October is known nationally as bullying prevention month. Schools, organizations, and communities across the country will join together in preventing bullying. Burgess students will be learning more about how to recognize and stop bullying and cyberbullying in their health classes. The American School Counselor Organization has published an article to help parents prevent and address cyberbullying behaviors. The article includes information on ways to keep tabs on technology, how to communicate with your children regarding their online activities as well as ways to respond and protect your child if they become a victim of cyberbullying.The article can be linked at http://www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine/blogs/may-june-2012/prevent-and-address-cyberbullying
This article explains why children become anxious and has useful ideas regarding what to do if you see signs of anxiety in children. It includes short-term as well as long-term strategies to help children cope. It can be reached at :http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/social/emotional-skills/how-to-spot-and-treat-anxiety-in-children
The transition back to school can be a challenge for both students and parents. As with any new situation like starting school for the first time or entering a new grade or school kids need time to adjust. It can help to remind them that everyone feels a littlenervous about the first day of school and that it will become an everyday routine in time. It is important to emphasize the positive things about going back to school such as hanging out with friends and getting involved with sports and other afterschool activities. It's also important to talk to kids about what worries them and offer reassurance. More ideas on easing the transition back to school can be reached at http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/back_school.html
I have had the opportunity to intoduce the Second Step Program to students at Burgess in classrooms as well as in and small group settings during the months of December and January. The Second Step program teaches skills in the following areas:
1. Skills for Learning: Students learn skills to help themselves learn including how to focus attention, listen carefully, and be assertive when asking for help with schoolwork. 2. Empathy: Students learn how to identify and understand their own feelings as well as the feelings of other people. 3. Emotion Management: Students learn specific skills for calming down when experiencing strong feelings. 4. Problem Solving: Students learn a process for solving problems in a positive way. I visited Mrs.Keville's Heath classes the first week in October and presented a powerpoint presentation to our fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students to make them aware of the services I offer and how they can get ahold of me. I will be visiting her classes again the last week of October to present to our first, second,and third graders. These slides were taken from my presentation. Here are some examples of the kinds of materials I use with my students to help them feel comfortable when they visit my office. We talked about how, when and where students can come to see me. This slide offers a summary of my presentation to our students.
Sports are a great way for kids to have fun, stay fit, improve skills, and make friends. For some kids the pressure to succeed in sports can create stress that may have either a positive or a negative effect on their performance. Parents can learn to spot the difference between good and bad stress and can teach their children valuable tools for handling stress. This article can be linked at: http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/sports_competition.html
Students moving to middle school need to adjust to several changes including finding their way around a new building, taking a school bus with older students, making new friends, and more challenging curriculum. This article offers practical suggestions for easing this transition. It can be linked at http://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php.
Many kids feel afraid of thunderstorms. This article describes ways to overcome this fear. It includes ways to understand what is happening during a storm as well as coping strategie to feel safe and relaxed. The article can be linked at http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/thunderstorms.html#
This article was developed by the experts at Sandbox Learning to help parents prepare their children for summer break. It can be reached at http://www.sandbox-learning.com/Getting Ready for Summer Break
This article has lots of useful ideas to help your kids conquer worry. It describes ways to show you undertand, offer reassurance, be a good role model, and how to keep things in perspective how to guide kids to solutions.
It can be linked at: http:// kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/worrying.html |