News from the School Counselor                      February 2006

Six Ways our Children learn values

Every interaction with children provides an opportunity to teach values. While no parent tries to make every kiss goodnight a lesson, it’s useful to think about the opportune times for teaching in families:

1.Children learn about our values through daily interactions with us. When we think about teaching values to kids, we often think about taking them to church, teaching them about sharing, or encouraging them to give during the holiday season. Yet, we teach values every day in our ordinary daily encounters.

2.Children learn through our example. As one dad, Cully, explains, “My son has seen me pick up trash from the street and he’s asked, ‘Who dropped that?’ I answered, ‘I don’t know. But it’s my earth. So I picked it up.’

3. Children learn through the values we strive toward. All of us have some values that are woven into the very fabric of who we are. At the same time, most of us have values we’re newly adopting, that we haven’t practiced or integrated. While it’s true that children learn through what we model, it’s not true that you need to have mastered a value before you teach it to your child. Even if we move toward our value in tiny increments children will pick up on our intention and commitment, and learn that they too can strive toward a vision they haven’t yet attained.

4.Children learn values through the way we do things as a family. Kathleen shares how she teaches the value of family: “Once a week we have an evening where we sit around as a family and talk about the things we like about our family. We plan games, songs, and crafts. It’s a time when no one has other appointments. I love that time. It tells us that our family is a priority.”

5.Children learn values and beliefs through their exposure to the larger world. Through friends, extended family, TV, and the experiences they have in their community, children absorb values and societal norms.

6.Children learn values through our explanations of the world.  We can’t always control our child’s environment. We may have chosen the grocery store, but we don’t control all the people who are going to be in the grocery store. Our  children sometimes witness things we wish they hadn’t seen or heard. But the fact that they are with us or that they can come home and tell us about it, gives us a chance to share our perspectives on what happened.

Excerpted from, “Becoming the parent you want to be: a sourcebook for the first five years.” By Laura Davis and Janice Keyser

Student Groups Offered

Currently, the counseling program offers four groups for students in Grades 1-5 to participate in. These groups meet during lunch on alternating weeks. Each group consists of 4-8 students from the same grade. Parents/Guardians must sign a permission slip before a child can join Banana Splits or Friendship Club. Permission slips are available at the Main Office and the Counseling Office.

BANANA SPLITS is offered for students who may have parents that are separated or divorced, or have experienced the loss of a close family member recently. Students may join this group on their own, and Parents/Guardians can also sign up a child to participate.

Friendship Club is a group that focuses on helping students learn new friendship skills such as problem solving and negotiating differences between friends. Students play games, read stories, make projects, and practice new ways of interacting with peers. Students can be referred to this group by Parents/Guardians or teachers, or may join this group on their own.

New Students Group  Being new to any situation is challenging but entering a new school and leaving a comfortable old school may be one of the toughest challenges a student faces during their childhood. While this change may seem impossible for some it may be a smooth transition for others. In each case, this experience will help shape the child's view of change throughout his/her life. The hope of the Voorheesville School is that children new to our school find the students and staff welcoming and supportive. To help with the change, the counselor offers a new student support group within the first weeks of school during which the students each lunch with the counselor, discuss any concerns they have and get to know the other new students who are probably having the same mixed feelings about the move they have experienced. The goal is that students will recognize the counselor and their peers as supportive people to go to if they need help. The groups meet every other week from September to early October, and occasionally again throughout the year. We highly encourage students to take advantage of the group as new students arrive every month and they may find a new friend or help someone else who is new.

Testing Relaxation Group Students today are faced with higher academic expectations than ever before.  The Learning Standards of New York State have recently changed the number of State tests that our  students take. Students in 4th and 5th grade will take several state tests during the year. Often students become anxious or nervous about how well they may do on a test, which can negatively impact performance.  This group is offered prior to some of the scheduled State tests that 4th and 5th grade students take. Any student interested may sign up for the group. A teacher or parent can also recommend a student for this group. The Testing Relaxation group is short term, meeting approximately once or twice a week for 3-4 weeks. We practice identifying how our bodies and minds respond to anxiety or stress, and work on strategies to help students relax an focus in test situations.

For information on Classroom Guidance, Click Here classroom guidance 

Community Resources

Wave Riders- Support Group for Grieving Children

The Community Hospice, A member of St. Peter's Health Care Services offers this unique program, facilitated by professional staff, and designed to provide a supportive environment for children who have experienced the death of someone significant in their lives.

Working in small groups using art, music and discussion, children will be given the opportunity to :

Recognize and express their feelings in a caring environment                   

Receive guidance and support as they adapt to changes in their lives     

Develop skills to help them cope with the loss they have experienced

Two groups are offered in the fall and spring each year for children in grades K-3 and 4-8. The sessions are held at or near a local Community Hospice office and in some school settings.

Registration-  Wave Riders programs are  OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE

CALL 724-0200 FOR MORE INFORMATION                                    

 last modified 11/05