clair035

Guidance Topic : Student Connection and School Climate Age Level : Staff Objective : Illustrate bond between staff and students, focusing on engagement and belonging to community. TSWBAT: identify multiple students they interact with regularly but do not include in community. Counseling Standards Met : XX Materials Needed : Stickers, Markers, or Stamps (or equivalent) Complete roster of enrolled students Paper or Index Cards Display Board Lesson (30 - 35 minutes):  To start with: "Before lesson, set up a display with full student roster (or grade level, if grade level presentation), leaving room for staff to mark which students they are connected to. This is the crux of the entire presentation."  Break the Ice - highlight purpose of lesson (including goals), and introduce materials and procedure.  Which students are we connecting with? Ask yourself why you connect with these students? Who are we connecting with, but not as well as we could? What is the barrier that i...

High School can be a tough time for many of our students. Not only are they becoming self aware, they are beginning to understand the complexities that come with peer interactions. Some of those include popularity, labeling, social standards, bullying and much more. As students are navigating this sometimes tough road its extremely important to create an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.  School-wide program practices for students and faculty: P.R.I.D.E.  Perseverance -  stay positive to overcome obstacles and learn from mistakes Respect -  show appreciation, consideration, and acceptance of yourself and others Integrity -  adherence to code of behavior Discipline - strive for consistency to achieve goals and exceed expectations Excellence - do your personal best and inspire excellence in others The counselors provide a comprehensive school guidance program supporting students and families in a positive, proactive, and holisti...

Time spent at school, teaches students more than just U.S. History and how to diagram a sentence. Of course kids learn academics but they are also learning a variety of social skills and getting a taste of independence. It is in the high school setting that we are able to give students more control over the classes they take, the extra curricular activities and athletics in which they participate, and sometimes the ability to drive themselves to and from school. This freedom and responsibility bestowed on our students is successful and possible due to a positive school climate. School climate is the fusion of all aspects of the school, including school values, norms, rules, communication, and the building itself that together makes the “quality and character of a school”.  It is the way the school functions on a daily basis and the quality of life and interaction between students, staff and parents. What Can We Do To Improve School Climate?  Provide open and welcoming counseli...

Overview:  The Social Filter guidance lesson is utilized to teach children when to share words and when to keep thoughts to ourselves.  A social filter is a barrier everyone uses to decide when to share verbal ideas, comments or questions or when to keep them inside. We have different levels to our social filter; we may say something to one person, when we don’t say it to someone else. This is a great tool to help children learn what things are appropriate to say, and what things could hurt other people’s feelings. It’s also a great way to address what things you could tell a school counselor that you might not want to tell anyone else. Materials:  Coffee Filters (enough for every student) Glitter or Confetti Water in a large jug Plastic or Paper cups Coffee Filters with different scenarios drawn on them or glued on  Lesson: Begin by asking the children if they know what a social filter is, introduce the topic, and then state that that’s what you’re going t...

Topic: Choosing Friends Wisely Grade Level: 1st and 2nd Resources:  2 shoe boxes (same size) Nice wrapping paper and a bow Newspaper and twine Small rocks/newspaper M&M’s Rationale and purpose for the lesson: People have so much more depth to them than their physical appearance. Take time to get to know someone. Choose your friends based on their character and how they treat people, not based on their looks, such as how they dress, or what their hair looks like. Looks can be misleading, take time to get to know people by asking questions and spending time with them. Presents: Have students choose present based on appearance Have students ask questions to guess what is inside M&M’s: Have students pass around the shoe boxes and let them discover that even though something may look a certain way, doesn’t mean there isn’t something special on the inside.  Introduction Objective : Show how looks can be deceiving. It is what is on the inside that matters. Previous Knowledge...

Topic: Recognizing and Maintaining Healthy Friendships Grade Level: 7th & 8th grade Rationale and clear purpose for the unit or lesson: The characteristics of one’s friends influence so many aspects of who one becomes. A student’s friends often predict what that student gets involved with, how he or she thinks of himself or herself, and who else a student spends time and energy with. Middle school is a pivotal time for students in both their development of friendships and their susceptibility to the pitfalls of peer pressure and other negative consequences related to the pursuit of identity. For these reasons, the guidance lesson will cause students to consider aspects of a healthy friendship and then learn to identify those characteristics or their lack in real life scenarios they may face. Applicable standard(s), objective(s), competency(ies):   Students will develop a knowledge of the factors and characteristics involved in friendship that is strengthening and beneficial. T...

Students will spend a majority of their life in school, they will learn how to be social with peers, expand their minds, challenge themselves like never before and be independent for the first time from their parents. As school turns into a second home it is extremely important to cherish those minds so they may flourish. Creating a safe school climate allows students to reach higher and ultimately push the boundaries. Not only should this climate be productive for students, teachers, administration and parents need security and nourishment to flourish. A successful school climate looks like an environment where students, administration, teachers and parents can cohesively work and support one another in a safe, nurturing and respectful environment. School climate can be represented by the attitude of staff, physical aesthetics of the building and culture of a building. It is the character of a school including norms, values, morals, relationships, interpersonal relationships, teaching...