1st grade: Mrs. Nelson

🙂 We kicked off Guidance during the 2nd week of school!

🎯 Our first week focused on learning each other’s names, understanding the role of the school counselor, and exploring the different ways and reasons students might visit the counselor.

🥳 I’m excited for a fun and meaningful year ahead! 

September 29-October 3: Courage - What is Courage? (Self-Awareness)

📚 Book: Jambari Jumps

🧠Activity: Students create a “Courage Face Chart” while following along with the story. They will also bring home a practice sheet to work on with a parent/guardian if they choose. 

💡Key concept: Courage is about trying something even when we feel nervous or unsure.  

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Define courage and recognize times when they have shown courage.

• Connect courage to their own feelings and self-awareness.

• Practice identifying personal strengths that help them act bravely.

• Encourage reflection on ways to practice courage at home and at school.

October 6-10: Courage - Managing Fear

📚 Book: You Are Brave: A Book About Trying New Things

🧠 Activity: Students completed a four-section reflection page with the following parts:

1. This is me

2. This is how I feel before trying something new

3. This is me trying something new

4. This is how I feel after trying something new

Through drawing and sharing, students connected the idea of bravery to their own real-life experiences.

💡Key concept: Being brave means trying new things even when you feel scared. Courage helps us grow, learn, and feel proud of ourselves. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Recognize and describe feelings that come before and after trying something new.

• Identify what it means to be brave in everyday situations.

• Build self-awareness by expressing emotions through drawing and discussion.

• Encourage a growth mindset by celebrating small acts of courage.

October 13-17: Courage to Support Ourselves & Others

📚 Book: Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun

🧠 Activity: Character Design & Pride Reflection. Students draw a picture of them having the courage to be who they truly are. Optional, students can reflect on qualities they are proud of and share examples of courage, either for themselves or in supporting others (writing them on their paper).

💡Key concept: Courage means being brave for yourself and others—celebrating who you are, trying new things, and supporting others even when it feels scary. Courage helps us grow, learn, and feel proud of ourselves and the positive impact we have on others. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Recognize and describe personal qualities they are proud of.

• Identify ways to show courage for themselves and others in everyday situations.

• Build self-awareness by expressing their identity and strengths through a creative character design.

• Encourage empathy and a growth mindset by reflecting on how courage connects to supporting others.

October 20-24: Courage - Standing Up to Bullying

📚 Social Story: Students will read the short story “When Someone Teases Me” and take it home to share with their families. This introduces the week’s theme: having courage to respond when someone is being rude, mean, or bullying. 

🧠 Activity: 

• Interactive Sorting Game: As a class, we will sort scenarios into rude, mean, or bullying, helping them recognize differences in behaviors. 

• BOO Activity: Students will complete a coloring page featuring the acronym BOO – Being mean On purpose, Over and Over, additional bullying-themed coloring options if time allows. 

💡Key concept: Courage is standing up for ourselves and others. Recognizing and responding to unkind behavior helps us make safe, positive choices. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Understand the difference between rude, mean, and bullying behavior.

• Identify strategies to respond courageously to unkind behavior.

• Practice empathy and awareness of how words and actions affect others.

• Reinforce the concept of BOO to remember the ongoing nature of bullying.

• Encourage students to share and discuss social stories with family to reinforce learning at home.

October 28 – 31: Courage – Wrap-Up

📋Review: Revisited October’s Courage objectives: understanding what courage looks like, recognizing different types of courage, and identifying ways to be brave in everyday situations. 

🥳 Wrap up: Students reflected on their learning this month by completing a Courage Self-Assessment exploring the four types of courage — social, moral, emotional, and physical. Students participated in a Pumpkin Courage Activity, where they designed pumpkins to show whether they would demonstrate courage in different scenarios.

✅ Courage Objectives:

• Recognize and describe the four types of courage: social, moral, emotional, and physical.

• Reflect on personal strengths and areas for growth in showing courage.

• Identify real-life situations where courage is needed at school and at home.

• Celebrate the courage it takes to be yourself and make kind, brave choices.

December : Self-Regulation - Understanding Our Brain + Feelings

📚 Book: My Brain Is My Home

🧠Activity: Each class explored activities from a self-regulation packet based on the book. Students practiced noticing how their brain helps them make decisions, manage feelings, and learn new skills. Activities were hands-on and designed to show how the different parts of the brain work together as a team.  

💡Key concept: Our brain is like a home—each part has a job that keeps us learning, feeling, and growing. Understanding how the brain works helps us recognize our emotions and make choices that support our well-being. 

🎯This month's objectives: 

• Help students understand the metaphor of the brain as a “home” with different parts and purposes.

• Build awareness of how the brain influences emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

• Support students in identifying strategies to take care of their “brain home.”

• Encourage reflection on what makes them feel safe, calm, and ready to learn. 

Happy Holidays! Students were sent home with a "busy" packet of fun activities to do if they wish. :)

February 2-6: National School Counseling Week

📚 Focus: Getting to Know Your School Counselor
This week, students celebrated National School Counseling Week by learning more about the role of the school counselor and how counseling supports students academically, socially, and emotionally. Lessons emphasized that school counselors are here to support growth, problem-solving, goal-setting, and overall student success. 

🧠Activity: Students participated in counselor trivia and a “Get to Know Your School Counselor” game. Through these activities, students learned about my role, my intentions in this work, and how counseling helps students at different ages and stages. I also shared a few achievements and experiences from my own elementary years to help students understand that growth takes time and that effort, attitude, and character matter. 

💡Key concepts:
School counselors support students in many ways—not just when there is a problem

Everyone grows at their own pace

Effort, positive choices, and perseverance help shape success over time

Asking for help and building relationships are important life skills  

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Help students understand the role of the school counselor.

• Build connection and trust between students and counselor.

• Encourage a growth mindset through real-life examples.

• Reinforce the importance of effort, character, and positive choices. 

February 9-13: Understanding Love & Empathy

📚 Book: A Little Spot of Love

🗣️Group Discussion: Students learned that people give and receive love in different ways, and recognizing those differences helps us build stronger, kinder relationships. 

💡Key concept: People show and feel love in different ways, and understanding that helps us treat each other with kindness and empathy. 

🧠 Activity: Students utilized the remainder of our time working and collaborating with classmates through a Valentine’s Day activity packet. I gifted this to students as a Valentine from me — and we talked about how my gift was less about candy or treats and more about giving them opportunities to connect with others, stay off screens, and have something meaningful to enjoy over the long four-day weekend. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Help students recognize different expressions of love.

• Develop empathy through listening and discussion.

• Encourage students to reflect on how they show care and kindness.

• Strengthen peer connections through respectful conversation.

February 16-20: Understanding The 5 Love Languages

📚 Book: A Perfect Pet for Peyton: A 5 Love Languages Discovery Book

🗣️Group Discussion: After the story, we engaged in a guided group discussion to check for understanding and reflect on how each love language was shown throughout the book.

🧠 Activity: Students then connected the concept to their own lives by sharing examples of how they feel most loved and how they show love to others. We discussed what they think their own love language might be, as well as how parents, siblings, friends, and classmates might feel loved in different ways.

💡Key concept: People feel loved in different ways, and understanding those differences helps us build stronger relationships. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Introduce students to the five love languages in an age-appropriate way.

• Strengthen perspective-taking and empathy.

• Encourage students to reflect on how they show and receive care.

• Build awareness of differences within families and friendships.

February 23-27: Discovering My Love Language

📚 Review: A Perfect Pet for Peyton: A 5 Love Languages Discovery Book 

🗣️Group Discussion: We began by briefly revisiting the story and reviewing the five love languages we learned about the week before: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. 

🧠 Activity: Students then took a kid-friendly Love Languages Quiz to help them discover which love language they might connect with most. After reviewing their responses, I matched each student with their “Pet Pal”, just like in the story, based on the love language that best fit their quiz results. 

💡Key concept: Everyone experiences and expresses love differently. Learning about love languages helps us better understand ourselves and others so we can show care in ways that feel meaningful. 

🎯This week's objectives: 

• Reinforce understanding of the five love languages.

• Help students reflect on how they give and receive care.

• Encourage awareness that people may feel loved in different ways.

• Strengthen empathy and relationship skills through discussion and self-reflection.