Columbia Counselor Corner

Hi Little Eagle Families!

We have just over a month left of school! As we all get eager for summer remember we still have some important things to accomplish before June 4th. Along with fun field trips and events planned we have important end of the year testing. Please be sure your students are here everyday so they can complete assessments for report cards and to assist in next years class placements.

Character Strong

May's Trait of the month is Creativity.

Student of the month for:

April & May will be on May 6th at 10:30am.

Safer, Smarter Kids *Only those who opted in for lessons*

We completed all lessons. Students did great taking to tools learned.

K-Kids Peer Mentoring

2nd grade K-Kids have continued mentoring Kindergarten students: role modeling positive play, good choices and conflict resolution strategies. In April & May K-Kids will begin joining Kinders out on the playground as recess buddies too! They are excited about this. We had a rainy day and had indoor games (See photos below). We will have an end of the year celebration in May.

Vehicle Career Day

Thank you to all the presenters who joined us, we had a great turn out. Students loved this years "vehicle" theme!

Take Ellie the Eagle to work

Wow! This activity turned out so fun and all parents who participated did an amazing job sharing how Ellie did with them at work. A Power Point was created with photos and videos and shared with all classes, this was exciting for students.

*If you did not get the chance to participate this year I will be enlarging the time frame to allow more next year!

Class Placements

We will be completing class placements for the fall in the coming weeks. The last week of school students will meet all the teachers for the following year in a meet & greet so they are familiar with them all. You will receive your student(s) new teacher letter along with supplies list the first week in August.

Character Strong

May's Character Trait of the month is Creativity

See below for more information for the month.

Student of the month for:

April & May will be on May 6th at 10:30am.

You can reach me by email: ashley.phelps@myeagles.org or by calling 517-769-8557, feel free to leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I am available.

*During the summer (June/July) feel free to email as I will check weekly for urgent support needs.

In May look for new ways to enjoy nature while connecting as a family! Be sure to take time together and solo for self-care.

Hello!

I hope you are all staying warm as our April has started out chiller than normal. Hopefully warmer days are ahead.

*We finished up Game Days during all lunches. The students really enjoyed the social time and playing games so I plan to run it again next January and February.

*We will have our Career Day on Monday, April 28th. CES will be in the morning, CUES will be in the afternoon. If you are interested in volunteering to present at our Career Day, please contact the office or Mrs. Schatzle at 517-592-2181 or krista.schatzle@myeagles.org.

*Our Peer to Peer (P2P) Program is going strong. We have received positive comments from students, parents, and staff. The P2P students have taken their task very seriously working hard in trainings and being responsible by being on time for their turn of monitoring recesses and meeting with me biweekly to debrief and discuss events/issues that occurred during their monitoring time.

In case you missed it last month- here is a description of our Peer to Peer Program here at CUES. (There are 25-30 sixth grade students chosen by a committee of Mr. Timmerman, the 6th grade teachers, other staff members, and myself to work with their peers, younger students (at times), and patrol the playground during recesses to help with conflict resolution when there is a conflict. They may also be helping lone students get involved in an activity others are playing to help foster friendships.)

I have started going into classrooms teaching our newly school board adopted Safer, Smarter Kids curriculum to grades 3-5. A letter was sent home on February 24th explaining it and giving an option to opt your child out of the curriculum. It is NOT our Reproductive Health lessons. Those will be taught toward the end of the year and an opt out letter will be sent separately for that curriculum as well.

*Our Character Strong curriculum continues. April's word is Courage. We will have our Student of the Month Ceremony on April 29th. You will receive a letter if your child is selected to participate.

I hope spring finds you well and the sun always shines toward you!

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns -krista.schatzle@myeagles.org or 592-2181.

Here's your mindfulness moment to try at home. This month the mindfulness moment is listening to music.

Music is a great way to reduce anxiety and to change focus from the stressed or negative to the relaxed and positive.

Music can be used in a couple of ways.

You can listen to upbeat music and dance and/or sing at the top of your lungs, releasing stress and tension while moving. It will also release endorphins, which will boost a negative mood.

Music can also be used as a calming strategy- listening to soft, melodic music can calm nerves and also release endorphins helping boost your mood. It can be soothing and relaxing.

Both ways of using music also replaces the stressful, negative thoughts that may be going through your mind, helping to ease stress as well.

Mental Health Resource List

The following document provides a list of different mental health resources available in our surrounding area. If immediate danger is suspected please call 911. For additional guidance and support, our district counselors are available through school email.

Ashley Phelps, CES Counselor, ashley.phelps@myeagles.org

Krista Schatzle, CUES Counselor, krista.schatzle@myeagles.org

Jessica White, JR/SR High Counselor, storm.caryl@myeagles.org

Wendy Diefenthaler, JR/SR High Academic Counselor, wendy.diefenthaler@myeagles.org

Will Bower, District 504 Coordinator - Counselor, will.bower@myeagles.org

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Dial 2-1-1 for immediate access to over 2,000 services available to Jackson County Residents. When you call you are connected to a trained Information and Referral Specialist who can discuss your needs and give you the information and/or referrals you need to find what you are looking for. There is an online directory of available resources as well on the website listed above.

Okay2Say

Michigan.gov/okay2say/

A student safety program that allows students to confidentially report potential harm or criminal activity directed at school students, school staff and schools. Tips can be submitted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Students can submit tips through phone, email, text message, mobile app or Okay2Say website.

Community Action Agency Jackson, Lenawee & Hillsdale Counties

1214 Greenwood Ave. Jackson, MI. 49203

400 W. South St. Adrian, MI. 49221

55 Barnard St. Hillsdale, MI. 49242

517-784-4800

517-263-7861

517-437-3346

Services: Education, Economic Self-Sufficiency, Housing, Health & Nutrition, and Community Development.

LifeWays CMH

1200 North West Ave. Jackson, MI. 49202

25 Care Drive Hillsdale, MI. 49242

517-789-1200

517-439-2641

Behavioral Health Services in areas such as severe mental issues, intellectual/developmental disability, substance use disorder, and co-occurring disorders.

Family Service & Children's Aid

330 W. Michigan Ave.

Jackson, MI. 49201

517-787-7920

Born Free: Counseling & treatment for females (ages 14+) 12-step recovery program into daily life; Intro to Alcoholics & Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon; Families & Schools Together: families attend an 8-week group focusing on family bonding, communication, discipline and nurturing; Other services by referral only: drug screening, counseling (group & individual), First Time Offenders Program, and Breakout Drug Free Education Program in schools (6-12th grade); Child abuse and neglect educational presentations

Lenawee County Community Mental Health

517-263-8905

Behavioral Health Services in areas such as severe mental issues, intellectual/developmental disability, substance use disorder, and co-occurring disorders.

LJ Gallagher PsyD and Associates PLLC

451 Marshall Street

Brooklyn, MI 49230

(517) 414-0697

A Healing Place, LLC

207/209 First St. Jackson, MI. 49201

1218 Greenwood Ave. Jackson, MI. 49201

517-998-4673

Services: Individual Psychotherapy, Psychological Testing, Children/Adolescent Therapy, Family Counseling, Couples Counseling and Group Therapy for Eating Disorders.

Accepted Insurances (Varies by Therapist): BCBS, BCN, Priority Health, HAP, Aetna, Cofinity, PCN/PHP, JHN, Medicare, Magellan, Meridian