The Counselor's Corner
December Counseling Newsletter
OFIS Student Ambassadors Lend a Helping Hand
OFIS student ambassadors did a wonderful job assisting with the Annual Retired Staff Holiday Luncheon on December 3, 2019. The event was held at OFIS and coordinated by the Board of Education and the Olmsted Falls Alumni Association. The 4th grade ambassadors welcomed our guests into the building. Our 5th grade ambassadors assisted with lunch service and made our guests feel right at home by checking in often and conversing with our guests. The students had a great time at the luncheon, as did the retired Bulldog staff members!
Student ambassadors will assist with the following activities and more!
-PBIS related activities
-Random Acts of Kindness
-Career Day
-Other district events as requested
#THEBULLDOGWAY
4th Grade Ambassadors
Olmsted Falls Intermediate School Tree
5th Grade Ambassadors
December Counseling Lesson
The focus of this month's counseling lesson was building empathy and increasing our emotional intelligence. According to Psychology Today, "Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others."
The book I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde describes what it means to be human: we have dreams, we are curious, we make mistakes, we feel sad, we can spread kindness, and we can make positive changes with our compassion and understanding. After reading the book, students participated in a group activity, created by Counselor Keri, in which they took turns responding to statements that helped them learn more about their peers. During the activity they often found new connections with each other and were able to reflect on their own uniqueness.
Following the group activity, students shared out one character trait about themselves on Poll Everywhere - a website where participants answer a poll question, and the responses create a real time word collage. You can see an example below. Then, students gave a verbal response to the poll question on Flipgrid. Student were able to elaborate on who they are and what makes them unique. Some of the videos will be on the Bulldog Broadcast soon!
Home Connection
How can you practice prosocial behaviors at home?
Practice gratitude - https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/gratitude-practice.html
Random acts of kindness - https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/
Role play and talk out situations - https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/common-challenges/following-social-rules/social-situations-to-role-play-with-your-child-in-different-grades
A Look Ahead: January Counseling Lessons
5th grade: We will continue our focus on mental health using Red Flags, a framework and toolkit for school-based mental health education. More information to come about the curriculum!
Want to connect?
School Counselor
Olmsted Falls Intermediate School
Email: aschmid@ofcs.net
Website: https://www.ofcs.net/3/Department/80
Location: Olmsted Falls Intermediate School, Bagley Road, Olmsted Falls, OH, USA
Phone: 440-427-6520
Twitter: @ofisbulldogs