Counseling & Wellness at CCE
February 2024 Summary
Here's what we were up to in February!
Debbie Edwards, School Counselor dedwards2@dcsdk12.org
Stephanie Star, Wellness Teacher sstar@dcsdk12.org
Random Acts of Kindness ❤️
The week of Valentine's Day was also National Random Acts of Kindness week. One school-wide activity that we asked all kids to participate in was looking out for ways that others were demonstrating kindness. It was fun watching kids not just being kind to each other but noticing kindness around them. Adults in the building were also on the look out for genuinely kind things that we saw students doing so they could have their picture taken in our "Be the 'I' in KIND" display.
February Counseling Lessons with Mrs. Edwards
Each month the school counselor visits every classroom to deliver lessons designed to enhance students' social & emotional wellbeing and mental health. Each counseling lesson will focus on one or more of the following areas:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
Kindergarten & 1st Grade: Cooperation
Outcome: Students will demonstrated strategies to cooperate with others.
We watched THIS VIDEO and talked about why cooperating - working together - at home and at school can help us reach our goals. Then we played a few rounds of Elbow Ball where kids had to work together to pass a ball around the circle without dropping it and using only our elbows. They had a great time practicing teamwork with this activity!
2nd Grade: Taking Responsibility
Outcome: Students will identify the difference between taking responsibility and not taking responsibility for their actions.
We watched THIS VIDEO and discussed what it means to take responsibility for your actions. We read through several scenarios and students had to decide if the child in the story was taking responsibility and what they could do differently if not. Talk with your students about the 5 ways they can show responsibility and see if they can share specific examples in their own lives.
5 Ways that "I Am Responsible For Me"
- Know what's expected
- Keep commitments
- Do my best
- Don't make excuses
- Fix my mistakes
3rd Grade: Growth Mindset (Part 2)
Outcome: Students will identify how their thoughts and feelings affect their learning.
We continued our discussion about growth mindset from January and looked a little closer at the power of our thoughts! THIS VIDEO was a funny example about how changing our thoughts (mindset) about a problem can change the outcome. We had great discussion and then students were given the opportunity to identify a problem they might be having and how they could change their thinking in order to feel better about the situation and perhaps make a different choice about how to act.
4th Grade: I-Statements
Outcome: Students will use I-Statements to effectively communicate how they feel.
Earlier in the school year we had a lesson on Conflict Resolution and talked about the reality that conflict is a pretty normal part of life. How we handle conflict can either make the problem bigger or smaller. I frequently review this idea with kids when they are having a disagreement or "fight" with a peer. Learning how to use "I-Statements" is foundational for helping kids work through these differences. In this lesson, students had an opportunity to role play how they would talk through typical 4th grade conflicts. Students also made a flip-book to remind them of the 4 step I-Statement process:
- I feel...
- When you...
- Because...
- Next time...
5th-6th Grade: Time Management (Part 2)
Outcome: Students will practice and improve their ability to estimate how much time they need for completing tasks.
In our ongoing discussion about the executive functioning skill of time management we looked at how estimating the time it takes to do a certain task can help us reach our goals. Students discovered that they might be able to finish an undesirable task more quickly, or even find that they enjoy the task more, when they are realistic about how much time it takes to complete.
February Wellness Lessons with Mrs. Star
Because of the way our Specials schedule works, I have the privilege of seeing each class once every four weeks. This means we cover different topics each rotation, and the lessons are based in the Mind Up curriculum. There is some overlap between Counseling lessons and Wellness lessons. So far in Wellness class we have covered the following areas:
Self Awareness
Self Management
Social Awareness
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me!
Stephanie Star
Strategies for Strong Emotions
Kindergarten-2nd graders: Students learned several age appropriate strategies for dealing with strong emotions. We learned about the Circle of Control and that we can only be in control of our own actions, thoughts and feelings. We learned that all feelings are ok, but a few things we can do to help ourselves are: take deep breaths, take a break, count to 10, or think of something happy.
3rd-6th graders: The older students learned about strategies as well, but they were a bit more differentiated. Strategies for anger management included: respond vs. react, calm your body down, use positive self talk, and express your feelings. Students discussed when it would be appropriate to use each of these strategies depending on the situation. They also learned about the Circle of Control, but in the context of situations that they personally experience that trigger stress.
4th-6th graders: Made their very own “Worry Stone” or “Calming Stone” in case they need something to help them calm down. Students had a lot of fun making these!
What you can do at home to support this learning!
Kindergarten-2nd-If your child is experiencing a strong negative emotion, ask them “Is this in your circle of control?” If the answer is yes, help them think through what they can do to solve their problem. If the answer is no, remind them that it is out of their control, and we can only control our own thoughts, feelings and actions. Encourage your child to choose an age appropriate strategy listed above when they do need support with a strong emotion. The easiest way to get started with calming down is to use deep breaths. Once they are calm, they may choose another strategy to feel better.
3rd-6th-If your child is experiencing a strong negative emotion, use the same strategy as what is described for K-2nd students, but then choose an age appropriate strategy listed above.
All students- Remind them that any feeling they experience is ok! The way we express them and how we take care of ourselves when we experience them is important. If we make poor choices when we feel strong emotions, it is our responsibility to take care of the harm done and move on. We all make mistakes!
Parent Book Study
Join us in the spring semester for another parent support opportunity at CCE as we discuss the book 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do, by Amy Morin. This book outlines practical ways we as parents can help raise children who are confident, resilient, happy and healthy!
When: Jan 16th, Mar 5th, & May 14th after PTO meetings.
- PTO has graciously offered to shorten their meetings a bit on these dates so we can start our book study around 6:30. We will end by 7:30pm.
Where: CCE Library
Child care provided!
Can't make it to all three discussions? No problem! Read the book anyway and come when you can.
Resources for Families
- CCE School Counseling Website - click on the Resources page. Don't see what you need there? Contact Mrs. Edwards directly.
- DCSD Family Resources page includes links to academic, medical, community, mental health resources and much more.