Tri-North Middle School
Paul Mullin, Counselor 
Mission
Statement: Tri-North Middle School provides a positive
environment which promotes the further development of learning
fundamental knowledge, skills, multi-cultural understanding,
creativity and character so students may be prepared to fulfill
their responsibilities as citizens.
"ACADEMIC
EXCELLENCE WITHIN A CARING COMMUNITY"
Find information here
on: school safety; safe school hotline; youth services contacts;
our school community;
academic and study skills; college and career information; fun
learning;
peer mediation;
Twenty-first Century Scholars; and, FAQ'S-Frequently Asked
Questions.
School Safety
A positive environment
means keeping kids safe!
Tri-North
Middle School is a "Safe Place." Ask anyone who
works here to help you...they will know what to do. See a
teacher, counselor, secretary, principal, or any staff
member. Just ask for help.
MCCSC
SAFE
SCHOOLS HOTLINE
24 Hour Anonymous
Hotline
Phone:
330-2494
A confidential means of reporting
unsafe conditions that could harm students, staff, or the school.
CALL 911 IN AN
EMERGENCY
Keeping Kids
Safe: People that you can talk to:
Listening Line Call 332-6060 to talk about a problem or crisis. At Listening Line, the person who answers will listen and help find the right person who can help you. The person who answers is trained to help people in danger of harm or when someone feels like hurting himself or herself.
First Call for Help Call 334-8393 if you don't know who to call. At First Call for Help they know how to help you find the right kind of help for your problem. Call and talk to someone who knows how to listen and can figure out what kind of help that you might need.
Safe Place Program Call 349-2506 or go to where you see the yellow Safe Place sign. Just ask the people who work in the building to help you. They have been trained to know what to do.
Youth
Services Bureau Call 349-2506 or go to 515 South Adams
Street. Youth Services Bureau can give you protection from
someone who might hurt you. They can help in many other
ways, too. If you have run away from home, or are afraid to
go home, or just don't know where to go, call them.
Our School
Community
The Monroe County Community School Corporation serves all but two northwestern townships in Monroe County. Bloomington, the county seat, has a population of about 65,000. Monroe County has a population of about 116,650. The presence of Indiana University offers tremendous social, cultural, educational, entertainment, and recreational opportunities for Tri-North students.
Tri-North students include those students who reside within Indiana University family housing. We are fortunate in that our school is a smaller community of the university culture within Bloomington. At least 30 foreign countries of origin were found within our 2000-2001 student body. What a wonderful combination we have: world class facilities at IU, cosmopolitan students, and the charm of living in southern Indiana We believe that you will be impressed with our students, staff, and faculty. Check our page by Dr. Hill for more of our profile.
Academic and Study Skills 
One of the country's best electronic sources of academic and career information is found here in Bloomington! It is called ICPAC, and you can be on their mailing list. ICPAC is the Indiana Career and Post secondary Advancement Center. The State of Indiana developed ICPAC to help students plan for education and careers. ICPAC is a great clearinghouse of info on school to career skills.
College and Career Information
Visit ICPAC for college and career information. You can
take a career interest inventory to help make decisions about
careers and college majors. Link here for School to Career information.
Mrs. Hill, our media
center specialist/librarian or the subject teacher can also help
with research.
Fun Learning
Check out the resources found by visiting our Tri-North media center.
Lifelong learning can also be found within our corporation web site, mccsc.edu.
Peer Mediation
Belief Statements
Tri-North Middle School is committed to achieving consensus within the school community regarding a peer mediation program in the school. The following belief statements regarding conflict and peer mediation are the basis for the school’s commitment to maintaining such a program:
Conflict is a natural everyday part of life.
Conflict is an opportunity to grow and learn.
Neither avoidance nor violence are healthy responses to conflict.
Through awareness of cultural differences, we grow to respect others and cherish diversity.
Adults provide powerful behavior models for students; this is especially true in dealing with conflict.
Students can learn to resolve some of their conflicts without adult involvement.Mission Statement
The mission of the peer mediation education program is to teach students and faculty to resolve conflicts productively, to promote mutual understanding of individuals and groups throughout the school, and to enhance the climate of the school.
Peer Mediation
Teachers spend a disproportionate amount of time dealing with minor student conflicts. Students can handle such conflicts and learn essential decision making skills in the process. Focus can be shifted from using disciplinary rules to reconcile differences to attention to how students resolve interpersonal conflict.
Peer mediation deals with helping students develop strategies to avoid conflict and to look at their self-responsibility. Adviser/Advisee and new school year orientation block activities help students develop strategies to avoid conflict and develop self-responsibility. Role-playing and other experiences help with becoming more comfortable with honest and direct communication and for improving communication with peers and teachers. Peer mediation is a student-centered method of dealing with disputes.
Peer mediators gain confidence in their ability to help themselves.
Peer mediators learn to get along better at home and at school.
Peer mediators' grades often improve.
Other students learn from peer mediators how to get along with each other better.
Peer mediators often become peer leaders in other areas.
Arguments decrease, so students spend more time learning.Benefits for Student Body at Large
Students become active in the problem-solving process.
Peer mediation provides positive role models for solving conflicts.
Students assume greater responsibility for solving their own problems.
Students recognize that adult intervention is not always necessary.
Peer mediation encourages students to share their feelings and search for positive ways to meet their needs.
Peer mediation lessens disciplinary problems and students spend more time learning.Benefits for Society
Schools that teach students positive ways to resolve conflicts are aiding in the reduction of violence in our society today. Youths who learn to resolve conflicts positively are likely to do the same when they become adults.
Why Peer Mediation for Students?
Students spend much of their daily lives dealing with conflicts.
Conflicts generate anger, frustration, and violence.
Students need skills to resolve disputes.What do peer mediators do?
Peer mediators receive training in problem solving, assertiveness, listening, and communication skills. Under supervision, peer mediators mediate non-physical disputes among fellow students. Students with disputes seek out or are referred to a problem solving process called mediation to clarify the nature of the dispute and to reach solutions satisfactory to the disputants.
Twenty-first Century ScholarsBeginning with the 2001-2001 school year, income eligible 7th and 8th graders will be able to apply for enrollment into the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. Visit
scholars.indiana.edu
Tri-North Middle School Guidance and Counseling - FAQ'S
Frequently Asked QuestionsTri-North's counselors are here to help you reach your full potential. School counselors help with academic, career, and personal counseling. We also are student advocates and we facililtate communications between students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
Who is my school counselor? Mr. Mullin is at Tri-North on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning. Mrs. Snyder is here every day. Mrs. Snyder has students A-N, Mr. Mullin has students O-Z. We can help you as needed.
What can I talk to my counselor about? You can talk about anything that bothers you. You can talk about personal problems that might affect your attitude and performance at school. You can talk about social pressures, such as how to deal with bullies or peer pressure. You may want to talk about improving your academics through course selectionor study skills. We can also talk about plans for the future. You can trust us to try to help make the best possible choices available to you. Adolescence can be tough for teens, parents, and families. We are here for you.
How do I meet with my school counselor? All that you have to do is sign up in the counseling office. We are next to the nurse's office and at the top of the stairs behind the main office. We will see you as soon as we can, given the balancing of administrative duties and crisis counseling duties.
What if I am not sure about what to say? Well, about 99% of what we talk about is "confidential." This is your right and it is our duty to protect it. Situations involving real or potential harm to you may have to be shared-you can count on us to protect you from harm. We are here to listen, understand, and help look at different perspectives.
Where can I get more information? See Mr. Mullin or Mrs. Snyder. Visit us at school, by appointment, or call 330-7745 to arrange a meeting. Call before enrollment, please!
How can I prepare for ISTEP and CTBS testing? Writing exercises are one the best test prep tools. Fall 2003 ISTEP test date windows are September 16-26 and CTBS test dates are usually April 1~18. You can find information at ISTEP+ InfoCenter and other educational resources at the Indiana Department of Education website, doe.state.in.us/.
Looking for more counseling resources?
To where do you go from here?
From Tri-North you will go to:
Bloomington High School North or you may apply to:
Aurora Alternative High School or start your school to career transition at:
Hoosier Hills Career Center
Region 10 School to Career Consortium
Tri-North Middle School
"Academic Excellence In A Caring Community"For information and on school days only:
Paul Mullin
Counselor
Tri-North Middle School
1000 West 15th Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 330-7745 ext. 204
email:pmullin@mccsc.edu Site rebuilt April 2002
Visit faculty, students, and staff at Batchelor and Jackson Creek.