Mrs. Tucker's Counselor Page

This month, we addressed the issue of name-calling. We talked about when name-calling crosses the line from teasing to being hurtful. We discussed some common sayings such as "Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me" and "Boys will be Boys". We then looked at some scenarios and discussed whether the words spoken were teasing or hurtful and how we know the difference. We also discussed the fact that sometimes we don't know the difference so maybe name-calling isn't the right thing to do. We ended our discussion by brainstorming ideas for St.

Kindergarten Classroom Counselor Visits - January

This month, we talked about respect and manners. We defined those terms and discussed ways to show respect and manners at home, at school and everywhere we go. We read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. Then, we made a "Manner's Suitcase". We colored and cut out examples of manners and then put them in our suitcase so we'd have them with us wherever we go!

4th Grade Classroom Visit - January

This month, we talked about bullying. We discussed the different types of bullying and the roles we play --- even if we just watch it happen. We then watched Webisodes from "Stop Bullying Now!" and discussed questions following each episode.

3rd Grade Counseling Visit - December

To learn about cultural diversity, we studied family customs traditions. Each third grader interviewed a member of his/her family about a family tradition and explored its significance and how it began. We then shared these traditions with the class and compared them to other traditions found throughout the world. It was great fun learning new things about our classmates --- and more about their cultures and families as well.

1st Grade Counselor Visit - December

This month, we talked about conflict resolution. We defined "conflict" and shared ways to how to handle difficult situations with family and friends when we are frustrated. We discussed the 5 “I Care” rules. We also read The Great White Man-Eating Shark by Margaret Mahy and explored the way the characters reacted to situations and the consequences of those actions.

1st Grade Visit to Food Pantry - November

In November, we visited the Food Pantry. Our Director of Social Ministry shared with us the purpose of our pantry and how families are served. We also talked about the things we can do to "earn" the food to donate to Church. In addition, we talked about other ways to help those in need.

5th Grade Classroom Visit - November

In class this month, we continued our discussion about positive leaders. We talked about the people we admire and why. Next, we shared the role models of our parents and lessons learned from them. We also explored how it feels to be "put down" and the impact those actions have. We did role plays with both boys and girls showing typical forms of bullying and what actions could be taken to change the situations. Finally, we discussed who we identify with in those scenarios and who we can turn to for support in making good choices.

Kindergarten Counselor Classroom Visits - October

This November, we read The Pumpkin Patch Parable and Spookley, the Square Pumpkin. While reading these, we discovered that we are all a lot like pumpkins. God created us, people had to wait a long time for us to arrive, we all look different, we are all special, and we all have the Light of Christ. We then did a coloring activity showing the steps of the parable story -- and our favorite version of Spookley!

Kindergarten Counselor Classroom Visits - August

In September, we talked about all the different jobs people have. We talked about the importance of all jobs and read Top Job by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. We then pulled items out of Mrs. Tucker's bag and guessed who might use these items in their jobs and discussed why that job is important.

1st Grade Counselor Visit - September

In September, we learned about our feelings focusing on anger and happiness. We also read When Sophie Gets Angry --- Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang and talked about Sophie’s anger and what she did to calm herself down. We talked about the things that make us angry and happy. On this paper are some of the things that make me feel these ways. We also did a worksheet and came up with things to do whe

2nd Grade Classroom Visit - October

In October, our topic revolved around apologies. We discussed the difference between a true apology and when someone just "says it and doesn't mean it". The students easily identified the difference and then explained the follow-up actions that show a true apology. We then read Sorry! by Trudy Ludwig and identified when apologies were sincere and when they were not. We then practiced an apology by writing an apology letter as if we were the characters in the story. We then shared these letters together as a class.

2nd Grade Classroom Visit - August

In August, we talked about worries. We talked about things to worry about and things not to worry about. We read Wemberly Worried and explored all of Wemberly's worries and the way she handled them. We wrote about the things that worry us and what we can do when we are worried.

3rd Grade Counseling Visit to Food Pantry - October

In October, we visited the Food Pantry. Our Director of Social Ministry shared with us the purpose of our pantry and how families are served. We also talked about the things we can do to "earn" the food to donate to Church. In addition, we talked about other ways to help those in need.

3rd Grade Counseling Visit - September

In September, we discussed the role of a school counselor. We then read Recess Queen. Next we did an activity where each student had a number on his/her back. They treated a "10" as the person who everyone wants to be friends with. A "1" was someone who people didn't really worry about. For 5 minutes, they treated people according to their numbers. Next, we processed how it felt to be a 2 or a 10. We decided that St. Andrew's would be an awesome place if EVERYONE felt like a "10"! Then we brainstormed lots of ways we could make this happen.

5th Grade Classroom Visits

In September, we began discussing the roles we all play as Christ-centered leaders. We brainstormed what makes a leader and why we follow people. Most of the students stood up when asked if they consider themselves leaders. We talked about the responsibilities that go along with that --- to our teachers, our classmates, our families, etc. We then read a Gospel package looking at the kind of leader Jesus was and what we need to do to follow His example.

4th Grade Classroom Visits

In October, we met and discussed the importance of study skills. Before we could know the best ways we study, we determined our own learning style. We took a short inventory on the laptops using this link:

http://ttc.coe.uga.edu/surveys/LearningStyleInv.html

We then brainstormed different ways to study based on our new knowledge of our learning styles.