February

I will be out on sick leave from February 4-22. If you need to speak with a school counselor while I am out please call Greg Kriger, 264-5899. He is in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday morning.
Looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back.

Protecting Children From Dangerous Situations

• Be aware of who spends time with your child. Unwanted touch may come from someone you like and trust. Get to know the adults and older children who are close to your child.
• Check references, talk with other parents, and trust your feelings when choosing babysitters and daycare providers.
• Refuse to leave your child in the company of anyone you do not trust. Pay attention to what your child says and does around people, especially if he or she talks about feeling uncomfortable or unsafe.
• Make sure your child can identify signs of trouble before it happens.
• Set up a password for you and your child to use as a secret clue. If it is safe for your child to go with someone, tell that person the password. Tell your child to ask for the password before he or she agrees to ride with someone. Instruct your child not to go with anyone who does not know the password.
• Know where your child is at all times. If you allow him or her to go some places in public ask them to stay with a buddy.
• Teach your child about internet safety. Children should never give out information about themselves. Tell your child to tell you right away if someone he or she meets online wants to see them in person.

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.

I

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.