December 2013 - Grade 4

“I am convinced that every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds. For one thing is sure: If they don't make up their minds, someone will do it for them.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

                             

Dear Family Member,

During a recent Developmental Guidance lesson, your child’s class viewed a program called  “What Should I Do?” Making Decisions.  This program is designed to introduce students to the skills and strategies that will help them make decisions that are in their own best interest and in line with their values. Making clear that all decisions involve a choice between doing one thing and doing another, and that having to make decisions is an experience shared by everyone, the workshop gives students the tools with which to decide wisely.

Some key points:

• recognize that making decisions is something each of us does every day.

• understand that every decision involves a choice between doing one thing and doing another. 

• learn that all decisions have consequences, and that in making a decision, they need to consider all possible consequences.

•  understand the importance of getting as much information as possible before making a decision.

•  be aware of the essential role values play when making an important decision.

• learn that when a decision is too difficult for them to make on their own, they can turn to a trusted person for help.

Yours truly,

Ms. Cahill

                    

December 2013 - Grade 3

“I am convinced that every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds. For one thing is sure: If they don't make up their minds, someone will do it for them.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

Dear Family Member,

During a recent Developmental Guidance lesson, your child viewed a program called Doing the Right Thing: Building Character. This program was designed to help children understand that there is a desirable way—and an undesirable way— to behave in various situations. The program presented scenes in which children had to decide what would be the right thing to do.

• Ask your child what he or she learned from watching this program. Discuss how these examples of doing the right thing apply to situations in your home.

• Reinforce some of the points that your child learned in the program.

—Be responsible. If people are counting on you to do something, do it.

—Be honest. When you don’t tell the truth things that you don’t expect can happen.

—Be considerate. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

—Don’t be afraid to stand up for a friend who is being treated unfairly.

• Talk to your child about situations in which he or she is having trouble deciding what is the right thing to do. By discussing these problems, your child will be better able to distinguish right from wrong and make decisions about the “right” way to behave.

Suggested Reading

These books may help facilitate a discussion with your child about the importance of always trying to

do the right thing: My Big Lie by Bill Cosby, The Bird Who Cried Wolf by Kitty Richardo

Yours Truly, 

Ms. Cahill    

December 2013 - Grade 2

 “I am convinced that every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds. For one thing is sure: If they don't make up their minds, someone will do it for them.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

Dear Family Member,

During a recent Developmental Guidance lesson, your child’s class viewed a program called I Can't Decide: Making Decisions. The need to make choices begins very early in life. Making good decisions is a skill that can be learned even by the youngest students. The goal of this lesson is to show children what is involved in choosing one course of action over another, so that when they have a decision to make,  they can choose wisely.

Here are some of the points about making decisions your child learned in the program:

✔ making a decision means choosing between different things.

✔ all choices have consequences, something that happens because of a choice you make.

✔ thinking about all the possible consequences of a choice can make it a lot easier to decide what to do.

✔ some choices are easy to make because the consequences are not important; it doesn't make any difference what you choose.

✔ when making an important choice, it takes more than thinking about the consequences to arrive at a good decision.

✔ to make a good decision, you have to know something about each  choice before you can decide.

✔ if you can't get all the information you need for a decision by yourself, you can get help.

✔ when you have a big decision to make, you will know whether it's the right or wrong decision by thinking about how you would feel if someone found out what you did.

You may use one or more of these points to open a conversation with your child. Emphasize to him/her, as the program does, that making a good decision makes you proud of yourself.

Two books you may find helpful to read with your child are: Dr. Seuss. Hunches in Bunches. Random House, 1982. Humphrey, Sandra McLeod. If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? Prometheus Books, 1995.

Yours Truly,  Ms. Cahill

                                 

December 2013 Grade 1

 “For pleasure has no relish unless we share it.”
― Virginia Woolf, The Common Reader

Dear Family Member,

During a recent Developmental Guidance lesson, your child viewed a short program called Can I Have a Turn? Learning About Sharing. The program’s goal is to demonstrate different ways to share and how sharing helps people get along better with others. It also helps children become aware that when it comes to sharing, not all situations need be the same.

The program shows children:

• problems can arise when one child monopolizes something that other children might want to play with.

• some of the ways they can share are by dividing things up, playing together instead of alone, and taking turns.

• choosing not to share is okay, but just taking something if someone decides not to share it is not okay.

• it may seem unfair, but someone’s decision not to share something that belongs to them needs to be respected.

• if they don’t want to share something, they should save it to play with by themselves and find other things to share.

Talk with your child about what he or she has learned about sharing by creating openings for conversation on this topic.

Reading books together can reinforce your child’s understanding of the benefits that can come from sharing and provide a springboard for discussion.

Books you might read with your child on this topic: Barbara Shook Hazen. That Toad is Mine! HarperFestival, 1998. A humorous and satisfying look at friendship and sharing.

Mary Ann Hoberman. One of Each. Megan Tingley, 1997. A gentle message about the importance of sharing.

Kevin Luthardt. Mine! Atheneum, 2001. An ideal first picture book about sharing.

Yours truly,

Ms. Cahill
Counselor

 

December 2013 - Kindergarten

Dear Family Member,
"For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
 As part of a recent Developmental Guidance lesson, your child’s class viewed Ten Things to Do Instead of Hitting.  For children in grades K-2, the focus of their social world has been steadily shifting outward from home to school. Along with this major transition comes new demands to cooperate with other children, to work and play in groups, and to exercise self-control over socially unacceptable impulses like hitting, yelling and throwing things. For many children of this age, their emotions are fragile, and it is not uncommon for them to have explosions in the form of tantrums, verbal attacks, or outbursts of tears. Therefore, children need to learn strategies for recognizing and dealing with their angry feelings before they get out of hand. Here are some things that you can discuss with your child when he or she seems angry.

• Help your child become aware of what is causing the anger.

You might say, “Tell me how you are feeling. Why do you think you are feeling this way?” and “What are some other ways you can think of to solve your problem?” Here are some alternatives to hitting that your child learned in the program.

• talk about angry feelings                                                • squish clay  

• cool off by counting to ten, say the alphabet, etc.    • draw a picture

• use up angry energy by working hard                         • pound a pillow

• write about angry feelings                                            • release energy by blowing up balloons

• do something active – run or jump                 • dream about some favorite things to do

Practice alternatives that your child can use in actual situations when he/she is trying to avoid hitting or other unacceptable reactions. Model appropriate ways of dealing with anger and frustration at home demonstrate it’s ok to get mad, as long as the response is appropriate.

Suggested Reading : Feagin, Clairece Booher. Angry Feelings. Chicago: Contemporary Books. 1990. Leonard, Marcia. Angry. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.

Yours truly,

Ms. Cahill

Guidance Counselor