In Kindergarten and 1st grade, classroom guidance lessons are offered by the school counselor at least once each quarter. The goal of these lessons is to provide a space for students to learn about emotional regulation, friendship, conflict resolution, careers, stress management, goal setting and much more! Here is what we are learning about in Kindergarten and 1st grade this year!

Zones of Regulation

As beings created in the image of God, we experience emotions. However, God did not intend for our emotions to control us. He instructs us to be discerning of our emotions, self-controlled, and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 17:9, 1 Peter 5:6-11, Galatians 5:22-23). Emotional regulation helps us to recognize our emotions, identify the source, and at times, submit those emotions to God. At LCCS we use an emotional regulation tool called the zones of regulation. The zones of regulation help us to categorize how our brains and bodies feel into different zones. When we understand how our brains and bodies feel, then we are able to better regulate ourselves. Throughout the month of September, we will explore the different zones of regulation and how to recognize when we're in them, how being in the different zones can create expected and unexpected behaviors, how others feel when we exhibit expected and unexpected behaviors, and what tools we can use to regulate ourselves when we are in the different zones.

FRIENDSHIP EXPECTATIONS FOR THE PLAYGROUND

We will discuss expectations for interacting with one another on the playground by following our school-wide "Friendship Guidelines for the Playground" (look for these to come home in yellow envelopes or find them linked below). At LCCS, we really care about treating each other the way we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12), and we strive to teach our students this biblical truth in each of our classroom guidance lessons.   

Friendship Expectations for the Playground 

CIRCLE OF GRACE

In the second semester, we will be learning about personal safety. For many of these lessons, we will use a program that focuses on teaching our students about keeping their bodies safe called Circle of Grace. It aims to equip our students by arming them with essential knowledge and skills grounded in the richness of our Christian faith, helping them to understand their own (and other’s) dignity in mind, body, and spirit.

Some sample topics include safe versus unsafe situations and seeking help from a trusted adult. Occasionally, a parent letter will be sent home along with the lesson, explaining how parents can reaffirm or personalize the message. 

Click here for a more detailed explanation of the Circle of Grace curriculum. 

Careers

 In our final unit of the school year, we will be exploring careers. Students will be introduced to a variety of career options, and they will gain an introductory understanding of how their God-given gifts, abilities, and experiences may be preparing them for a future career. In our lessons, we will highlight the biblical truths that God has plans for each of us to further his kingdom, possibly through a career (Jeremiah 29:11); that God has uniquely created each of us and given us experiences in order to prepare us for the work he has for us to do (Ephesians 2:10); and that whatever we do, we should give it our best effort and do it for the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31, Col 3:23). Finally, students will have the opportunity to experience Career Day, in which many parents will share hands-on demonstrations of their chosen careers. Career Day is such a fun day and a great way to wrap up our year of classroom guidance lessons!