Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Surprise!
Look who stopped by to say hello on our first day of school...
Left to right: Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, Asst. Principal Nikki Murphy, Counselor Jaclyn Sepp, Principal Elyse Smith
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
First Week: Meet the Counselor
During the first week of school I will be visiting each classroom to introduce myself to new students and refresh previous students of how I can help them. In the younger grades I'll be reading a book I created to explain my role at Lee Elementary. Inspired by Lauren Gentry at Cool School Counseling, I created the book to help students learn about me, explain how I can help, and where they can find me.
Here are a few sample pages:
In the older grades I will speak with students about my role at the school, how to meet with me, confidentiality, and answer any questions they have through a powerpoint. They will fill out an organizer, created by Vanessa at Savvy School Counselor, to keep in their binder if they needed help remembering.
Additionally, students can individually sign-up to meet with me when they need to help. Last year I prioritized requests on a first come, first serve basis. Last years' fourth graders and I realized that this didn't prioritize students that might need to see me more urgently. This year I'm revamping self-referrals by having students check how soon they'll need to see me on their request. I found this other great idea on using rock sizes from Vanessa at Saavy School Counselor to visualize urgency and size of problem. I created this poster to help students pick their rock:
Here are a few sample pages:
In the older grades I will speak with students about my role at the school, how to meet with me, confidentiality, and answer any questions they have through a powerpoint. They will fill out an organizer, created by Vanessa at Savvy School Counselor, to keep in their binder if they needed help remembering.
Additionally, students can individually sign-up to meet with me when they need to help. Last year I prioritized requests on a first come, first serve basis. Last years' fourth graders and I realized that this didn't prioritize students that might need to see me more urgently. This year I'm revamping self-referrals by having students check how soon they'll need to see me on their request. I found this other great idea on using rock sizes from Vanessa at Saavy School Counselor to visualize urgency and size of problem. I created this poster to help students pick their rock:
Students can use this self-referral sheet to put in my mailbox:
Monday, August 5, 2013
Beginning of the School Year: Easing Separation Anxiety
Starting school can stir up anxiety for both children and parents. I found a great blog entry from Christie Burnett of childhood101 with suggestions for easing those back to school worries.
1. Burnett suggests going to orientation sessions offered by your school to become more familiar with the school, classrooms, teachers, and routines. Lee Elementary offers 3 opportunities throughout the year to help with the transition to our school. On Friday, August 23rd, students and families can come meet their teacher, see their classroom, and drop off their school supplies beginning at 11:30am. For new families to our school, stick around until 12:30pm for an orientation to our school hosted by our principal, Elyse Smith. Each January we offer an Open House for prospective families and in early May we have our Kindergarten Round-Up. Check our school calendar for dates and times.
2. Her second tip is to "Acknowledge your own level of anxiety privately and model a sense of confidence and calm to your child." Children can sense your energy and they can feed off of it. Depending on your child's age, modeling how you cope with anxiety can also be therapeutic for children. No one is perfect and by showing your children that you experience the same feelings they do, they can see healthy ways of coping.
3. We all fear the unexpected and change can be difficult to adjust to. By preparing your child for what will happen, you can lessen their anxiety. Role-playing what going to school will look like can be helpful. Have your child pick out stuffed animals or action figures to play different characters in their life (parents, siblings, teachers) and act our potential situations.
4. Bibliotherapy! There are many picture books that teach children about new experiences, such as what going to school is all about. Check out some of the suggestions listed on Books That Heal Kids. By relating to characters in the story, young children can more easily understand the abstract meaning of feelings and coping skills.
5. Let children express their fears and concerns. Instead of questioning, sit back and listen to what is bothering them. Acknowledge their feelings by using a "You Statement." For example, "You feel scared about the first day of school."
6. Wake up EARLY the morning of the first day. You may not be able to predict any hiccups that can occur, so by giving yourself extra time you can ensure a calmer morning.
7. Send your child to school with a family memento. It could be a family photo, a worry stone, or even a sweet, handwritten note they can keep in their pocket. They can easily pull this out to remind themselves that you'll be coming back to get them when they're starting to become overwhelmed with change.
8. Help your child get settled by going into the classroom with them. Help them hang up their backpack, put away their lunch box, and find their home spot in the classroom. When it is time to go, tell your child goodbye (don't just sneak out), give them a hug and kiss, and let them know you will be back to pick them up when school is over. Your child may get upset when you leave, but it is best not to hover in the hallway or peak back in. If you're worried about them calming down, leave your number with myself (the counselor) and I will check in on them and update you. You can also call the front office and they'll send me in to make sure everything is okay.
1. Burnett suggests going to orientation sessions offered by your school to become more familiar with the school, classrooms, teachers, and routines. Lee Elementary offers 3 opportunities throughout the year to help with the transition to our school. On Friday, August 23rd, students and families can come meet their teacher, see their classroom, and drop off their school supplies beginning at 11:30am. For new families to our school, stick around until 12:30pm for an orientation to our school hosted by our principal, Elyse Smith. Each January we offer an Open House for prospective families and in early May we have our Kindergarten Round-Up. Check our school calendar for dates and times.
2. Her second tip is to "Acknowledge your own level of anxiety privately and model a sense of confidence and calm to your child." Children can sense your energy and they can feed off of it. Depending on your child's age, modeling how you cope with anxiety can also be therapeutic for children. No one is perfect and by showing your children that you experience the same feelings they do, they can see healthy ways of coping.
3. We all fear the unexpected and change can be difficult to adjust to. By preparing your child for what will happen, you can lessen their anxiety. Role-playing what going to school will look like can be helpful. Have your child pick out stuffed animals or action figures to play different characters in their life (parents, siblings, teachers) and act our potential situations.
4. Bibliotherapy! There are many picture books that teach children about new experiences, such as what going to school is all about. Check out some of the suggestions listed on Books That Heal Kids. By relating to characters in the story, young children can more easily understand the abstract meaning of feelings and coping skills.
5. Let children express their fears and concerns. Instead of questioning, sit back and listen to what is bothering them. Acknowledge their feelings by using a "You Statement." For example, "You feel scared about the first day of school."
6. Wake up EARLY the morning of the first day. You may not be able to predict any hiccups that can occur, so by giving yourself extra time you can ensure a calmer morning.
7. Send your child to school with a family memento. It could be a family photo, a worry stone, or even a sweet, handwritten note they can keep in their pocket. They can easily pull this out to remind themselves that you'll be coming back to get them when they're starting to become overwhelmed with change.
8. Help your child get settled by going into the classroom with them. Help them hang up their backpack, put away their lunch box, and find their home spot in the classroom. When it is time to go, tell your child goodbye (don't just sneak out), give them a hug and kiss, and let them know you will be back to pick them up when school is over. Your child may get upset when you leave, but it is best not to hover in the hallway or peak back in. If you're worried about them calming down, leave your number with myself (the counselor) and I will check in on them and update you. You can also call the front office and they'll send me in to make sure everything is okay.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
SEL Highlights from 2012-2013
Lee Elementary, as part of the McCallum vertical team, began implementing the SEL program in the 2012-2013 school year. Our efforts were recognized and featured on the Austin ISD's SEL blog multiple times for our successful activities school wide.
June 7:
March 29:
June 7:
March 29:
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
14 tips for Helping Children with Emotional Intelligence
I came across this great article from Parent4Success on emotional intelligence:
Our emotional intelligence is the ability to understand our own feelings and the feelings of others so we can get along with other people. Experts have found that our emotional intelligence is the biggest predictor of life happiness. If we want to help our children develop emotional intelligence we need to help them name their feelings then to guide them through the how to find an effective solution.
Children with higher emotional intelligence are more likely to be sociable, cooperative, optimistic and able to solve problems. They tend to be better-behaved, less impulsive, and have a higher academic performance. They are happier, have more friends and are more likely to be successful in life. So there is a big impact on what we do as parents.
So what can we do to help our children develop emotional intelligence?
1. Accept our children’s emotions and emotional responses
‘That must have been really frustrating’ ‘Wow, you are showing me how angry you feel’ ‘That’s great, I can tell how excited you are’ ‘it can be tough when friends let you down like that.’ ‘You look pretty upset. Something must have happened,’
2. Help them label their emotions.
‘You sound upset’, ‘you look really down’, ‘I’m guessing you’re feeling really sad about that’ ‘You’re looking a bit worried’. I imagine you must be feeling….’ ‘That must have hurt’
3. Encourage children to talk about their feelings
‘Hey, you sound really fed up about that. Do you want to talk about it? ‘How did that make you feel?
4. Help them to recognize cues as to how other people may be feeling
‘How do you think that made him feel?’ ‘What do you think was going on for her?’ ‘How would you feel if that happened to you?’
5. Help children be aware when their tension is building and what creates stress for them.
‘Are you finding this stressful?’ ‘There seems to be a lot going on for you at the moment –are you feeling tense?’ ‘I can see from the way you are clenching your jaw that you are feeling angry’
6. Teach them how to calm themselves down.
‘Do you think a bit of time to calm down would help?’ ‘Would it help if you took some deep breaths?’ “When that happens again could you say to yourself: ‘I can stay calm’ ‘Everyone makes mistakes’ or ‘It was an accident’” ‘Shall we sit down later when you’ve had a chance to cool off and have a chat about it?
7. Teach children alternative ways of expressing their frustrations
‘How could you explain how you feel using your words rather than hitting?’ ‘Can you think of a different way to let him know how angry you are?’ ‘I don’t like feeling blamed. If you want something you will need to tell me in another way’. ‘Could tell your friend how that made you feel?’ ‘What do you think you will do next time you feel like that?’
8. Teach them how to problem solve
‘Shall we write down a whole list of things that could help, and then you could choose which you want to try first’ ‘What do you think would happen if you did that?’ ‘How do you think he’d respond to that?’
9. Teach children positive self-talk
“When you are feeling like that what could you say? : ‘I can handle this’ ‘I can do it’ ‘I just need to do my best’ ‘every day I am getting better and better’ ‘I deserve to be happy’ ‘I love a challenge’ ‘This is going to need my best effort’”
10. Recognize what motivates them to perform at their best
‘What do you think you could say at the start of the day that would help you feel more positive?’ ‘I’ve noticed that when things get difficult you just keep trying’ ‘I can see that once you have a goal, you don’t give up until you’ve reached it’ ‘You said you would do it….and you did’ ‘I like the way you have planned everything you need to revise for your exam’
11. Teach children to listen and talk in ways that enables them to resolve conflicts and negotiate win-win solutions
‘How can we sort this out so that we are both happy?’ ‘What do you think she wants?’
‘What would be a good solution so you can both get what you need?’ ‘How could you explain that in a way she could hear?’ ‘I like it when you use ‘I messages’ rather than blaming me’
12. Comment when our children show self-control
‘You handled yourself really well just now’ ‘I like the way you stayed calm when he was raising his voice -That showed a lot of self-control’ ‘I was impressed with the way you used your words and kept your hands to yourself!’ ‘you really stayed calm when you were doing that puzzle, even when you couldn’t find the right piece –you just kept on trying –that was impressive’
13. Talk about our own feelings
‘I’m feeling really fed up about all the mess around the house’ ‘I feel so frustrated when I start to say something and you interrupt’ ‘I get really worried when you don’t come home from school at the normal time’ ‘I love it when I come home to a tidy kitchen.’ ‘I’m feeling a bit low…I think I’ll organise a night out with my friends’
14. Model how to remain calm and in control when we are angry
‘I’ve had a rough day at work – can we talk about this later when I’ve had a chance to cool off?’ ‘I don’t like the way you’re talking, and I’m not prepared to sit here and listen to comments like that’. ‘Hey, there’s something I’d like to talk about, is now a good time to talk?’ ‘I can feel myself getting angry; maybe we’d better go home’
What do you do to help your child develop the ability to understand their feelings or those of others and help them get on with other people?
Our emotional intelligence is the ability to understand our own feelings and the feelings of others so we can get along with other people. Experts have found that our emotional intelligence is the biggest predictor of life happiness. If we want to help our children develop emotional intelligence we need to help them name their feelings then to guide them through the how to find an effective solution.
Children with higher emotional intelligence are more likely to be sociable, cooperative, optimistic and able to solve problems. They tend to be better-behaved, less impulsive, and have a higher academic performance. They are happier, have more friends and are more likely to be successful in life. So there is a big impact on what we do as parents.
So what can we do to help our children develop emotional intelligence?
1. Accept our children’s emotions and emotional responses
‘That must have been really frustrating’ ‘Wow, you are showing me how angry you feel’ ‘That’s great, I can tell how excited you are’ ‘it can be tough when friends let you down like that.’ ‘You look pretty upset. Something must have happened,’
2. Help them label their emotions.
‘You sound upset’, ‘you look really down’, ‘I’m guessing you’re feeling really sad about that’ ‘You’re looking a bit worried’. I imagine you must be feeling….’ ‘That must have hurt’
3. Encourage children to talk about their feelings
‘Hey, you sound really fed up about that. Do you want to talk about it? ‘How did that make you feel?
4. Help them to recognize cues as to how other people may be feeling
‘How do you think that made him feel?’ ‘What do you think was going on for her?’ ‘How would you feel if that happened to you?’
5. Help children be aware when their tension is building and what creates stress for them.
‘Are you finding this stressful?’ ‘There seems to be a lot going on for you at the moment –are you feeling tense?’ ‘I can see from the way you are clenching your jaw that you are feeling angry’
6. Teach them how to calm themselves down.
‘Do you think a bit of time to calm down would help?’ ‘Would it help if you took some deep breaths?’ “When that happens again could you say to yourself: ‘I can stay calm’ ‘Everyone makes mistakes’ or ‘It was an accident’” ‘Shall we sit down later when you’ve had a chance to cool off and have a chat about it?
7. Teach children alternative ways of expressing their frustrations
‘How could you explain how you feel using your words rather than hitting?’ ‘Can you think of a different way to let him know how angry you are?’ ‘I don’t like feeling blamed. If you want something you will need to tell me in another way’. ‘Could tell your friend how that made you feel?’ ‘What do you think you will do next time you feel like that?’
8. Teach them how to problem solve
‘Shall we write down a whole list of things that could help, and then you could choose which you want to try first’ ‘What do you think would happen if you did that?’ ‘How do you think he’d respond to that?’
9. Teach children positive self-talk
“When you are feeling like that what could you say? : ‘I can handle this’ ‘I can do it’ ‘I just need to do my best’ ‘every day I am getting better and better’ ‘I deserve to be happy’ ‘I love a challenge’ ‘This is going to need my best effort’”
10. Recognize what motivates them to perform at their best
‘What do you think you could say at the start of the day that would help you feel more positive?’ ‘I’ve noticed that when things get difficult you just keep trying’ ‘I can see that once you have a goal, you don’t give up until you’ve reached it’ ‘You said you would do it….and you did’ ‘I like the way you have planned everything you need to revise for your exam’
11. Teach children to listen and talk in ways that enables them to resolve conflicts and negotiate win-win solutions
‘How can we sort this out so that we are both happy?’ ‘What do you think she wants?’
‘What would be a good solution so you can both get what you need?’ ‘How could you explain that in a way she could hear?’ ‘I like it when you use ‘I messages’ rather than blaming me’
12. Comment when our children show self-control
‘You handled yourself really well just now’ ‘I like the way you stayed calm when he was raising his voice -That showed a lot of self-control’ ‘I was impressed with the way you used your words and kept your hands to yourself!’ ‘you really stayed calm when you were doing that puzzle, even when you couldn’t find the right piece –you just kept on trying –that was impressive’
13. Talk about our own feelings
‘I’m feeling really fed up about all the mess around the house’ ‘I feel so frustrated when I start to say something and you interrupt’ ‘I get really worried when you don’t come home from school at the normal time’ ‘I love it when I come home to a tidy kitchen.’ ‘I’m feeling a bit low…I think I’ll organise a night out with my friends’
14. Model how to remain calm and in control when we are angry
‘I’ve had a rough day at work – can we talk about this later when I’ve had a chance to cool off?’ ‘I don’t like the way you’re talking, and I’m not prepared to sit here and listen to comments like that’. ‘Hey, there’s something I’d like to talk about, is now a good time to talk?’ ‘I can feel myself getting angry; maybe we’d better go home’
What do you do to help your child develop the ability to understand their feelings or those of others and help them get on with other people?
Monday, June 3, 2013
School's Out for Summer!
Starting June 5th the children are home, the sun is out. Relaxation sets in...and then a few days later, the exclamations of "I'M BORED!" can be heard throughout the household. What's a family to do? Here are some suggestions of activities:
- Create a Family Ideas Jar: each person writes different activities and ideas on paper slips and puts it in the jar. Draw one out every few days for a family activity. (Ex: movie & popcorn night, library, museum, camp-out, picnic, collect old toys/clothes to donate, etc.)
- Embrace Nature: make rubbings of textures in nature, hike, catch fireflies, camping, plant seeds, bird feeders,take pictures of plants and bugs that you might want to learn more about and then look them up together, Free Fun in Austin
- Exercise Journal: record what they did and how they felt afterwards (Ex. biking, walking, hide and seeking, tag, basketball, hula hoop, catch, jumprope, etc.), this relieves stress and burns off excess energy
- Indoor Activities: homemade playdough, creative snack ideas (ants on a log), board games (practice important skills such as taking turns, sharing, wining, losing, etc.), imaginative play, music, art, 10 things to do when you're stuck inside
- Online Activities: Creative Apps
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