Welcome to our monthly family connection where you will find information from the counselor, updates on our schoolwide programs, and community resources that are available.
💬Counselor's Corner
Welcome back! We have had a great start to the school year! I have really been enjoying getting to know all our new students and reconnecting with returning students! For those who might not know, I go into each classroom every week to work on social, emotional, and academic skills. Please take the time to ask your child about what they are learning with the counselor! Here's a hint 😉
💡What We’re Learning
· K: Listening
· 1: Listening
· 2: Cooperation
· 3: Cooperation
· 4: Cooperation
· 5: Cooperation
🏠Try It at Home: Family Challenge
~Listening: Ask, “What does a good listener look like?” Then put down your
phones, ignore distractions, and practice together! Ask them to show you
Whole Body Listening!
~Cooperation: Ask your child, “What is one way you can be a good teammate
at school this week?”
🌱Counselor Tip for Families:
Instead of immediately solving a problem for your child, try asking, “What do you think
you could try?” This helps children develop problem-solving skills and independence.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time! By phone- 323-4240 or by email- brenda_jones@bismarckschools.org
😊 Ms. Jones
Schoolwide Update:
We are trying something new this year called the Buddy Program. This program matches two of our grade levels as “Buddy Classrooms” and then breaks those grade levels into smaller buddy groups of 2-3 students. The grade level buddies are Kindergarten with 3rd grade, 1st grade with 4th grade, and 2nd grade with 5th grade. Each of these grade level groups has been assigned to one trimester of planning activities for the meetings and running the whole school trimester assembly.
We recently held “Buddy Day” where all our students were matched with a buddy or two from the other grade level. These buddy groups will remain the same throughout the year and will meet every other week to play games and work on projects together such as a “Buddy Book” that will be sent home at the end of the school year. We can’t wait to see our students develop trust and friendships with their buddies.
We will continue to provide opportunities for meaningful work for 3rd-5th graders in a variety of settings. This program is called “Roughrider Reinforcers”, and job applications were available the week of August 31st. They are to be completed and returned by September 8th. A short practice interview will then be held sometime during the week of September 14th, and jobs will begin the week of September 22nd.
Another opportunity for our 3rd-5th graders to apply for a Roughrider Reinforcer job will be offered after Christmas break.
Resource of the Month:
If you haven’t yet and would like to see if you qualify, please fill out the Free and Reduced Meal Application here. These need to be completed annually but do have a 30-day grace period at the beginning of each school year.
