Counselor's Corner Newsletter
Information for our Professional Peers
Connecticut School Counselor Conference Association: Annual Conference 2017
Shifting Away from Zero Tolerance Policies
The achievement gap and the discipline gap are two sides of the same coin. Students do not have the opportunity to learn, if they are not allowed through the doors due to exclusionary discipline (zero tolerance). Shifting from zero tolerance policies to restorative practices allows students and teachers to build competencies and skills.[CSCA2017]
Presenter Sarah Walton, M. Ed. says some research shows that students who experience punitive consequences, especially consistently, are also more likely to struggle in a larger society. Students that learn to fear via punishment also experience exclusion and uncertainty. These feelings may motivate continued misbehavior because self value deteriorates. One size fits all policies does not consider other environmental factors a student may be managing that are negatively consuming and out of their control. Students in this category tend to believe that they are "bad." And that is not a healthy foundation for any child.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Some schools are shifting away from after school detention and are having after school meditation instead. Schools with mediation practice, yoga breathing and quiet safe places for breaks find that discipline is much less of an issue.
Eating Disorders 101: The role of school prevention treatment and recovery.
Typically if a school is suspicious of a possible eating disorder, the school nurse will get involved and then the school will approach the family with their concerns. A school to home to school plan may be put in place. Students with eating disorders are not truthful about their eating habits and often try to convince school they ate at home and at home that they ate in school.
Middle school students eating disorders may look like this:
- Change in mental status
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating or processing information
- Apathy
- Withdrawal
- Express body image concerns
- Sudden weight loss (not due to medical), gain, or fluctuation in a short period of time
- Diets, chaotic food intake
- Excessive exercise
- Change to a diet, like Vegan or Gluten Free
- Many trips to the bathroom
- Wears baggy clothing
- avoidance of cafeteria
Most people associate eating disorders with severe weight loss, keep in mind, not all eating disorders show any weight change at all. And grades may not be affected as many students that have an eating disorder are also your top notch students.
Want more info? www.waldeneatingdisorders.com
"Choosing Love" Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
This curriculum is ASCA Mindset & Behavior aligned, and it is also aligned with Common Core. Scarlett uses a simple formula based on three words that Jesse wrote on her chalkboard, 'Nurturing Healing Love'. Courage was also added in honor of Jesse's heroism on that day.
To learn more about the curriculum, start here:
http://www.jesselewischooselove.org/choose-love-enrichment-program-at-a-glance/
Return to Learn after a Head Injury: Dr. Karen Laugel
Dr. Laugel emphasized the importance of having a school team come together to ensure that everyone is on the same page for what to expect and what accommodations to put into place. It was suggested that the school nurse and school counselor be at the center of the team. It was also recommended that having specific forms available for parents/guardians to complete when their child has been identified as sustaining a head injury. Some of these forms might include: Instructions for parents about the process (504 plan), forms needed to be completed by the treating doctor and permission form to exchange information between the school and doctor. Many schools in the state have a place on their website where these forms are readily identified and available to families. The main role for the school nurse was identified as tracking the recovery of the student with the doctor. With regard to the school counselor, they can help bring the team together, decide what work needs (has) to be completed and in what environment, as well as facilitate the creation of weekly written plans. It was stressed that these plans should be flexible. Some helpful websites shared were:
Tier 2 Anxiety Kit for Middle School Students - Dr. Peg Donohue
Central CT State University graduate students created Anxiety Kits. You could create a kit to have in your classroom.
These could be in a classroom- if you wanted to create your own calming kit:
- Stress Ball
- Any Fidgets
- Deep Breathing with Sensory Bottles (filled with glitter)
Other kit ideas and interventions that were presented with handouts and a demonstration were:
Color Wheel and Mindfulness Script “Cool Down” Ice Cube Game Mindfulness Jenga “In and Out of My Control” Post-It Note Activity If you want to learn more about some of these interventions please see Megan Severino, our 8th grade school counselor.
Issues Affecting the Counseling Profession: Round Table Discussion
Ms. Mooney listed other topics discussed at this round table; LPC Licensure, conversion therapy on children, working with undocumented students/families, working with immigrants and lobbying efforts for K-12 school counseling.
Summary of the 24th Annual True Colors Conference
A New Set of Norms You Can Use, In Your Classroom
RISE TO THE OCCASION
I- INCLUSION
S- SAFETY
E- EMPOWERMENT
Honor GENDER, Honor ABILITY and Honor IDENTITY
THE GENDER UNICORN may help you understand the multifaceted world of LGBTQ+
Gender Expression is how a person outwardly expresses who they are, by appearance. In our binary culture there are social expectations of how women should dress and men should dress that have become our "norm." So when a woman chooses to dress more masculine (like a tux or suit, or cargo pants and flannel, buzz for a hair cut) or a man chooses to dress more feminine (like skirts, or dresses, or grow out hair long) that is considered their gender expression and is not always related to their gender identity.
** Your heart and brain will tell you who you are physically attracted to, or emotionally attracted to, it is not always determined by your sex parts.
These are biological and neurological reasons why we all have to consider that both Gender and Sexual Orientation are on a spectrum and can be fluid. This is why we may see children/teens/young adults (and you may have seen adults) dress as a woman one day and then a man another day and why some people can cross between all LGBTQ+ orientations.
Below is just a small summary piece of the bullying segment of the Teasing to Torment report
• Students named the most common reasons other students are bullied, called names, or harassed as: their body size/appearance (36.2%), actual/perceived sexual orientation (19.2%), race/ethnicity (10.4%), academic ability (10.1%), and how masculine or feminine they are (9.2%). FROM TEASING TO TORMENT: SCHOOL CLIMATE REVISITED xiii
• Almost three-quarters (73.9%) of students reported personally experiencing some type of peer victimization in the past school year.
• The majority of students experienced incidents of bias-based bullying, i.e., bullying based on personal characteristics: – Most commonly students experienced verbal harassment based on appearance or body size/type (50.9%) and actual/perceived race/ethnicity (30.3%). – About a fifth of students reported verbal harassment based on gender expression (21.9%) or actual or perceived sexual orientation (19.4%). – Fewer students reported verbal harassment based on gender (18.1%), actual or perceived religion (18.0%), and actual or perceived disability (12.7%). – In general, incidents of bias-based physical harassment and assault were less common than verbal harassment, but followed the same pattern of prevalence.
Amy Jacques, 7th Grade School Counselor
Email: jacques.amy@newfairfieldachools.org
Website: www.newfairfieldschools.org
Location: New Fairfield, CT, United States
Phone: 203-312-5902
Twitter: @ARCJ1989