Lieck Elementary Counselor Corner

We are so excited to have students in the building again! It is starting to feel more and more like a school again. Our teachers and students have been working hard and adjusting to our current state of normal. I am so proud of the kids for their resilience and positive energy.

We do have some news to announce. Our counselor, Ms. Day, has made the decision to move on from Lieck and pursue other opportunities. We wish her well on her new journey. We will be interviewing and hiring a new counselor over the next several weeks. Mrs. Zigmond will continue to provide counseling services to our students and families.

Over the next several weeks during counselor guidance time we will be learning about our circle of control, managing hard to have feelings, respect for ourselves and others and making safe healthy choices. We are also looking forward to celebrating our district Declaration of Respect Day and Red Ribbon Week in October.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. CASEL 2017.

A successful SEL program includes the following five competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making.

Previously, we focused on SEL competency one, self-awareness. In this edition of Counselor Corner we will focus on the second SEL compentency, self-management. Self-awareness and self-management go hand-in-hand because being able to stop and calm down when one is upset (self-management), requires skills like recognizing and labeling feelings and emotions and considering how they might be affecting one’s own behavior choices (self-awareness).

What is Self-Management?

Self-management is the ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations — effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself. The ability to set and work toward personal and academic goals.

What Skills are Associated with Self-Management?

• Impulse control – Impulse control relates to the idea of delayed gratification. Impulse control is the ability to not act on immediate impulses, but rather delay that action for a period of time.

• Stress management – Stress management can occur through a variety of calming strategies such as deep breathing, counting to ten, exercising, or listening to music. At Lieck we teach these skills through our class counselor lessons and during morning meetings. Having a solid foundation of self-awareness will allow students to determine when they are stressed so that they can implement practiced strategies with more success.

• Self-discipline – Self-discipline requires an individual to control one’s feelings and impulses. Also known as willpower, self-discipline allows us to ignore other stimuli in order to focus on the goal at hand and follow our plans despite distractions.

• Goal setting – Research has found that students tend to find more success when working with individually set goals. These goals, however, need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) so as to better prepare students to successfully meet them. In NISD, we teach setting SMART goals as part of our guidance program.

• Self-motivation – Intrinsic motivation is a skill that is difficult to teach. Students must develop their own internal push that will keep them moving toward a goal. Having developed a specific goal is a great start to utilizing self-motivation and maintaining a positive growth mindset.

• Organizational skills – Organizational skills can refer to the organization of physical space and materials, mental pictures and information, and time. Keeping our work areas uncluttered, as well as storing materials in a neat and organized manner for easy access, allows for more productive work time. Filtering information to be relevant to the topic at hand with a clear big picture can help to keep us on track. Lastly, keeping track of time and being aware of time commitments can help us to meet expectations.

When kids have strong self-management skills, they also:

• Develop good study habits
• Stay organized
• Use self-control and develop healthy calming strategies
• Tend to manage their emotions and express their feelings in a healthy manner.
• Make long and short-term goals
• Acheive goals
• Develop perseverance and grit

In NISD we build these skills and strategies with our students in many ways such as guidance lessons, morning meetings, buddy class activities, class meetings, maintaining midfulness or calming centers, and many other school events and activities.

Through our Counselor Corner newsletter and upcoming virtual Parent University presentations, our goal is to share information with you with regards to fostering a child's social and emotional development. In our next edition of Counselor Corner we will explore the third SEL compenetency, social-awareness.

Sources: CASEL, Pathway2Success, Landmark School Outreach Professional Development for Educators

Work together to set a personal SMART goal for each member of the family. You can also work together to set a family SMART goal, something you all can work together to acheive.

Northside will hold it's 9th annual Declaration of Respect Signing Day on Friday, October 9, 2020 with students and staff across the district signing certificates pledging to demonstrate respect for themselves and all others through their interactions at school.

In addition to signing certificates pledging to show respect for ourselves and others, at Lieck we will also have special Morning Meeting activities and class counselor lessons on RESPECT for all students. October is also National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and Respect Signing Day is a reminder to the community that the district is committed to providing students and staff a safe and respectful environment. Let's continue to spread kindness and respect to one another each day!

Mindfulness helps kids in the following ways:

• Teaches children to focus on the present moment
• Equips kids with skills to regulate their emotions
• Improves concentration
• Increases compassion and kindness
• Teaches kids how to manage stress and life challenges
• Enhances relationships

In the real world, this translates to better performance on tests and in sports, enhanced relationships, better decision making, and more compassion. We have the opportunity to teach our kids healthy ways to manage stress and ensure they have a healthy balance not just right now, but for the rest of their lives.

There will be two Mega Food Bank Distributions at Gus Stadium on Friday, October 2nd and October 16th. Registration is required. Please click on the link to register. https://safoodbank.org/cvresponse/getfood/

https://nisd.net/state-federal/northside-threads-clothing-closet

https://www.nisd.net/news/grab-n-go-meals-continue-65-locations

Reminder: All enrolled NISD students qualify for free breakfast and lunch.

Enjoy a little dance as a family

Here are some websites you might find helpful. They include resources for discipline, student safety, school success, kid's health, and other materials you might find useful. Please call or email anytime you or your child need help.