Avon Elementary School

Second Step: Skills for Social & Academic Success

The elementary years bring exciting new challenges and opportunities. It’s the prime time to nurture social and emotional awareness and skills for learning. The research-based Second Step program includes everything needed to make it easy for teachers to integrate social-emotional learning into their classrooms, which decreases problem behaviors and increases whole-school success by promoting self-regulation, safety, and support.

Second Step is a classroom-based social-skills program for children in grades preK-5 created by the Committee for Children that teaches socio-emotional skills aimed at reducing impulsive and aggressive behavior while increasing social competence. The program builds on cognitive behavioral intervention models integrated with social learning theory, empathy research, and social information-processing theories. The program consists of in-school curricula, parent training, and skill development. Second Step teaches children to identify and understand their own and others' emotions, reduce impulsiveness and choose positive goals, and manage their emotional reactions and decision making process when emotionally aroused. Each curriculum contains five teaching kits that build sequentially and cover empathy, impulse control, and anger management in developmentally and age-appropriate ways. Group decision-making, modeling, coaching, and practice are demonstrated in the Second Step lessons using interpersonal situations presented in photos or video format.

For more information please click the link below:

http://www.cfchildren.org/second-step/middle-school

BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS

Connecting with Your Child’s School Counselor for a Successful School Year

Understand the expertise and responsibilities of your child’s school counselor:

School counselors make a measurable impact in every student’s life, assisting with academic, career and personal/social development. Professional school counselors are trained in both educating and counseling, allowing them to function as a facilitator between parents, teachers and the student in matters concerning the student’s goals, abilities and any areas needing improvement. School counselors provide services not only to students in need, but to all students.

Meet or contact your child’s school counselor at least three times per school year:

The beginning of a school year is an excellent opportunity to initiate contact with your child’s school counselor and doing so can ensure your child’s positive school experience. Find out who the counselor is and what his or her experience and background are. By communicating with one another at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year, parents and counselors can have a definite impact on a child’s success.

Discuss your child’s challenges and concerns with the school counselor:

As a parent, you know your child best. However, the school counselor can help you better understand your child as a student. It’s important to encourage your child’s expression of needs, hopes and frustrations. School counselors are trained to help your children.

Learn about your child’s school and social connections from the school counselor:

When you need information or assistance, your child’s school counselor can help you get in touch with the appropriate school officials; learn about school policies on behavior, attendance, and dress; know the school calendar of important dates and stay connected with the school in many other ways. The school counselor can also help you locate resources in the community when you need them.

Work with the school counselor to identify resources and find solutions to problems:

If your child is having a problem at school, it is important to work with your child’s school counselor to find solutions. Discuss resources available within and outside of the school, and get information on how such programs can benefit your child. Your school counselor can be a valuable partner in your child’s education and preparation for life beyond school.