Counselor's Notes
by: Mrs. Cyndie Morris - August 2013
How to Resolve Peer Conflicts
- Talk it out between the 2 of you (privately)
- Take a break until things cool down
- Negotiate a compromise (work towards a win:win solution)
- Agree to disagree
- Choose not to be offended
- Choose to forgive
- DON'T involve others who aren't directly involved
- DON'T make others feel like they need to "take sides", or try to get them to not be friends with the other person
- IF you've tried ALL these strategies & still need help, tell a parent or an adult you trust
How to AVOID Problems with Bullies
- Sit close to teachers
- Stay with friends
- Don't go near people you know might cause problems
- Notify teachers if seating needs to be changed
- Stay in well supervised areas
- Mind your own business :)
About me
Email: cyndie.morris@bremencs.com
Website: bms.bremencs.com
Location: 2440 Crosstown Pkwy, Bremen, GA
Phone: 770-537-4874
How to REPORT Bullying
- Tell the nearest adult in charge IMMEDIATELY! (We can't stop it if we don't know it's happening)
- Be Specific (Who, what, when, where)
- Write it down on Incident Report (Available from the front office - Your report will be Confidential & will be investigated by administration)
- Keep Reporting Until It Stops!
What to do if you are a bystander who witnesses bullying
- Walk away & take your friends with you (Don't be an onlooker)
- Change the topic
- Don't gossip about what happened
- Talk to the person being bullied in private
- Invite the person being bullied to join you & your friends (Get them away from the bully)
- Tell an adult at school & at home
- Fill out the Incident Report & turn it in to the office
- Diffuse the situation with humor
- Talk to the person doing the bullying privately (If you are friends with them & feel safe)
- Confront the person bullying publicly or show Negative Reaction (Only if it won't endanger you)
What to do if bullying happens away from school
- The school CAN'T address it unless it happened on the school's campus or at a school sponsored event.
- Use the same 3 strategies: Avoid, Confront, or Report to whatever adult is in charge of you when the bullying happens
- Your parent can: Separate you from the Offending Child; Address it with the Other Child's Parent; or If necessary Report it to the Police
Food backpack Programs
Limited slots available. Interested parents need to complete & return applications located outside the Counselor's Office. Participating Students pick up their bags after school on Fridays from the office. Sponsored by United Methodist Church in Bremen.
Mentoring
Parents who are interested in requesting a mentor for their child need to complete & return the Mentoring Form located outside the Counselor's Office. Mentors will be assigned as they come available. Contact person is Leigh Ann Hunter 770-550-6581.
Character Education: Fruit of the Spirit of Excellance - What are you growing inyour garden?
- This year we began our Character Ed program by talking about things like:
- The Golden Rule - Treat others the way you WANT them to treat you
- We teach others how to treat us by the way we treat ourselves & treat others
- You Reap What You Sow - Make sure you plant the things you want, because you'll have to eat from your own garden the rest of your life
- You can't control how other treat you, but you can ALWAYS control how you treat others
- Each month I visit each of the classrooms to talk briefly about the Character Focus for that month.Morning Announcements are used to give daily advice & examples of how to incorporate each trait into our own lives. In August we have been focusing on LOVE. At the end of the month grade level teachers meet to recognize a boy & a girl from each homeroom of the students who have best exemplified that month's Character Trait. Students are rewarded during lunch the last day of each month.
Officer Sherry Dees, & RSO Keith Parrish have begun meeting with all 5th graders weekly for CHAMPS with 5th Grade
- Choices & Consequences
- Peer Pressure
- Bullying
- Home Alone/Child Abduction
- Stress
- Violence
- Prescription Drugs
Students will write an essay on one of the above topics prior to the week of Oct. 22-25. CHAMPS Graduation will be held Nov. 22nd.
Mrs. Cyndie met with ALL our NEW Students to welcome them to Bremen & suggested Transition strategies
- 4th grade - 8 new
- 5th grade - 9 new
- 6th grade - 7 new
- 7th grade - 7 new
- 8th grade - 10 new