Week of 5/12- Closing
This is our last counseling lesson of the school year. We read Extra Yarn and share compliments with our classmates. Then, we reflect on our favorite counseling lessons and memories of 3rd grade.
Ask your child: What is your favorite counseling lesson of this year?
Week of 4/22: Conflict Resolution Review
This week, students participate in an escape room to go over the conflict resolution skills they have learned over the last few years. They focus on using kind words, working together, and waiting turns.
Ask your child: What is one of the things you learned from the escape room today?
Week of 3/31- Test Anxiety (Test-Taking Strategies)
This week, we read Testing Miss Malarkey and discuss several test taking and worry-reducing strategies that can be used during any test. We practice some stretches/exercises that we can do in our chair or in the hallway to help get oxygen to our brain and break up the test. Last, students set a SMART goal for themselves for the upcoming STAAR test.
Ask your child: How do you feel about the STAAR test coming up? What’s one of the strategies you will use if you feel yourself getting distracted or anxious?
Week of 3/17- Respecting Differences
This week, we read Diversity is Key, Then, students complete a Nearpod activity and share something unique about the way they look, custom or rule their family has, food they like to eat, something they do for fun.
Ask your child: What is something about you that makes you unique?
Week of 2/24- Career Exploration
This week, we discuss our strengths and how that can relate to our future careers. Students take a "Smarts" test to see what areas of smarts they are strongest in and try to match it up with some career ideas.
Ask your child: What kind of smart are you (nature, music, people, picture, body, math, word, self)? What is a career that relates to that?
Week of 2/10- Kindness/Empathy
This week, we read The Jelly Donut Difference and talk about random acts of kindness we can do to help others.
Ask your child: What is a random act of kindness? Let’s brainstorm a random act of kindness we can do for someone else. (Complete today’s kindness week activity)
Week of 2/4: NSCW Activities
Check out the books and activities in honor of National School Counseling Week.
Week of 1/27: Friendship
This week, we read Trouble Talk and play a Jeopardy type game to reinforce healthy and unhealthy friendship qualities.
Ask your child: What are some of the healthy friendship qualities you look for in a friend? What qualities do you have that make you a good friend?
Week of 1/13: Circle of Control
This week, we review the circle of control (the things that happen to us that are inside and outside our control).
Ask your child: What is the difference between things inside and outside of your control? What do you do to handle the things inside your control? What about outside?
Week of 12/9: Self-Confidence
This week, we read Be You. Students choose a digital or paper activity to share things about themselves that they love, questions they have, new things they want to try, people they can ask help from and more.
Ask your child: What interests, dreams, questions and strengths you have affect your future career?
Week of 11/18- Personal Safety
District Personal Safety Lesson
We also discuss online safety tips and what to do if we come across content not approved for kids (violence, language, drugs & alcohol). Be sure to ask your child to see their safety tips sheet and go over the rules together.
Ask your child: Discuss the lesson and safety tips for your family
Week of 11/6- Coping Skills (Worry)
This week, we read Wilma Jean the Worry Machine and discuss worries that are in and out of our control. Students watch this Circle of Control activity video. We discuss how to deal with worries in our control, then go over a list of coping tools for worries out of our control and select the ones that we like best/work best for us.
Ask your child: What’s the difference between a worry in our control and out of our control? What are some of your favorite coping tools for worries (go over the checklist together)?
October 28-11/1: Healthy Choices Week
Here's the virtual classroom all students will have access to this week. Click around to see the videos, stories, and games.
Week of 10/21: Bullying/ Cyberbullying
This week, we review what bullying, joking around, conflict and being rude/mean are and students receive a handout with descriptions of each. We read Bully Beans and play a game show that reinforces strategies to stand up and prevent bullying as well as encourages the students to work together and build community.
Ask your child: What is bullying? What would you do if someone was bullying you or a friend? Tell me about the Bully Beans game show.
Week of 10/7: Drug Prevention (Smoking/ Nicotine)
This week, we solve a class mystery, What happened to Mr. Reynolds? Students read a quick play and work together to find out what happened to send Mr. Reynolds to the hospital (he was a smoker). Next, students will learn the effects of drugs on the brain and play a Kahoot game to review what they learned.
Ask your child: What is an effect that nicotine can have on your body?
Week of 9/23- Managing Emotions/ Time to ACT
This week, we read Blueloon and discuss different feelings. We review the acronym ACT and discuss why we need to Acknowledge, Care, and Tell when we or a friend is feeling really sad or in danger. Students review acknowledging others’ feelings with an Emotion Investigator game in groups.
Ask your child: What does ACT stand for? When might you Tell a trusted adult about what is going on?
Week of 9/9- Dealing with conflict/ Conflict Resolution
This week, we discuss I messages and read Enemy Pie. We practice naming our feelings and using I messages in a variety of situations.
I feel _______ when you ______. Can you ________?
Ask your child: Give an example of a time when you could use an I message at home. When can you use I messages at school?
Week of 8/26: Introduction to the school counselor
This week, I visit each class to talk more about what a school counselor does and how I can help students. We played a fun Get to Know Mrs. Watkins/ Role of the school counselor KAHOOT. We also talk about 3 important parts of our brain (Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and the hippocampus) and practice breathing as a cool down strategy.
Ask your child: What does Mrs. Watkins do for students at school? Check out the pamphlet we made together.
2024 Intro Video.mp4Week of 8/13: Video Intro
This week, teachers share the following video with students. It briefly describes the role of a school counselor, shares an office tour, and reminds students how to request to talk to Mrs. Watkins. Minute Meetings begin this week, where I meet with every 3-6th grade student to check in.
Ask your child: If you were feeling sad at school? Who could you talk to? How can you request to talk?
