August / September Classroom Guidance

In Kindergarten at both schools these first few months will include an introduction to what a counselor does.  The students will learn a little about me, my family, and what I do at school.  They will learn that I teach whole classrooms, small groups, and talk with individual students as needed.  As always my focus will be helping students think in ways that are helpful, productive and encourage, their social, emotional and academic growth.

In all grades at both schools we will be learning about PAX behaviors.  These are things that make us Happy, Healthy, Productive and Peaceful.  We will work together to set up a vision for things we can do that help us look friendly to others, help us get our work done, and be successful in school.

September/October Guidance

In kindergarten we have been talking about feelings and why they are important. We will be practicing “reading” other people’s feelings. Research shows if children can “read” other children’s emotions in various social situations they are more likely to make good choices, and be successful at making friends. We are also learning about PAX and how to be good social thinkers.  We are learning how we can use flexible thinking to be better students.  In first grade we are also learning about feelings. We have learned every day you make yourself look friendly or mean by what you say and do. In second grade we will be learning 6 effective strategies to deal with bullies.  In third grade we have been learning how our behavior can support our learning.  We learned taking responsibility helps people trust you more, and soon we will be learning how to deal with bullies, and how we can make our classrooms fun, safe, and productive.

Janurary 2017

It is hard to believe that it is 2017 already.  I hope everyone is off to a great start in the new year.  Classroom Guidance has a lot going on as usual.  

Jefferson and York Kindergarten:We are learning about calming ourselves down. We are practicing 4 strategies that help us calm down from strong feelings and stay in control. Deep Breaths, Counting, Safe Place, and Self-Talk.  We will be going through some of the Second Step Curriculum as we learn and practice how to manage strong emotions.  Be sure and ask your children which strategy works best for them. We will be learning all about anger.  We will learn about managing our anger and why it helps you to stay in control even when you don't want to. We will learn it is possible to stay in control even when it feels like you can't.  We will read the book When I Feel Angry by Cornelia Maude Spelman together.  At Jefferson we are also learning about social thinking.  Good social thinkers can read other people's intentions, behaviors, and emotions, in such a way that it helps them gradually understand how to become better friends and problem solvers among their peers.  It's been a slow process, but we are nearly finished with the 5 book series We Thinkers (formerly The Incredible Flexible You).  We will be starting the next 5 book series We Thinkers Volume 2 soon.  Students that are better "social thinkers" are happier, make better choices, and are more successful in life.

In First Grade at Jefferson and York we are beginning to work our way through the 5 book series We Thinkers Volume 2  They did not hear these stories in kindergarten and seem to be really benefiting from them now.  

At York in first grade we will also talk about bullying. What is it... and where do bullies get their power from? We will learn ways we can work together to take power away from bullies. We will watch part of a video called "Stop Picking On Me!"

In Second Grade at Jefferson we will be learning creative ways to catch ourselves when we are falling into thinking traps.  We will learn things we can do to overcome thinking errors that interefere with our lives.  We will read the books:  Superflex Takes on Rockbrain and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal.  and some of us will be reading and practicing 5 ways to handle teasing with the book, "Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-downs"  Ask your child about going to "Fish School".  

At York in Second grade We will be reading the book Bounce Back by Cheri J. Meiners M.Ed.  The book teaches Resilience—the ability to recover or “bounce back” from problems, hurt, or loss.  This is critical for social and emotional health and helps people feel happy, capable, and in charge of their lives. Students will see examples of resilience and learn that they can move past challenges that happen in our day to day lives and and not be "stopped" by them.  

York Third grade students will look back on the The Weird Series that we read before Christmas and learn more about working together to put a stop to bullying.  We will also read and discuss the follow up book by Erin Frankel Nobody!

Jefferson Third grade students We will watch the video But Names Will Never Hurt Me by Thomas Brown.  We will learn where bullies get their power from, how to safely take power away from bullies, 6 strategies to use with bullies, and when to get help. Students will also make a commitment to do their best to help make our school bully free. 

October 2016 Guidance

Fall is here!

This month in kindergarten at both York and Jefferson we are learning why feelings are important.  We are also learning that people can have different feelings about the same situation.  Students are learning to read each others facial cues to determine how another student is feeling.  This skill lays the foundation for empathy and enables students to make choices that help them better relate to each other.  

In first grade at both schools and also kindergarten at Jefferson we are also learning about social thinking.  Good social thinkers can read other people's intentions, behaviors, and emotions, in such a way that it helps them gradually understand how to become better friends and problem solvers among their peers.  It's a slow process, but we are working through the 5 book series We Thinkers (formerly The Incredible Flexible You)  Students that are better "social thinkers" are happier, make better choices, and are more successful in life.

In Second Grade at York we are learning how to handle anger more effectively. Students will learn several strategies that are proven effective if they choose to use them.  We will also study how your attitude will have a huge impact on your day.....and your life.  We will read the book : The Very Angry Day That Amy Didn't Have by Lawrence Shapiro. 

In Second Grade at Jefferson we have also been thinking about our thinking and the power of having a positive attitude.  We read the book Be Positive by Cheri J. Meiners M.Ed.  We'll also talk about the value of flexible thinking.  Specifically, we are learning about the power of flexible thinking as opposed to inflexible thinking.  The students are learning to defeat Rock Brain, Glassman, and other challenges we all face with their Superflex thinking strategies.  We will read Superflex Takes on Rock Brain and the Team of Unthinkables.  It's a creative way for kids to label their challenging, stuck, frustrating situations and define strategies that help them learn to overcome those struggles.  

In Third Grade at York we will learn about bullying. We will watch the video But Names Will Never Hurt Me  by Thomas Brown.  We will learn where bullies get their power from, how to safely take power away from bullies, 6 strategies to use with bullies, and when to get help. Students will also make a commitment to do their best to help make our school bully free.

In Third Grade at Jefferson we will be working through the books You Are A Social Detective by:Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke, PhD and What is a Thought? by Amy Kahofer and Jack Pransky. We'll learn about the concepts of social thinking and how our own thinking can create opportunities or problems. We'll learn how our own thoughts have a powerful effect on our lives. 

August / September 2016 Classroom Guidance

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 respectfully and 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 successful 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.

January Classroom Guidance

In Kindergarten at both schools we will continue learning and practicing strategies to calm down from strong feelings.  We will learn the most effective ways to use: deep breaths, counting, safe place, and self-talk. We will also learn how we can solve problems easier if we calm down first.  We will be using some materials from the Second Step Curriculum. We will also watch part of a video called "How Not to Fight".  We will learn why it is to our advantage to avoid fights and solve problems by changing our thinking, and using our words.

In First Grade at both schools we will be learning about tattling.  How do we know when we can handle the problem ourselves and when do we need help from an adult?  We will learn why tattling can make us lose friends.  We will see how to tell when something is a kid sized problem and when we need to get help from a grown-up.  We'll read the book Don't Squeal Unless it is a Big Deal by Jeanie Franz Ransom and take a quiz together to practice identifying which category various problems fall into. At Jefferson we will also continue to learn about bullying.  We are learning how bullies get more power and how to safely take it away.  We are learning 6 strategies to help students handle bullying effectively.  We are also learning that some kids do things that make themselves a big target for bullies, while other kids do things that make themselves a very small target. 

In Second Grade at York we are reading the book, "Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-downs"  Ask your child about going to "Fish School".  The book demonstrates 5 ways to handle teasing.  At Jefferson we will be learning about ways to solve problems with materials from the Second Step Curriculum.  We will learn some steps that help us make the best choices when solving a problem. 

In Third Grade  we will be continuing to learn creative ways to catch ourselves when we are falling into thinking traps.  We will learn things we can do to overcome thinking errors that interefere with our lives.  We will read the books:  Superflex Takes on Rockbrain and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal, and Superflex Takes on Glassman and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner. 

December Guidance

In Kindergarten at both schools we will be learning and practicing strategies to calm down from strong feelings.  We will learn the most effective ways to use: deep breaths, counting, safe place, and self-talk. We will also learn how we can solve problems easier if we calm down first.

In First Grade at both schools we are learning about bullying.  We are learning how bullies get more power and how to safely take it away.  We are learning 6 strategies to help students handle bullying effectively.  We are also learning that some kids do things that make themselves a big target for bullies, while other kids do things that make themselves a very small target.

In Second Grade  we are learning and practicing steps to solve problems.

In Third Grade  we will be continuing to learn creative ways to catch ourselves when we are making thinking errors.  We will learn things we can do to overcome thinking errors that interefere with our lives.  We will read the books:  Superflex Takes on Rockbrain and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal, and Superflex Takes on Glassman and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner.