Mrs. Foley's Counselor Corner
January, 2022
Dear Suamico Elementary Parents/Guardians,
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a fulfilling Holiday break. It was SO wonderful seeing our students return with their batteries recharged and excited to share their stories and experiences from break.
We are reorienting ourselves into our routines, schedules, and academic skill building since returning from break, which I'm sure has been happening in your home as well!
This January has proven to be a month of accepting things we can not control. Each day we wake up with an agenda or plan and somehow it does not go as planned. I like to remind myself to "pivot", meld, and be a flexible thinker. Below is an image of the "Circle of Control" which students may be familiar with from Habit 1 - Be Proactive. Feel free to use this image and have this conversation with your family. If life hands you lemons you can make lemonade, drink the lemonade, and then dance!
Take care of you and check out our HSSD Community Events on Mental Health, we'd love to see you in person or virtually!
(Please feel free to check back for updates as I'll be updating this newsletter for the whole month of January.)
Life Skills Lessons
In the month of January we focus on:
- 3rd and 4th grade - Goal Setting in the New Year and things we are proud of from the previous year.
- K-2 grades - Problem Solving S.T.E.P.'s using Second Step curriculum (see below).
- All grades - Interpersonal Conflicts and Social Problem-Solving Skills.
Holiday Dress-up Day
Pax's December visit at recess
Pajama Day before Winter Recess
Second Step Curriculum
I get to visit every class, K-4 to teach Life Skills class throughout the school year on an "A week", "B week" rotation. Thus, your child(ren) will have Life Skills class twice/month. This year I am very excited to have an evidence and research-based curriculum called "Second Step" that I will be using to guide our conversations. The 4 units cover the topics of Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, and Problems Solving. See below for more grade level information on Scope/Sequence of this Social/Emotional curriculum.
Click Here to learn more about the "American School Counselor Association - Mindset and Behavior Standards" HSSD School Counselors address each school year.
Video Read Aloud's with Mrs. Foley
The Howard-Suamico School District has chosen to implement a Social/Emotional Curriculum in all grades K-8 called the Leader In Me. During the 2020-21 school year I recorded read alouds from the book, "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids" for our students and families to learn about the 7 Habits while we were virtual. I'll keep these video read alouds here for future reference. Enjoy ;)
Habit 1 - Be ProactiveHabit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3 - Put First Things First
Feelings Exploration Room with Mrs. Foley
Please view this Feelings Exploration Room with your child(ren) as it offers TONS of books and fun activities related to feelings from the movie "Inside Out".
HSSD - Virtual Calming Room
Student Check-in with the School Counselor
School Social Work Newsletter
Alexis Foley - School Counselor
Email: alexfole@hssdschools.org
Website: https://suamico.hssdschools.org/
Location: 2153 School Lane, Suamico, WI, USA
Phone: 9206629814
Twitter: @MrsFoley16