HP Counselor's Corner

Mrs. Krieser - School counselor

Life Skills Class

What Does the School Counselor Do?

Who are Elementary School Counselors? (See video below for more information!)

Elementary school counselors are master-degree level professionals who provide a school counseling program to support students, staff, parents and the community. School Counselors are trained to develop a program that is data-driven, comprehensive, developmental, and preventive. The program focuses on services that address the academic, personal/social, and college/career development of our students.

What Services does the Elementary School Counselor Provide?

All professional school counselors are trained to provide these services in a variety of efficient and effective methods, including:

-Life Skills curriculum

-Individual Student Planning

-Responsive Services:

Individual and small group counseling
- Please note that I do NOT provide long-term therapy and typically meet with a student no more than 8 continuous times over a school year. For ongoing and serious mental health needs, I am happy to work with a student and their families to refer them to outside providers.
Consultation
Referrals to community resources

-System Support

Students in 2nd grade learned about the power of kindness and made trees with acts of kindness they plan on doing over break to "Light Up Someone's Day with Kindness".

In Life Skills for November and December:

In November, 1st-5th grade students learned about gratitude and its importance to practice. Gratutide is the state of being grateful or thankful. Researchers have found that people who think about what they are grateful for and show their appreciation are happier and healthier!

Kindergarten is finishing up with their 2nd Step lessons with problem-solving learning the problem-solving steps.

In December, 1st-5th grade students are learning about "Flipping a Lid" and the "Zones of Regulation".

"Flipping a lid" is when something triggers a strong emotion and our amagdayla (emotional part of our brain) thinks we are in danger and we don't think clearly. It is powerful to learn about the brain and emotions to understand what is happening during those stressful times. It also helps us feel more in control and able to be prepared when things "trigger" our fight or flight response.

"The Zones of Regulation" or "The Zones" is an approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. This curriculum and framework is designed to teach self-regulation by categorizing their emotions and state of alertness into those four different zones. Students are then taught to become more aware of their emotions and use self-regulation tools that work best for them. Families can check out the Zones of Regulation website for more information and resources to use at home (scroll down to see resources "For the Home").

October 2024: This month students in Kindergarten are learning about Stop, Walk, Talk and being an Upstander (standing up for other people when you see or hear disrespect or meanness).

1st grade students are learning about Growth Mindset and perseverance using the book, "The Magical Yet". They will then be learning the difference between a "thought bubble" and a "speak bubble" and how to think through our thoughts of what to say and what not to.

2nd grade students are learning about Growth Mindset and how their brain grows with doing challenging things and making mistakes. They will then be doing a lesson on the difference between people being mean, rude, bullying or having a conflict. This is important for kids to understand what is happening and how to respond.

3rd grade students are learning about Growth Mindset using the book, "Bubble Gum Brain" by Julia Cook that helps kids understand that their brains are malleable (able to change and grow). They are then reviewing the difference between people being mean, rude, bullying or having a conflict. This is important for kids to understand what is happening and how to respond.

4th grade students are learning about Growth Mindset by completing an "escape room" in small groups. They are then reviewing the difference between people being mean, rude, bullying or having a conflict. This is important for kids to understand what is happening and how to respond.

5th grade students learned about inclusion and acceptance by doing an experiment using a bowl of water, pepper, soap, and sugar (ask the students what these all represent). Growth Mindset and reviewed the difference between rude, mean, conflict and bullying situations. This is important for kids to understand what is happening and how to respond.

August-September 2024: This month students are learning about what a school counselor is and what they do for all students, as well as getting to know one another better.

All students are then reviewing our whole school systems: "Stop, Walk, Talk" (how to respond to mean or disrespectful behaviors), and being Upstanders (someone who does something to help someone else when they hear or see them being bullied).

-The Role of an Elementary School Counselor - Video

-Role of a School Counselor - Article

-The Essential Role of Elementary School Counselors - Article

-HP Parent Library - list of books and resources for adults and kids to borrow!

Parents: CLICK below ON ANY OF THE LINKS/VIDEOS/RESOURCES to utilize at home!

Calming Down Strategies.pdf

Kelso-Wheel_85X11.pdf

When I Feel Worried - Big Life Journal.pdf

Wilma Jean the Worry Machine0001.pdf

Grounding Practice poster

Use this technique when your child is experiencing worry or anxiety and they seem to need to "come back down" before they can think clearly.

Breathing Techniques

Use these breathing techniques with your child any time they are experiencing a strong emotion and try to get them to use their belly, aka "belly breathing". You can print these to have them handy for your child to follow while they do the breathing activity more than once.