|
Counselor's Corner Aug. 2017
Welcome back! It is hard to believe that the start of the school year is here already. I hope
everyone got to take some time to relax and rejuvenate over the summer vacation. School
counseling services can be a great resource for both parents and students to help students
get off to the right start this year. Saint Rose counseling services will be available
Monday afternoons, Tuesdays, Wednesday afternoons, and Thursdays. The
services will include individual counseling, group counseling, such as organizational
sessions, classroom observations, parent consultations, teacher consultations, and
guidance lessons taught in all K-8 classrooms each month.
New Families:
I wanted to welcome the new students and families here to St. Rose School. As a way to
promote a smooth transition to a new school, I will be periodically checking on your
child in these first couple weeks of school. Additionally, I will be contacting parents/guardians during this time to discuss how everything is going at school as well.
Few Updates:
There will be a few changes to the Lifeskill student recognition program this year. We
will still continue to recognize students who demonstrate the lifeskill with a certificate
and photo opportunity, but we will not be awarding alternate dress days along with this
recognition. After discussion with the parent's association, it was noted that parents feel
there has been an excess of alternate dress days, so we will work on curtailing them with
this program. Thanks for your understanding.
Please review the handbook under the message from school counselor section to review
information regarding students' emotional health, suicide prevention, and ways we
support students here at school.
Every month I will teach a guidance lesson for all K-8 students to emphasize the
Lifeskills, which can enhance friendships, collaboration, and one's foundation of
character. The lessons focused on reviewing what counseling services are offered here at
school. It also included common struggles that students can face this time of year and
how a counselor can be helpful.
Guidance Lesson Recap:
Grade K: We read the book The Wheels on the Bus by Mary-Alice Moore and focused
on the many people at school who can help Kindergarten students if they have a problem.
From lunchroom workers to the school counselor, students learned when would be a good time to ask for help. They also identified many people at school who will be able to
provide assistance when needed.
Grades 1 & 2: We read the book Enrico Starts School by Charlotte Middleton. Students
discussed many typical concerns of the first few days of school, such as finding someone
to play with at recess. Students discussed many worries that students can have and developed realistic solutions while also focusing on how counselors can be helpful at
school.
Grades 3 & 4:We read the book How Are You Peeling by Saxton Freymann and Joost
Elffers. Students discussed the many feelings that students can have and how counselors
can be helpful. Whether it is feeling frustration or sadness, counselors can be quite
helpful to all students to help the school day go as smoothly as possible.
Grades 5: We completed an activity where we focused on how counselors can help in
times of stress. Students brainstormed many examples that can create stress for students.
Students then participated in an activity in books to depict all of the stress that can weigh
on us and how important it is to ask for help from others when our pile gets too heavy.
Grades 6-8: We completed an activity that focused on how school counselors can help
students with many types of things, such as friendships and organization. As a class, we
practiced many different organizational strategies to help start the year on a positive foot.
Students then had an opportunity to organize their lockers, folders, and I-Pads.
|
