and also foster leadership skills in our Monday after school Elementary Leadership Council (ELC). At our Friday morning Mini Alert assemblies, I will introduce the names of students who were caught following the ICS Way. Parents, teachers and students can see photos of these students and their mini alerts located on the student achievement bulletin board located beside our school cafeteria.

With our ICS teachers, I assist them to understand and meet their student needs. I provide classroom guidance in such areas as self esteem, decision making, career choices, conflict resolution and character development. Second Step, a violence prevention curriculum is now in place within our Pre Kindergarten to Grade 8 classes. I will provide Second Step in-service workshops for our new teachers and teaching assistants in September. This curriculum will be tied closely with our ICS Way and our character development program.

These are a few of the services that I offer to the ICS teachers, teaching assistants, parents and students. My job at ICS is to help all of the elementary children have a positive school experience. If you need to contact me then please feel free to call me at my office (Room 39) 011-371-1544 ext. 274 or e-mail me at derek.ferreira(at)icsaddis.edu.et. Again, I am very excited to be working as Elementary Counselor at ICS.

Derek Ferreira
Elementary Counselor

Secondary School Counseling

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new families joining the International Community School of Addis Ababa this year. I hope your children will soon settle into their school routines and that you are feeling excited about the opportunities to participate within the school community. I would like to remind you that the High School Counseling office is always open to assist you and your children with any questions or concerns that you may have. Genet and I will continue to work closely with all of you to support and promote students’ academic success and the uniqueness of each child.

This is a very special year for our seniors as they are ‘expected’ to graduate at the end of the school year. Selecting a university or college that suits their academic and personal needs is undoubtedly one of the more important decisions they will need to make. I will be available to work closely with all of them and their families during this decision making and application process.

Please stay in touch and if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, or wish to discuss anything which you feel may affect your child’s ability to learn, call or send me an email.

I have 11 years of experience in International schools, previously working in Lao PDR and Sri Lanka. I am Canadian and received my undergraduate degree at the University of New Brunswick in Canada and my master’s degree at Lehigh University in the USA. I am currently working on my International Principals Certificate through the PTC in Miami, Florida.

Along with my wife, Michele who works at ICS as the Media Consultant, and children – Kiana in Grade 9 and Keeghan in Grade 7 – we want to welcome you to the ICS Community.

Please click here for overview of our middle and high school support program.

Please feel free to contact me at donald.tingley(at)icsaddis.edu.et or give me a call at 011-371-1544, extension 284.

Mr. Donald Tingley,
HS Vice Principal/HS Counselor