Guidance News

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.