Bolivar Primary

Week of August 28: I Promise

We had such a great first week of school! It was so wonderful seeing familiar faces, and meeting new ones! This week in counseling, we are going to read the story I Promise, written by Lebron James. This story is encouraging to students - letting them see all they are capable of. Things like, " I promise to always do my best, even when its hard" are important because it empowers our young ones to give a solid effort at trying new things. Other positive traits are found in our story, such as helping others and being a positive leader in and out of the classroom. 

Week of August 22: Welcome Back!

Welcome back Liberators! I am so excited to see you back in our counseling class! To kick off the school year, we are going to discuss expectations. Then, we will read The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. In this story, Brian feels invisible because he is shy and does not have any friends. We will see how one kid's kind actions make the world of difference for Brian. With our remaining time together, we will discuss ways we can be kind to others. If time allows, we will have a worksheet to go with our story. These worksheets can be yours to take home and share with your family what we learned about!

Week of September 25 (Habit 3)

We are jumping right into Habit 3 this week! Habit 3 is Put First Things First, and it is all about taking care of the more important matters before handling the smaller issues. If you were to fill a jar with sand then try to put in big rocks, you don't have room for the big rocks. But, if you put those big rocks in the jar first, the sand can go in and fill in the spaces. The same goes with life. When we do the important tasks first (homework, chores, etc), we are able to spend the rest of our time doing the activities we enjoy. If we start with the more fun, but less important tasks, we often lose the time we need to focus on those more important tasks at hand. 

For this habit, we will read the story, Pokey and the Spelling Test. 

Big Question of the Week: What are your " Big Rocks?" 

Week of September 11: 7 Habits of Happy Kids (Habit 2)

Last week, we learned what it meant to be proactive. This week, we are focusing on Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. This habit is all about having a plan, and why goal setting can be beneficial. We are going to hear the story Goob and the Bug Collecting Kit, and as a class, we will compare and contrast Goob's plan and Jumper's plan, and decide who was more prepared. We will have a coloring sheet to support this week's lesson as well.

Week of September 5: 7 Habits of Happy Kids (Habit 1)

Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a great three day weekend. This week in counseling, we will be starting a unit called the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. The 7 Habits of Happy Kids was written by Sean Covey, and is an adaptation of his brother's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This unit will run through September and into October. Each week, we will focus on a habit that is important in order to become successful leaders in life one day. This week, we will start with Habit 1: Be Proactive. We will read a short story about being proactive, and discuss what that means and looks like in our own lives. When we are proactive, we are able to focus on what we CAN control and change, instead of focusing on the things out of our control.

Week of October 23: Habit 7 (Sharpen the Saw)

We are wrapping up the 7 Habits this week! Habit 7, Sharpen the Saw, is all about finding balance in life. Yes, it is important to use our minds, but just like bodies need rest after exercise, brain breaks are important too. We will read a story  that goes along with our habit, then talk about ways we find balance in our own lives.

Week of October 16: Habit 6 (Synergize)

We know the importance of teamwork. I grew up hearing the phrase, "Many hands make light work." Working together not only lessens the work load, but it also gives us the ability to achieve great things together! In our counseling lessons this week, we are reading the story The Big, Bad Badgers. The 7 Oaks friends are up against the badgers in a soccer match. Will the friends understand the importance of teamwork and win the game?

After the story, we will try a team building activity together. Synergize: Together is better!

Week of October 9: Habit 5 (Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood)

This week, we are listening to Jumper and the Lost Butterfly Net. In our story, Goob is sad after losing his butterfly net. Jumper wants to play with Goob, but Goob is too sad. Jumper doesn't listen to Goob, which upsets Goob even more. Will Jumper learn the power of listening?

Our discussion points:

• What does it mean to listen with our eyes, heart, AND ears?
• How can true listening help resolve conflict?

Week of October 2: Habit 4 (Think Win-Win)

We are going to read the story Sammy and the Pecan Pie. In our story, Sammy learns that everyone can win, and comparing ourselves to others only deprives us of reaching our own full potential. After our story, students will have a worksheet where they learn to compromise and work together to find solutions.

Questions to ask your student:

• Do you ever compare yourself to another person?
• What is one compliment you can give to someone today? (Take turns doing this- so everyone can hear something positive!)
• Why is it important to know how to compromise?

Many times, especially as children get older, the competitive nature sets in. There is nothing wrong with competition, but what can easily happen is students start comparing themselves to others. Instead of recognizing their own strengths, they worry that they aren't good enough at xyz. Comparing ourselves to others doesn't really help us in any way. One friend may be really good at math, and another friend may be really good at reading. We are all different, and have different strengths worth celebrating!

Week of November 27: Clark the Shark

Clark the Shark LOVES his life. But, he loves everything so much, he accidentally gets rough with others. He has eaten his friends' lunches, and has played rough. Clark learns ways to control his excitement - there is a time and a place for everything! 

Week of November 13: Thankfulness Fun!

To celebrate an end to our thankfulness unit, we have a fun Thankful song on the ukulele. Students will sing along and have the chance to say what they are thankful for. This is a great way to connect to one another and express gratitude.

Week of November 6: Thankful for Teachers

This week, we extend our gratitude to the teachers we are thankful for! Students will have time to use their creativity to make thank you cards and letters to the teachers of their choosing. 

Week of November 1: Gratitude is the best Attitude!

We are kicking off November with a lesson on Gratitude. We will define gratitude, and then take turns expressing it. Then, classes will create a turkey feather showing what they are thankful for. These feathers will be used to build a school-wide turkey in the hallway, so everyone can see all the things BPS is thankful for!

Welcome Back! 

January has already proven to be a tricky month, thanks to the snow and ice! Throughout this month, on the days we HAVE been in session, we have been learning about Kelso's Choice. This is a program that is already used throughout the school. Kelso's Choice helps students learn which scenarios they can solve on their own. For example, if two students are having a disagreement on the playground, they can use different techniques to solve it on their own. Rather than running up to a teacher to get their friend in trouble, they can choose to take turns, go to another game, and so much more! The goal of Kelso's Choice is to provide students the skills to be positive problem solvers.