Happy December BES families!
. As we approach winter, and the weather is getting cold outside, the school counselors will be teaching students ways to cool down inside, when emotions run high. Students will be learning about “emotional regulation” by discussing the difference between small, medium and big problems, and how to react to different size problems. Students will also be learning about the “zones of regulation” which helps students conceptualize their feelings by color, and increases their awareness of when they are happy/calm (green), nervous/frustrated/silly (yellow), angry/out of control (red), and sad/lonely bored (blue). Once students become familiar with the feeling zones, they will learn tools to cope with upset feelings, so they can return to a state of calm and focus. To learn more about the zones of regulation, check out How it Works | The Zones of Regulation .Students will also learn about ways to solve conflicts in peaceful ways by discussing Kelso, the frog’s, nine ways to solve problems. Kelso’s nine ways to solve conflict can also work at home with siblings. For more information on Kelso, the frog, check out About Kelso's Choice Conflict Management Skills program . Younger students will also practice staying calm and using self-control of their bodies, by participating in fun activities such as “Counselor Says” and “Statues in the Garden”. Also throughout December, Ms. Sheffler, Ms. Ingram and Mrs. Callihan are meeting with various fifth grade leadership groups to continue to emphasize safety in the hallways, decorate for the holidays, and spread school spirit as we approach the holiday break. In January, a new group of safety patrols will be trained and a new student leadership council will be created to offer as many leadership opportunities as possible to our fifth graders this year. The counselors have also been seeing students for individual counseling and small group counseling for various social/emotional/behavioral needs, consulting with parents and teachers to help students be successful, and connecting families to resources in the community. If you would like to refer your child for counseling or contact one of the counselors, visit our webpage on the Brownsville website at Brownsville Elementary School Counseling. In the midst of the excitement and energy of the holiday season, we hope that you all can find moments of your own calm, peace and happiness in the month ahead.
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Happy September BES families!
Ms. Ingram, Mrs. Callihan and Ms.Sheffler have been busy bees going into the K-5 classrooms, introducing themselves and telling students about all the ways school counselors can help them “bee” their best in school this year. During the month of September, the school counselors will be teaching lessons on the topic of “kindness,” discussing examples of kindness, and about how doing caring things for others makes our schools, homes and communities positive places to be. BES counselors have also been starting to meet with students who are new to Brownsville by setting up “new student lunch bunches,” as well as starting to have individual counseling sessions with those students who may have concerns or who are adjusting to being back in school. Also this month, Ms. Sheffler and Ms. Ingram will be going into fifth grade classes, and talking to them about the various leadership opportunities that lie ahead. Ms. Sheffler will be the safety patrol coordinator for fifth graders this year, and she will be training the new safety patrols, so they can be helping our students be safe and caring learners. Ms. Ingram will be the student leadership council coordinator, and will be distributing applications for this exciting leadership opportunity to fifth grade classes. Hopefully, by the end of September, our new safety patrols will be helping to monitor our hallways, entrances and car loop, and our new student leaders will be brainstorming fun ways to boost our school spirit! Go BEES! We are happy to see the school filled with students again, and it has been a delight to see all of the smiles as we visit the classrooms Hello everyone! Mrs. Ingram, Mrs. Callihan and Mrs. Sheffler will be coming into Brownsville along with other staff members the week of August 14, 2023 to prepare for our students' first week of school and beyond. Please join us in giving a warm BES welcome to our new part-time school counselor, Mrs. Meagan Sheffler. We are delighted to have another counselor to join our school counseling team!
We are also excited for the beginning of another school year and will BEE busy rejuvenating our school counseling program for the year ahead. Our school counseling program is comprehensive and will include new social emotional lessons for grades K-5, individual counseling for those students who may need counseling interventions to help with social, emotional and/or behavioral issues, lunch bunches to enhance social skills, and consultation with parents, staff members and community providers to help your child have a successful academic experience. Please see our services page to learn more about what elementary school counselors do in Albemarle County Schools. Can't wait to welcome our returning and new bees in a few weeks! 3rd-5th Grade Bees: K-2nd Grade Bees: We can't wait to hear about all that you did to stay active, safe, calm and happy over your time away from school!
Love, Mrs. Geddy and Ms. Ingram Are you struggling to talk to your child about the Coronavirus? Here are some great tips from the Child Mind Institute and tips from the National Association of School Psychologists. For our Brownsville students, here are some things we want you to know and think about:
Brownsville students are always safe and caring learners, but we're going above and beyond to be extra caring next week during our first ever Week of Caring. Check out all of the cool events that will be happening next week!
Congratulations to our Safety Patrol students from Mrs. Crickenberger, Mrs. Morris and Mr. Donnelly's classes for a fabulous semester of keeping our students safe. Here are some pictures of these great kids in action. We are excited to welcome students from Mrs. Greenwood, Mr. Humphrey and Mrs. Morris' classes into Safety Patrol for the second half of the school year. Here are the new safety patrol during their training this past week. Greetings parents and caretakers! This month’s focus for the school counselors at BES is calming strategies. The upcoming holiday will bring lots of hustle and bustle, special activities, excitement, and for some, also upset feelings depending on circumstances. We thought it would be appropriate to give our little bees some tips for staying calm and centered throughout the season. Mrs. Geddy (3rd-5th counselor) will be teaching self-calming through the use of imagery, art, grounding, body scan, talking to trusted friends/adults, taking breaks, journaling and deep breathing. Ms. Ingram (K-2nd counselor) will be teaching mindfulness strategies such as guided meditations involving “hot cocoa breaths”, and the “mindfulness snowman melt”. These activities combine, body scan, imagery, deep breathing, and crafts. Students will also discuss grounding by focusing on surroundings, how they are feeling, and being aware of thoughts to help them to enjoy the present moment. Ask your bees how to use these strategies, and try them for fun as a family. Happy Holidays! This month in classroom guidance lessons, we are recognizing National Bully Prevention Month. In 3rd-5th Grade, students will spend one lesson focusing on how it feels to be treated in an unkind way, why students are unkind, and what to do if it happens to you. Students are focusing on 3 strategies for dealing with unkind behavior through a series of role plays in the classroom:
1. Act like the bullying doesn’t bother you- Bullies love to make you upset. They want to see you cry or get angry. Instead, act like it doesn’t bother you. Shrug your shoulders, say “Oh well” or just walk away like it doesn’t matter. 2. Be Assertive- Not passive, not aggressive, ASSERTIVE! It's okay to say "please stop" in a kind and firm way. It's not okay to say or do mean things back. It's not kind, it can get YOU in trouble, and it just makes the problem worse. 3- Report to an adult- Students should tell an adult about the problem. The best person to tell is the adult who is responsible for you when the bullying happens. If you don't get help from that adult, tell another adult! You can report in person, or through the school counselor request form on this website! Our next 3rd-5th grade lesson will focus on how to help when you see someone else being treated unkindly. Students will also learn 3 tricks to help: 1- The Teddy Bear Approach- Help the student who is being treated unkindly by saying kind things to them such as "I'm sorry that happened to you," or "You can sit with us for now on if you want." 2- The Flashing Lights Jingle Bell Sparkle Approach- When you see someone being mean, distract everyone by starting a new conversation or doing something that takes everyone's mind off of the mean behavior. This gives the target a chance to escape without everyone noticing. 3- The Superhero/Upstander- Step in and casually address the mean behavior. Say something like "Hey, you wouldn't like it if they did that to you," or "That's not very nice." Parents- if your child is saying that he or she is being bullied, be sure to:
Today was an exciting day! Forty awesome 5th graders from Mrs. James, Mrs. Crickenberger's and Mr. Donnelly's Class were trained into the AAA School Safety Patrol Program, the largest patrol at Brownsville to date! (Mrs. Greenwood, Mrs. Morris and Mr. Humphrey's students will have the opportunity to join in the Spring Semester). Today, students learned about the history of the international program, which is set to run in it's 100th year in 2020. They learned about famous leaders who served in their school safety patrol, including 3 former US Presidents/Vice Presidents, AND our very own Principal, Mr. Crutchfield! They learned what an honor and responsibility being a part of the safety patrol is. Their duties at Brownsville will include: monitoring halls and entryways to school to make sure that students get to class and leave the building safely; greeting students and staff to raise moral in the school; and raising and lowering the flags. Finally, students were fitted in their belts and badges and they said the AAA School Safety Patrol Pledge:
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