Nicholson Stars Counselor

The Counselor's Corner

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for your generosity to our Food Drive.  We are providing for 22 families in our school community, and we certainly could not do that without you and your compassion for others.  As you all know we will having our VIP lunches on November 18th and 19th.  This is always a wonderful time of family celebration as we feast on the marvelous turkey and dressing lunch that Mr. Duhart and our cafeteria workers prepare.  As you come to enjoy the feast, you will see a Christmas tree in our lobby that is filled with stars.  Each star represents one of our students and a request that he or she has for the holidays.

Please take a star and return it, along with the gift requested, to Nicholson by Friday December 11th.  The gift is to be unwrapped.  Thank you in advance for making our students' holidays brighter.   We know these are difficult economic times for many, so any contribution you are able to make is greatly appreciated.

Parents, next Thursday, November 19th, I will be doing a parent workshop on study skills.  During our time together we will discuss topics such as homework tips, time management, and test taking strategies.  Two workshops will be offered, one at 7:30 in the morning, and one at 6:30 in the evening.  During the evening, your student will be able to come to storytime while you attend the workshop.  Desserts will be served to the parents, so we hope that you all will be able to join us next Thursday.  

I continue to teach our Steps to Respect curriculum which is a bullying prevention program to our third grade students.  Last week in second grade, our students learned the four steps involved in decision making which are (1) what is the decision to be made, (2) brainstorm ideas, (3) look at the consequences of each idea, and then (4) make the best choice.  This week in Kindergarten and first grade I focused on being thankful during the Thanksgiving season.  I stressed that we all have many blessings such as our family, friends, pets, home, etc. for which we can express our thankfulness.    

The Counselor's Corner

Dear Parents,

Last week in classroom guidance I focused on friendship skills in kindergarten and first grade.  I read the book Tattlin' Madeline written by Carol Cummings.  The students and I discussed the difference between tattling and telling or reporting.  I explained that when we tell on our friends just to get them in trouble or for our teachers' attention, we are tattling.  But if someone is hurt or about to be hurt or if our property is taken from us, we should immediately tell an adult, and that is not tattling, but reporting.  

This week in guidance I am teaching another lesson in Steps to Respect about joining a group respectfully.  The students and I discussed the steps, such as (1) stand nearby and listen, (2) ask questions or say something positive about what others are doing, (3) ask to play or join, (4) say something helpful or find a way to help,  and (5) ask again to join or play if you are told no the first time.  The students then role-played how to respectfully follow the steps, and we discussed how we could respond respectfully if we were told that we could not play. 

We are also are celebrating Healthy Choices Week this week.  We are so fortunate to have community members visit our students to teach topics such as nutrition, cyber safety, bus safety, and drug safety.  We are hopeful that our students have an informative, enriching week.   

Parents, it is difficult to believe that the holidays are around the corner.  Due to the economic downturn, we have numerous families who are in need this holiday season.  Our food drive will begin November 2nd and end on the 13th.  A flyer will be coming home next Monday, October 26th that will explain how you can support our Nicholson families.  We know that our families have always supported us in any endeavor, and your generosity and compassion are what enables us to help our school community. 

The Counselors' Corner

Dear Parents,

As many of you know, I have started my classroom guidance lessons.  Our first lesson focused on the role of the school counselor, and the students and I also discussed feelings.  I stressed that school counselors talk with their students about any feeling they have.  I emphasized that it was all right for them to have any feeling at all, even the unpleasant ones, because the feelings were theirs.  I also explained how they could visit my office.  

In the next lesson in kindergarten and first grade, the focus was on good listening skills.  The students and I discussed that if you were not a good listener, you could not follow the teacher's directions.  Some of the students then participated in role plays that demonstrated good listening skills, such as keeping your eyes on the speaker, remaining quiet, keeping your hands still, and thinking about what you heard.  I concluded the lesson with a listening activity for all students where they had to use their listening skills to successfully complete the assignment.

During this week in classroom guidance, your students in third grade will be administered the steps to respect survey.  Either parent permission forms were sent home, or you gave permission during Open House for your child to participate.  As you know the Steps to Respect program is a bullying prevention program that we started at Nicholson last year.  In third grade lessons will be taught during guidance for approximately 10-11 weeks.  The lessons will focus on friendship and assertiveness skills, as well as what to do if you are a victim or bystander of bullying.  

As we begin a new school year, I am committed to our partnership to assist your child in being the most effective, efficient learner possible.  If I can be of any assistance, please call me at 770-928-5573.       

The Counselors' Corner

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school!  We are looking forward to another exciting, successful school year.  I am the K-3 counselor, and I wanted to remind you of the services available through our counseling department.  

1.   Guidance Services:   I will be in your child's classroom twice each month, teaching guidance lessons on topics such as good study skills, organization, friendship skills, conflict resolution, "Steps to Respect," career exploration, and the appropriate communication of feelings.  This is not an all-inclusive list, and topics vary depending on the grade level.  

2.   Counseling Services:   Small group counseling is available, and during the school year, I will conduct various small groups that will last six to eight weeks.  The students will be in a group for thirty-minute sessions, once per week.  No child can participate in small group without the written permission of his or her parents.  Examples of groups that could be offered as the need arises are:

Study skills                                               Death of a loved one

Social skills                                               Anger management

Coping with family change or divorce            Confidence building 

Friendship skills                                         New student transition

3.   Consultation and Coordination:   Communication among parents, teachers, and counselors is paramount to the academic and social success of a child.  Together we can develop a plan for improving student learning and/or behavior.  Your child's academic and personal success is very important to me as well as the entire faculty and staff at Nicholson.  

If you would like your child to participate in a small group, or if you wish to speak with me concerning any issue, please call me.  The specific content of each counseling session is confidential; however, if during a session, I become aware of anything that you can do to assist your child with a particular issue, I will contact you immediately. 

The counselors at Nicholson have also implemented a reading tutoring program that is supported by parents and members of our community.  If you would like to help a child improve his or her reading skills, it would only require a commitment of thirty minutes per week.  If this is something you would enjoy, please call Mrs. Insogna or me.  We would love to have you participate; as we all know, reading is the foundation of all learning.

I look forward to partnering with you and your child to assist in having a successful school year.  Please contact me if I can help you in anyway during this school year.  I can be reached at 770-928-5573 or Jean.hill@cobbk12.org.    

   

The Counselor's Corner

Parents,

As you all certainly know, we are nearing the end of the school year.  Today our third through fifth graders finished CRCT testing.  You can feel the excitement in the air! Prior to this week, a focus in classroom guidance has been test preparation.  The students and I have discussed such things as relaxation, having a positive attitude, working at medium speed, thinking about answers and questions before answering, getting plenty of rest, and eating a healthy breakfast prior to testing.  I stressed that the CRCT was an opportunity for the students to show you and their teachers how much they have learned this year. 

Prior to our lessons in test taking skills, we focused on decision making, and the steps involved in making good decisions.  For example, ideas must be brainstormed.  Then we must think about the consequence of each idea, and make our best choice.  If it turns out this choice is not workable,  try another solution.  I have stressed to our students that consequences follow decisions, and they can be good or bad depending on the choices we make.  I believe that frequently students think that consequences all always bad, and I have emphasized that a good consequence follows a good decision, such as a good grade usually follows making the good decision to study. 

During the next three weeks, I will focus on end of the year activities.  This week in kindergarten and first grades, the emphasis is on reflecting over the year and thinking of the most favorite memory of the year.  The students then draw pictures and write about their memories.  As time allows, the students share their work with the class. 

Parents, Mrs. Insogna and I wish to thank you for the support you have given for our Terrific Kids program.  We are so appreciative of your attendance at the programs where your child is honored for his or her accomplishments.  As you are aware, this is our first year of the Terrific Kids' program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.  Your support has been utterly overwhelming!!

The Counselor's Corner

Dear Parents,

In classroom guidance in kindergarten and first grades, I have focused on "I Messages," anger rules, and making good choices.  I explained that when we are angry or upset, we can talk with our friends and use an " Message."  The students role-played specific situations, such as I feel mad, because you will not share your cookie.  Please share with me.  I explained that you say how you feel, the reason why, and what you want to happen the next time.

In the following lessons, the students and I discussed the anger rules which are: 1) Never hurt yourself, 2) Never hurt others, and 3) Never break property.  I explained that it was okay to get angry, and that everyone has this emotion, but we must stop and think before we make a choice that can get us in trouble.  We then discussed specific choices they could make to calm down, such as exercising, talking or drawing about our feelings, or playing.  In our lesson this week, we continued to learn about good choices to make when hurt, upset, or angry.  The students played a game where they had to identify appropriate or inappropriate behaviors when angry or upset. 

In second grade I have focused on decision making, and I explained there are four steps in successful decision making.  The first step is to identify the decision to be made, then brainstorm ideas, consider the consequences of each idea, and then make the best choice.  

In third grade I am concluding our Steps to Respect program.  During January, we focused on the responsibilities of bystanders who are witnesses to bullying.  I stressed that each person has a responsibility to report or to refuse bullying behaviors. Our third graders have been very engaged in learning friendship and assertiveness skills, as well as coping skills to deal with students who engage in bullying behaviors.  

Parents, thank you for your continued support of our Terrific Kids program that is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.  It is so meaningful to our students to have you participate in honoring their accomplishments.  Our next program will be Tuesday, February 24th at 7:30 a.m. in the media center.

Also parents, Mrs. Insogna and I are conducting a brief workshop on the evening of Tuesday, March 3rd. We hope that you will join us as we walk you through the steps of CRCT online assessment and test taking strategies. 

As always thank you for your continued support, and please contact me at 770-928-5573, or e-mail me at jean.hill@cobbk12.org if I can be of any assistance.

The Counselors' Corner

Dear Parents,

It is hard to imagine that we are now half way through our 2008-2009 school year.  I hope all of our families have a happy, healthy, safe 2009.  This past year has been very difficult for many from a financial perspective.  Due to that we had many in our school community to assist during the Thanksgiving and Holiday season.  I wish to thank everyone who gave so generously during Thanksgiving and our Star Tree giving.  Due to your generosity, we were able to support several of our Nicholson families.

In classroom guidance, I have continued to focus on Steps to Respect which is a bullying prevention program intended to teach friendship, assertiveness, and appropriate social interaction skills.  These lessons have been taught in third grade, and in second grade, I have concentrated on study skills, such as listening, organization, and goal setting.  In kindergarten and first grades, the emphasis has been on listening skills and the varied careers that are available today.  Additionally before the holiday break, I read the Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and the students and I discussed that the greatest gifts we can give are those that we give of ourselves, such as our love and time. 

I am sure that many of you know we have implemented the Terrific Kids program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.  This program is intended to recognize students for their recent achievement.  Parents are invited to the monthly programs to recognize their child's accomplishments, and we have been delighted to have such high parent attendance at our programs. As always, if you have any questions at all, please contact me via phone at 770-928-5573, or jean.hill@cobbk12.org.     

The Counselors' Corner

Parents,

We have so much to share with you from the Counseling Department.  In third through fifth grades, Mrs. Insogna and I are continuing to teach Steps to Respect lessons.  As you all know, this is the anti-bullying program that we have implemented at Nicholson.  In kindergarten through second grades, I have started a series of lessons on study skills.  In the lower grades, the focus will be on such things as listening and following directions.  In second grades the lessons will also focus on believing in oneself as well as organization skills.  

As you all know, we celebrated Healthy Choices Week the week of October 27-31.  Dr. WellBee from WellStar presented a program to grades K-2.  The focus of the program conveyed the message:  Be Healthy, Be Safe, and Be Fit.  Also during the week, WellStar educators visited classrooms in grades third through fifth and taught lessons on such things as cyber safety and nutrition.  Stephanie Crocker and other employees from Nutrition Services also taught lessons that would meet our standards based curriculum in various classrooms throughout the week.  Additionally our nurse, Mrs. Hamrick taught lessons in first grade about taking medicine safely.  In classroom guidance, I taught kindergarten and first grade students the importance of expressing our feelings rather than holding them inside.  I explained that we sometimes eat in unhealthy ways trying to deal with the pain of our emotions.  I read a book entitled Full Mouse, Empty Mouse by Dina Zeckhausen.  In the end, the mice Billy Blue and Sally Rose learned if they expressed feelings, they could then listen to their tummys to choose the right amount of food to eat. 

On Tuesday, October 28th, a representative from Cobb Safe Kids presented a program to our parents on safety.  She stressed such things, as safety in the home with medications and poison, as well as some safety tips for trick or treating. 

Our Thanksgiving Food Drive is also underway.  We will be collecting non perishable items until November 13th.  The food collected will support our school community.  We also plan to have our Star Tree in our lobby so that when you attend the VIP luncheons, you will be able to select a star.  As you know each star represents a child.  Please return your gift with the star attached by December 10th.  Parents, thank you so much for your support and help during these difficult economic times.  We appreciate you and the support you give to our students.  We could never engage in community outreach programs without your help.

The Counselor's Corner

Parents,

It is so hard to believe that we are already into October.  Our school year has started at a rapid pace.  Mrs. Insogna and I have had two parent workshops, one on our Steps to Respect program and one on a guide to being a successful student.  Our Steps to Respect program has been implemented in third through fifth grades, and it is an anti-bullying program that focuses on friendship skills, bystander strategies, and what a child who is bullied should do.  We certainly do not believe that we have a bullying problem at Nicholson, but we do want to take a proactive, preventive approach.  These lessons are being taught by the counselors and classroom teachers.

The workshop that Mrs. Insogna and I did on September 30th focused on study skills, such as organization skills, test taking strategies, homework tips, and time management.  As we all know, these are necessary skills in becoming an effective, efficient learner. 

During classroom guidance, I began the year explaining to my students the role of the school counselor and how they could see me.  Then I have focused on friendship skills in grades K-3.  I have started the Steps to Respect program in third grade, and we have worked thus far on appropriate ways to initiate and maintain conversations.  In grades K-2, the focus has been on friendship skills, such as we must cooperate, share, take turns, and treat others the way we want to be treated to make and keep friends.

It is a pleasure to be able to work with your children, and parents, please call me at 770-928-5573, or e-mail me at jean.hill@cobbk12.org if I can be of any assistance.         

The Counselor's Corner

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school.  The faculty and staff at Nicholson are looking forward to an exciting, rewarding year as we partner with you to ensure that your child has a successful year.  Thanks to each of you for your participation in meet and greet and our Open House.  We certainly hope that you found both events informative as you plan for the year ahead.  I would like to provide you with some information about my counseling program and me, because I would like for you to be fully aware of the counseling services that are available for grades K-3. 

I am beginning my second year at Nicholson, and my tenth year as a school counselor.  I have a National Board Professional Teaching Standards certificate in School Counseling.  I am looking forward to working with you, your child's teacher, and our administrators to ensure that your child is the most effective, efficient learner possible.  Additionally, I wanted to share the major components of my counseling program which are listed below:

1.   Guidance Services:   I will be in your child's classroom twice each month, teaching guidance lessons on topics such as good study skills, organization, friendship skills, consequences of behavior, bullying, conflict resolution, career exploration, and the appropriate communication of feelings.  This is not an all-inclusive list; topics will vary depending on the grade level.

2.   Counseling Services:  Small group counseling is available, and during the school year, I will conduct various small groups that will last six to eight weeks.  The students will be in a group for thirty-minute sessions, once per week.  No child can participate in small group without the written permission of his or her parents.  Examples of groups that could be offered as the need arises are:

Study skills                                                  Death of a loved one

Social skills                                                  Anger management

Coping with divorce                                       Confidence building

Friendship                                                    New student transition

3.   Consultation and Coordination:  Communication among parents, teachers, and counselors is paramount to the academic and social success of a child.  Together we can develop a plan for improving student learning and/or behavior.  Your child's academic and personal success is very important to me as well as the entire faculty and staff at Nicholson. 

If you would like your child to participate in a small group, or if you wish to speak with me concerning any issue, please call me at 770-928-5573.  The specific content of counseling sessions is confidential; however, if during a session, I become aware of anything that you can do to assist your child with a particular issue, I will contact you immediately.

The counselors at Nicholson are also implementing a reading tutoring program that will be supported by parents.  If you would like to help a child improve his or her reading skills, it would only require a commitment of thirty minutes per week.  If this is something you would enjoy, please call me.  We would love to have you participate; as we all know, reading is the foundation of all learning.

I look forward to partnering with you and your child to ensure that he or she has a successful school year.  Please contact me if I can assist you or your child in anyway during the school year.