Kindergarten

This week your Kindergartener met me, Ms. Jen, and discussed what exactly a School Counselor does. Using my "Counselor First Aid" kit, I broke it down for them:

Like doctors, we keep various tools in our first aid kit that allow us to help our students feel supported and safe. A School Counselor's First AId Kit also has tools that help people feel better, but the tools we use may look a little different:

• Ears - All counselors must have a good pair of listening ears. Our students can always count on Ms. Jen to listen and hear them when they need someone to talk to.

• Tissues - We often have tearful moments at school, and it's OK to cry. On those tear filled days, students can come see Ms. Jen to dry their tears. The tissue represents School Counselors' ability to dry our students tears and help them feel better so they can head back to class ready to learn.

• Eraser - School Counselors are great erasers. We support our students when they make mistakes by helping them problem-solve. It's OK to make mistakes, and Ms. Jen is here to help fix them.

• Heart - I can not do my job without a big heart. I love and care for all our Mill Valley students. It's my job to make sure students feel safe and cared for while in our schools.

• Feelings - How are you feeling? Can you tell us why you have that feeling? School Counselors not only help students identify feelings, they teach students how to express them appropriately.

Additionally, we had a quick intro of the Zones of Regulation, an SEL program we use, along with Toolbox. Here is a breakdown of what your child learned in class this week:

The Zones is used to teach self-regulation by labeling all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four zones. The Zones curriculum provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of their emotions, improve controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.

The Four Zones

The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness (low energy), such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.

The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. Being in the Green Zone will help students be successful in the classroom. This is the zone we encourage students to be in!

The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, they still have some control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.

The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. A person is described as “out of control” if in the Red Zone.

During my Zones lessons, I started by asked the students to identify what each color represents when in their car at a stoplight. Yellow = Slow Down, Red = Stop!, Green = Go (Ready to learn), Blue = Need a break (Rest stop)

After we identified the meaning of each color zone, we worked as a class to match feelings with zones. We identified the following feelings:

Blue Zone: Shy, Sick, Tired, Sad

Green Zone: Happy, Calm, Good Listener, Brave

Yellow Zone: Silly, Frustrated, Worried, Scared

Red Zone: Mad, Yelling, Out of Control

During our next lesson, our students will be meeting a very special friend of mine. My friend is shy, scared to try new things, and often in the Yellow Zone. This friend will teach the students all about their feelings and what Tools and strategies work the best to get back into the Green Zone! Until then, help your child practice identifying their Zone by asking them what color zone they are in and identifying when you move from one to another.

Happy Practicing!