Counselors' Corner

Week of 21 May 2023

Need to see Ms. Shawndra? To see the counselor, you must have a pass from your teacher or a pass from the counselor. During this last month of school, it is vital that all students are on task and in class. Email me at Sbird@asb.bh and I will send a pass for you to see me. Let’s finish strong and stay on task! 

Emotions have started running high this week as student are feeling the pressure of the upcoming exams. A reminder to all students ( and their parents!), that exams are just a normal part of your learning journey and only form a piece of the puzzle. They are a great opportunity for you to take a moment to see how far you have come over the course of this year, how much you have learned and to show off your learning. It will naturally highlight some areas that need to be reviewed further and that's exactly what they are there for, to show you and your teachers where there may be misunderstandings or gaps in your knowledge. Embrace them, try and enjoy them and remember, you will learn better and perform better on any exam with plenty of sleep. Try and get to sleep by 10pm for a 6am wake-up. It will make a tremendous difference! 

With your review, be sure to approach your teachers with specific questions and do little and often revision. A study timetable can also be very helpful. If you're not sure how to do one, ask any teachers or Ms Shawndra and Ms Natalie - we are all here to help and support you! 

UNIVERSITIES

Gr 11, please ensure you are using Unifrog to its full capacity. Add all your activities and achievements into the locker and your profile. This is particularly important for US applicants as Ms Shawndra will be working on your references over the summer and will need all this information. Any student who is interested in attending a University in the U.S. should have signed up for the SAT exam by now (Even if you believe that your school is not requiring the SAT). 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

With the excitement of summer break to come, we are seeing an increase in behaviours that are not conducive to the learning environment. Parents, please have a talk with your students  about appropriate behaviours in class, kindness with social media, and overall studious behaviors. 

Week 14th May 2023

EXAMS

Emotions have started running high this week as student are feeling the pressure of the upcoming exams. A reminder to all students ( and their parents!), that exams are just a normal part of your learning journey and only form a piece of the puzzle. They are a great opportunity for you to take a moment to see how far you have come over the course of this year, how much you have learned and to show off your learning. It will naturally highlight some areas that need to be reviewed further and that's exactly what they are there for, to show you and your teachers where there may be misunderstandings or gaps in your knowledge. Embrace them, try and enjoy them and remember, you will learn better and perform better on any exam with plenty of sleep. Try and get to sleep by 10pm for a 6am wake-up. It will make a tremendous difference! 

With your review, be sure to approach your teachers with specific questions and do little and often revision. A study timetable can also be very helpful. If you're not sure how to do one, ask any teachers or Ms Shawndra and Ms Natalie - we are all here to help and support you! 

UNIVERSITIES

Gr 11, please ensure you are using Unifrog to its full capacity. Add all your activities and achievements into the locker and your profile. This is particularly important for US applicants as Ms Shawndra will be working on your references over the summer and will need all this information. Any student who is interested in attending a University in the U.S. should have signed up for the SAT exam by now (Even if you believe that your school is not requiring the SAT). 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

With the excitement of summer break to come, we are seeing an increase in behaviours that are not conducive to the learning environment. Parents, please have a talk with your students  about appropriate behaviours in class, kindness with social media, and overall studious behaviors. 

Week of 30 April 2023

10th and 11th grade students who are interested in attending a university in the U.S.A.: a guest speaker is coming to our ASB library to share some important information regarding the latest trends in US admissions and best application practices.The event will start at 9:00am sharp and end at 10:00am.

Michael Gamerl, a Career and University Admissions Expert and Master Trainer- SAT & ACT will be speaking with us.  Michael Gamerl is coming to Bahrain all the way from California and will be here for 3 days only. It is incredible that we have the opportunity for him to visit our school. Please come and bring your parents! 

IMPORTANT grades 6-11!!!

With 7 weeks of school left, it is super important that your students arive on time and are present each day of class. We have many important assignments and projects due. We are also preparing our students for end of year exams as well as our MAP tests. Let's finish strong!!! 

Week of 16th April 2023

This week Gr 11 students have been continuing their research on universities and post school study options. We will be meeting again with all Grade 11 students after their exams to review study options and course selection.

A reminder that any students considering the US or regional universities must complete the SAT exam. Some diploma students applying to European universities may find this useful as well. Please Ms Natalie for instructions as to how to download the college board 'Bluebook'  App to your lab top.

Week of 10th April 2023

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a restful and peaceful break! This week we are settling back into the routine of school and getting ready for a great term 3!

Grade 11 have all had their 1-1 university counselling talks with Ms Natalie and Ms Shawndra. They have plenty to focus on with researching tertiary study destinations as well as considering the entry requirements of these institutions. SATs, entrance exams etc. Please speak with your son or daughter regarding their choices and feel free to contact us should you have any questions. We will be running some parental sessions in the coming weeks.

Any student interested in attending U.S. univeristies, feel free to pop in to Ms. Shawndra's office at any time that you are free and if you have questions.  I will be working with you to get your Common Application started and making sure that you have taken or are registered to take you SAT exam. 

Week of March 26th, 2023

This week we have been meeting with the entire grade 11 year group for their first 1-1 university counselling meetings. This has followed on from the university and unifrog sessions we have run throughout term 2. All students have work to do on researching countries and instituitions of study over the spring break. There will be another follow up meeting a few weeks after our return. We would like to enourage all possible US applicants to register for the SAT exams and take them over the next couple of months. Please also keep an eye on the google classroom for university and careers, where we are regularly posting opportunities to meet with university admissions officers and also summer courses.

Grade 10 options discussions will be commencing soon after our return from the break.

We wish everyone a Ramadan Mubarak!

Week of March 19, 2023

This week students re-united with their classmates and teachers after their amazing experiences during experience week. This was such an amazing opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zones and embrace learning outside the classrooms. We got back into the swing of traditional learning with engaging classroom activities and projects throughout the grades. 

We welcome the Holy Month of Ramadan with a shortened schedule. Students will be at school from 8:30- 1:30 each day. Don't forget to get enough sleep by fitting it in and around your family time and festivities! 

Ms. Shawndra is still meeting with the remainder of the 9th grade students to review grades and have an overall check-in with their school counselor. 

Ms Natalie has sent out the schedule for the Grade 11 meetings that the counsellors and MS Radia will be holding regarding applications.

Grade 10 will follow shortly.

Week of February 26, 2023

Freshman (9th graders)- Ms. Shawndra started meeting with each of our Freshman students this week individually. We reviewed term grades, current grades, and discussed and made a plan for each student to be successful for 2nd term. 

For middle and high school students- Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays during lunch- we have a games and puzzles for students who are looking for something a bit different than going outside during lunch break. This will be weekly until the end of the year in G37! 

Week of February 19th 2023

This week we had representatives of Score Plus Educational Center - Bahrain come in and administer a diagnostic SAT test for those candidates interested in studying in the US. They also helped with supporting candidate registration for the SAT exam. We will invite them to come back in for another session later in the year.

Week of February 5, 2023

University

We spent time this week on UniFrog, filling in the resume section of their profiles. 

US SAT candidates were invited to a free diagnostic test and mass registration on February 21st which will be run by Princeton Review, at school.

As you impart on your holiday, the counselling team would like to wish you all a safe trip and a restful time with your family. We would also like to take this time to talk to your student about internet safety and kindness while using WhatsApp and other social media applications. We would encourage you to ask your student to show you their chats and insure that the things that they are saying are kind, and are in line with your family values. Please take a look at the previous tips on internet safety below. 

We hope you have a wonderful week!

Week of January 29, 2023

We had a representative from SCAD university join us this week to introduce the university to our Grade 10 & 11. It was an excellent presentation that also introduced us to their excellent summer programmes where students can already earn some college credits.

Opportunity for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders here in Bahrain:

Join the Career Ignite event on Saturday the 4th of February from 3:30PM.

Run by Education Zone and partnered with American University of Bahrain, Hope Talents, Zain and Rotary Club of Adliya.

This event provides an opportunity to meet professionals from various fields and allow them to assist you by providing knowledge that you can use to help choose your passion and make the right choice when selecting a major for university that will aid in your future career plan. Professional’s from different industries and companies around Bahrain, including Zain Telecommunications, Google, Solidarity, Investcorp and BAPCO, in fields like software engineering, Finance, Business, Architecture, Engineering and more

You will be provided with insight into the skills you need to succeed in your career! You will also get a chance to speak 1 to 1 with professionals in different sectors and fields and ask them questions that may help you in choosing the right career for you

Event location and Details:

• Saturday February 4th, 2023

• Registration starts at 3:30PM, career networking will start at 4:00PM till 6:30PM 

• Location: American University of Bahrain Campus 

How do I register?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYLLF2Qz_9Q2e9uwLQhVBxLW1W2kP3dW7gFMAyGq3uyp9QcA/viewform 

Cyber Security! 

Here are some helpful tips for our 6th-11th graders to help them make good choices with social media and "Hatif" etiquette. (Cell Phone). Share these 4 tips with your students!

1. Anything published online remains there for a very long time (potentially forever). The Internet never "forgets" or loses something because there are all kinds of backups and duplications happening online (and, of course, someone might download something from the Internet onto their own computer). This means that even if you post something in one place, it might end up elsewhere, used by other portals that aggregate information. Once something is online, you lose control over what happens to it; for example, you might see pictures you shared tagged and reshared multiple times by other people. The more exciting the picture, the more attention it gets; celebrity images and stories are a good example of how quickly things can be shared worldwide (the selfie taken at the 2014 Oscars by a handful of celebrities was retweeted over 779,000 times in an hour).

2. Always read posts twice before clicking send. The smallest typos can make a huge difference to the meaning (yes, some of those auto-correct errors pictures are real!). How confident do you feel about something that you wrote popping up on a friend’s (or a stranger's) screen? If you think the recipient of the message would enjoy it, send it; otherwise don't.

3. If you are sending someone a message, would you tell him/her the same thing face-to-face as well?Somehow it is easier to attack someone from behind a text or email and this is how cyber-bullying starts. If you wouldn’t say it directly to a person then don’t write it.

4. You might not appreciate the same humour as your recipient and what you find funny others might find outrageous, disturbing or offensive. If you want to make a joke about someone, think about how they might react before you send.

Week of January 22nd, 2023

University Fair-

We had our first ASB university fair this week. It was very successful and students from grade 10 &11 were engaged and asking plenty of questions. The exhibitors made a point of commenting on how lovely and proactive all the students they spoke to were. Grade 11 students should continue working on their research and narrowing down choices of countries for further study and career options.

Opportunity for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders here in Bahrain:

Join the Career Ignite event on Saturday the 4th of February from 3:30PM.

Run by Education Zone and partnered with American University of Bahrain, Hope Talents, Zain and Rotary Club of Adliya.

This event provides an opportunity to meet professionals from various fields and allow them to assist you by providing knowledge that you can use to help choose your passion and make the right choice when selecting a major for university that will aid in your future career plan. Professional’s from different industries and companies around Bahrain, including Zain Telecommunications, Google, Solidarity, Investcorp and BAPCO, in fields like software engineering, Finance, Business, Architecture, Engineering and more

You will be provided with insight into the skills you need to succeed in your career! You will also get a chance to speak 1 to 1 with professionals in different sectors and fields and ask them questions that may help you in choosing the right career for you

Event location and Details:

• Saturday February 4th, 2023

• Registration starts at 3:30PM, career networking will start at 4:00PM till 6:30PM 

• Location: American University of Bahrain Campus 

How do I register?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYLLF2Qz_9Q2e9uwLQhVBxLW1W2kP3dW7gFMAyGq3uyp9QcA/viewform 

Middle School and High School-

Would you like to be a more effective communicator? Try this 5S approach in this short 8 minute Video! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntYJFVCTwas

1. Slow down- when you speak (makes you seem less nervous).

2. Start- start the conversation. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the other person. People love talking about themselves after all!

3. Search- Search out information if you hear someone speaking about something that you don't know. 

4. Seek-Seek out opportunities to practice speaking! At school- offer to answer a question that your teacher asks, offer to say a toast when your family is having a meal together, do something courageous with a school club. 

5. Silence- Listen in silence to reflect on what the other person says.

Week of January 15th,  2023

A reminder that we have our first university fair, on Sunday 22nd January, in School. This is for students only and we ask that you please encourage your son/daughter to come with questions for those representatives. Even if they are not interested in that specific university, they can gain a great insight into life at university in general and expectations.

Exam Week and Self Care! 

During exam weeks, we are often filled with anxiety, feelings of being overwhelmed, and overall stress. This week... for our School Counseling Lessons, we worked on our mental health and self care. During exam week, all we can do is remember that what we have learned, is what we know. We should eat well, sleep well, and fill our brains with positivity and calmness. When we have anxiety, we can take a step back, breath, listen to calming music, and write down the things that we are thankful for each day. 

For this week, we worked on the following 3 activities to have a wonderful, positive, and stress free week! 

1. Listen to calming music: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ngyraivSH0

2. Write down the positives for this week: 

 (Examples- the weather is better!, We won't have as much homework because of exam week, this is an opportunity to show what I know, this is self care week!). 

3. Breathing exercises: Breathing exercises can reduce stress by increasing oxygen exchange, which reduces your blood pressure, slows the heart, and releases any tension held in the abdomen. These physical changes also benefit your mental state - concentrating on your breath can bring you into the present, in a state of mindfulness

How to practice diaphragmatic breathing. One of the simplest breathing exercises you can do is diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing. This conscious breathing technique engages the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle under the lungs that is the most efficient muscle of breathing, and can be used to lessen the symptoms of stress, anxiety and panic alongside other health benefits. Regularly breathing in this way, as well as tapping into this breath pattern in times of stress, can have a direct positive effect on your mind and body after just a few minutes…. DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING TUTORIAL

• Start by getting comfortable. Loosen any restrictive clothing, and find a position that is comfortable for you - this may be sitting down, laying down, or if that’s not possible, standing up.

• In your comfortable position, rest your feet on the floor, and place one hand on your chest, and the other hand on your belly.Through your nose, let your breath flow deep down into your abdomen, feeling your belly expand into the hand above it. The hand above your chest wants to remain as still as possible.Breathe out through pursed lips, slow and steady.Repeat steps 3 and 4, concentrating on your technique and timing, taking slower and deeper breaths than your regular breathing pattern, in and out.

• Continue for 3-5 minutes, or until you feel calmer.

ADD A COUNTING PATTERN TO YOUR DEEP BREATHING Once you have gotten used to breathing deeply using your diaphragm, you might try adding a counting pattern to help focus the mind and down-regulate your physical stress response. Remember to go at your own pace, especially if you are new to conscious breathing and/or are working with cardio-respiratory conditions.

3-4 BREATHING Count to 3 on each inhale, and exhale for 4 counts. As long as each inhale is noticeably shorter than each exhale, you can take this pattern at a pace that feels good for you. Try this if your thoughts are distracting you from sleep, or after a sweaty workout when your heart is racing.

5-5 BREATHING Count to 5 on each inhale and exhale. Gradually increase the time between each count until each count represents 1 second, so that each complete breath cycle takes 10 seconds. This can be done at any time, at any place, when you want to calm your nerves and take a moment for yourself.

4-1-7 BREATHING One to try when you are comfortably breathing 5-5 at 1 second per count. 

Count to 4 on each inhale, hold the breath for 1 count, and exhale for 7 counts. The brief breath hold helps to strengthen your breathing muscles, while the long exhale relative to inhale is particularly effective for combating stress and anxiety.

Week of January 8th,  2023

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend the university information evening this week. Please find attached a link to the presentation as well as the ASB timelines for applications. We will be spending time in TOK and CAS sessions working on our applications. The focus for now, must be, to narrow down the country choices. Please see the presentation that outlines what students/parents/teachers/counsellors should be focusing on for the next three months. The last slide in the presentation will be used as an ongoing 'live' resources depository. Please also use your unifrog login as an excellent source of information.  Ms Natalie

Students interested in U.S. Universities: Please see Ms. Shawndra if you are interested in attending a U.S. University for more information.

-Here is a link from the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain that offers resources for students attending school here who would like to attend University in the U.S.A. 

https://bh.usembassy.gov/education-culture/study-usa/

-Here is a link that shares application deadlines for Top US Universities. 

https://collegedunia.com/usa/article/application-deadlines-for-us-universities

-Here are a couple of links to help organize your Junior (11th grade) and Senior (12th grade) years Month by Month: 

Junior year planning for U.S. Universities Calendar: https://www.fastweb.com/college-search/articles/planning-for-college-as-a-high-school-junior-month-by-month-guide

Senior year planning for U.S. Universities Calendar: http://mappingyourfuture.org/collegeprep/seniorcalendar.cfm

Copies will be available in the Student IB Lounge on the 2nd floor. Ms. Shawndra has copies if you would like to take them home. 

University Counselling

We have a couple of upcoming events:

• Monday January 9th 3.30 - 4.30pm  - GRADE 11 PARENTS

We would like to invite you to join us, for a presentation and talk, on university applications for the graduating class of 2024. During this session will be presenting the process and timeline for applications, which will start in January 2023. We will also discuss how the school will be supporting the students and yourselves. There will be time for questions from the floor and we will be opening scheduling, for the 1-1 meetings that will be taking place 19-21st February, for Grade 11 students and their parents.

• Sunday January 22nd 8.45 - 9.45am  - UK University Fair at ASB - Grade 10 &11 Students

The following universities and university groups will be visiting us. Their representatives will be available to meet with students and answer any questions you may have: Study Group, Kaplan, Into, Oxford international, Sunderland, Cardiff, Plymouth, Queen Mary University, Aberdeen, Oxford Brookes, Kent, Reading.

Let's get organized! This week, our secondary school is focusing on getting our backpacks, cubbies, and lockers organized! 

January is a great time to make new academic goals for ourselves, make a plan, and achieve it! The best way to start our goals is to get organized! 

This week, let's make it a goal to organize our lockers, or backpacks and our folders! Let's get organized!

Share these organizational strategies with your students this week, and let's see how many students will take the challenge to organize their lockers!

ASCA (American School Counselor Association) Standards for this week's objective: 

B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions

B-SMS 8. Balance of school, Home, and community activities

B-LS 3. Time-management, organizational and study skills. 

--

How to teach your child organization skills

By Amanda Morin

When kids go to middle school, they have more homework than when they were younger. Their social calendars also get busier. To manage these demands, they need to learn organizational skills and how to prioritize time.

1. Teach how to divide and conquer.

• Goal: Keep deadlines for long-term projects from creeping up.

• Example: Using a calendar, show your child how doing a little work each day can help get projects done.

2. Organize to-do lists in a logical order.

• Goal: Have less stress when there’s lots to do.

• Example: Tasks and chores can be organized by due date—or by time needed or by how hard (or easy) they are. Just putting a list in order can help your child feel more in control.

3. Have a front-door “go” box.

• Goal: Have everything your child needs for school at the door.

• Example: Designate a place for items your child needs to remember for school: backpack, projects, gym clothes—or an eraser!

4. Color-code tasks.

• Goal: Prioritize chores and messages by color.

• Example: Your child might use red sticky notes for important tasks and green ones for things that have to be done by the end of the week.

5. Use a whiteboard.

• Goal: Make things easier to visualize.

• Example: With a big whiteboard, your child can make to-do lists, map out thoughts for an assignment, or just write down things to remember.

6. Set a weekly backpack cleaning day.

• Goal: Get rid of clutter and save important items.

• Example: Clearing out old papers, leftover snacks, and pencil stubs once a week can make it easier for your child to find things.

7. Keep track of time.

• Goal: Help your child plan better.

• Example: Have your child write down start and end times for chores or homework for a couple weeks. This can help your child figure out how to budget time in the future.

Week of January 2nd 2023

University Counselling

We have a couple of upcoming events:

• Monday January 9th 3.30 - 4.30pm  - GRADE 11 PARENTS

We would like to invite you to join us, for a presentation and talk, on university applications for the graduating class of 2024. During this session will be presenting the process and timeline for applications, which will start in January 2023. We will also discuss how the school will be supporting the students and yourselves. There will be time for questions from the floor and we will be opening scheduling, for the 1-1 meetings that will be taking place 19-21st February, for Grade 11 students and their parents.

• Sunday January 22nd 8.45 - 9.45am  - UK University Fair at ASB - Grade 10 &11 Students

The following universities and university groups will be visiting us. Their representatives will be available to meet with students and answer any questions you may have: Study Group, Kaplan, Into, Oxford international, Sunderland, Cardiff, Plymouth, Queen Mary University, Aberdeen, Oxford Brookes, Kent, Reading.

Social Emotional School Counseling: 

Each week, we offer to our teachers 10 minute lessons or shorter that will coincide with the standards of the American School Counselor Association. The topics will vary greatly each week. 

This week, we shared a Ted talk with our students regarding bullying. It just takes ONE student to sit with someone at lunch, or stand up to someone being unkind to another. Let's help our students to feel brave and stick up for each other. We want this school to be the most inclusive school on the Island! 

Enjoy this Ted Talk! This lesson is appropriate for grades 6-12. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh7XFCysTr4--

Follow up questions for group discussion: 

What are some ways that students may experience bullying in school? 

-Examples: Someone saying something unkind in a group chat, Not including others at lunch or the playground, creating groups where others are not invited, saying mean things about a student to another. 

How are some ways that we can individually help in a situation? 

-Examples: Sharing in the group chat that the unkind things said, should not be said- sticking up for the person "Hey, I'm not comfortable talking bad about X". Inviting someone to sit at your table. 

Standards Met: 

PS:A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior 

PS:A1.7 Recognize personal boundaries, rights and privacy needs 

PS:A1.8 Understand the need for self-control and how to practice it 

PS:A1.9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groupsKind regards

P.S. In February- I will be focusing on Love Languages and communication!!!! Stay Tuned! 

P.P.S. In March- I will be starting lessons on Self Esteem and Resiliency! I will offer a class for any students interested 1 day per week starting March offered 2 times (after school and during lunch break). Stay tuned for more information!