Counselor's Corner
December 2014
BECS Counseling Program
At Belton Early Childhood School, we strive for a comprehensive school counseling program that assists all students in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful students, productive citizens, and independent learners. All students will receive guidance lessons from the counselor to build character and social skills; check out the topics below to learn more about the monthly guidance focus for December.
COMING UP...
Caring Guidance Lesson
All students will receive a counselor guidance lesson with their class during the week of Dec. 1- Dec. 5 and participate in activities which revolve around the monthly district focus of caring. Students will learn the true meaning and understand the importance of caring for ourselves, others, the community, and our environment. Students will learn that their actions are impactful, thus realizing that they have an effect on others. Students will identify strategies such as being kind, compassionate, helpful, thankful, and forgiving to show that they care. Students will also identify kind vs. hurtful behavior. Additionally, students will continue to demonstrate their knowledge beyond the guidance lesson by applying learned skills/strategies to real life situations on a daily basis through kind interactions with others while at school.
PARENT TIPS
A great way to promote caring attitudes among children is to create a new Christmas tradition with "Kindness Elves" as an alternative to the popular "Elf On The Shelf" concept. Kindness Elves focus on positive, character-building activities that teach love, kindness, and gratitude. These elves provide children with "Acts of Kindness" to perform, which reinforce the idea that Christmas is a time for giving; the "best" gift you can/should give everyone is the gift of kindness. To learn more about Kindness Elves and how to implement this great tradition at home, visit the Kindness Elves Facebook Community at https://www.facebook.com/thekindnesselves.
Care Inspires Care
"Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it."
*View The Video Below To Learn More About How You Can Teach Your Child To Care For Others By Caring For Them:
HOW TO KEEP LEARNING ALIVE DURING WINTER BREAK
Winter break means a well-deserved reprieve from homework and daily obligations. But before you know it, the holidays will be over and it will be back to school time again!
To prepare for a smooth re-entry and a successful second semester, don't let school skills slide completely during winter vacation. Instead, encourage learning --> Learning is anything that exposes kids to new ideas and information, stretches the mind, promotes new ways of thinking, builds skills and knowledge, and/or encourages creativity.
Winter break can be a wonderful time for all sorts of special learning experiences. However, keeping your kids engaged while on holiday break is no easy feat. Try the family-friendly activities suggested by Scholastic to keep skills sharp and limit the amount of times you hear "I'm Booorrred!" Click the link below to gain access to the website and view the activities: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/keep-skills-sharp-during-winter-break
HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE
HELPING HANDS MINISTRY
A local food pantry called Helping Hands Ministry provides qualifying families with assistance for holiday meals; the organization can also offer support through additional services as well.
Christmas
On December 18th and 19th Helping Hands is offering a raw ham for a Christmas meal, as well as canned goods/sides such as corn, potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin, yams, stuffing mix, pie shells, etc. to families who meet the qualifications.
Qualifications
To qualify for meal assistance/Helping Hands services, families must have a place of residence in BISD school district and a child who is enrolled at a BISD campus. Individuals must visit the Helping Hands building at the address below no later than December 16th to get a ticket for the Christmas meal. Families must also bring with them a picture ID for all adults in the household, original birth certificates for children and a proof of address for the current month (electric, water, natural gas).
Helping Hands Ministry
2210 Holland Road
Belton, Tx 76513
(254) 939-7355
Open Monday/Tuesday 10am-4pm
Thursday 12pm-6pm
Ms. Whitley
Email: jennifer.whitley@bisd.net
Website: http://www.bisd.net/Domain/638
Phone: 254-215-3707