TNS Counseling Newsletter
November 2019
The End of the 1st Quarter is here!
TNS News
Conversation with the Counselors - December 5, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
Topic - Elementary, Middle and High School Specialty Programs. If you would like more information on PWCS Specialty Programs and Information Nights, please click here. Please let us know if you plan on coming! Click here to RSVP
Middle School News
During the months of November and December, the following lessons in leadership will be facilitated by our middle school counselors, Mrs. Piette and Ms. Wregget:
- 6th Grade: Classroom lesson on academic success skills and learning styles.
- 7th Grade: “Flirting or Hurting? When Is It Okay, When Is It Harassment?” Please see the attached parent letter.
- 8th Grade: High school specialty programs and the application process.
Academic Success Groups are starting this week for middle school girls and boys. Ms. Wregget will be holding groups every Thursday for the next 6 weeks in order to work on academic success skills with identified students. Topics included are time management, note taking, homework guidelines, etc.. Please feel free to reach out if you feel like your student would benefit from this group!
Elementary School News:
Mrs. Kaczmarczyk had the opportunity to present with her former intern, Ms. Williams, to over 100 other school counselors on the topic of social emotional learning activities at the 2019 Virginia School Counselor Association Conference. She even had the opportunity to meet Gerry Brooks, a principal and motivational speaker who focuses on personal climate and school culture. You can also find his humorous videos in social media all about real-world school experiences.
Mrs. Kaczmarczyk and Ms. Wregget will be conducting Lessons in Leadership for the month of November on growth mindset, staying on task, time management, and healthy choices. We encourage you to keep the conversation going at home on these topics as well!
Social Emotional Learning at TNS - Walk the halls at TNS and you can see evidence of how important social emotional skills are to us!
- Buddy Bench posters illustrate ways to be kind to classmates.
- A mural by the cafeteria talks about being the "kind" kid.
- Teachers share the importance of the "Power of Yet" and having the Growth Mindset.
- You can see posters illustrating pillars of character, specifically about citizenship.
- Bulletin boards showing rainbows of feelings
- A class pledge stating that students will make good choices, share, be kind, play with others.
National Career Development Month
Every child dreams about what they will be when they grow up. From a young age, children envision themselves in possible roles for their future. They begin to explore their hopes and dreams and are greatly influenced by their family, peers as well as what they see in the media. They use these experiences to develop an idea of their likes and interests which will eventually flow into their pathway to their future. This is why we need to support their career development as early as elementary age.
In the state of Virginia it is required to introduce students to career exploration information as early as Kindergarten. At the Nokesville school, we target each grade level's career developmental needs and try to accomodate them by offering plenty of opportunities for student to explore different career pathways. This is to ensure kids know how their academic plans will eventually lead them into their post-secondary life.
Ms. Wregget will meet with every 7th grade student this year to help student's create their Academic and Career Plan (ACP) for Prince William County. This is for student's to begin thinking about their future careers and start planning how they will reach their goal.
Stay tuned for an announcement on TNS's Career Fair to be held in the Spring! More details soon to follow!
Important Dates This Month
November 23rd is Random Acts of Kindness Friday!
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” – Amelia Earhart
Elementary Teacher of the Month!
Mrs. Terri Marshall is our elementary teacher of the month! She is a second grade teacher who does wonders with her classroom on keeping a growth mindset. She speaks with her students daily about being "bucket fillers" by helping others without being asked, being kind and inclusive and generally spread their love and good feelings to others. For our storybook character parade on 10/30, Mrs. Marshall dressed as a "bucket filler" from the book Have You Filled A Bucket Today because she is so passionate about ensuring her students are being kind to one another filling each others "buckets" throughout the day. Thank you for everything you do Mrs. Marshall!!