Counseling & Wellness at CCE

Kindergarten-2nd Grade:

We started the unit by reminding ourselves of several ways to show kindness including small things such as saying “please” and “thank you”, holding the door for others, helping someone when they need help, giving someone a compliment, etc. Then we made some “Hearts of Love” for our teachers and administrators. Students wrote messages and drew beautiful designs on their hearts. Next, we practiced giving compliments to our classmates. Our youngest students enjoyed playing “Kindness Hot Potato” where each student received a compliment from one of their classmates. Students said very sweet things to each other!

3rd-6th Grade:

Students brainstormed a list of acts of kindness and then chose 5 that they felt were acts they could complete that week. Then we listened to a powerful story, “Each Kindness” by Jaqueline Woodson. Students wrote responses to the story and demonstrated strong skills in empathy. I was very impressed with their maturity and heartfelt words. Lastly, students practiced giving each other compliments in small groups. While students agreed that this felt awkward to be told to compliment each other, we concluded that we could do this more often and for others we know in class, not just our friends. Later, many students reported that they noticed that their classmates were being kinder to one another.

One of the best things for kids to do this summer is PLAY!! But, we also know that some kids struggle with the summer slide academically and struggle to get back in the rhythm when school starts again in August. For those of you looking for little ways to sprinkle in learning this summer, check out some of these ideas.

• Common Sense Media recently presented a "Fun Ways To Keep Kids Learning This Summer". This slide show (PDF) and the Common Sense Media website are filled with great resources and ideas for the whole family.
• DCSD has compiled a list of Summer Reading Programs
• Encourage your kids to play! Kids need time for free play with siblings and friends to help them learn problem solving skills naturally. This is the mission of the folks at Let Grow.
• Limit screen time. This is a hot topic and for some of us (myself included) a difficult thing to enforce in our households. So, set small goals for yourself and with your kids to spend a little less time in front of video games, social media, etc. As parents we need to set the example and lead the way so maybe you'll:
• Put time and app limits on your own phone as well as your child's.
• Dump one or more social media account.
• Disable notifications for social media and/or emails on your phone. If it's not going off all day, you'll find yourself looking at your phone a lot less!
• Check out my book recommendations below for more on this topic!

• Other healthy entertainment: Whether you are looking for podcasts and audio books for your summer road trip, movies and TV shows you can feel comfortable watching with your kids or letting them watch without your supervision, Common Sense Media has compiled a "Best of" list for all kinds of entertainment. Click here to see best Podcasts for kids, TV, Movies, Websites, Games, and so much more for children of every age!

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing and Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD by Penn & Kim Holderness.

While we will be unavailable during the summer months, we value feedback from our families! Reach out anytime! We'll be back in the office in early August. Have a great summer!!

Debbie Edwards, School Counselor dedwards2@dcsdk12.org

Stephanie Star, Wellness Teacher sstar@dcsdk12.org