Counselor's corner

Month of October

This month's updates from your school counseling department!

How to Have a Safe Halloween This Year

With all the unprecedented events of this year—Halloween 2020 will truly be one to remember. Much has changed…but that doesn't mean the fun and excitement of Halloween has to be dimmed; there are plenty of ways to celebrate the season safely! Try one of the ideas below and have some skele-fun!

Trick or Treat in Reverse! Get the kids dressed in their costume of choice and be with them in the front yard as neighbors walk or drive by and deliver candy! Make sure to keep hand sanitizer handy!
Drive Up Trick or Treat! Take a ride on over to visit friends and family in costume! Honk upon arrival and deliver some treats in costume to your favorite folks!
Face Mask Party! Order up a bunch of plain face masks and have yourself a paint party! Decorate, doodle and bedazzle your way to some snazzy new face masks to wear this fall. Be sure not to share supplies!
Fairytale Forest! Plan a path through neighboring woods or a park and light it up with glow sticks, flashlights and more! Line the trail with Halloween décor, props, candy and surprises. Trees can be tied with ribbons to help follow social distance guidelines!
Dress for Dinner! Don’t just wear the costume, BE the costume! Plan a Halloween-themed dinner for your family with one simple rule…everyone must stay in costume AND in character for the entire meal! Give each participant some time to come up with an accent and a backstory before the night begins and the laughter and the memories will be endless!

SEL LEssons

What is SEL?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Elementary School

*Attendance not required but highly encouraged. Zoom links will be sent via Jupiter and static version of "Caring" lesson will be posted in Ms. McGarry's Google Classroom!

Kindergarten- Caring (via Zoom)

Monday, October 5th at 10:00- Mrs. Smoak's PAA

Monday, October 5th at 11:00- Ms. Wood's PAA

Tuesday, October 6th at 10:00- Mrs. Jackson's PAA

Tuesday, October 6th at 11:00- Mrs. Tunstall's PAA

1st Grade- Caring (via Zoom)

Monday, October 12th at 11:15- Mrs. Cox's PAA

Tuesday, October 13th at 11:15- Mrs. Harrison's PAA

Thursday, October 15th at 11:15- Mrs. Hanson's PAA

Friday, October 16th at 11:15- Mrs. Voss' PAA

2nd Grade- Caring (via Zoom)

Monday, October 19th at 2:00- Ms. Bailey's PAA

Tuesday, October 20th at 2:00- Mrs. Krzywicki's PAA

Thursday, October 22nd at 2:00- Ms. Cobb's PAA

Friday, October 23rd at 2:00- Ms. Fleming's PAA

3rd Grade- Caring (in-person, static version will still be posted)

Week of October 26th-30th- Days and times TBD!

Small Groups- "Returning to School"

In these optional small groups, we will discuss feelings related to coming back to school in-person! These will be virtual meetings and Zoom links will be sent via Jupiter.

Kindergarten- Wednesday, October 7th at 9:00

1st Grade- Wednesday, October 14th at 9:00

2nd Grade- Wednesday, October 21st at 9:00

3rd Grade- Wednesday, October 7th at 11:00

4th Grade- Wednesday, October 14th at 11:00

5th Grade- Wednesday, October 21st at 11:00

Middle School

Week of October 5^th

6^th grade: Monitoring Your Progress

7^th grade: What is Harassment

8^th grade: Pursuing my Interests

Week of October 12^th

6^th grade: Bringing it all together

7^th grade: Our rights and Responsibilities

8^th grade: My Future Self

Week of October 19^th

6^th grade: Common Types of Bullying

7^th grade: Preventing Harassment

8^th grade: My Path Forward

Week of October 26^th

6^th grade: Recognizing Bullying

7^th grade: Emotions Matter

8^th grade: Understanding Bullying

High School

SEL for High School Students (Week #6): Appreciating Diversity

What is diversity? What comes to your mind when you think of diversity? What makes us as human diverse? How do you differentiate/weigh diversity? These are all great questions for you to reflect on as we move in to Bully Prevention Month (October). The following short clip illustrates diversity. Make a pledge for the month of October to find things in our everyday life that are similar yet different, and reflect on what these things may look like if we did not coexist.

Here one more thing to think about…

"We could learn a lot from crayons. ... (They) all are different colors, but they all exist very nicely in the same box."

—Trudi Pinnick Wolfe, counselor at Central Elementary School in Beech Grove, IN

Don't forget to complete the "SEL Check-in/out Form" here!

Bullying Prevention

October is National Bullying Prevention Month! Historically, bullying had been viewed as “a childhood rite of passage” that “made kids tougher,” but the reality has always been that bullying can leave devastating and often long-term effects such as a loss of self-esteem, increased anxiety, and depression for those involved. But we can choose to be proactive in our fight against bullying! There are many ways to support bullying prevention as an individual or with friends and family, and within our school or community. You can start by signing this virtual pledge! Both you and your student can pledge to support others who have been hurt or harmed, treat others with kindness, be more accepting of people's differences, and help include those who are left out. Join thousands of others and sign today!

Elementary

To celebrate Bullying Prevention Month, I encourage everyone to watch this video reading of "Spookley the Square Pumpkin," a tale about a pumpkin that looks a little different from the others, and why being different isn't so bad!

Into the Cloud™ is NCMEC’s flagship online safety product for children ages 10 and under. Using data from actual CyberTipline reports, each episode focuses on a different element of online safety, from strategies for handling cyberbullying to recognizing and reporting unsafe/inappropriate interactions and content. Into the Cloud™ presents important safety information in an age-appropriate and entertaining manner! Connect your child to their content here, or visit Ms. McGarry's Google Classroom!

College & Career planning

Elementary School

Click here to check out Paws in Jobland on CFNC.org!

Middle School

6th Grade- How Did They Get There?

7th Grade- Time Management

8th Grade- Your Learning Style

High School

Students and parents are encouraged to explore the redesigned CFNC.org website. This is a one stop shop for students and parents to plan for college, apply to colleges, explore careers and sort through resources to pay for college in the state of NC. Planning starts even before high school. Students with CFNC accounts are encouraged to login and click around! Students without CFNC accounts are encouraged to create an account! Go ahead! Explore!

Click here for up-to-date information that colleges, universities, College Board (SAT) and ACT are releasing about COVID-19 and college admissions.

Career Assessments

This is a great time to start exploring career options. Use this link to explore resources that will help you find out things that interest you as well as possible careers that match your profile.

Virtual College Visits

Click here for updated information about virtual college representative visits to FLA. Use this link to join zoom meetings when applicable!

Mark your calendar and please join us on Monday, October 5th at 2:00 p.m. for a virtual information session with UNC-Charlotte.

Click here for more information about UNC-Charlotte.

Use this information to zoom in on Monday at 2:00 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting

uncc.zoom.us/j/98731856114?pwd=Z0w0Uk45cXpsazM5OEZqWFpxQ1huUT09

Meeting ID: 987 3185 6114

Passcode: 798536

Free College Application Week 2020 for Seniors

Here is the list of schools in North Carolina who will be waiving their college application fee during the two (2) week period of October 19th -30th. This is usually a one week event, so take FULL advantage of this opportunity.

Please know that you MUST apply to the colleges through CFNC.org in order for the fee to be waived during this time frame. Use the list of colleges and their application deadlines to submit your college applications accordingly.

#Howtodeal

In this section, we will be including tips or tricks for you on how to incorporate self-care or social-emotional learning into your daily routine! We understand that during our time away from school, it may be a challenge to take care of YOU. So, here you will find some ideas to stay active, healthy, and mentally strong as we cope with this pandemic. Enjoy!

Intro to SEL for Adults: Practice Recognizing Emotions

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

To start your own SEL journey, spend a day or an hour observing your emotional responses. You might, for example, notice yourself arriving at school and feeling anxious about getting everything done before kids arrive. Just notice this, and say to yourself, "There's anxiety." You might notice that when you pass a particular colleague's room, you feel content because she's a friend. Notice this, "There's contentment." The key is to notice and name without attaching judgment. If you like you can take notes or journal so that you can keep a log of your emotional journey over a period of time. There might be moments when you don't know how to name what you're feeling, and that's okay. Jot down all the words that come to mind.

In other news

We are celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 26th-30th!

We celebrate Red Ribbon Week to encourage children, families and communities to live healthy, happy and drug-free lives. This year's theme, Be Happy. Be Brave. Be Drug Free.^TM also serves as a reminder that we are all empowered with shaping the communities around us through positivity, bravery and strength. For all students, here are some ideas for getting involved with Red Ribbon Week--virtually! We also look forward to providing K-5 students on campus with a fun, in-person activity to celebrate!

Show us how you’re living drug free by dressing up like your favorite superhero and by snapping a picture and posting it to Social Media. Don’t forget to print out and hold up the Red Ribbon Theme Sign below! Be sure to add the hashtags #BeHappyBeBraveBeDrugFree and #RedRibbonWeek.
Join the #RedRibbonMaskChallenge by wearing a Red Ribbon-Themed Mask! Take a photo and post it to Social Media at @RedRibbonWeek on Twitter and Facebook and on Instagram @RedRibbonCampaign. Use the hashtag #RedRibbonMaskChallenge for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Get your Red Ribbon Themed mask at www.NIMCOINC.com Winners will be announced by NIMCOINC in November.
Print out the Red Ribbon Theme sign below, add your name, hold it up and post a photo that shows us you’re committed to living drug free! Use the hashtag #LivingDrugFree.