Counselor Connection

Our kindergarteners are becoming comfortable with the daily routine at school and getting more confident everyday! I see students helping each other in the halls and playing together at recess. The hallways are joyful and the classrooms are buzzing with learning!

My co-counselors and fellow UNO cards: Ann Myers (2nd grade) and Julie Baker (1st grade). The kids loved seeing all the UNO cards around school on Halloween!

As part of a school wide SEL initiative, students will learn and practice a different character trait each month. These traits will also be highlighted at our monthly Whole School Assembly where our students will have the opportunity to perform a song/act that represents and models the character trait of that month.

November's theme is PATIENCE. A "kid-friendly" way to describe patience is: waiting calmly for something you want — even when it’s hard!

Patience is a skill that grows with practice! Here are a few simple ways families can encourage calm, respectful waiting at home:

• Bake together: Waiting for cookies to bake teaches that good things take time.

• Plant a seed: Caring for something that grows slowly builds appreciation for patience.

• Play turn-taking games: Board games and card games help children wait calmly and take turns.

• Try calm-down tools: Watch glitter settle in a jar or blow bubbles while taking slow breaths.

• Work on a project: Build a puzzle or Lego set over a few days to show how effort and patience pay off.

Practicing these small moments of waiting helps children feel more confident and calm—at home and at school!

• Preschool through grade two students are too young to participate in virtual therapy, so Cartwheel offers virtual parent meetings with a licensed therapist for 30 minutes every other week. These coaching sessions aim to help parents understand their child's mental health needs and the skills, knowledge, and confidence to best meet those needs.
• Students in grades 3-12 can participate in individual tele-therapy with little to no wait time! Therapists speak various languages, and Cartwheel takes most insurance.
• If your child would benefit from either of these services, please complete this referral form or contact your child's school counselor for more information.

Cartwheel's free webinars are designed to empower caregivers, family members, and school staff with practical and actionable information on mental health topics affecting youth and families today. Cartwheel's hope is that every person leaves their webinars feeling more confident in how to connect with a child in their life.

Our district partners with Care Solace to provide a free referral service that families can use to help any member of their immediate family access therapeutic support. https://caresolace.com/ashlandk12

November 7th: Picture Retakes

November 11th: No School (Veteran's Day)

November 20th: Wear BLUE: Whole School Assembly

November 25th: Wellness Day (wear comfy clothes!)

November 26th: Early Release, 12:00PM dismissal - NO lunch

November 27th: No School (Thanksgiving Recess)

November 28th: No School (Thanksgiving Recess)