Welcome to Canonsburg Middle School's Counseling Department!
(Please continue to scroll down for all information...)
The PSSAs and Keystones are coming...
Need to talk to one of our counselors?
Stop in, Email, or send a Schoology message to set up an appointment!
For Mr. Gillespie: gillespiej@cmsd.k12.pa.us
For Mrs. Hedderman: heddermanl@cmsd.k12.pa.us
Both pages include links to advice, and places to go for help for a variety of issues.
EXPECT THE BEST!
Meet Your Counselors!
We are active in our schools by providing:
Crisis Intervention
Individual Student Counseling
Classroom Instruction
Parent and Teacher Consultation
Agency Referrals
Transition Services for New Students
Administering the School Testing Programs
Co-Facilitating Student Groups IE) friendship, grief and loss, divorce, study skills, among others
Mr. Gillespie
724-745-9030; ext. 1204
Jason Gillespie M.Ed.,N.C.C.
B.A. in Psychology-University of Pittsburgh
M.Ed. in School Counseling- University of Pittsburgh
National Certified Counselor
Mrs. Hedderman
724-745-9030; ext. 1203
Lori Hedderman M.Ed.,N.C.C.
B.A. in Psychology-California University of Pennsylvania
M.Ed. in School Counseling- University of Pittsburgh
National Certified Counselor
A few resources from the CMS Counseling Department
How to talk to children about the coronavirus
Manage Anxiety & Stress- (advice from the CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html
Coping With Coronavirus: Managing Stress, Fear, and Anxiety- (from the National Institute of Mental Health)
Don't Forget the Small Things...
Even adults sometimes forget simple gestures that mean a lot to others.
Say “please” and “thank you”Smile!Hold the door for the person behind youGive people a pass (you don’t know what’s going on with that person right now)Look at the person who is speaking to youLet someone go in front of you in lineCough or sneeze into your elbowLearn people’s namesHandwrite thank- you notesPut your smartphone away during mealsBe on timeAlways RSVPAsk before postingAsk permission to use someone’s first nameClean up after yourselfWait a day before reacting to a snarky e-mail or textPush in your chair when you leave a tableWait until everyone has been served to start eatingKnock before you enterRemember your table mannersReach out to people who are grievingLet people get off the elevator first before you get onSilence your smartphone at the moviesHelp someone who’s clearly strugglingThank a Veteran for his or her serviceLearn to say you’re sorryWhen you enter a room, greet everyone Return phone calls -paraphrased from the internet
What is bullying?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bullying is:
Unwanted aggressive behavior(s) from youth other than a sibling or current dating partner;
Observed or perceived power imbalance, which could be physical size, numbers of students, social status;
Repeated or likely to be repeated, but does not have to be repeated;
Meant to inflict harm or distress.
What does bullying look like?
Direct bullying: hitting, pushing, spitting, taunting, threatening
Indirect bullying: exclusion, rumors, getting someone else to hurt a child
Cyberbullying: ongoing intentionally negative communication that is directed at an individual or group of individuals conducted via electronic communication via texts, emails, instant messaging, social media, etc.
For more information on bullying go to:
Center for Safe Schools: http://www.safeschools.info/bullying-prevention
Federal Stopbullying: http://www.stopbullying.gov/
Don't be a bystander- be an Upstander!
Stand up against bullying!
The latest link to help you quit vaping or using tobacco:
The latest link to talk with your child about e-cigarette use:
https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/SGR_ECig_ParentTipSheet_508.pdf
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What’s the Right Age for Teens to Start Dating? The Great Debate
Please use the link below to read this helpful article!
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/what-s-the-right-age-1285170836865078.html
Two Excerpts...
"Boys and girls who start dating between the ages of 11-and-a-half and 13 may experience more academic and behavioral problems than their peers, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescence. Their lack of maturity leaves them ill-prepared to handle some of the common emotions and issues that couples face..."
Most recommend 15 and 16 as the ideal ages to begin dating. For Ron Eagar, a pediatrician at Denver Health Medical Center, the magic number is 16. “There’s an enormous difference between a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old and a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old in terms of life experience,” he told HealthyChildren.org, the website for the AAP."
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