February 2022 School Counselor Newsletter
Dear St. John Families,
Happy Catholic Schools Week! I’m so grateful to be a part of the wonderful St. John School community and am so excited to celebrate our school and Catholic education this week! Looking to next week, I’m keeping the celebrations going as February 7-11 is National School Counseling Week!
The goal of National School Counseling Week is to focus public attention on the important contributions made by school counselors within the U.S. school systems. If you’d like to learn more about the role of school counselors, please check out this infographic or head to my website.
I want to reiterate just how fortunate I feel to be your child’s school counselor. It’s an honor and privilege to hold this special role and I feel so blessed to be supported by the wonderful community here at St. John!
Wishing your family all my best,
Ms. Shaw
February Resources
- Here’s a simple tip from a local therapist to connect with children: instead of questions, try statements that show you’re interested and paying attention (e.g., instead of “Did your test go ok?” try, “I was thinking about you during your math test.”) See more here.
- As the pandemic stretches on, we’ve all had to learn new skills to manage the stress: bouncing back from disappointment, going with the flow when plans change, managing uncertainty. Flexible thinking is a valuable resiliency skill that helps children in these areas. Check out this article from the Child Mind Institute with concrete tips to help kids with flexible thinking.
- You may have heard of PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support), but did you know they now offer a program for Parents of Adolescents and Teens called “PAT”? This virtual program is open to parents and caregivers with children ages 10-19 and covers a wide range of topics relevant to children during these years. Learn more here.