School Counselor News

During September I visited each classroom for lessons focused on what a school counselor is and what a school counselor does and talked about the International Day of Peace celebration.

In the Primary classes, we read a book about peace, either The Peace Book by Todd Parr or Whoever You Are by Mem Fox. I shared my school counseling tool kit (see right picture below) and the contents to help familiarize our youngest students with my role as a friend, a listener, a promoter of peace, and a teacher.

In the Lower Elementary classes we reviewed the role of a school counselor and how the students can see me when they have a need using the student check in sheet. We read The Family of Earth by Schim Schimmel and discussed how we can be a family and promote peace in our school and our world.

In the Upper Elementary classes we played "Meet the School Counselor," a game where teams collaborate to answer questions about my role in the school. I gave the students a homework "getting to know me" sheet to help me get to know them better. I have already received quite a few back and am looking forward to seeing more and more in the coming days.

All of the classrooms at Axson are fortunate to have a set of Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Cards. I always bring my set to our lessons with the counselor so we can start or end our classroom lessons with some of these breathing and stretching activities. So far this year different classes have practiced Sitting Mountain, Peace Breathing, Ocean Breathing, Bumble Bee Breathing, Geyser and Peace Crawling. I explain to the students that we can learn better if we are calm and focused and we can help calm and focus our bodies by practicing breathing and becoming more aware of our bodies. We will continue to learn and practice with the cards throughout the year.

Click the link below to go to the Yoga 4 Classrooms site to see the activity cards and look for a bulletin board in the front office showing the cards. Be sure to check out the research supporting this program and the benefits to the whole child that include:

• Providing students healthy ways to express and balance their emotions
• Promoting a more relaxed, comfortable state of being - the perfect state for teaching and learning
• Encouraging community and connectedness within the classroom
• Helping to create an atmosphere of confidence, enthusiasm and non-competitiveness where everyone can succeed
• Easing anxiety and tension
• Enhancing focus, concentration, comprehension and memory
• Providing opportunities for reflection, patience and insight, reducing impulsivity and reactivity
• Enhancing organizational and communication skills
• Enhancing motor skills and balance
• Encouraging respect for oneself and others

Hopefully many of you joined us for the International Day of Peace Celebration around our peace pole. If you could or couldn't make it, enjoy the pictures linked below for a remembrance of the experience.

Thank you to our teachers and students for contributing to our peace mural and our peace celebration but most importantly, for helping us maintain a peaceful culture in our school every day. And thank you to the family of Axson for making this day and every day at Axson special!

In the Primary classes we will be learning about empathy by discussing and singing about feelings and reading My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss and/or the Feelings Book by Todd Parr. As a group we will discuss the meaning of the word empathy and complete an empathy book together.

In the Lower and Upper elementary classes we will read the book Stand in My Shoes by Bob Sornson and do an experiential activity with shoes and shoe boxes to help us practice and discuss the full meaning of the word empathy.

Here are some links to helpful information on teaching and building empathy with children.

http://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-empathy-tips.html

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/teaching-children-empathy/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/take-a-walk-in-my-shoes.html

Email: jenkinsb@duvalschools.org
Website: http://montessoricounselor.blogspot.com/
Location: Office #112
Phone: 904 992 3600 154