March 2012
Attention parents/guardians of 5th grade girls:
I am excited to invite all 5th grade girls to participate in a Girls Leadership Lunch Group starting March 22nd. My sincere hope is that all 5th grade girls participate in this opportunity, as I believe it will benefit all. However, if you choose for your daughter to opt out of the gatherings please sign and return the opt-out form that will go home this week by March 20th. As part of the 5th grade girls’ transition to middle school, the lunch group has the following objectives:
· Raise awareness, discuss and deal with issues and situations that girls often face.
· Further develop empathy.
· Teach healthy conflict.
· Promote positive change in female relationships.
Counselor Lessons in the Classroom
Kindergarten – Problem Solving
This month, I will be going back into all of the kindergarten classes to review and practice using Kelso’s Choices.
First Grade – Friendship
This month I will be visiting the 1st grade classrooms to teach a lesson about friendship. We will be reading “How to Lose All Your Friends” and then rewriting the book to help us make and keep friends. In this lesson, the kids will get also get to meet my friend George. Make sure to ask what George taught them. J
Second Grade – Self-Regulation
In Second grade I will be teaching a lesson about self-regulation using the curriculum, “How does your engine run?” Kids will learn that their bodies are like car engines, sometimes they are running on low, sometimes they are running on high and sometimes they are just right. The kids will learn to identify how their engine is running and learn some strategies to change their engines to just right when it is time to listen and learn in class.
Third Grade and Fourth Grade – Bullying Prevention
For the next few months I will be talking to third and fourth graders about the three R’s of bullying: Recognize, Refuse, Report. This month we will be focusing on being able to recognize bullying.
Fifth Grade – 7 Habits
In fifth grade I will be continuing my lessons on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This month we will be focusing on Habit 4- Think Win-Win.
F.Y.I. - Kids and Screen Time
Did you know that playing too many video games and watching too much T.V. is linked to attention problems in children?
In a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Researchers found children who exceeded the 2 hours per day of screen time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to be above average in attention problems.”
The AAP recommends that kids under age 2 have no screen time and that kids older than 2 watch a maximum of 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming.
For more information on screen time and children please follow these links:
http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Video-Games-Linked-to-Attention-Problems-in-Children.aspx
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_habits.html
http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx
Kindest Regards,
Samantha Wilson
Cougar Ridge Elementary School Counselor
425.837.7283 (Th, F every other W)
http://connect.issaquah.wednet.edu/elementary/apollo/staff/ms_wilsons_site/default.aspx