South Middle School

Counseling and Support Center

LSMS Guidance Phone Number: 516-887-0267

Lynbrook School District Guidance Chairperson: Ms. Sue Moller (6-12)
Guidance Counselor: Brian Buckley - brian.buckley@lynbrookschools.org
Guidance Counselor: Jennifer Arena - jennifer.arena@lynbrookschools.org
School Social Worker: Amanda Pustorino - amanda.pustorino@lynbrookschools.org

Thank you for visiting the Guidance Website. Please visit often to get the latest news and information on what is happening.

Caseload for the 2024-2025 school year

Welcome to the Lynbrook South Middle School Guidance Department. Brian Buckley and Jennifer Arena, the School Counselors, work with the students, parents, teachers, administration, the School Social Worker and School Psychologist in many ways through their comprehensive guidance and counseling program. 

The Lynbrook Guidance and Counseling Department has a commitment to help students attain their full academic potential, develop responsible independence and form a sense of self-worth through a supportive counseling relationship and collaborative partnership with parents, teachers, and administrators as they strive to identify and clarify personal values and goals.

The Lynbrook Guidance and Counseling program provides comprehensive and age-level services to students in grades 6-12. The main goal of the program is to promote intellectual, emotional and social growth of all students. Lynbrook's counselors help students build a foundation for learning by assisting students to develop self-respect, awareness of others, and become individuals responsible for acquiring knowledge.

The Guidance Program is designed to produce responsible, self-aware adults. Guidance and counseling services, provided by professionally certified counselors, are greatly needed at this level as adolescents wrestle with diverse issues such as self-doubt, peer pressure, changing emotions, struggles for independence and rapid growth. Through individual or group counseling, Instructional Support Team Meetings, parent/ teacher conferences and in conjunction with the services of other support personnel, counselors work as advocates for their students.

Some of the day-to-day guidance activities are:

• Open door policy to attend to students’ needs on a daily basis as they progress through the challenging years of middle school.

• Individual and group counseling

• Parent and teacher conferences to address academic and social concerns.

• Member of Instructional Support Team (IST)

• Attending to the needs of the Special Education students.

Other services developed and implemented by our Guidance Counselors include but are not limited to:

• Individual Counseling – Facilitating the process of problem solving and decision-making.

• Group Counseling - Study skills, academic progress and mediations are topics covered in group settings. Other group work is facilitated by our school social worker.

• Instructional Support Team – Individualizes interventions of referred “at risk” students. The team is comprised of the principal, guidance counselors, the school nurse, social worker and psychologist and the special education teachers.

• Crisis Intervention

• Conferencing –Counselors work with the parents, teachers and students discussing academic, social and emotional development.

• Pupil Review – Analysis and interpretation of accumulated student data with recommendations and individualized strategies to help students succeed.

Our Two Goals for Every Student:

1) To support students so that they achieve the highest educational standards possible.

2) For our students to learn and grow up in a healthy, caring and positive environment.