Welcome Parents and Guardians,

My guidance lessons are geared more to the younger grades since I visit the Transitional Kindergarten students additionally with all the kindergarten, first and second graders.

In the beginning month of our school year I have mainly concentrated on friendship skills, the students are taught why having a friends important in their school life, and how we treat our friends--with kindness and respect- and in what ways we can implement that.

During the coming months I will be teaching various classroom social skills--Following instructions, greeting others, getting the teacher's attention, accepting "No" for an answer, talking with other peers and making an apology.

I believe strongly in "student safety" --stranger danger--is worthwhile to teach the younger grades so they are aware how to best take care of themselves in certain situations.

I also am a strong proponent of children's health--so the students will learn the 5 food groups and what foods are healthier to eat than others.

Along with the health program we will discuss why sleep is so important in their lives and why exercise is good for their bodies.

The students will also be schooled on various feelings they have throughout their lives--happy, sad, scared, angry, grumpy etc.

We will as a collective group discuss these various feelings and see why we are feeling this way or that way--anger control is a subject we will discuss along with fear management and how to be able to handle grief when a family member or pet dies.

I will be teaching the "Circle Of Grace" lessons that accompany our Religion textbooks. We learn how Jesus protects all of us in His circle of grace and love and different ways of how to deal with protecting ourselves from the various issues we deal with outside our Circle of Grace.

Of course there are many other subjects we will touch on throughout the year but this will give parents a synopsis of what your children are being taught in guidance classes.

Please reach out if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. I love to visit with parents/guardians and get their input on how best the counselors at our school can assist their children as well as the entire family as a whole.

Blessings always,

Mrs. Lucy Kincaid (School Counselor)

l.kincaid@stephen.org