The Counselor's Corner

October 31, 2012 is Halloween.  Observe the following Halloween Safety Rules:

1.  Always go trick-or-treating with an adult.
2.  Never trick-or-treat alone.  Have at least 2 friends with you.
3. Plan your entire route and make sure your family knows what it is.
4.  Visit only the houses where the lights are on.
5.  Wear a flame retardant costume.
6.  Do not eat any treats until your parents have checked your treats.
7.  Be very cautious with strangers.
8.  Never go inside a house.  Accept treats only in the doorway.
9.  Say thank you for your treats.
10  Carry a flashlight.
11.  Walk.  Don't run.
12,  Wear costumes with reflective markings and bright colors.

October is Fire Prevention Month.  Remember Arthur's Fire Safety Rules:

http://pbskids.org/arthur/firesafety/index.html

Be Smart

1. Don't touch matches. Stay away from lighters and candles, too.
2. Don't touch radiators or heaters. Ask a grown-up to turn a heater on or off for you. Don't stand too close to a fireplace or wood stove, either.
3. Don't play with electrical cords. And don't stick anything into an electrical socket.
4. Don't play around in the kitchen. If you want to cook something, be sure to check with a grown-up first.
5. Don't put anything over a lamp. Things thrown over a lamp (like blankets or clothing) could catch fire.

If there is a fire:

Be Prepared

1. Make an escape plan. Work with your family to plan how to get out of your home if there is a fire.
2. Plan two ways out of every room. The first way out should be a door.
3. Choose a meeting place. Pick a safe and easy-to-remember spot outside your home where you will meet your family after you get out.
4. Practice! Every escape path needs to be planned and practiced with grown-ups.
5. Test smoke alarms. Help grown-ups remember to test smoke alarms monthly and to put in new batteries twice a year when the clocks change.

Be Safe

1. Get out fast! When you hear the loud beep of the smoke alarm, get out of the house. Never hide or take time to grab your belongings or pets.
2. Follow your escape plan. After all, you've been practicing!
3. Feel a door before you open it. If it is hot, there may be fire on the other side. Try to get out another way.
4. Stay low to the floor. Since smoke rises, the safest air for breathing is down low.
5. Call 9-1-1 or the fire department. Be sure to do this after you get out of the house. Remember: Only call 9-1-1 if there is a real emergency.
6. Stay out! Once you're out, stay out. Don't go back for anything!

And Remember...

Stop, Drop, and Roll. If your clothing catches fire, remember to stop where you are and drop to the ground. Cover your face and mouth with your hands, and roll over and over until the flames are out.

The Counselor's Corner

Character Word of the Week:  Kindness means to be good, unselfish, or generous to another.

Kindness in School Means:

1.  I will say kind words to my classmates and teachers.

2.  I will be strong and kind.

3.  I will show good manners.

4.  I will not irritate or annoy my classmates and teachers.

Additional Books on Kindness:

Her Father's Garden   by James Volbracht

King of the Golden River  by John Ruskin

Little Prince   by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Quiltmaker's Gift  by Jeff Brumbeau

The Gift of the Crocodile:  A Cinderella Story by Judy Sierra

The Mountains of Tibet  by Mordicai Gerstein

The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony

In a Nutshell by Joseph Anthony

Koi and the Kola Nuts:  A Tale from Liberia by Verna Aardema

Career in Focus:  Stenographers use special writing techniques and dictation machines to record verbal communications.

Quotable Quote:  "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

                                                                                                                                     Princess Diana

The Counselor's Corner

The Counselor's Corner

October 23-31, 2012 is RED RIBBON WEEK:

Character Word of the Week:  Self-Control means to keep one's behavior, desires, and emotions under one's own command; control of one's emotions or actions.

According to the Changing Lives Character Education Program, self-control in school means:
1.  I will control my temper.
2.  I will count to ten before I do something.
3.  I will remain calm even when I am provoked.
 
Career in Focus:  Meteorologist uses satellites, radar, and sophisticated computers to study and predict the weather.

During classroom guidance, students will view the "Cartoon All Stars" and learn the dangers of illegal drugs.

Quote:  "Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."
                                                                                                                                        Clint Eastwood

 Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Students Displayed Anti-Drug Slogans in the halls for Red Ribbon Week.

Mrs. Spencer's class poses for Monday's theme:  "I'm a jeanious.  I'm drug-free."

Tuesday's theme was  "Sock It To Drugs."

Mrs. Brinker's class shows off their Red Ribbon Week pencils.

Mrs. Culpepper's class poses for Wednesday's theme:  "Get T'd Off About Drugs."

The Counselor's Corner

Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week is October 23-31, 2012.  It is a time for us to reaffirm our vow to be drug-free.

The theme is:  THE BEST ME IS DRUG-FREE.

Students are encouraged to participate each day by observing the following:

Monday, October 22, 2012     I'm a "jeanious".  I am drug-free.   (WEAR JEANS.)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012     "Sock it to drugs."  (WEAR  SILLY SOCKS)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012     "Get T'd off about drugs.  (WEAR YOUR FAVORITE T-Shirt.)

Thursday, October 25, 2012     "Put a cap on drugs,"  (WEAR YOUR FAVORITE HAT/CAP.)

Friday, October 25, 2012     "Lei Off Drugs."  (BUY A LEI AT SCHOOL TO WEAR for $.50.)

HOMEROOM CLASSES POSTER DECORATING CONTEST WITH PRIZES:  Choose and illustrate a drug-free slogan on a poster.  First Place:  $25.00 Second Place:  $15.00  Third Place:  $10.00

The Story Behind the Symbol:  

Enrique "Kiki" Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference. Camarena worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer.
When he decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out it. "I can't not do this," he told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."
The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death.
In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena's memory the red ribbon.
The National Family Partnership organized the first Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988. Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children. 

Source: Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse  

The Counselor's Corner

The Homeless Initiative in Phenix City Schools  (October 14-19, 2012) gave the students at Phenix City Elementary an opportunity to read Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn:

 The students learned about Sam's generosity toward the homeless man in the story.  Students also learned about leisees.

The students roleplayed the question:  "How would you feel if you had no home - no place to keep you safe and warm?"

41.2%  Sad    22%  Angry  12.4%  Jealous  11.6  Scared  11.6  Lonely  1.2%  

1.2%  Ashamed/Embarrassed

Students drew pictures of their ideal home and talked about the things that would make a home ideal.

Students also roleplayed some of the causes of homelessness: 

                                                                    Loss of Job/Income

                                                                          Disability

                                                                         Injury

Divorce

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome 

The most valuable lessons learned were:

 Generosity, Kindness, Goodwill, and Compassion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Counselor's Corner

 

Character Education Word of the Week:  Truthfulness means habitually telling the truth; a truthful person; faithful to the truth or to the facts.

According to The Changing Lives Character Education Program,       Truthfulness in School Means:

1.  I will tell the truth all the time.

2.  I will not talk bad about my friends.

3.  I will tell the story the way it happened.

Career in Focus:  Photographer use cameras to capture images that tell stories, paint pictures, or record events.

During classroom guidance, the students will:
Do the Character Education Play:  "What A Tangled Web ... A Play About Honesty"
and watch "The Berenstein Bears and the Truth".

Additional Books to Read:
Don't Tell A Whopper on Friday!  by Adolph Moser
A Children's Book About Breaking Promises by Joy Berry
A Children's Book About Lying by Joy Berry
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Honesty:  Values to Live By   by Jane Belk Moncure
Pinocchio
Cheating  by Joy Berry


PBS for Kids:  "Adventures from The Book of Virtues:  Honesty"

Quotable Quote:  "A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth appear like falsehood."               William Shenstone 

 

 

The Counselor's Corner

October 10 - 11, 2012

On Thursday and Friday of this week, the students at Phenix City Elementary School discussed politeness and the importance of being polite.

PCBOE Character Word of the Week:  Politeness means to show courtesy and good manners.

The Changing Lives Character Education Program states that Politeness in School Means:
*     I will remember to say "Please" and "Thank-you".
*     I will respect the rights of others.
*     I will not say bad things about my classmates.

Career in Focus:  Doctors diagnose and treat people who are injured or ill.

During classroom guidance, the students did a role play on telephone courtesy, discussed table manners, and viewed "The Berenstain Bears Mind Their Manners!"  The students enjoyed The
Thingumajig Book of Manners by Irene Keller.

Additional Books to Read are:
Manners:  Values to Live By   by:  Sandra Ziegler
The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners by:  Stan & Jan Berenstain
I Can Read About Good Manners by:  Erica Frost
Manners That Matter for People Under 21  by:  Dale Carlson & Dan Fitzgibbon
I Have Manners!  by:  David Parker
May I?  Please?  Thank You!  by: Joy Wilt
Every Kid's Guide to Good Manners  by:  Joy Berry.

Quotable Quote:  Courteousness is consideration for others; politeness is the method used to deliver such considerations.
Bryant H. McGill

The Counselor's Corner

Character Word of the Week:  Self-Control means to keep one's behavior, desires, and emotions under one's own command.  Control of one's emotions or actions.

Career in Focus:  Physical therapists assess and treat patients who have problems with movement due to illness, injury, or physical disabilities.

According to the Changing Lives Character Education Program, self-control in school means:

1.  I will control my temper.

2.  I will count to ten before I do something.

3.  I will remain calm even when I am provoked.

Our Classroom Guidance Lesson will deal with 12 Positive Ways to Handle Anger and Stress by Jennie C. Trotter.  They are:

1.  Breathe Deeply

2.  Run

3.  Count to Ten

4.  Growl Sounds

5.  Scream

6.  Punch a Pillow

7.  Stress Stomp

8.  Positive Self-Talk

9.  Tear Newspaper 

10.  Make Faces

11.  Dance to Music

12.  Cool Out - Listen to Music.

Read:  When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry... by Molly Bang

Quotable Quote:  By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.                                                                                                                                 Grenville Kleiser 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/grenvillek158311.html

The Counselor's Corner

The Counselor's Corner

The students at Phenix City Elementary School are excited about the opportunity to participate in the Homelessness Initiative.  Students are geared up to show kindness, generosity, and compassion when they are asked to bring items for the Homeless Shelters Supplies Drive.

After reading Sam and the Lucky Money  by Karen Chinn, PCES students have a heightened awareness of the Chinese New Year, leisees, homelessness, and giving.

Students also answered:  How would you feel if you had no home - no place to keep you safe and warm?

Feelings expressed were:

#1   Sad,

#2  Angry,

#3  Scared/Nervous,

#4  Embarrassed/Ashamed, and

#5  Lonely.

Quotable Quote:  No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

                                                                                                                                     Emma Goldman 

THE COUNSELOR'S Corner

Character Education Words for the Week:

Compassion means a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by
misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Kindness means to be good, unselfish, or generous to another.

Generosity means willingness to share with others; the quality of being generous.

Career in Focus:

Homelessness Initiative

From October 1-11, the students at Phenix City Elementary School will be participating in the Homelessness Initiative.  Students will learn:

The Causes of Homelessness:
1.  Loss of a job or income
2.  Disability
3.  Mental Illness
4.  Divorce
5.  Injury
6.  Post Traumatic Syndrome (military)
7.  Family Abuse Issues, et cetera.
Common Signs of Homeless:
1.  Lack of Continuity in Education
2.  Poor Health/Nutrition
3.  Transportation and Attendance Problems
4.  Poor Hygiene
5.  Lack of Personal Space After School
6.  Social and Behavioral Concerns
7.  Reaction/Statements by Parent, Guardian, or Child.

Students will read:  Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn.

Careers in Focus:  Social workers provide individuals and families with the resources and support they need to address personal and social issues.

Community workers work for community social service and outreach programs that help people in need.

Students will participate in the Homelessness Initiative Drive by donating items for the Homeless Shelters.

 

Quote:  "The True happiness that Man has searched for since the dawn of humanity, that is the inner gold that awaits any person who holds compassionately the key of anonymous generosity. Do something for your fellow man, not for the gold, but for the love of Man, and you shall truly have the gold."

                                                                                                                                Unknown