December 2025

It's hard to believe it, but the end of 2025 is upon us! We hope that you and your family are doing well and looking forward to quality time together over the holidays. Here are the latest updates from the counseling team.

No Place For Hate

Our No Place for Hate student committee has been working hard over the past few weeks to prepare a lesson that will soon be presented to our students. The lesson is focused on how words, symbols, and pictures can impact others, and how we can use them to have a positive impact on those around us.

Hope Squad

Hope Squad is a nationally-recognized suicide prevention program with a goal of increasing inclusion and connectedness in schools by teaching students how to provide friendship, encouragement, and support for students who may feel left out or isolated. Our Hope Squad is made up of 12 fourth and fifth grade students, who meet with us twice a month for lessons, activities, and discussion on how to best identify and support students who may feel isolated. We are excited to be working with this wonderful group of students!

Second Step

Approximately two times per month, each classroom receives a lesson from from the Second Step curriculum. Second Step is a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program that teaches developmentally-appropriate learning and life skills, in the areas of empathy and learning skills, emotion management, problem-solving, and bullying prevention. These are valuable skills that all students can use during their time at Rolling Hills and beyond. Ms. Chang teaches lessons in Kindergarten through third grade, and Mr. Sterk teaches the fourth and fifth grade lessons. Our TK classes will incorporate Second Step content into their daily classroom lessons and activities. If you would ever like resources to further discuss any of our Second Step lesson topics at home, please let us know. Throughout the year, we will provide updates on which topics we will be covering each month. 

November
Kindergarten: Managing Frustration and Anger; Handling Waiting

First Grade: Calming Down Anger; Managing Worry; Showing Care and Concern

Second Grade: Managing Anxious Feelings; Finishing Tasks; Handling Making Mistakes

Third Grade: Being Assertive; Managing Anger; Solving Problems

Fourth Grade: Calming Down Anger

Fifth Grade: Managing Frustration, Handling Put-downs

Parent Workshops
PUSD's Caring Connections Center hosts valuable parent workshops throughout the school year, focusing on a variety of topics that may be of interest to you. Recent sessions focused on managing challenging behaviors and navigating adolescence. To learn more, and to register for upcoming sessions, please visit the Caring Connections website.

Florence Chang Pete Sterk

Student Services Assistant School Counselor

Counseling Center Amazon Wishlist