Building Empathy & Fostering Friendships!
February is the perfect month for talking about empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It's an important emotion because it helps us build trusting and meaningful relationships with others. If we want to create strong, lasting relationships with peers, we need to be able to show empathy and compassion.
We will be starting Social Skills Small Groups in the middle of February! Since September, each class has had multiple social emotional classroom lessons by both the classroom teachers and myself (school counselor). Some students may benefit from some extra social-emotional skills in a small group. These small groups will occur once a week for 15-25 minutes depending on the grade level and schedule. Students will be referred for this extra support by their teacher and or parent. These groups will be fun, engaging, and provide an opportunity for social skills practice. These small groups will focus on friendship skills, communication skills, and emotion regulation skills. As a parent, you will receive an information letter if your student is selected for this extra support.
February's Focus = Quality Family Time
This month is all about prioritizing Quality Family Time. This could be making a goal to sit down and eat dinner together every night, adding a family game night on fridays, or committing to a planned family activity on the weekend! It doesn't have to be expensive either, you can go for a walk, family hike, play a game, or watch a movie all together! Self-care comes in many forms and spending time with those that you love will fill your bucket for sure! Check out these fun ways to add more family time into your busy week!
1. Cook a meal together
2. Try a new breakfast place
3. Visit a park
4. Family Hike
5. Visit the Humane Society
6. Go to a Movie or watch a movie at home
7. Family game night
8. Make a scavenger hunt
9. Do a craft together
10. Visit a relative's home
LGBTQ+ Youth Focused Opportunities
1) Workshops for families and caregivers of LGBTQ+ children and youth: These will take place later this winter in 4 locations across the county, Ferndale, Blaine, Lynden and Bellingham.
Please see the attached flyer and website: https://www.commongoodnessproject.com/parents-matter-most Families and caregivers can sign up here: https://forms.gle/UHPmgeCyG3R93bKQ6
2) LGBTQ+ Youth Focused Community of Practice: This community of practice is designed for adults serving LGBTQ+ youth. A supportive learning and conversation space where we deepen our understanding and practice of supporting LGBTQ+ youth. This is a great space to meet others doing similar work and trouble-shoot challenges you might encounter. We meet online the third Tuesday of each month from 1-2pm. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/qwq4v9QCK1MqwegZ9
3) LGBTQ+ Youth Advisory Board: This is an advisory board made up of LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18. These youth provide direction and insight to the work that I do in our community. Consistent with the ethics of "nothing about us without us," YAB youth ensure that what I say to adults on their behalf is what they would want me to say. Participation requires guardian permission (see attached). Youth are compensated with a small stipend for attending meetings. Please share this opportunity with LGBTQ+ youth who might be a good fit. This group meets online the second Thursday of the month from 6-7pm. Find out more here: https://www.commongoodnessproject.com/youth-advisory-board Youth can sign up here: https://forms.gle/Focd9MdX5zKToYxv8
Sallie Miller
Email: smiller@conway.k12.wa.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/conway.k12.wa.us/conway-counseling-services/home
Text/phone: 360-445-5785 x 5526