Counseling
Who’s Wise Words
In our community, we will be
Kind
Respectful
Responsible
and
Safe.
We've implemented a school wide positive behavior system focused on recognizing kindness, responsibility, respect and safety around school. You may have noticed new posters around school, and may have heard your children talking about "positive pellets" teachers have been distributing when we notice kids doing the right thing around school.
We are slowing down to focus on the direct instruction of expectations of behavior in all locations around school: bathrooms, hallways, playground, buses, the multi-purpose room, and classrooms. Teachers are taking their classes around to each of these locations to discuss expected behavior and go through what we want to see from students around school.
Counseling Objectives
ROLES AND GOALS
As the school counselor at Marion Cross, I am available every day for students, parents and teachers. My role is to support students' development and success academically, personally and socially through home-school collaboration, classroom guidance, individual counseling and small group support.
My goals are to:
- Assist students in developing a positive self-image
- Support students in identifying personal strengths and challenges, both personally and academically
- Teach students conflict resolution, decision making, interpersonal and communication skills
- Support students in dealing with personal concerns
- Promote tolerance and respect for oneself and others
- Assist students in developing an understanding of the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behavior
- Promote goal-setting and assessment of one's learning style
- Develop a strong home-school connection
- Coordinate with community agencies to support student success
- Help students to make informed, healthy choices that positive affect themselves and others
- Work with students, parents, teachers and staff to create a safe environment for students to learn and feel connected
CLASSROOM LESSONS
Kindergarten through Second Grade
I am lucky enough to have weekly classroom lessons with students in Kindergarden through Second Grade. In my 30 minute class lessons, I use the Second Step Social Emotional Learning Program to increase students’ school success and decrease problem behaviors by promoting social emotional competence and self-regulation skills. There are four units in the curriculum: skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and friendship skills and problem solving. In addition to Second Step, our amazing local resource, WISE, comes in to conduct Care for Kids lessons, which is a health-based early childhood healthy sexuality and abuse prevention curriculum. Mr. Minelli, MCS’s technology teacher, also comes in to co-teach for two lessons with me on internet safety based on Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship program. There are also supplemental lessons focused on kindness, being an up-stander (anti-bullying). Puppets, songs, and movement are all used to help practice these skills.
Third Grade
I visit each third grade classroom weekly. We use the Zones Of Regulation Program to increase students’ self-regulation skills and feelings vocabulary. This work builds upon the skills developed in the Second Step lessons in grades K-2. In addition to the Zones, our amazing local resource, WISE, comes to conduct We Care Elementary lessons, which focus on different topics related to healthy relationships. Mr. Minelli, MCS’s technology teacher, also comes in to co-teach for two lessons with Katie on internet safety based on Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship program. There are also supplemental lessons focused on mindfulness, kindness, diversity, and being an up-stander (anti-bullying). Role plays, stories, video clips and movement are all used to help practice these skills.
Fourth Grade
I visit each Fourth Grade classroom weekly. During classroom lessons, I work to help students learn about themselves as well as how to develop positive relationships with others. The classes focus on self-esteem, diversity, mindfulness, communication skills, social skills, kindness and being an up-stander (anti-bullying). Students use class discussions, role-playing, stories and writing to express themselves and practice their skills. In addition to the social emotional lessons, our amazing local resource, WISE, comes to conduct We Care Elementary lessons, which focus on different topics related to healthy relationships. Mr. Minelli, MCS’s technology teacher, also comes in to co-teach for two lessons on internet safety based on Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship program.
Fifth Grade
I teach five class lessons to the 5th grade classes during elective time. Each class meets five times throughout the year, for an hour and fifteen minutes. The health based curriculum is designed to help students learn about themselves as well as how develop positive relationships with others. I co-teach with the school nurse, Pam Hausler, during these lessons. We use elements of the Life Skills health/guidance curriculum to teach fifth graders about self-esteem, decision making, positive and negative stress, verbal/nonverbal communication, advertising, peer pressure, conflict resolution, assertiveness, tobacco/drug/alcohol use, HIV, and puberty. Students use class discussions, role-playing, videos and writing to express themselves and practice their skills. Mr. Minelli, MCS’s technology teacher, also comes in to co-teach for two lessons on internet safety during two 45 minute study hall times based on Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship program.
Sixth Grade
I teach five class lessons to the 6th grade classes during elective time. Each class meets five times throughout the year, for an hour and fifteen minutes. The health based curriculum is designed to help students learn about themselves as well as how develop positive relationships with others. I co-teach with the school nurse, Pam Hausler, during these lessons. We use elements of the Life Skills health/guidance curriculum to teach sixth graders about self-esteem, decision making, positive and negative stress, verbal/ nonverbal communication, conflict resolution, advertising, peer pressure, assertiveness, tobacco/drug/alcohol use, and reproduction. Students use class discussions, role-playing, videos and writing to supplement student learning. Mr. Minelli, MCS’s technology teacher, also comes in to co-teach for two lessons on internet safety during two 45 minute study hall times based on Common Sense Media’s digital citizenship program.
SMALL GROUPS
Throughout the year, I run many small groups to help students practice a variety of skills. I work with teachers to schedule groups so they take place at the least disruptive time to student learning. The four four main groups I am running this year are:
- Social Skills/Friendship
- Self Regulation
- Stress/Anxiety
- Changing Families (Divorce)
Are you interested in having your child be a part of a small group? Please click on the link below to let me know!
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
A significant part of my job is to meet with students 1:1 to provide short-term, adjustment-related counseling such as: problem solving, working through a challenge or processing emotions and feelings.
Students may be referred for individual counseling by a teacher, staff or parents/guardians. Care is taken to ensure that students are seen during a time that is the least disruptive to learning as possible.
If a student requires more intense or long-term mental health counseling then parents/guardians will be contacted and a referral to an outside agency will be made.
Parenting Library in my Office: Feel free to swing by and look through my books to see if there is anything that piques your interest.
In addition to my parent resource library, below are some online resources you may find helpful.
Helpful Resources
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Bullying
- Diversity/Tolerance
- General Parenting
- Grief/Loss
- Mindfulness
- Positive Character Development
- School Counseling
ADHD
- CHADD: Nationally recognized authority on ADHD. If you are looking for resources on how to support your child with ADHD, this is a great place to start.
Anxiety
- Back to School Anxiety: A good article on how to ease the transition between summer and the start of a new school year.
- Anxiety in Kids: How to turn it around and protect them for life: A meaningful and useful article full of tips on how to help your anxious child.
Bullying
- This government website has some helpful tops for what parents can do to help prevent and stop bullying. Here's another great resource on bullying that includes kids games and videos. Yet another helpful article on how to help you child deal with bullying.
Diversity/Tolerance
- Teaching Tolerance: This is a great resource for ideas on how to help your child be more thoughtful and accepting of others.
- GLSEN, whose mission is to "create safe and affirming schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression"
General Parenting
- Kids Health KidsHealth has doctor-approved articles, animations, games, and resources to help kids and parents learn more about their bodies and stay healthy.
- The National Parenting Center This site includes a parenting corner and numerous informative articles about parenting at all developmental stages. Articles are divided into categories of learning, physical development, behavior and emotional issues, and tough issues.
- One Tough Job: This site provides helpful general parenting resources and ideas.
Grief/Loss
- The Dougy Center: A great resource to help during a time of grief or loss.
Mindfulness
- Annaka Harris has some great listening activities for kids. There are other resources on her site as well, but I use the listening activities the most with kids.
- Cosmic Kids Zen Den is a simple introduction to mindfulness for kids. It is geared towards a bit of a younger population, but I do find it useful in breaking down the process.
- Go Zen is a subscription service. I have heard amazing things about this program, though I have not used it with kids myself. Parents and families have expressed how helpful it has been for their kids, but it is something you have to pay for.
- Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel is a nice book that has numerous mindful exercises for kids and families that I use when working with kids. It also comes with an CD of different exercises.
- The Mindful Child is another book by Susan Kaiser Greenland. It does a good job of explaining how and why mindfulness is important for kids and lists some activities as well. She has a new activity book coming out too, which I have pre-ordered! Her website has some good things as well.
- A Still Quiet Place by Amy Saltzman, MD A mindfulness program for teaching children and adolescents (I have this in my room) I have used some bits of pieces from this program.
Positive Character Development
- You Got to be Kidding - Problem Solving Game Solve real life problems by choosing the best advice -- Arthur's tree house interactive game is a fun way for kids and parents to practice this important skill.
- Teaching Children to be Responsible: This website provides ideas about how to encourage responsible behavior in your children.
- Out on a Limb - A Guide to Getting Along: This website focuses on helping elementary students learn to better manage conflicts.
- Asset Development: From the Search Institute. You will find ways to encourage your child to build assets that help them avoid making risky choices. The more assets a person has, the less likely he/she is to engage in risky behaviors.
- Vermont Department of Health: A great resource for drug and alcohol prevention information, local support services and other general information parents should be aware of.
School Counseling
- Why Do We Need Elementary School Counselors? This site explains what an Elementary School Counselor does and how and why they are an important part of your child's educational experience.