Counselor's Corner

Meet our Counselors!

Rebecca Stiles

COUNSELOR/4th-6TH GRADE

Email Address: rstiles@conroeisd.net
Tel: 832-592-8707

Jenna Hendon

PROF COUNSELOR/ELEMENTARY

Email Address: jhendon@conroeisd.net
Tel: 832-592-8700

Habits Of the Week 2020-21

Respect
Aug. 12: Treat others the way YOU want to be treated
Aug. 17: Notice others. Say hello. Use their name.
Aug. 24: Respect yourself by doing the right thing.
Aug. 31: Encourage others with your words.
Sept. 8: Learn something new about a classmate.
Sept. 14: Look for the best in other people and yourself. No one is perfect!
Sept. 20: Listen with your eyes. Listen with your ears.

Responsibility
Sept. 27: Keep track of your stuff!
Oct. 5:      Ask for help if you need it. Help someone else if they need it.
Oct. 12:    Do your best each day with your work, and with the people around you.
Oct. 19:    Set a goal, then take action to reach it!

Fairness
Oct. 26:     Remember that every person if worth the same. Make sure your words and actions show that.
Nov. 2:       Keep your cool when you get frustrated. Breathe deep. Listen before
Nov. 9:     Play by the rules – even if others don’t.
Nov. 16:    Look at all sides of a problem.

Generosity
Nov. 30:        Tell someone you are proud of them.
Dec. 7:           Give someone a compliment – kind words are generous!
Dec. 14          Donate something to someone who needs it.

Integrity
Jan. 6             Do what you say you will do!
Jan. 11           Turn in your best work.
Jan. 18           Be honest but kind.
Jan. 25           Be a good digital citizen.

Kindness
Feb. 1            Be kind with your actions and words.
Feb. 8            Make people feel included.
Feb. 15          Smile and say good morning to teachers and classmates.

Self-Discipline
March 1        Understand your negative emotions so that they don’t control your choices.
March 8        Think ahead of what you need to do.
March 22      Do the right thing, even if everyone else isn’t.
March 29      Learn from your mistakes and try again.

Resilience
April 5           Find an adult you can trust when you have a problem.
April 12         Take 5 deep breaths when you feel frustrated or stressed.
April 19         Look for a positive side even when things are hard.
April 26         More face-to-face time. Less screen time.

Citizenship
May 3            Volunteer to help someone every day.
May 10          Be a good friend.
May 17          Participate in school activities.
May 24          Choose brave and kind words, and you will change the world.

Spotlight Ceremony

Each month home base teachers, PreK-6, AND our wonderful PE and Fine Arts teachers will choose one student who exhibits that month’s character pillar consistently or who has made a difference in their classroom. Spotlight students receive a certificate that is written by their home base teacher with a few sentences about why the student was chosen. The teacher and Dr. Reeves both sign the certificate as well.

As a school, we ALL celebrate by wearing the pillar color! This helps remind students of what the pillar stands for (i.e. Respect is yellow/gold to remind us of the “golden rule”). This is a great visual of what an impact we all have individually and together if we all “show our true colors” each day.

This particular honor is usually celebrated by a brief program which parents are invited to attend, with our 6th Grade Ambassadors reading the certificates aloud. This year, all of our Spotlight Ceremonies will be done virtually. Teachers in each grade level will create a video that students and parents can access via the Dragon’s Digest each month. The videos show the teachers reading their certificates aloud! This is one more example of how different can be better!

An Elementary School Counselor provides:

School Guidance Curriculum
-A comprehensive program that promotes knowledge and skills in three content areas: academic achievement, career development and personal/social growth

Individual & Small Group Counseling
-Ongoing activities designed to help individual and small groups of students to establish personal goals and develop future plans

Responsive Services
-Includes: consultation, individual/small group counseling, crisis response, referrals, peer mediation

System Support
-Professional development, collaboration, program management and operation

Resources for Coping with Loss

Grief is a natural reaction to loss.
Each student’s grief experience is unique.
There are no “right” and “wrong” ways to grieve.
Every death is unique and will be experienced by your students in different ways.
The grieving process is influenced by a multitude of factors.
1. The nature of the death
2. The interpretation of the death
3. The status of the relationship between the student and the person who died
4. The emotional and developmental stages of students
5. The communities view of the death
6. Support systems available to students (family, church, school, etc.)
Grieving never ends. It is a process and not something people “get over.”

Issues often arise concerning one’s own health.
Children may feel relieved that the person died because they are no longer in pain.
Anticipatory grief may be experienced before the death. Grief will also occur after the death.
Anticipation of the death allows friends and family to say goodbye.
Long-term illnesses can be tiring and emotionally draining. Family members may be tearful, lack energy and have difficulty concentrating. Children may feel lonely and neglected since there is a lot of energy directed on caring for the dying person.
Keep communication clear, open and frequent.

Preschoolers

Need brief and simple explanations for their short attention span.

School Age to 12 Years of age

Need basic factual information.
Begin to have biological, more rational understanding of death
Concern over death of people they know
Difficulty talking about feelings concerning death
Predominate feelings: Guilt and Anger
Develop facades of joking, unconcerned, etc.
Short attention and tolerance spans in dealing with death

How to Help a Preteen:

Spend time together
Talk about the loss openly
Address concerns of how this disrupts their life
Provide structure and predictability
Be prepared to deal with anger, encourage physical activities
Respect the individual’s timetable
Use creative methods to discuss the loss