COUNSELOR’S CORNER

 Counselors work with students in several ways at school:

CLASSROOM GUIDANCE

Classroom guidance works on a rotation schedule.  One week I see K-2^nd grade classes, the next week 3rd-5th grade classes. 

During the weeks I am off of a rotation, the students are having lessons provided by our SRO Officer.  Some of the topics I cover in my classroom guidance lessons are feelings, friendship skills, conflict resolution, anger management, and career awareness.

SMALL GROUPS

Small groups may be formed when several students of the same age are experiencing a similar kind of problem.  It can be very helpful for them to see they are not alone and they can gain support from their peers.  Some types of issues dealt with in a small group are social skills, grief/loss, divorce, friendship skills, and anger management.

INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING

Many times students have concerns they would like to talk about one on one.  I have a “counselor mailbox” outside my classroom door where they can fill out a self-referral slip to see me.  These meetings are confidential unless there is a concern regarding the child’s safety.  Many times children just need someone to simply listen to their feelings.

Teachers may request I see a child from their classroom if they have some areas of concern.  Parents can also request I meet with their child regarding an issue.  If I can help in any way, please feel free to give me a call.

“BEE YOUR BEST” SCHOOL-WIDE CHARACTER

EDUCATION PROGRAM

Every nine weeks our school chooses a “bee” word to focus on.  These words are character traits such as respect, responsibility, caring, honesty, fairness, and good citizenship.  The “mascot” of this program is a bee named Character Ed.  Teachers try to “catch” students using the “bee” word of the nine weeks and recognize them by filling out a certificate that describes their good deed.  These are read during our morning broadcast and are posted on our bulletin board in the lobby for all to see.  Drawings for prize giveaways are done regularly during each nine weeks.

BEE WORD OF THE NINE WEEKS:

Cooperation

 "BEE" SURE TO WORK TOGETHER

 "BEE" FAIR AND FOLLOW THE RULES

 "BEE" A GOOD SPORT AND A TEAM PLAYER

 "BEE" WILLING TO COMPROMISE WITH OTHERS

PEER MEDIATORS
 

Each year, several 5th grade students are chosen by their peers to serve as peer mediators in our school.  They learn skills to help them work with others who are having a problem with each other.  They teach our students to learn how to solve problems peacefully.  We are busy with training our new leaders now and are anxious to put them to work!

STUDENT COUNCIL

Our student council has tallied the votes and our K-2 students have overwhelming elected Garfield as their choice for our next President. The race in grades 3-5 was VERY close for all candidate choices. In the end, Hillary Clinton won for the Democratic race and John McCain won for the Republicans. The overall winner was Hillary Clinton. 

The Student Council is preparing for two more exciting opportunities. One, they will soon be testing their reporting skills as they take over doing the morning broadcast for the school. Secondly, our school has been chosen to select a group of students to ride in the Mule Day parade on the Bicentennial Float. The are looking for twenty students from our school and we are giving "first dibs" to the Student Council. What an honor it will be to represent our school in the parade!

IMPORTANT DATES