Counselor's Corner
Hillside Elementary: September 2019
Welcome Back!
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Happy New School year! We kicked off our social-emotional learning program, Second Step on September 19th. These teacher-led lessons promote emotional development and academic skills. Please click here for more information on this program. During the students’ September counseling lessons, Mrs. Snyder met with students to review the role of a school counselor and ways the school counselor can help. Please note her small group counseling program will begin the second week of October. If you feel your child could benefit from small group support, please reach out to your student's teacher. Please click here for a description of small group/individual counseling services. Additionally, our counseling team met with all our new students this past month. These small group counseling sessions aimed to welcome and introduce students to important people and places at Hillside. Mrs. Cazes and Mr. Dekams met the new students for lunch as well. New students were paired with an experienced peer mentor to show them the ropes. Students also participated in a scavenger hunt to become familiar with the school and learn about how they are an essential part of the school community!
On September 27th, we held our first social-emotional school-wide assembly of the year! It focused on welcoming all our students, reviewing our core values, and reinforcing school-wide expectations for positive behaviors. To kick off our assembly, all of our students sang a special song “Rainbow of Friends ”. A special thank you to Mr. Campbell and Ms. Concra. Additionally, Safety patrol students were introduced and discussed ways they could help students at Hillside.
Our counseling team is excited to announce that we will have two interns joining our team this school year. Ms. Destiny Dupree is a Mercy College Graduate student in the School Counseling Program, and Ms. Anna Suto is in the School Psychology program at Fordham University. This is an excellent learning opportunity for them to gain insight into our valuable roles as counselors. Additionally, highlight some of the fantastic work our team has been doing at Hillside.
Our Counseling team has found that collaboration between school professionals and families is crucial to student progress and success. If any questions or concerns arise, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Counselors:
Dr. Bloom, School Psychologist
Mr. Forcinito, School Psychologist
Mrs. Snyder, School Counselor
What our counseling team does ...
Mrs. Snyder reaches 100% of the student population through teaching classroom character education classes
Small-Group Counseling
Individual Counseling
Support our social-emotional learning program, Second Step
SEL assemblies
Peer Mentor Program, Safety Patrol
Parent Consultations
Resource Referrals
Classroom guidance Lessons
Kindness
Identifying Feelings
Emotional Management
Conflict Resolution
Friendship
Growth Mindset
Goal-Setting
Diversity
Career Awareness
Personal Safety
Bullying prevention
Cooperation
Small Groups & Individual Counseling
Welcoming New Students
Friendship/Social Skills
Social Skills to promote positive behaviors
Emotional Management
Conflict Resolution
Positive Girl Relationships
Self-control
Managing Anxiety and Worry
Changing Families
Grief Recovery
Self-Esteem
School Attendance
Back to School Resources:
Books:
The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn & Ruth E. Harper
All Are Welcome, by Alexandra Penfold
First Day Jitters, by Julie Danneberg
School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex
This School Year Will Be the Best!, by Kay Winters
Article:
How to Cope with After-School Meltdowns,
please click here.
8 Ways to Help Kids with Separation Anxiety, please click here.
Website: For additional information on the School Counseling and Second Step Programs, parent resources, and much more please click here.