Mrs. Foley's Counselor Corner
December, 2021
Dear Suamico Elementary Parents/Guardians,
Happy Holiday Season,
Pause.... breathe.... and remind yourself that you're doing an amazing job as a parent/guardian! This time of year we tend to feel overwhelmed and overloaded. Just remember, you're doing enough and in your child's eyes, YOU are enough.
These are things we can say to ourselves (aka. Self-talk) and we can remind our loved ones who may be struggling. Here at Suamico Elementary we are practicing Mindfulness and Calming Strategies when we seem to need them the most. Try some mindfulness and being present at home, in the car, or anywhere you are. There are several strategies you can try (see below for a few examples). Whatever you do, try to step away from the screens and just be. Your presence is the best present you can give to anyone, including yourself.
May the holiday season fill your home with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter.
(Please feel free to check back for updates as I'll be updating this newsletter for the whole month of December.)
Life Skills Lessons
We have introduced and reviewed the ZONES OF REGULATION (Managing emotions) in all grades, K-4 (see image below for what this entails). Students now know the different parts of the brain and which zone our feelings fall into. Regulating/managing our emotions effectively is an essential executive functioning skill for everyone, young and old. At school, we call this getting back to the "Green Zone" where we are calm, peaceful, and ready to learn. Take a look at this visual and ask your child which feelings fall into the Blue, Green, Yellow, or Red Zones.
In 3rd grade we read the book, "Marcy's Having All the Feels", a book about noticing and accepting all of your feelings (comfortables and uncomfortable ones). The video read aloud is available below for you to watch... I highly recommend this book for everyone to own/read!
In the last couple of weeks of December, we will be focusing on holiday themed Social/Emotional Activities in Life Skills. The topics include positive self-talk, self-esteem, gratitude, and calming strategies. Enjoy!
Second Step Curriculum
I get to visit every class, K-4 to teach Life Skills class throughout the school year on an "A week", "B week" rotation. Thus, your child(ren) will have Life Skills class twice/month. This year I am very excited to have an evidence and research-based curriculum called "Second Step" that I will be using to guide our conversations. The 4 units cover the topics of Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, and Problems Solving. See below for more grade level information on Scope/Sequence of this Social/Emotional curriculum.
Click Here to learn more about the "American School Counselor Association - Mindset and Behavior Standards" HSSD School Counselors address each school year.
Parent/Family Resources
When we teach mindfulness to kids, we equip them with tools to build self-esteem, manage stress, and skillfully approach challenges. Explore this guide on how to introduce mindfulness and meditation to your children—at any age. Mindfulness for Kids article/activities
See video below for parents/guardians to learn more about Empathy. (This video is not shown to the students, just a good/short video.)
Video Read Aloud's with Mrs. Foley
The Howard-Suamico School District has chosen to implement a Social/Emotional Curriculum in all grades K-8 called the Leader In Me. During the 2020-21 school year I recorded read alouds from the book, "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids" for our students and families to learn about the 7 Habits while we were virtual. I'll keep these video read alouds here for future reference. Enjoy ;)
Habit 1 - Be ProactiveHabit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3 - Put First Things First
Feelings Exploration Room with Mrs. Foley
Please view this Feelings Exploration Room with your child(ren) as it offers TONS of books and fun activities related to feelings from the movie "Inside Out".
HSSD - Virtual Calming Room
Student Check-in with the School Counselor
School Social Work Newsletter
Alexis Foley - School Counselor
Email: alexfole@hssdschools.org
Website: https://suamico.hssdschools.org/
Location: 2153 School Lane, Suamico, WI, USA
Phone: 9206629814
Twitter: @MrsFoley16