Counselor Corner
Jambo Sousa Family!!
Hope you all are having a great day and looking forward to a new week! Here are some announcements from the Counselor (Mrs. Batie):
- This week, your scholar took the Panorama Survey. Thank you for encouraging your students to take the survey!
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How can families frame discussions about the election around the dinner table? What is some good conversation-starters?
Instead of framing discussions around politicians and political parties, it might be useful to start the conversation around our values and definitions. As examples:
- What or who do we care about the most when we make our political decisions? Ourselves? Our families? Our neighbors? And who ends up being left out?
- What does our answer mean for the environment, for schools, for future generations?
- What is a democracy and do we see these characteristics in our own society?
- What issue does each person care about the most and why?
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Helping your student with “Big Feelings”
Children can have the same big feelings that we do. The difference for adults, though, is that we have more life experience to know how to deal with difficult emotions. When our children feel fear, anxiety, or anger, they need our help to learn how to cope. Here are some tips:
Name the feeling(s)
Help your child figure out which feeling they are having/were having. Putting
a name to it can help validate their experience. Having a feelings poster or reading children’s books about feelings can be helpful to identify their own feelings.
Normalize the feeling(s)
It can be confusing for a child who’s feelings take over and lead to behaviors they
may not usually have. Explain that all people have these feelings sometimes, and we all
have to learn how to manage them.
Talk about the brain
Our brains and our bodies are connected, and our brains send out signals when we experience certain “big feelings.” Explain that we have a part of our brain (thinking brain) that’s in charge of making decisions, thinking things through, and managing our emotions. Explain that another part of our brain (emotional brain) is in charge of important things like breathing, digesting food, and holds onto
big feelings like anger or anxiety; this part of our brain also reacts to any threats, and can
make us feel like we need to run (flight), fight back, or freeze. Sometimes this part of
our brain overreacts, and we need to try strategies to calm it down. (For a full script of the brain conversation, visit https://imperfectfamilies.com/what- anxious-and-angry-kids-need-to-know-about-their-brain/).
Practice self-regulation skills
When children are calm, their thinking brain is on, and this is the best time to come up with a plan for when their emotional brain tries to take over. Encourage taking a break (not a timeout), deep breathing, releasing angry energy by exercising, and relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation, coloring, calm down jars, music, etc. Practice these repeatedly when they are calm. Helping
your child begin to recognize their body’s early signs of a big feeling (heart racing,
clenched jaw, etc.) can help them learn when to employ their self-regulation skills.
This year, all sports will be condensed into 8-week seasons. Below, you will find a list of sports we can offer based on interest:
- Football
- Basketball
- Adaptive Basketball
- Volleyball
- Track and Field
- Cheerleading
- Baseball
- Wrestling
- Bowling
If you are interested in playing any sports for the 20-21 SY please complete a sports packet ASAP.
- Parental Consent Form
- Emergency Treatment Form
- Universal Health Certificate (UHC).
- Students with certain medical conditions may also need to complete an Asthma Action Plan or an Anaphylaxis Action Plan
- Concussion Information Sheet
Please contact Coach K for updated information (202)657-2814
My name is Mx. Tejada and I am your Manager, Connected Schools. My goal is to make sure you are informed, included, invested, and involved in all we do at Sousa. Below, you will find resources available to you in the community information on all the ways I can be of service. Contact me at dianna.tejada@k12.dc.gov or (202)657-9925 if you need help finding or accessing what you need! I look forward to our collaboration this school year.
In service and partnership,
Mx. Tejada
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