Connecting with the Counselors
A Communication from Robinson Elementary's Counseling Team
September 12, 2021
We hope your family had a wonderful weekend. This past Thursday evening we hosted a parent information zoom meeting about our upcoming Safe Touch and Child Abuse Prevention Program. Each year the Kirkwood School District partners with the Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) to provide presentations to all students and teach child safety, abuse recognition and abuse prevention. All children, ages three to nineteen, are taught in a safe and non-threatening manner designed to entertain and inform.
The programs presented use a sensitive, developmentally-appropriate approach. Students may receive certificates, coloring books or activity books to take home. The interactive multimedia presentations last from 20 to 45 minutes (depending on age/grade level) and offer learning which aid in safeguarding all children from potentially dangerous situations.
We will host CAPP at Robinson on September 23rd and 24th. Robinson students will view the presentation as a class via zoom with their classroom teacher and one of our counseling team members. If you prefer, you may print and sign an opt out form provided by CAPP and found here: https://jfsstl.org/get-help/our-services/child-abuse-prevention-program/opt-out-forms/. All opt-out forms need to be received by September 22nd.
If you were unable to attend the zoom parent forum, we have a short recording of one of the CAPP presenters speaking about what your student may see and hear. The video link can be found below this message.
Please reach out to us if we can be helpful. As a reminder, Ms. Harris works with pre-K through 2nd grade. Mrs. Cohen works with 3rd-5th graders. If you are in need of resources, they can both be a starting place, or you can directly reach out to Mrs. Ampey-Elong, our KSD social worker. Ms. Shields has a specific caseload, please start with one of our 2 school counselors if your student is not currently being seen by Ms. Shields. All of our contact information can be found at the end of this communication.
If you missed last week's communication, you can access it from this link:
Have a great week!
Parent Forum Zoom Meeting Recording
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aLdAFmgLlHE2tePQ89A8XWOGTEHj3TY2/view?usp=sharing
REPEAT INFORMATION:
Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
*From Behavioral Health Response or BHR:
Each year in September, mental health advocates, survivors, family, friends, community members, and mental health organizations like BHR unite to raise awareness of suicide prevention. Suicidal thoughts can inflict anyone no matter age, gender, or social status. Commonly linked to depression, there is no absolute indicator of suicidal tendencies. Many people with depression or suicidal ideation cover them up well.
Suicide in Missouri*
- 1,130 Missourians died by sucide in 2019.
- Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Missouri.
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among 10-17 year olds. More than 60 percent of these suicides are firearm related.
- A large marjority (75 percent) of those who die by suicide are white males.
- Suicide rates are highest among 25-64 year olds.
*Source: Missouri Institute of Mental Health, July 2020
We all can help prevent suicide. Here are tips to help someone in crisis.
Have the Conversation
Even though it’s dificult, ask a person directly if they’re having suicidal thoughts.
Listen
People with suicidal thoughts often feel alone. Take the time to listen. Let them know you care deeply about them.
Conduct a Safety Check
If you’re concerned about their well-being, try to remove anything they could use to harm themselves, such as alcohol, drugs, medications, weapons, and even access to a car.
Seek Professional Help
Let them know you will help develop a plan that involves a mental health professional who has many services and resources available to support them every step of the way.
If you or someone you know is in an emergency,
call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately.
REFRAMING & REPHRASING-- It's all about the AND!
At Robinson we use the Zones of Regulation to teach about self-regulation and self-management. As we begin the year all students will be given a refresher lesson about the Zones. Our Kindergarten students will be learning about the Zones of Regulation for the first time. Ask your student to telll you about the different Zones and the tools in their tool box to reset. Somedays, no matter how hard we try, we can't reset. This is true for children and adults. We understand that not everyone will always, "get back to green." That is an overall goal for us to be able to do our best learning at Robinson. We don't, however, expect that every student, every day, will "be green."
Contact Information for 2021-22 School Year
ROBINSON COUNSELING TEAM
Indria Harris
School Counselor, preK-2nd grade
Indria.harris@kirkwoodschools.org
314-213-6100, ext. 4061
School Counselor, 3rd-5th grade
julie.cohen@kirkwoodschools.org
314-213-6100, ext. 4470
Tonya Ampey-Elong
Social Worker, KSD
tonya.ampey@kirkwoodschools.org
314-213-6100, ext. 4042
*At Robinson on Mondays and Wednesdays
Ana Shields
Educational Support Counselor
ana.shields@kirkwoodschools.org
314-213-6100, ext. 4065
*At Robinson all day Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday's until noon