Guidance News

Week One: This week we started off with team building activities. We ask the question; Why is it important to work as a team? We also read the quote by Helen Keller:  Alone I can do so little; Together we can do so much. Students discussed what the quotes means and how it connects to the activities we did in class. 

There is a video that gives a clear overview of Social Emotional Learning. I hope you enjoy it ! SEL

This week your child is learning that sharing, trading, and taking turns are Fair Ways to Play with toys and with other children. This is an important skill because it helps children make and keep friends. Ask your child: What are Fair Ways to Play with toys and with other children? Here are some ides: "May I share that toy with you?' "Would you like to trade this toy for that one?" "Plese, may I have a turn?" In guidance class we learn about the skill and then practice it through role playing, playing, or making projects about the concept. If you have questions, comments, or ideas please contact me 871-6207 or at hscandale@cvsdvt.org.         

The STEP method outlines how to solve problems. Students worked in small groups and created posters about small problems and strategies to use. 

Peace to me having ice cream with my family~Chase Peace to me is my elephant~Seb  Peace to me is my stuffed animal cat

Ms. D’s Class painting their peace flags. Being at peace or peaceful is the “Green Zone”. We read the book, “I Am Peace” by Peter Reynolds. We identified what zone the character was in throughout the book. We agree that we feel our best in the Green Zone!  Look for your child’s flag next week!

This week students continued working on their problem solving skills. In small groups they worked collaboratively  on a poster. Through this process many students used Kelso’s Choices such as, talk it out, ignore, tell the person to stop, and share and take turns. All of these skills are transferable to outside our school community. 

Here are some examples of the collaborative activity. Ask your child which Kelso’s Choice they used during this. 

During kindergarten guidance we have been learning about peace and what peace means to each person. We have read books such as, “The Peace Book, Can You Say Peace?, Peaceful Pieces, and I Am Peace”. The entire kindergarten class sang “Peace Like a River” at our school wide morning meeting. Currently, we are working on our peace flags. Students finished the sentence Peace to me is.... and batiked a picture to resemble their thoughts. The above pictures show children beading their name for their Peace flag. Some thoughts from the children are, peace  to me is, my teddy bear, my bed, nature, the wind, the beach, the sun, watching the snow, my blanket, my mom, school, and many more! Understanding what makes us feel calm, happy and peaceful is an important piece of self concept. I connect this idea with the Zones of Regulation. Being in the green zone is when you are happy, calm, and feeling peaceful.

Students are working together and creating pieces to make a heart quilt. I based many of the beginning lessons on the idea of, "Alone we can do so little; Together we can do so much" -Helen Keller. Check out the guidance bulletin board at our school.

l Second Step Problem Solving Skills. Students are learning to problem solve using STEP and Kelso's Choices. Teambuilding activities are the perfect way to practice these skills.  Teambuilding in grades 1st and 2nd

Guidance in First and Second Grade: This week we are working on using Kelso's Choices and Second Steps's STEP Problem Solving method. STEP stands for Say the problem, Think of  solutions, Explore consequences, and Pick the best solution. In the above picture students had to build a house with other team members and see if their house withheld the Big Bad Wolf (my hair dryer). Students confronted many small problems working together and were able to  try and use Kelso's Choices and the STEP method to try and solve problems.