SHULL SCHOOL COUNSELOR CORNER
March Newsletter
MARCH IS NATIONAL READING MONTH & NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH!
- March 2nd: Read Across America Day
- March 8th: International Women's Day
- March 17th: St. Patrick's Day
WAYS THAT YOU CAN CELEBRATE THIS MONTH:
- Challenge yourself to read 2 or more books this month
- Read a book out loud to a young child or elderly family member
- Educate yourself on the Women's Suffrage Movement and its key leaders
- Seek out inspiring women within your community who have paved the way for future generations of women. LEARN FROM THEM.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) THEME OF THE MONTH: SOCIAL AWARENESS
- Being aware of others -- their needs and how they feel
- Knowing that your actions impact others
- Understanding that others may experience situations and feelings differently than you
- Being open and accepting of others from different cultures and backgrounds
WHAT SKILLS HELP US PRACTICE SOCIAL AWARENESS?
Emotional self-awareness: Being emotionally aware is the skill behind understanding what one is feeling and appreciating how different moods can impact those around us.
Self-regulation: Self-regulation is the art of controlling the response to your emotions -- anticipating outcomes in an effort to avoid being emotionally reactive in personal and social situations.
Motivation: Motivation involves understanding how to use emotional factors to learn and achieve personal goals.
Empathy: The skill of considering the emotions and circumstances of other individuals.
Respect: Respect is best defined as having a regard for another person or group's experiences, emotions, wishes, or rights.
Kindness: Kindness is the idea of being friendly and considerate to other people, and is especially important even if you don't share their views or standpoint.
Listening Actively: Active listening is the skill of truly being seen as listening with care and compassion -- paying attention without interrupting, and taking time to understand what is being said.
Cooperation: Cooperation is an important part of finding a resolution or a way of working with other individuals or groups. It often involves compromise, but helps to achieve shared goals.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN PRACTICING SOCIAL AWARENESS:
- Eye Contact: If a person is avoiding eye contact, they may not be comfortable socializing or talking right now. They could also be feeling nervous and may just need some time to feel comfortable.
- Facial Expressions: You can usually tell how a person is feeling by noticing their facial expressions and reactions to what is being said or is happening around them.
- Posture & Position: Body language -- Paying attention to another person's posture and positioning of their body can help you to know if they are open to interacting with you or not. (for example-- if someone is sitting with their arms crossed and their hood over their head, this usually means they want to be left alone).
- Personal Space: Giving people personal space (usually an arm's length in between you and them) shows respect and allows other people to feel safe.
- Tone of Voice: Paying attention to someone's tone of voice and how fast or slow they are speaking can often help you to know how they are feeling and what they may need to feel supported.
*FEELING CONFUSED?
You can always ASK! If you're not sure what someone is feeling or what they need, don't be afraid to ask them. Doing so shows care, concern, and genuine kindness. Some examples:
- How do you feel? // How are you doing?
- What do you need? // Can I help you with something?
- Is there anything I can do to support you?
YOUR COUNSELORS ARE HERE TO HELP!
*6th Grade: Ms. DeFilippis (jacqdefilippis@paps.net)
*7th Grade: Mr. Garcia (thomgarcia@paps.net)
*8th Grade:
Students with Last Names:
- A - F: Ms. Green
- G - N: Ms. DeFilippis
- O - Z: Mr. Garcia
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
Follow Shull School on Instagram: @shullschool2