Guidance

Dear Families,

            Well we’ve officially made it over the halfway mark of the school year, and the countdown to 100 day has begun!  I hope everyone was able to enjoy the holidays with family and friends and finally relax. 

            Things here at Stevenson have been busy as usual as we get back into the routine of a five-day week.  I have continued to be in all of the classrooms this past month.  This month in third grade we have built upon our topic of empathy and basic kindness and we are now discussing teasing and what are some ways to handle teasing.  We read the book Simon’s Hook that discusses a hook is similar to teasing and it’s up to us if we take a bite or not.  The classes came up with many alternatives to do instead of “biting”.  Some of those solutions were:  Ask them to stop, ignore it, go play with someone else, walk away, and stay away from people that you know don’t make you feel good about yourself. 

            For second grade we have continued to focus on cooperation.  We know cooperation means working together.   We have been working on this through cooperative games with mixed groups. 

            First grade has been focusing on impulsivity.  We read My Mouth is a Volcano.  This book explains a strategy of thinking what we have to say breathing it out through your nose and when it’s you’re turn to talk breathe it back in.  Often times, when a child has a habit such as shouting out, we want to teach them a replacement strategy.  This is an easy visual for them to practice if they are having a difficult time with interrupting. 

            Kindergarten has been focusing on dealing with frustration.  We read When Sophie Gets Angry, and everyone chose a strategy they use to calm their bodies down.  When children get angry, our first response is to calm our bodies down so we can choose an appropriate solution.  This week we reviewed the book again, and then discussed “okay” and “not okay” solutions to problems. If you see that your child is not making an appropriate choice for handling anger, help him or her to brainstorm a better way.  If you notice you child making a great solution, be sure to reinforce with positive praise.

            Thank you for your continued support at home.  As always, if there is anything I can do to help please feel free to let me know.

Stephanie Doran

stephanie.doran@ghcsd.org

485-4204

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