Social & Life Skills Groups - Summer 2025

  • Friendship Group

    For elementary age students with the abilities to have conversation with children their age and adults. Skills will focus on basics of social skills needed to be successful in friendship making and keeping.

  • Connect Group

    For middle school age students with the abilities to have conversation with tweens their age and adults. Skills will focus on intermediate social and life skills needed to connect with peers and adults.

  • Life Group

    For high school age students with the abilities to have conversation with teens their age and adults. Skills will focus on higher level social skills needed to connect with peers and adults.

  • Launch Group

    For older high school students and those who have recently moved up with the abilities to have conversation with peers their age and adults. Skills will focus on career and life skills needed to become more independent.

Social & Life Group FAQs

When & where will groups meet?

Groups will meet in the large room at the Union County Library: Jennie Stephens Smith Library, 219 King Street, New Albany, MS 38652. *Children who cannot drive themselves may not be dropped off. They must have an adult stay on site (in the car is ok) for the whole group time. An adult must sign them in & out.

Virtual Interest Meetings: Attend any information sessions: May 11th, 6pm or May 13th, 6pm.

Virtual Parent Meetings: Attend any one of these  options: May 20th or 22nd 7pm. A link will be sent to parents.

Group Dates: June: 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, & 30, July: 3, 7, & 10.

Times: Groups meet for 45 minutes at 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am. Participants will find out their group time when groups are formed. The library opens at 9. Early groups will need to be let in each morning by their instructor.

What is the cost?

The total cost for the 10 session social & life skills summer group is $325. This includes the required pre-session parent meeting and optional informational session meeting. No other costs will be expected. Payment is completed in the online portal that will house consent forms and payment.

Who are the instructors?

The Lead Instructor is Mr. Jim Muncie, a dually certified special education & biology teacher. He has worked with students with varying abilities academically, socially, and behaviorally for his entire career in education.

Dr. Meagan Medley, licensed psychologist, & Nationally Certified School Psychologist, has planned to assist/lead some group sessions. She will select and train all instructors on the selected curriculum as well as measure progress for each individual student & group.

Assistants may include interns.

What curriculum will be used?

The social skills curriculum will be from the Teaching Social Skills to Youth (4th) Edition by Boystown Press. Dr. Meagan Medley has used this curriculum successfully for some time with children and teens in both the school and private practice setting. There is no need to purchase the curriculum for home use. Participants will get copies detailing each skill discussed.What happens in a session?

While we have participants for only a short amount of time, we plan to have fun in each session. We will breakdown steps to critical social skills, practice, and identify where we struggle and excel in each mini-skill. We will support our peers in their successes and struggles.

Will there be homework?

To best learn any skill, repeated practice is needed. We encourage each participant to have a plan with their parent/guardian to be practicing each skill in the community. Having opportunities at library activities, clubs, church and community events is critical for developing these skills deeply.

Homework will be specific to each social and life skill focus.

How will we measure progress?

Several rating scales will be provided before and after sessions. Other measures may be provided throughout the sessions to measure specific skills.

What are the next steps after applying below?

Each group has a limit of 8 participants. Participants are chosen on a first-come-first-serve basis and then based on meeting the criteria for the specific group they are applying as well as completion of all forms, attendance of required pre-meeting, payment, and progress measures. Will we celebrate wrapping up?

Yes! The last session includes a celebration and certificate of completion. The celebration is for the group only but we welcome families and friends to celebrate after.

Apply now for Summer 2025 Social & Life Skills Groups

Interested in Summer 2025 Social & Life Skills Groups? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly! We can't wait to hear from you!