A Season of Giving

Happy Monday! It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving break is just around the corner. Because it is the season of giving, I thought…what better way to celebrate than to read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein? This is such a wonderful book that shows the importance of giving to others even when we don’t have much to give. The kids LOVE reading this book just as much as I do!

After I read the book, I had the classes brainstorm ways they can give to others. I heard so many wonderful and giving examples. A few examples I heard are: Donate old clothes to others, give food to those who need it, help someone when they fall down, donate money to those who do not have any, and many, many more. I am so impressed with our giving and caring kids!

I had the students fill out a worksheet explaining what they can do to help others in our school. I have attached some of their examples.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! :)

-Mrs. Bagby

The Juice Box Bully

This week, in second grade, we have been continuing our discussion on bullying. To emphasize how to recognize and stop bullying, I read the book, The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy.  This is a wonderful book that teaches empowerment and how to stand up to bullying. Not to mention, the kids LOVE this book. By the end of the book, the kids had so many wonderful ideas about how they can stand up for other students who are being bullied.

The students thought of the following ways to stop bullying:

•  Stand up for others who are bullied
• Tell a teacher or adult if they see bullying
• Tell the bully to “STOP!”
• Be nice to the bully
• Make friends with the bully

After the students shared ways that they could stop bullying, they put their knowledge to paper. Thanks to Cupcakes and Teaching on Teacherspayteachers.com, I was able to get an awesome freebie worksheet! This lesson was so fun and showed me how much the kids already know about how to stop bullying. This year is off to a great start!

-Mrs. Bagby

This Is A Bully-Free Zone!

Happy Monday! This month, we have been discussing the topic of bullying. At Gracemor and Fox Hill, we use the acronym, RIP (Repeated, Intentional, Power over another). To introduce the topic of bullying, I used this amazing video. It has great information and the kids LOVE watching the drawings.

After the video, I introduce Gracemor and Fox Hill Elementary School’s No Bullying Contract. Again, the acronym RIP is emphasized. The students then repeat the following pledge:

ü  I will not bully others.

ü  I will be kind to my classmates and adults.

ü  I will tell a teacher or adult if I see bullying.

ü  I will treat others how I would like to be treated.

ü  I will help others who are being bullied.

The students then sign at the bottom of the contract stating that they understand what is expected of them as well as the consequences of bullying. As a fun ending to this lesson, the kids can color fun anti- bullying posters, courtesy of Doodle Art Alley (Below).

Next week, we will continue our discussion on bullying. Have a wonderful week :)

-Mrs. Bagby

What Is A Counselor In The Elementary School?

I encounter the question, "What is a counselor in the elementary school?" very often by parents, staff members, and community members. Because of this, I found a quick and easy way to explain my counseling program in a lesson format. At the start of the lesson, I introduce myself and begin to explain what I do! I have found this booklet to be useful for both students and parents. After explaining this booklet to the kiddos, they get an opportunity to color and decorate their own. Students are encouraged to take their booklets home and share them with their parents!

Have a wonderful rest of your week! 

-Mrs. Bagby

Welcome Back!

August 14, 2015:

Dear Gracemor and Fox Hill Parents,

We hope you and your family had a happy and safe summer and are now in the swing of things with school.  This year, I have the opportunity to work at two wonderful schools: Gracemor Elementary and Fox Hill Elementary! Both schools will have two counselors. Kirsten Muller is one of Gracemor's Elementary Counselors. She also serves as an e-Campus instructor. She has grades 3, 4, and 5.  I (Jennifer Bagby) am the other counselor at Gracemor on Monday and Wednesday-Friday and I have grades K-2. I am at Fox Hill on Tuesdays with one kindergarten class (Redshaw), one first grade class (McKeefery), two second grade classes (Foreman, Albaugh), and one fourth grade class (Tomlinson). Cindy Harkins is the full time counselor at Fox Hill.

• I am from Kansas City and am so happy to be back! (Go Chiefs!)
• I went to the University of Missouri-Columbia (Go Tigers!) for my undergraduate degrees. My majors were Spanish and Psychology. 
• After MIZZOU, I completed the school counseling graduate program at Stephens College in Columbia. 
• This is my second year as a school counselor! 

As the Gracemor and Fox Hill Counselors, we will structure our day within the frameworks of the Missouri Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program.  The program provides four basic program components:  Guidance Curriculum (K-5 – weekly classroom counseling lessons), Individual Student Planning (assessment, academic assistance, behavior plans, etc.), Responsive Services (small groups, individual counseling, crisis counseling, etc.), and System Support (in-services, program management, program evaluation, parent, faculty and building support).

The curriculum is divided into three content areas: Personal and Social Development, Academic Development and Career Development.  The Missouri Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program, the district curriculum, and other materials will be used for classroom and small group presentations with students.   Some of the topics discussed during groups will be: Self Awareness, Decision Making, Feelings, Social Skills, Careers, Study Skills and more.  The Gracemor and Fox Hill Counseling Program will also support the school-wide Positive Behavior Support Program. 

We are looking forward to having a great year and hope to meet many of you in the near future.  If we can be of assistance to you, please contact my counseling office at 816-321-4077.

Sincerely,         

Jennifer Bagby (M- Gracemor, T-Fox Hill, W-F- Gracemor)

Kirsten Muller (M -F- Gracemor)
Cindy Harkins (M-F- Fox Hill)                                                              

     

Working Together

My how time flies! It is hard to believe that the end of the year is quickly approaching. We have had a blast this week with our counselor lessons in first grade. In first grade, we discussed the importance of working together in a group. To begin the lesson, I read the book, Teamwork Isn’t My Thing and I Don’t Like to Share! By Julia Cook. Julia Cook is a former school counselor and give great insight to kids struggling with various topics. In this book, RJ, the main character, does not want to work as a team…he would rather work alone! Toward the end of the book, however, RJ realizes that sharing some of the work with his teammates makes his part easier!

In order to see how well each class worked together in groups, I assigned each student a number, which represented a color. For instance, #1s were red and could only use a red crayon to color their picture. Each picture, however, had several different numbers on it. In order for the students to get their pictures fully colored, they had to politely ask another number to color that part of their picture for them. After the activity, we got together and discussed how working together and sharing work can sometimes be hard and sometimes it can be easy. 

Questions the students answered after the activity were:

1.     What was the hardest thing about sharing your work and getting your picture colored?

2.     Did some people work harder than others? (Don’t mention names)

3.     Did others ask you politely for your help?

4.     Did you try to do neater or messier work for someone else than you would have done for yourself?

5.     Why do you think it is important to share work?

This activity was SO fun and sparked really great conversation! The first graders really got the hang of asking a teammate to politely help color their picture. I am so proud of them! J

Have a great weekend and rest of the school year!

-Mrs. Bagby