Our Mission

To support the school community by developing and integrating a comprehensive guidance program that will equip students with academic, college/career, and social-emotional skills. This can enable students to develop a positive sense of self, to become responsible citizens, and to become lifelong learners.

We Believe

• All students are valuable and deserve respect

• All students can be taught appropriate behaviors, can learn, and can grow to reach their full potential if given the right environment

• All students learn best when they feel good about themselves and their relationships with others

• All students should have equal access to counseling & guidance services

• School counselors are a resource and an advocate for all students, staff, parents, and the community

• Positive relationships between students and adults are the key to student success

How We Can Help

Our counselors are here to promote positive development in academic, career, and personal/social domains. The counseling team performs some of the following roles:

• Individual brief counseling

• Small group counseling

• Scheduling classes

• Attend and participate in academic intervention meetings

• Academic monitoring

• Observe students in various school environments

• Consult and collaborate with parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and students

• Respond to school crises or emergency situations

• Provide information and resources to parents on a variety of issues

Request an Appointment

Request an appointment with your counselor.

Helpful Articles

• College Student Study Skills Guide

• Study Skills for Middle School & Beyond

Meet Mattson's Counselors

Our school has two counselors who support students according to grade level. Students and parents are welcome to make appointments with Heidi Hart and Melanie Goodman.

Eighth-Grade Counselor – Mrs. Hart

In addition to serving 8th grade students, Heidi is also the counselor for the School Adjustment (SA) students and Self-Contained students (SC).

Students

If you would like to make an appointment with Mrs. Hart, please submit a counseling appointment request form. 

Mrs. Hart will call you down to the counseling office when she is available to meet with you. Students do not just get up and leave class, you must wait to be called down to the office.

Parents

Parents may schedule an appointment by calling (253) 373-6257 or emailing Heidi Hart, Heidi.Hart@kent.k12.wa.us.

Seventh-Grade Counselor – Rondelle Jeffery

Students

If you would like to make an appointment with Ms. Jeffery, please submit a counseling appointment request form. 

Ms. Jeffery will call you down to the counseling office when she is available to meet with you. Students do not just get up and leave class, you must wait to be called down to the office.

Parents

Parents may schedule an appointment by calling (253) 373-6321 or emailing Rondelle Jeffery, Rondelle.Jeffery@kent.k12.wa.us.

Sixth-Grade Counselor – April Reynolds

Students

If you would like to make an appointment with Ms. Reynolds, please submit a counseling appointment request form. 

Ms. Reynolds will call you down to the counseling office when she is available to meet with you. Students do not just get up and leave class, you must wait to be called down to the office.

Parents

Parents may schedule an appointment by calling (253) 373-6256 or emailing April Reynolds, April.Reynolds@kent.k12.wa.us.

While there are many legitimate reasons for a schedule change to be granted, it is not always possible to grant a schedule change due to class size and/or availability of elective choice.

Schedule change requests are reviewed and made during the first two weeks of each semester based on the following criteria: 

• The student is enrolled in a course or courses without meeting the prerequisite

• The student has multiple or double periods

• The student is misplaced as determined by the counselor, teacher, or administrator

• The student is missing a class

Counselors will not make schedule changes once the new semester starts. Please complete the Schedule Change Form .

Exiting Honors or High-School Credit Bearing Classes

Students may not decide to exit self-selected honors or high-school credit-bearing classes without parental consent. 

If a parent is concerned and wants a student removed, or the student wants to be removed, the next step is to fill out the Schedule Change Form , and someone will be in contact shortly. 

Teacher Change Process

If a student or a parent has a concern about a teacher, we recommend that parents first reach out to the teacher first via email or phone to problem solve with the teacher and come up with solutions. 

If after you have reached out to the teacher and talked to them about your concerns and the solutions you tried are not working, then you can request a meeting with the teacher, administration, the student, and the counselor. During that meeting, we will discuss any issues in the classroom and how they can be addressed. A final decision will be made about the next steps at the meeting.

A student will not be removed from a class for any of the following reasons:

• The student does not like the teacher/class

• The student wants to be in a class with friends

• The student wants a different lunch

• The student believes the class is too hard/has too much homework

• The student wants a different period for the class

Requesting a Meeting with the Teacher

For a counselor to schedule a parent meeting with a teacher, parents must have already:

1. Contacted the teacher and talked to the teacher about any concerns or issues

2. Tried to problem solve with the teacher

If the steps above have not worked and further intervention is needed, the parent can then ask for a meeting with the teacher.