COUNSELOR’S CORNER for November
from the desk of Mr. Leigh Mayerson
October Red Ribbon Week Update
I would like to let the entire faculty and staff know how well the speaker,
Mr. Rand Eberhard, did presenting to our 1st thru 5th grade students during
Collaborative Planning Specials Wednesday & Thursday of Red Ribbon Week. Mr.
Eberhard is a recovered alcoholic and a recovered drug abuser who has been
clean for 8 ½ years. He taught a lot of appropriate and powerful anti-
tobacco, anti-alcohol, and anti-drug lessons that our students will remember
for a long time! This knowledge will really help Sarah Smith students’
decision-making when they are in middle school, high school, college, and
beyond! THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. EBERHARD. Also, thank you very much to the
Specialist Teachers for your support during our Red Ribbon Week speaker’s
presentations!
November Continuation of Red Ribbon Week Campaign
A goal the Red Ribbon Week Committee set is for every 1st thru 5th grade
student to plant one flower each as a reminder of the hope that leading a
clean life brings to the students and to the Sarah Smith community. Our goal
is for this to be accomplished by the end of November and the planting will
occur in Classroom Guidance. As the flowers bloom every Spring, we will be
reminded of the pledges we made in the Fall, and this will renew our
students’ resolve to live their Red Ribbon Week pledge!
November’s Theme—Appreciation
Due to Thanksgiving being celebrated this month, the overall theme for
Classroom Guidance is going to be “Appreciation”. In Kindergarten, my
lessons will center around Helping Others. For example, one question I will
ask the is “How does it feel to help others?” In First grade, my lessons
will also center around Helping Others. Here is one example of how I intend
for the students to be thankful for everything they do have and: “being
strong and standing up for others is something we can always choose to do”.
In Second grade, my lessons will center around empathy. For example, I will
help students see the consequences of having empathy for others. In 3rd-5th
grade Classroom Guidance, I will center on the concept of empathy and require
an “action” component. For example, “put yourself in someone else’s shoes
and do something about it”.
Social Skills Small Group Counseling
Here is a breakdown of the sessions I will facilitate for Grades 3-5:
1) “Getting started”; 2) “Solutions”; 3) “Consequences”; 4) Making a
choice”; 5) “Saying no”; 6) “Chill out”; 7) “Problem solving”; and
8) “Saying goodbye”. Here is a breakdown of the sessions I will facilitate
for Grades K-2: 1) “Getting to know each other”; 2) “Feelings”;
3) “What’s the problem”; 4) “There’s more than one way”; 5) “What will
happen?”; 6) “The Waiting problem”; 7) “In the classroom”; and
8) “Saying goodbye”.
