Counselor Connection
September
Mission
My mission as a school counselor is to work collaboratively with teachers, students, and parents to create a nurturing environment, to respect and value each individual, and to meet student’s social-emotional needs in order for them to achieve academic excellence and become productive global citizens.
August
Core Curriculum Classroom Lessons
All students in grades K-5 had the opportunity to meet their school counselor, Mrs. Swearingen, during related arts. The 50 minute August lessons are designed to ensure that all students have an awareness of how to access school counseling services with Mrs. S. at GWES.
Kindergarten
Students in Kindergarten had an additional lesson about diversity and respecting differences. We read about Gerald in Giraffes Can't Dance.
3rd Grade
Students in 3rd grade received additional lessons to learn about Zones of Regulation. The Zones teaches students to understand feelings in themselves and other and how to categorize those feelings. They also learned about expected and unexpected behaviors and how those behaviors make others feel. Ask your student what color Zone they are in!
RACE Days
In R.A.C.E. Days students learned about Bus Safety, Emergency procedures in each related arts class, and about school-wide expectations that keep us safe and help us learn.
Classroom Lesson Stats
Total number of students reached - 2,690 (with enrollment at 468 that’s an average of 5.7 counselor contacts for each student)
Total number of lessons - 65
Total # of time conducting Counseling and RACE Day lessons - 53.25 hours
Individual Counseling
All students are able to meet with their school counselor. The following stats indicate the students that were met for individual counseling in August through self, teacher, parent, administrator or counselor referral on a variety of topics.
Stats for Individual Counseling
Total number of individual counseling sessions - 38
Total number of time conducting individual counseling - 63.6 hours
Reasons for referral - Crisis intervention, Bullying prevention, Family issues, Social issues/Peer relations, Behavior concerns, Conflict resolution, Social/emotional issues.
Upcoming September
Core Curriculum Counseling Lesson
This year classroom counseling lessons on social-emotional learning will use the Second Step curriculum. This curriculum in K-3 starts with Skills for Learning. You will find the home-link for each grade below. 4th and 5th-grade students start their learning with Empathy and Skills for Learning. Those links are also listed below.
Kindergarten
Lesson concepts:
- Following Listening Rules helps everyone learn.
- Our brains get smarter every time we use them.
1st Grade
Lesson concepts:
- Following Listening Rules helps everyone learn.
- Our brains get smarter every time it works hard.
2nd Grade
Lesson concepts:
- Thinking about how others want to be treated and treating them that way helps you be respectful.
- Being respectful helps you learn.
3rd Grade
Lesson concepts:
- Focusing your attention and listening help you be a better learner.
- Focusing your attention and listening sho respect.
4th Grade
Lesson concepts:
- The Second Step program helps you succeed at school
- Having respect and empathy helps you get along with others.
5th Grade
Lesson concepts:
- The Second Step program helps you succeed at school
- Having respect and empathy helps you get along with others.
Small Group Counseling
Small groups and school counseling programming will be offered throughout the year. The purpose of these school counseling activities is to respond proactively to student needs. This semester small groups will focus on growth mindset using Mindset Matters curriculum and understanding emotions and empathy using The Zones of Regulation.
School Counselor
Email: lsweaingen@k12k.com
Website: washingtonelementarycounseling.weebly.com
Location: 1100 Bellingham Drive, Kingsport, TN, USA
Phone: 4233782485
Twitter: @wessclcounselor