Kinder/1st grade Counselor Welcome!
What a great first week with our 6 - Kinder classrooms and 7 - 1st grade classroom friends. Mrs. Bird saw over 200 students this week for Care Class!! In kinder, we read a classic introduction to school book called "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn.
It is wonderful for teaching our kinder friends how Chester the raccoon was able to have reassurance of his family's love any time his world feels a little scary. We laughed a lot with an activity with Mrs. Potato Head to teach all the children the role of the school counselor at a school (see below)
For the 1st grade classes, we read "The Invisible String" by Patrice Karst. It's a story that shows children that they are always loved, whether their parents are near or far. It is perfect for the beginning of the school year. Once we read this book, we discussed who we are connected to with invisible strings of love. Lots of conversation about our connections to family, pets, and friends.
I found the Mrs. Potato Head lesson from the Forest Heights Elementary counselor <<here>> along with a coloring sheet for the kids. Mrs. Potato Head taught the kids about all the things that a school counselor can do such as arms for hugging, ears for listening, eyes for seeing emotions and a mouth for speaking. I took the opportunity to put a letter to parents on the back so they would know the school counselor had visited the classrooms along with some information about my role in our school and to share my contact information with the parents in these grade level communities.
