Classroom Guidance August / September 2013

It is great to be back! We will start the year by learning what to do when someone starts bugging you. We will talk about how to handle conflict and other problems in a way that helps you keep your friends.

In Grades 1, 2 and 3 we will be learning how to stay in control and react appropriately when someone is bugging us. We will talk about about how using the 5 steps of ignore, walk away, talk friendly, talk firmly, and get help keep us in control. We will learn how and why each step works so well and talk about the real value of not giving the other person power over your own emotions. We will also learn about times when you do need to get help right away.

Also in Grade 1 at Jefferson we will be learning how to identify how other people are feeling. We will practice ways to recognize certain key feelings in other people and how to respond to various feelings. This empathy training builds a foundation that enables children to understand each other better and helps them become more sucessful at making and keeping friends.

In Kindergarten at both schools: We will learn why listening is important. It shows other people you care about them. If you do that you will have more friends. Listening also helps you learn a lot more! We are also learning that a counselor is a person you can talk to who will help you find ways to make problems smaller.

We will read the books "Hands are Not for Hitting" and "Words are Not for Hurting". Each class will sign a promise paper which will be posted as a reminder to not use our hands or words to hurt each other.

We will also begin empathy training using the Second Step Curriculum. This will help children learn how to understand and manage their feelings. Research shows if children can "read" the emotions of other children in various social situations they are more likely to make good choices and be successful at making friends.

May 2013 Guidance

JES and York Kindergarten: We are reviewing some of what we learned and watching how our self-talk decides whether we cool down and stay in contro,l or stay angry and act out of control. We are also learning that we are in control of our self-talk.  Together we practiced ways to change our self-talk.

JES First grade: We are learning about the importance of telling the truth.

York first grade: We learned and watched how our self-talk decides whether we cool down and stay in control, or stay angry and act out of control. We are also learning that we are in control of our self-talk, and how we can change it.

JES Second Grade: We are playing a game that helps us review all that we have learned this year.

York Second Grade: We are learning about playground conflict and how to manage it.

JES Third grade: We are learning about the value of staying in school and taking a virtual tour of several colleges.

York Third Grade: We are learning about the importance of telling the truth.

April Classroom Guidance

York Kindergarten will be learning about Fair ways to play.  Sharing, trading, and taking turns will help you make and keep your friends.  We will also learn about when we can solve our own problems and when we need help from a teacher.  We will see why tattletales don't have many friends.  Students will also learn to differentiate between good and bad touches. Students will learn that he or she can say “NO” to bad touches, and to talk to a trusted adult in case he or she has this problem.

Jefferson Kindergarten will be learning more friendship skills, how to join in to a group in a friendly way, and we will begin to talk about problem solving.  Students will also learn to differentiate between good and bad touches. Students will learn that he or she can say “NO” to bad touches, and to talk to a trusted adult in case he or she has this problem.

York First Grade will learn about being considerate.  We will talk about how our choices make us who we are and how each day we get to choose to be helpful or hurtful to others. 

Jefferson First Grade will finish playing a game called make your plan.  Students will make a plan that will help them exercise self control when they get angry and upset. 

York and Jefferson Second Grade will revisit how bullies get their power and learn how to take power away effectively.  Students will learn about the power of bystanders to stop bullying. They will learn how bystanders can safely take power away from bullies. We will also read the books One by Kathryn Otoshi and Say Something by Peggy Moss.

Jefferson and York Third Grade will talk about anxiety and how to handle it in light of going to Heritage Intermediate School next year.  Students will get to see a video 4th grade students made on how to get ready for their new school. 

Third grade at Jefferson will also learn to differentiate between good and bad touches. Your child will learn that he or she can say “NO” to bad touches, and to talk to a trusted adult in case he or she has this problem.  We will watch a video called Yes, You Can Say No .

March Classroom Guidance

In Kindergarten at York and Jefferson we will be building on other skills we have learned this year. This month we will learn and practice fair ways to play. (Sharing, trading taking turns) We will also learn about when to get adult help and when you can handle a problem yourself. We will define what tattling is and learn how it can hurt friendships.  We will read Tattlin Madeline by Carol Cummings.


First Grade at York will learn to differentiate between good and bad touches. Your child will learn that he or she can say “NO” to bad touches, and to talk to a trusted adult in case he or she has this problem.

First Grade at Jefferson will learn more about self control. They will focus on making a personal plan that they can use when they get upset so that they can solve problems instead of making them bigger. We will play an interactive game together called What Would You Do? .

Second Grade at Jefferson will learn about the power of bystanders to stop bullying. They will learn how bystanders can safely take power away from bullies. We will also read the books One by Kathryn Otoshi and Say Something by Peggy Moss.

Second Grade at York will learn about the importance of telling the truth and how telling the truth or not telling the truth shapes your reputation.

Third Grade at York will be learning about being a hero in the hallway and doing the right thing when others don't.

Third Grade at Jefferson will finish learning about goal setting and effort and begin to learn more about why bullying is hurtful and what to do about it.

January Guidance

Jefferson and York Kindergarten:


We will be building on all that we learned so far about feelings and how to calm down from strong feelings.
This month we will learn strategies to stay out of fights.  We will talk about the importance of using steps like:  1) Stop and Think  2) Talk and Listen and 3) Solve the Problem.

First Grade Jefferson and York:
We are going to learn about tattling.  What is it?  When can I solve the problem myself and when do I need help from an adult?  How does being a tattle tale affect how many friends I have?   Why is it good to learn to solve problems myself?  What is the difference between a tattletale and a reporter?  We will also read the books Tattlin Madeline and Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal: A Tale of Tattletales.

Second Grade York
We will learn about conflicts and conflict resolution skills.  What makes conflicts bigger and what makes them smaller?  What can I do to stay in control when I have a conflict with my friends? 


Second Grade Jefferson:
We will read Simon's Hook and learn 5 effective ways to handle teasing. Each student will make a specific plan to handle teasing in an effective way.


Third Grade: York and Jefferson:

We will learn about conflicts and conflict resolution skills. What makes conflicts bigger and what makes them smaller? What can I do to stay in control when I have a conflict with my friends?

December Guidance

Jefferson and York Kindergarten: 

We are learning ways to calm down from strong feelings
Deep breaths, counting, and self talk.  We are seeing why we need these strategies, how they help us, and practicing them.  This helps us to be more likely to use them when we need to stay in control.  We are also learning that staying in control helps you have more friends and do better in school.

First Grade York:

We are reading The Band Aid Chicken and talking about bullying and resisting peer pressure.  We will also make puppets together.

First Grade Jefferson:

We are learning effective ways students can cool off when they are angry.  We will watch and discuss 10 ways to cool off and begin to talk about ways to handle a bully. 

Second Grade York: 

We will read Simon's Hook and learn 5 effective ways to handle teasing. Each student will make a specific plan to handle teasing in an effective way. 

Second Grade Jefferson:

We will talk about being a person you can be proud of, being a strong leader, and ways to make a positive difference in your school.  We will watch part of the video "The Power of One" called "Diego's Lesson". 

Third Grade: York and Jefferson:

We will learn more about bullying and what role a bystander plays.  We will watch the Movie "Names will Never Hurt Me" and discuss effect ways to take power away from bullys safely and without being mean. 

November Classroom Guidance

Jefferson and York Kindergarten: We are learning about how to calm down from strong feelings. We also learned some ways to tell if something was an accident or if it was done on purpose and how to respond appropriately. We learned and practiced how to say we are sorry when we need to.

Jefferson First Grade: We are learning about social skills and how they are like rules for friendships. We are learning and practicing how to ask a new friend to play, and ways to handle rejection. We are also learning about anger and how to calm down.

York First Grade:  We are learning about strong feelings like anger and how to calm down effectively.

Jefferson Second Grade: We are learning problem-solving steps. We are seeing that we shouldn't always do the first thing that pops into our heads.  We are learning what helps to solve problems and what won’t work.

York Second Grade: We are learning how powerful our words are and why we should be careful with them.

Jefferson and York Third Grade: We spent a lot of time learning about anger and proven strategies to stay in control. We are also understanding the connection of how the thoughts we think can make our anger bigger or smaller.