Counselor's Corner
December/Janualry 2022
Barksdale School Counseling Vision Statement
Barksdale School Counseling Mission Statement
VISIT WITH THE COUNSELOR
PARENTING WORKSHOP
Our next Parenting Workshop will be
GUIDANCE LESSON- December/January
Diversity is all around us. Our students are lucky to be at a school were diversity can be seen in every single classroom. The more we embrace each other's differences, the more it becomes a part of our everyday lives. My hope as a counselor is that someday I do not need to teach a lesson on diversity. This will happen when we truly look at each other as equals and we accept our difference.
Using different literature books, we will focus on what diversity means. We will have discussions and complete activities that help students understand ways to learn about someone else's difference.
Literature books for each grade level:
KINDER- We're Different We're The Same
Activity: Students will identify ways we are the same and ways we are different
1st Grade- Same Same But Different
Activity: Students will partner with someone they don't know well. They will complete the Same Same But Different activity page.
2nd Grade- It's OK To Be Different
Activity: Students will complete It's OK To Be Different Activity Page
3rd Grade- Judgmental Flower
Activity: Students will complete Growing in the Right/Wrong Directions and Task Cards
4th Grade- The Name Jar
Activity: Students will play The Name Jar Game using the task cards.
5th Grade- Just Ask
Activity: After reading each page, students will be given the opportunity to just ask if they are wondering anything.
Guidance lesson in JANUARY will focus on College, Career, and Military Readiness.
Kinder- After reading Clothesline Clues To Jobs People Do, students will guess different jobs using a variety of clues.
1st Grade-After watching a fun video called ABC Of Jobs, students will play a guess my career game.
2nd Grade- After watching a variety of clips from Monster University, students will learn about different college and career choices.
3rd Grade- Each student will complete a career interest survey which will help them begin to see some possibilities for the future.
4th Grade- Students will learn and discuss different options available after they graduate from high school.
5th Grade- Students will have the opportunity to explore both college and career choices on kid friendly websites.
GUIDANCE LESSONS- November
BULLYING PREVENTION (first 2 weeks)
The word bullying can seem scary due to how serious it can be. To avoid confusion, it is important to call it what it is, even with our young students. The first step for all grade levels are understanding what is bullying and what is not bullying.
Bullying is NOT a mean moment, unfair situation or a disagreement with a friend.
Bullying is when someone purposely hurts someone else, over and over again, with the intent to exert power over that person: intention, repeated, power imbalance
Roles- Bully, Target, Bystander and Upstander
The main focus for all grade levels will be on the UPSTANDER. We will discuss the different ways they can be an upstander.
Kinder- Using the story, Recess Queen, in a kid friendly way, we will identify the definition of a bully. We will then discuss all the characters from the story and what roles were played. We will focus on ways they can be an upstander.
1st Grade- Using the story, Molly Lou Mellon, in a kid friendly way, we will identify the definition of a bully. We will then discuss all the characters from the story and what roles were played. We will focus on ways they can be an upstander.
2nd Grade- Using the story, Stop Picking On Me, in a kid friendly way, we will identify the definition of a bully. We will then discuss all the characters from the story and what roles were played. We will focus on ways they can be an upstander.
3rd Grade- Using the story, Just Kidding, in a kid friendly way, we will identify the definition of a bully. We will then discuss all the characters from the story and what roles were played. We will focus on ways they can be an upstander.
4th Grade- Using the story, My Secret Bully in a kid friendly way, we will identify the definition of a bully. We will then discuss all the characters from the story and what roles were played. We will focus on ways they can be an upstander.
5th Grade- We will review what bullying is and what it is not along with the roles in a bullying situation. Then we will focus on ways that we can be an upstander. We will also have discussions on cyberbullying and digital citizenship.
GROWTH MINDSET (Last 2 weeks)
Carolyn Dweck, author of Mindset, studied human behavior. She discovered the power of our mindset. We can have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A fixed mindset simply means we believe our intelligence, personality and talents are fixed and cannot grow greatly over time. A growth mindset is the belief that your intelligence, personality and talents are susceptible to growth. What does this mean for our students? Students that have a growth mindset, have the ability to power through, even when things get difficult. They are more successful because they do not give up and can use positive self talk to persevere.
Using stories like The Beautiful Oops, My Fantastic Elastic Brain, The Book of Mistakes and What Do You Do With A Chance, students will learn the importance of having a growth mindset. We will explore the difference between a fixed and growth mindset and how to change those negative thoughts that sometimes appear in our mind.
GUIDANCE LESSONS- October
CONFLICT RESOLUTION (first 2 weeks)
Kinder-2nd Grade: We will focus on the size of the problem, tattling vs telling and Kelso's Choices. Click here for a full list of Kelso's Choices. This would be a great discussion to have with your child. You can even role play using some of these strategies. When children have a plan and are confident in carrying out that plan, they are more successful solving their own problems.
3rd: We will review Kelso's Choices and then focus on the TALK IT OUT strategy using an I message.
I feel ______________
when you ____________
Can you please ____________
I feel frustrated when you are talking so loud. Can you please talk quieter.
We will also talk about the difference between a mean moment and bullying.
4th and 5th
We will review the different choices to solving a conflict with others. Then we will go over the 4 steps to solve a conflict.
1. Just Stop- first STOP and recognize your feelings before you react.
2. Watch Your Words- Think before you speak. Once you say it, you can't take it back.
3. Listen Up- Make sure you are also silent so you can really listen and hear what they are saying!
4. Solve the Problem- Work together and be willing to compromise.
We will also talk about the difference between a mean moment and bullying.
HEALTHY CHOICES/DRUG PREVENTION (second 2 weeks)
Kinder- We will focus on the importance of keeping our body healthy. This will include, eating healthy, getting a good night's sleep and moving our body.
1st Grade and 2nd Grade- We will read the story, Charlie and the Curious Club. Then we will talk about the importance of knowing the difference between candy and medicine and why it is important to always check with an adult before we eat candy or something that is unfamiliar.
3rd Grade- In a kid friendly way, we will discuss good drugs and bad drugs. We will also discuss how to handle peer pressure.
4th and 5th Grade- We will start our discussion by review peer pressure. Peer pressure can be both positive and negative. We will then talk about the difference between good drugs and bad drugs and the effects drugs can have on your brain.
GUIDANCE LESSONS- September
Guidance lessons in September will focus on understanding and identifying our feelings. It is imperative that students can not only understand their feelings, but can also put a name to those feelings.
I will be using Zones of Regulation to help students understand their feeling. Zones of Regulation help students understand their range of feelings through a color system. If you want to learn more about Zones of Regulation, click on the link below.
https://www.zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html
Books about feeling:
Today I feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis
Keeping It Cool by Melissa Boyd
When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really, Angry by Molly Bang
The Feelings Book By Todd Parr
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
The Rabbit Listened by Cory Doerrfeld
DONATIONS NEEDED
We are in need of items for our ticket store. If you have gently used or new items that your child no longer plays with, please consider donating it to our ticket store. You can drop it off at the office. Please label it ticket items. The front office will make sure I get it. Of course we don’t want to take anything that is meaningful to your child because they may see it in the trophy case as an item to buy with tickets. We always appreciate your help!
PARENTING RESOURCES
PARENT EDUCATION ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM (PEEP)
The Parent Eduction Engagement Program is committed to engaging families through a
partnership for educational excellence. They offer a variety of services to aid parents including, parenting workshops, one on one parenting classes, adult ESL classes, a parent resource library, and other services.
Click HERE to find out more about more about what they offer. Click HERE to see the flyer in Spanish.