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Counseling

Ms. Caryl's School Counseling Corner

Upcoming Events

Our word of the month for November at Fir Grove is GRATITUDE. 

As we reflect on what we are thankful for, our students are participating in projects to help those in our community who have unmet needs. We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys Monday 11/18 - Tuesday 12/3 and then colorful, fun socks of all sizes for children who are hospitalized this season. The sock drive begins Tuesday 12/3 and ends Tuesday 12/17. Please contribute if you can!

Archived Information

 

 

November 1, 2019

This month is sometimes referred to as "no school November" because of the holidays that limit our school day count. But there is so much learning taking place each day that we're in session. We continue to celebrate classrooms with "perfect attendance" - when all students are present and on time. Some classes are getting close to their 10th day!

This month kindergarten students will learn about some important functions of the brain and get an introduction to mindfulness. Students in 1st-5th grade have had similar instruction and have begun practicing mindfulness in classrooms as a tool to achieve emotional regulation.

My lesson with 1st grade students in November will focus on the feeling of anger - how to notice it in ourselves and others, and how we can express it in healthy ways (something that doesn't hurt ourselves, hurt others, or cause a new problem).

In 2nd grade we will learn about self esteem and how we can keep our heads up even when faced with difficulties. Having a positive mindset is critical for students to develop resiliency and the skills that lead to current and future success.

Third graders will explore friendship and how to navigate some tricky social situations. We'll be reading How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making and Keeping Friends by Marc and Laurie Krasny Brown.

We will discover our learning styles in 4th grade. Students will take a survey to determine how they learn best and some strategies for studying that align with each learning style.

In fifth grade we are learning how to embrace aspects of life we have control over as a way of gaining responsibility and staying solution-focused. I have also recently shared information about our BSD middle school options programs because the applications are now available and the deadline for submitting one is December 6th. Students can only apply to one program and an application can't be changed once submitted. So I'm encouraging students and families to hold off on applying until learning everything possible about the available choices. The Beaverton School District provides several options for middle school students and it's important for all 5th graders and parents to have an opportunity to explore these programs. One way to do that is by attending an open house at one or more of theses schools. Most students find that the best fit program is their neighborhood middle school (Highland Park) but students and families should explore the other options before deciding whether or not to apply. Please contact me if you have questions!

Helpful Resources and links

School Counseling Program:

I'm in every K-5 classroom at least once a month to teach lessons that address social/emotional/behavioral skills as well as academic and career development. The topics are outlined in a curriculum overview. The shaded boxes indicate a topic that is covered over a few weeks during the given month while the non-shaded boxes indicate a one-time lesson. The counseling learning targets (Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success) are available if you're interested in knowing the broader goals of a comprehensive school counseling program. For an explanation of what school counseling programs are all about, you can check out this overview or this Prezi that I shared with our school staff.