Our elementary school has created a new incentive program to support students in the cafeteria and at recess. Using the school's "Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible" guidelines, students can earn Pride Paws. These paws will be posted by grade level on a bulletin board in the cafeteria (see above). Each week from Monday to Thursday, a goal will be set for the number of paws to earn toward a designated reward on Friday. This reward might be sitting with friends at lunch, fruit roll ups from the kitchen staff, or a few minutes of extra recess. 

We began the Pride Paws program this week with a goal of 5 out of 8 paws. Hopefully, students will buy in and reap the rewards!

To learn more, check out the attached document below.

I love Pinterest. It has been a never-ending supply of ideas and lessons when planning for classroom visits and small groups! Recently, I was looking for an activity for introducing basic conversation skills to second graders. I found a pin for a game called the Bean Bag Conversation Game, found on the Social Communication Services with Mrs. Cardenas. 

I modified the game slightly due to resources on hand and group members' needs. I used 12 pieces of brightly colored construction paper, but taped cards from the (highly recommended) Bright Spots' Thoughts and Feelings Cards and used a weighted stuffed dragon. We followed Mrs. Cardenas's instructions regarding the flow of conversation, emphasizing the use of eye contact and turning statements into questions. I found this to be highly engaging and helpful to students in our group. Thanks, Mrs. Cardenas!

My school community was so kind to me during National School Counseling Week 2013! I was given an abundance of flowers and baked goods, as well as student art work and cards. I felt so loved and appreciated as a first year school counselor! Next year, I plan to add pieces of advocacy for my profession to staff, teachers, and students… but for now, I'm just thankful.

The second week of February is crazy, extra, SUPER special at our school! It's Valentine's, a Penny Drive for a local charity, and R.A.K. Week- all rolled into one! 

The catch phrase is, "Bring the Change, Be the Change!" When I visit each classrooms, we talk about empathy and practicing random acts of kindness (the super secret code: R.A.K.). In K-1 classrooms, students generate an ABC list of kind things they can do around the school. In the upper grades, we watch a great video about kindness (see below), discuss how kindness comes around full circle, then make a list of ways students can practice RAK in our school community. All students are asked to be RAK spies and catch their peers in the act of being kind to others, then write down each RAK on a simple rectangle of paper. These slips can then be posted in the lobby's display case, or drawn from a basket to be read to the entire school over the intercom. The display case also features a collection of all of the change being brought in by grade level, so everyone can clearly see the changes happening over time. That way students can be encouraged to see that when they BRING the change in, they can actually BE the change in their community!

The idea of a thermometer display came up during a discussion with one of our teachers. This particular class has a tendency to run extremely hot and cool in mood, and we thought it would be helpful to make a visual for students. Then the teacher can explicitly discuss the need to take a break and cool down before engaging in learning again.

I plan to use this thermometer for several lessons. First, we will be discussing the feelings and behaviors associated with each section (i.e., slips of paper with the words "angry" and "yelling" would be taped to the red section. The next lesson would discuss recognizing feelings in the red or yellow zones and what coping methods can be used to return to the yellow or blue zones. The teacher would like to use it with individual student for discussion when they are struggling in the classroom, as well. 

My fabulous social work intern, Heather, made this giant 3 foot thermometer with butcher paper. It has little pockets to the right where a little flag can be inserted and is laminated. 

Students in grades 2-3 are passionate about fairness and following the rules! When asked, they know exactly the right answers about good sportsmanship. Yet, these passionate feelings rarely translate into recess games and activities that run like well-oiled machinery. In fact, the vast majority of hurt feelings and problem solving concerns seem to center around the arguments arising from these games. Thus, a lesson about sportsmanship was needed.

The lesson began with a discussion about what a good sport looks and acts like. We made a list and the students had all the right "pat" answers (i.e., agree on the rules before you play, pick equal teams, congratulate the winner, don't brag if you win, etc). We also discussed what to do when someone seems to be cheating or not following the rules; students were genuinely surprised at the concept that others may not KNOW the rules and  need to be taught, as opposed to automatically accusing them of cheating.

Then I announced that the class would be playing a game with absolutely no interference from the adults in the room (caveat: I would step in if things became too hurtful, which is not always true when they play games at recess or in their neighborhoods). I chose Heads Up Seven Up because most students were familiar with it, but other group games could work as well. Then I stepped back and let them work it out on their own for about 15 minutes. It was interesting to watch the differences between classes. Some classes had a natural leader or two, others worked together to talk it out, and still others consistently argued and struggled for control. I really appreciated how students tried to consider the concepts we had discussed at the beginning of the lesson as they played. 

For the last 5-7 minutes, we discussed how the game had gone. I asked if they thought the game was fair, then fun, and why. Many said that they wished a teacher would step in and fix things, so we talked about how they can be empowered to solve the issues on their own. Students came up with some areas they could still improve in, such as how to pick teams fairly and how to deal with students who seemed to be cheating, which we can address in future lessons. I really enjoyed this lesson because I felt that students were fully engaged and appreciated such practical, "real life" learning, and I learned a great deal about the interpersonal dynamics of students when they are not in the classroom setting. Fascinating stuff!

Students in grades K-2 will often find themselves wrapped up in the emotions of a given situation. Happy play turns to impulsive frustration… and the anger becomes their entire world for the moment. Or a brief accident in front of the class brings about embarrassment that seems like it will never end. It can be important for students to realize that feelings change… sometimes in a flash (much like Santa??)! 

One way to teach this concept is to read the book, Are You Grumpy, Santa? by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis. As I read the book aloud, I paused to allow students to predict the feeling that Santa would have at various events in the book (kinder students made the face of the feeling they predicted). I made sure to point out how Santa's feelings changed from one event to another. By the time we reached the end, students could clearly see how Santa experienced a wide range of emotions, and eventually ended up happy. I asked them if this meant Santa would then remain "happy ever after," and was actually pleased to hear them all say no! They seemed to grasp the idea that it is okay to have a range of feelings and that none will last forever.

In addition to the staff adoption of three families (see the blog post, winter wishes, for details), the entire school is working together to collect food and hygiene products for families who may need the items over the winter break.

The principal of our school, who happens to be a masterful decorator, put up a gorgeous tree in the lobby.   In order to prepare my end, the following needed to be created (attached docs coming soon): 

• a list of items needed for each box
• labels with individual food/hygiene items
• about 500 die cut shapes (trees, circles, mittens)
• letter to send home with students
• a sign for the lobby ("Decorate the Giving Tree!")

I spent a week visiting all 24 classrooms to explain how the Giving Tree works:

• Every student must get permission from a parent/ guardian before participating.
• Students may take one or two blank, white ornaments from the tables in the lobby.
• Students decorate their blank ornament and bring it  back along with the item(s) listed on the label.
• Students then hang their ornament on the tree and put their donation underneath.

In two weeks, staff members will come together and organize the donated food into 10-15 boxes, then deliver the boxes to families in our community. And as the tree fills up with ornaments, the school can clearly see just how generously we can share! 

This time of year is always so fun, as everyone feels festive and generous. It's such a joy to participate in this spirit of giving during my first holiday season as a school counselor! 

My school has a tradition of adopting three or four families each holiday season, and this year I am the one to continue the (confidential) tradition. Each adopted family member made a wish list and the items will be purchased by staff members. Gifts will be wrapped while we enjoy a festive potluck brunch, then delivered during the annual "Ring & Run" (it's exactly like it sounds: we drop off presents and the Giving Tree food boxes at the families' front doors, then go out to celebrate our success). 

This year, I chose the theme "Winter Wishes" and decorated the staff lounge accordingly. First, there is a clothesline with the theme's letters and red mittens hung out to dry. Then I cut out snowflakes to add to our windows; I plan to add fake white snow and a few stray red mittens to the counter once all of the tags have been taken. Finally, I made the gift tags. I had originally planned to use die-cut mittens, but then I realized I could use the scraps from the die-cut trees I'd made as ornaments for our school wide Giving Tree. (That will be another post!) Staff members can use the tags to write a note and add it to the gift when it is wrapped at the brunch. I am hoping that every family member has their wildest winter wishes come true!

It has become abundantly clear that I will need to form small groups in order to reach even a small portion of the 580+ students at my school. One of the first needs to pop up has been a group focused on curbing impulsivity & coping with overstimulation for Kinder and first graders. We have carefully selected the students and sent out permission forms. I had also been (somewhat frantically) attempting to pull together lessons and activities from a variety of sources, when I stumbled upon this book. Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control, by Lori Ann Copeland looks so promising! I will give it a go and let you know how it all turns out...

(This post can also be found on my website, on the "small groups" page.)

Update: February 2013
I have modified this curriculum for Kinder and first grade students, and it has gone well! One thing that we have added is the use of motions that correlate with the buttons of the remote control. It has allowed students to apply the concepts even when they are not in the classroom to see the remote control visual. It also seems to help students to practice "in the moment." 

Here are the motions we've created:
pause: press one finger to the back of the hand
slow motion: slowly drag one finger from the wrist to the shoulder (and take deep breaths)
rewind: spin both index fingers backward toward the chest (we added the diddly-doo sound like the Wayne's World sound effect!)
fast forward: point flat hands together to make wall, then move forward
coach: tipping the cap motion
zapper: snap of the fingers
way to go: thumbs up
channel changer: pressing buttons of remote with thumb

We made paper remotes and have been coloring the button that we focus on that week. However, I have seen blogs that have made ones out of foam sheets, and we may give that a try for the 2nd grade group (check out the entirely elementary blog for this and other great ideas)! 

With younger students- and with only 30 minutes of meeting time- we have simplified the activities significantly. Generally, we start by reviewing our group's rules and the buttons we have already learned. We then introduce the next button, color the button on our paper remotes, and practice the corresponding motion. We then have time for one activity that helps to reinforce that day's button/ concept. Here are a few sample activities we have done:

pause: The book's suggestion to play Simon Says while using the pause button on their hand is fun but also effective.
slow motion: Play Jenga and have students play quickly and then slowly; discuss why going slowly and gently helps. You can then refer to playing Jenga when students are attempting to problem solve with others and are feeling frustrated.
rewind: Use finger puppets to act out scenarios with mistakes then rewind and try again. It was fun to match scenarios to the individual's specific challenging behaviors (i.e., one student struggles to keep hands and body to self, so the scenario acted out related to reacting to an accidental shove).

Throughout the week, I try to check in on students in the group to allow them to practice the concepts in the moment. I recommend creating a larger sized remote control visual to hang in the classrooms of students in the group, and letting teachers know about the lessons so they can reinforce the concepts. I wrote a letter for parents and guardians so they can support our work at home, as well. I will attach the letter below. Again, I highly recommend this book for students in grades K-3 (with some modifications for their developmental levels)!