The Counseling Corner

Dear Families,

Welcome to the Counseling Corner! Here you will find information and resources on social/emotional learning and wellness, as well as general community resources. We will focus on informative tips on a different social emotional learning skill each trimester, and bring you up to date information on community resources throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Julie Fisher ~ School Counselor jfisher@cv.k12.ca.us Website and

Jennifer Hughes ~ School Psychologist jhughes@cv.k12.ca.us

Tips on Creating a Daily Routine or Schedule for your Family

It’s a new school year and a new way of teaching and learning for everyone. We are probably all experiencing some level of anxiety, worry, and stress due to the uncertainty surrounding the Pandemic.

Establishing a routine helps you plan, organize, and structure a schedule that best fits the needs of your family. This allows children a sense of security and safety knowing that there is consistency, familiarity, and predictability.

Some tips on creating a daily routine or schedule include:

Scheduling time in blocks to have it structured but leave flexibility
Have it posted so everyone can see it
Include your student in creating the schedule
Be patient and flexible, this is new for everyone
Set up your schedule to fit your student’s and family’s day
Schedule time for non-screen time breaks throughout the day

What about those times when you’re working or busy and the kids say they're bored, and need to do something independently? Try an activity jar!

Below is a template for a daily schedule below and more schedule templates here

ALL ABOUT GROWTH MINDSET

STARTING THE YEAR OFF WITH A GROWTH MINDSET!

Since we are starting a new school year, we thought it would be fitting for our first Social Emotional Learning skill to select growth mindset to focus on, so that we will have an optimistic and positive outlook on the year.

What's a growth mindset? A growth mindset is a belief that with hard work and perseverance, we can develop the skills needed to take on challenges. Our talents and strengths are just a starting point—we can get better at anything with hard work. Rather than seeing mistakes as failures, mistakes become opportunities to learn and grow. When adults have a growth mindset, it helps us feel more positive—and it sets a good example for our kids!

Here are some tips to foster a growth mindset in your family:

Praise effort rather than results. Whether your child strikes out or hits a home run during the baseball game, tell them you’re proud of their hard work.

End negative statements with “yet.” If you start to say “I can’t” or “I’m bad at,” try ending your sentence with “yet.” You’ll feel more determined and hopeful when you say, “I’m not good at this… yet!”

Learn from mistakes. Making mistakes is frustrating. Take a deep breath and ask, “What can I do differently next time? What can I learn from this?”

Make a plan to improve. A written plan can give concrete steps of what to do next to get better. Celebrate even small steps towards improvement!

10 Growth Mindset Statements:

English: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sylvia-grown-mindset-statements-1024x630.jpg

Spanish: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/48/07/b6/4807b651e0262540734499f131f6f55f.jpg