NHE Counseling Corner
Mrs. Paige Pendery
WELCOME TO MRS. KATY JOHNSTONE!
Mrs. Katy Johnstone is our new counseling intern at NHE! She is finishing her Masters in School Counseling this school year and has already jumped in to help with teaching guidance lessons, participating in lunch groups, and meeting with individual students. We are so happy to welcome Mrs. Johnstone to our NHE family!
TOILETRIES FOR TREATS
We are collecting full-sized toiletry items to donate to the RISD Council of PTAs Clothes Closet from November 5th-13th. Students can drop off donations in their homeroom. Help your child's class earn kindness points and possibly extra recess and donuts!
WORLD KINDNESS DAY
We will celebrate World Kindness Day on Thursday, November 13th. Wear a shirt with a kind word or message on it! How many random acts of kindness can you do?
NOVEMBER + DECEMBER COUNSELOR LESSON TOPICS
Here is an overview of the October lesson topics that will be covered in my counselor lessons with students:
PreK
* Safe Body - Students will learn about respecting each other's personal space, setting boundaries, and practicing what to say when they feel their boundaries are not being respected.
* Effective Communication/Conflict Resolution - Students will learn and apply effective communication skills to handle conflicts peacefully, share feelings and ideas with others, and enhance cooperation in order to maintain positive relationships. Students will also learn a variety of strategies to use to help when they are experiencing conflict with others.
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades:
* Anti-Victimization (parent permission required)
* Effective Communication/Conflict Resolution - Students will learn and apply effective communication skills to handle conflicts peacefully, share feelings and ideas with others, and enhance cooperation in order to maintain positive relationships. Students will also learn a variety of strategies to use to help when they are experiencing conflict with others.
4th and 5th Grades:
* Anti-Victimization (parent permission required)
* Bonding & Relationships - This lesson will focus on peer skills, including the ability to make and maintain positive friendships - students will define peer pressure, identify effective peer refusal strategies, evaluate assertiveness in peer pressure refusal scenarios, identify the benefits of associating with peers who make positive decisions, and name ways to influence others positively.
6th Grade:
* Junior High Transition - Students will learn about the different magnet opportunities available at Westwood Junior High and West Junior High. Students will also begin learning vocabulary that will help them as they begin the process of transitioning to junior high.
* Effective Communication - Students will learn and apply effective communication skills to handle conflict peacefully, share feelings and ideas with others, and enhance cooperation in order to maintain positive relationships.
Note: Many of the lessons that will be taught in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade this year are from the Too Good for Drugs Curriculum required by RISD.
ANTI-VICTIMIZATION LESSONS
Parents of Kindergarten-5th grade students - Please check to make sure you have made a choice regarding your child's participation in our anti-victimization lessons. You can opt-in through your child's FOCUS account or by filling out and returning the form that was sent home with your child over the past month. Thank you to everyone who has already done this! These lessons will be taught between now and Thanksgiving break.
6th GRADE NEWS
Our 6th graders are starting to learn about some of the options they have for junior high. Please save the dates for the magnet information meetings at Westwood Junior High and West Junior High that are happening this week and next week.
Something new for the magnet application process this year (for any parents who have already gone through this process with an older child) is that students who feed into Westwood JH will now need to apply for the magnet programs they are interested in taking in 7th grade. In the past, students did not need to apply and they could sign up for classes they wanted to take.
NETWORK SUPPORT
RISD COUNCIL OF PTA'S CLOTHES CLOSET
Click the link below to find out more about how and when to donate clothes to the Clothes Closet or how you can sign up to volunteer. Students who are enrolled in RISD schools are eligible to get clothing from the Clothes Closet. Please contact me if you want to learn more about these opportunities. Here is the link to learn more about the Clothes Closet: https://risdpta.membershiptoolkit.com/clothescloset
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Need any additional resources?
Contact Me
Email: paige.pendery@risd.org
Phone: 469-593-4332