Counselor's Corner
Mrs. Jimmerson (Thompson) School Counselor - Bennett Elem.
Contact Me
Email: cthompson@mckinneyisd.net
Location: 7760 Coronado Drive, McKinney, TX, USA
Phone: 469-302-5437
PE & Guidance Collaboration Lesson Overcoming Barriers to Teamwork
Letter to Parents
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Learning to work as part of a team will help your child hone many social skills: patience, empathy, communication, respect for others, compromise and tolerance. It also helps them develop confidence in themselves and trust in other people.
Common barriers to teamwork for kids are tattling, teasing, and gossiping - all things that erode trust in one another, so we focused on those pitfalls to teamwork during our PE and Guidance Collaboration lesson.
Our K & 1st grade lesson began with a “Telling vs. Teasing” reminder that included telling vs. tattling scenarios. We led our 2nd & 3rd grade lesson with a video that emphasized why it’s not a good idea to tease, and we discussed gossiping with our 4th & 5th graders using a video entitled, “Before You Gossip, Watch This.”.
After the short introduction, students played their favorite PE games, and Coach Gray emphasized cooperation and teamwork.
This guidance lesson supports McKinney ISD’s LiveKind Initiative by developing the kindness-building skill of collaboration: navigating differences and taking appropriate risks to work effectively with others.
Home connection: Diane Alber’s A Little Spot of Teamwork teaches children about the benefits of working together and respecting others’ differences and different opinions. In the book, children also learn that collaboration with others can bring great ideas to life.
I invite you to scan the QR code to read this book with your children.
Remember, I am also available for consultation appointments to discuss your child’s individual needs or concerns.
Sincerely,
Christie Jimmerson (Thompson)
School Counselor
469-302-5437
Art & Guidance Collaboration
Letter to Parents
February's Guidance
Building and Maintaining Friendships
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Our friendships help our mental health and overall happiness, and over time, those connections may grow, providing us with a sense of belonging, acceptance, and validation. Because they are so essential, this month’s guidance lesson focused on building and maintaining friendships.
Students rotated through 5 stations:
3rd-5th graders watched a video on the ingredients of friendships, and K-2 students watched a Sesame Street short about friendship.
Students read books about friendship building skills like conflict resolution, problem-solving, being a good friend, communication skills, etc.
Students collaborated to complete a Good friend/Bad friend sort.
3rd-5th graders completed a writing activity about friendships and K-2 students did a Friendship cut and paste.
Students brainstormed how to manage their moods, show more empathy, and respond in difficult scenarios involving friends.
This guidance lesson supports McKinney ISD’s LiveKind Initiative by developing the kindness-building skills of speaking with positive intention: words are chosen carefully to demonstrate respect and limit disputes, and words are used to encourage and support others; collaboration: navigating differences and taking appropriate risks to work effectively with others; and empathy: the ability to imagine the thoughts and feelings of another person through observation, discernment, and humble interaction.
Home connection: Try making this Friendship Soup at home with your student while talking to him/her about your friendships over the years…what makes a lasting friendship? What do you value in your friendships? What makes your friendships last? How could you be a better friend? What have you learned about yourself from your friendships? Then, use the activity on the back of this sheet to help your student problem-solve a current, past, or possible future friendship issue.
Remember, I am also available for consultation appointments to discuss your child’s individual needs or concerns.
Sincerely,
Christie Jimmerson, School Counselor
469-302-5437
5th Grade Registration
PE or Pre-Athletics
It’s a great resource as they are trying to decide between PE and 6th grade Pre-Athletics
January Guidance: Coping Strategies Tasting
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The school counseling program at Bennett Elementary is geared toward meeting the social, emotional, and academic needs of all students. This developmental and preventative program focuses on helping students achieve academic and personal success through a variety of guidance lessons.
Today, your child’s class took part in a guidance lesson that helps students understand how to deal with strong emotions like frustration, stress, and anxiety.
Students began the lesson by learning that we ALL have big emotions sometimes, and it’s important to have some strategies on hand to deal with them. I emphasized the need to adopt and practice healthy coping strategies and the importance of students remaining in their learning environment (if they can) while doing so. Students then rotated through some stations that included:
coloring, solving puzzles, and practicing gratitude to calm themselves
independently reading/viewing books on mindfulness, anger management, self-regulation, and resilience
drawing to find their calm
learning how to breathe & use their teacher’s Calm Down Glitter bottle or Hoberman sphere
conversing and connecting with friends to encourage social interaction, which reduces stress
This lesson supports McKinney ISD’s LiveKind Initiative by developing the kindness-building skill of self-regulation and coping: awareness of mind and body as well as strategies that individuals may use to restore calm, endure distress, and seek help.
Home connection: Help your student brainstorm things for which (s)he is grateful using the “Gratitude A-Z” chart on the back of this letter. By recognizing what we are grateful for, we can multiply our happiness and well-being. Gratitude isn’t just being thankful for the big things in our lives; it’s about learning to notice all the little things that happen that we can be happy about, too.
Remember, I am also available for consultation appointments to discuss your child’s individual needs or concerns.
Sincerely,
Christie Thompson, School Counselor
469-302-5437
PE & Guidance Collaboration Lesson
"Courage to Persevere" - Friday, December 15th
This guidance lesson supports McKinney ISD’s LiveKind Initiative by developing the kindness-building skills of self-regulation and coping: awareness of mind and body as well as strategies that individuals may use to restore calm, endure distress, and seek help and collaboration: navigating differences and taking appropriate risks to work effectively with others.
Holiday Baskets 2023
World Kindness Day at Bennett!
Halloween Fun!
October's Guidance Lesson
Red Ribbon Week 2023
Healthy choices build character!
If feels good to make healthy choices!
Drug-Free from our head to our toes!
Hello Orange Monday!
Buddy Purple Wednesday
Wear all the PURPLE you can find!
Dress like your Bennett family today and make a new buddy!
Random Black Tuesday
Performing Random Acts of Kindness
Ms. Thompson & Mrs. Brubaker with random outfits on. :)
Superhero Pink Thursday
Let everyone see your superpower.