Counselor’s Corner – September Highlights
This month in Counselor’s Corner, students from Pre-K through 5th grade engaged in meaningful lessons designed to help them better understand their own feelings and the emotions of others.
In Pre-K and Kindergarten, our focus was on identifying and understanding emotions. We explored common feelings like mad, sad, happy, and scared, and practiced recognizing these emotions by observing facial expressions. The First-grade students especially enjoyed drawing "feeling emojis" to match different situations, sparking great conversations about how the same event can generate different emotions in each person. These activities help our youngest learners build empathy, self-awareness, and foundational social skills. They did a fantastic job exploring these big feelings in thoughtful and creative ways!
In grades 3 through 5, our discussions centered around happiness and sadness. We discussed how both emotions are natural parts of life and that it’s okay to feel either one. Students shared reasons why they may feel sad and reflected on what helped them feel better. Together, we brainstormed healthy coping strategies such as talking to someone we trust, drawing, listening to music, journaling, or spending time with loved ones. Our goal was to empower students with tools they can use to support their emotional well-being and remind them that no feeling is “wrong” to have.
It’s been a fantastic start to the year, and I’m so proud of how open, engaged, and insightful our students have been. We're off to a strong beginning as we continue building emotional awareness and fostering a caring school community.
Warmly,
Sara Waller
School Counselor
