ACT ONE

Act One is a muti-disciplinary response to child sexual abuse. The Act was signed into law in March of 2009 in the state of Vermont. Section 3 of the Act requires schools to educate children on how to recognize and prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence. In Malletts Bay School that task is performed by the school counselors. I will begin to educate my classes on this very important subject beginning the third quarter, January 14, 2013. Please do not hesitate to call me with any questions or to view the curriculums I will be using-264-5898.

I will  also send family members helpful information regarding child sexual abuse prevention and what you can do by way of my blog. Please check in again for helpful tips.

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OPTIMISM

An Optimism group will be starting the first of the year. The research is clear-attitude matters. Students who are generally optimistic enjoy better physical health, flourish in relationships, can be more successful in school, and are more equipped to handle stress. Brain research has shown that optimism is more a learned trait than a genetic one. We can train our brain to have an optimistic perspective. How about you-glass half full or half empty?
For more information and sign up for this group please give me a call at 264-5898. Or your child may simply let me know they are interested.

Contact Me

Why would I want to contact a school counselor in MBS? Let me share with you some of the reasons you might want to contact me. I help students in the school with "school adjustment issues". These are issues that may affect your child's readiness to learn in class. Typically I deal with behavioral and social emotional issues. I offer various groups and individual short term counseling to address such issues; friendship, changing families, fifth grade girls groups, social skills, relaxation, anger management, mindfulness, social cognition and lunch bunches. I also consult with family members on child development and school issues that may come up during the school year. My office is located in the guidance classroom and my phone number is 264-5898. You may also reach me by e-mail, Routsongl@csdvt.org
 Please feel free to contact me regarding concerns or questions you may have. It is always great to hear from you.

Curriculum

Last year the K-5 school counselors revisited the guidance curriculum for the three schools, PPS, MBS, and UMS. We made changes that aligned the curriculum with the Vermont Standards and improved the sequence of the curriculum between the schools.
In the third grade this year we will discuss friendships, appreciating others, bullying, expressing gratitude and annoyance, personal safety, how to resolve a conflict, and discovering our passions and interests for our career unit.
The fourth grade curriculum includes; how to be responsible with our feelings, ways to protect ourselves and others from bullying, decision making, solving problems, personal safety, and careers.
The fifth grade curriculum includes identifying and managing strong feelings, positive ways to end bullying, wellness, goal setting, personnal safety, and careers.The last five sessions of fifth grade guidance are devoted to the DARE program.
I will be including information in my blog for family members on various guidance topics taught in class.

Beginnings

October 10, 2012

School is underway. Sometimes it feels as if we never left for summer break. Everyone seems to fall back into the school routine pretty quickly. For the first and third quarters I will be teaching the following classes;Taylor, Chittenden, Buswell, Longchamp, McGrain, and Winchester. The classes for the second and fourth quarters will be; O'Brien, Cheney, Schroeder, Rayner, Hunt, and DiGrande. This summer K- 5 counselors met to put the finishing touches on the guidance curriculum to be taught this year. I will share the curriculum with you in my next post.

CSD School Counselors have Four Common Beliefs

The Four Common Beliefs of CSD counselors are:

1. Our services are for all children.
2. We provide a school counseling program that meets the academic, career and personal/social needs of all our students.
3. We collaborate with students, parents/guardians, staff and outside resources to best meet students' needs.
4. Our programs are based on the developmental needs of our students, school, and community.