Our counselor teaches lessons in every classroom on topics such as developing social skills, skills for learning, career aspirations and transitions.

These lessons are primarily taken from the Second Step and Steps to Respect curriculua.

The Second Step program teaches skills in the following four areas for grades K-3:

1. Skills for Learning - Students gain skills to help themselves learn, including how to focus their attention, listen carefully, use self-talk to stay on task, and be assertive when asking for help with schoolwork.
2. Empathy - Students learn to identify and understand their own and others' feelings.  Students also learn how to take another's perspective and how to show compassion.
3. Emotion Management  -  Students learn specific ways for calming down when experiencing strong feelings, such as anxiety or anger.
4. Problem Solving - Students learn a process for solving problems with others in a positive way.

Steps to Respect is a bullying prevention program for grades 3-5.  The primary goal of the program is to help create a learning environment in which bullying is not tolerated. As a part of the Steps to Respect program, students learn new skills to help them build friendships and deal with bullying.

They will learn how to:

1. Make friends
2. Join group activities
3. Manage conflicts
4. Recognize, refuse, and report bullying, whether it happens to them or someone else.