Counselor's Corner
Ms. Barb - Animas Valley Elementary
Quote of the Week
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be!" ~ Shel Silverstein
Counseling Guidance Curriculum
This week we watched various cartoons about bullying. The materials were created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Bullying Prevention Campaign - Take a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now.
If your child is experiencing bullying, please contact either your teacher, Mrs. Schuba or myself. We take a quick, fair and pro-active approach to such issues.
Animas Valley Elementary School Counseling Program
As the school counselor I meet with each class once a week for counseling. In these guidance lessons, your student is actively in engaged in learning multiple skills and strategies to deal with issues such as how to handle bullies, conflict management and resolution, anger reduction, social friendship skills, how to make positive choices, how to recognize emotions and how to deal with strong emotions in a healthy way. I incorporate brain gym and stretching exercises into the lessons to teach kids how their bodies relate to their state of mind.
I also offer support to both students and parents when difficult situations arise. I can help with social, academic and family concerns. Please feel free to call or stop by to discuss an issue or ask questions or just to say hello. My door is always open!
Character Building
- Every week, at our Monday Morning Meetings, we honor students for positive character traits.
Our new theme is Responsibility, which means to be accountable for our actions, both negative and positive.
For RESPONSIBILITY:
- Kindergarten - Gael Rodriguez, Dexter Van Lindt, Kirk Coy
- First Grade - Cal Walsh
- Second Grade - Tristin Sanchez, Annika Odt
- Third Grade - Josh Johnson, Brehona Hancock, Kaleb Lokey
- Fourth Grade - Maddie Dearien, Joe Lawton
- Fifth Grade - Kele Trujillo, Camden Garland
Our new theme for the next couple of weeks is SELF-RELIANCE! The trait of self-reliance means to be able take care of oneself, use creativity to solve problems and have a good attitude towards hard work!
“Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward” ~ Patricia Sampson
Kelso's Choices
A General Overview
The corner stone of the counseling program is Kelso's Choices. We started the year learning and practicing these choices, and we do so every year. Repetition is important in solidifying these important concepts by the time students move on to middle school. Our students are supported and encouraged to continue to use the skills that they learned to deal with small and BIG problems throughout the year.
For small problems try:
* Go to another game
* Talk it out
* Walk away
* Share and take turns
* Apologize
* Ignore it
* Tell them to stop
* Make a deal
* Wait and cool off
Students also learn that if you have a BIG problem that is scary or frightening that they need to tell the closest trusted adult immediately!
Needed
Loving, responsible families to take Snowflake, the counseling guinea pig, home for the weekends. I would be thrilled to give your students the opportunity to take care of Snowflake on the weekends. This responsibility includes: feeding, watering, cleaning the cage and spending quality time with Snowflake.
Comments and Questions
Do you have a topic you would like more information on?
A question about school counseling?
A tip you would like to share?
If so, please feel free to contact me
(970) - 247 - 0124 ext. 3423
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