Happy September!  I am the School Counselor at JRES. I split my time between teaching Healthy Lifestyles and providing individual or small group intervention as needed.  Healthy Lifestyles is a class within the specialist rotation, and during this class we work on skills such as cooperation and problem-solving.  Jeremy Footer is another resource at JRES, he is our Licensed Social Worker.  He will be here Mondays and Wednesdays, and every other Friday.  Jeremy works with students and families, and provides both individual and small group counseling as needed. 

During the first few weeks of school, I present information on bullying to our students. We spend a lot of time discussing what students can do if they find themselves or another student in an uncomfortable or unsafe situation.  Each month I will update this newsletter and provide you with a brief summary of my lesson topics.

I’d like to promote that our school will be utilizing Class Dojo this year. If you haven’t yet downloaded the app, please do. Teachers can add points to a student's account when they demonstrate especially positive behavior.  Parents may then review these points from home and have discussions with your children. Some great questions to ask your child each day regarding Class Dojo and positive behavior are:  

1. “Can you tell me one way you showed your teacher you were ready to learn?” 
2. “Tell me about one kind thing you said or did for a friend?” 

This can lead to further discussions about behaviors/qualities they like in themselves and others, and areas they’d like to work on. Students may redeem their points toward goodies at a School Store, which includes small items like pencils or markers, and experiences like a fun lunch with me! 

Thanks for taking the time to read this!  Jeremy and I are available to help your students, feel free to contact us at any time.