Counselor's Corner
Elementary school years set the tone for developing the knowledge, attitudes and skill necessary for children to become healthy, competent and confident learners. Through a comprehensive developmental school counseling program, school counselors work as a team with the school staff, parents and the community to create a caring climate and atmosphere. By providing education, prevention, early identification and intervention, school counselors can help all children achieve academic success.
Please feel free to contact me with any concerns that you have about your child.
Counselor
Lisa Sayer
sayer.lisa@gcsk12.org
Teaching Assistants
Grace Mashaw
mashaw.grace@gcsk12.org
Jade Walker
walker.jade@gcsk12.org
Services Offered
- Individual counseling for school related concerns
- Group counseling for skill strengthening
- Academic counseling
- Crisis and intervention counseling
- Liaison to outside agencies
- Consultation with parents, teachers, administration and outside agencies
- Bully prevention and awareness
Character Education
What is Character Education?
Character Education is teaching children about good character traits or core values that help them get along well in society. It is about the core values we all need to cooperate and keep our society running smoothly. Teaching core values is part of the social and emotional component of Gouverneur Elementary School's Mission Statement. It is also one of the Department of Education’s six key goals for children.
"Character education is a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core ethical values such as Respect, Justice, Civic Virtue, Citizenship and Responsibility for self and others. Upon such core values, we form the attitudes and actions that are the hallmark of the safe, healthy and informed communities that serve as the foundation of our society." ~ US Dept. of Education. Character Education…Our Shared Responsibility
Each month one of the following character education topics will be presented as a lesson to our students in each of the Pre-K – 2nd grade classrooms.
Character Education Lesson Topics
- Respect: Treat others with respect and follow the Golden Rule/Be tolerant of differences/Use good manners, not bad language/Be considerate of the feelings of others/Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements
- Trustworthiness/Honesty: Be honest/Don't deceive, cheat or steal/Be reliable – do what you say you'll do/Have the courage to do the right thing/Build a good reputation/Be loyal – stand by your family, friends and Country
- Tolerance: Be a good listener/Be respectful of others/Think before you speak your words/Work and play well with others
- Self Control: Being able to control your body in all situations/Don’t hit, push, kick, or hurt anyone
- Empathy/Compassion: Be kind/Show that you care/Forgive others/Help people in need/Be grateful
- Friendship/Caring: Play by the rules/Take turns and share/Be open minded and listen to others/Don't blame others carelessly
- Safety: Follow all laws and rules/Watch where you step and what you touch/Be careful when you are playing outside or inside the classroom
- Citizenship: Do your share to make your school and community better/Cooperate/Be a good neighbor/Obey laws and rules/Respect authority/Protect the environment
- Responsibility: Do what you are suppose to do/Persevere: Keep on trying!/Always do your best/Use self-control/Be self-disciplined/Think before you act – consider the consequences/Be accountable for your choices
- Fairness: Play by the rules/Take turns and share/Be open-minded and listen to others/Don’t take advantage of others/Don’t blame others carelessly/Fair is not always equal
Executive Functioning
What is Executive Functioning?
Executive Functioning is a set of mental skills that help you get things done. These skills help enable children to plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention, and get started on tasks. These skills also help people use information and experiences from the past to solve current problems.
When children have opportunities to develop executive function and self-regulation skills, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits. These skills are crucial for learning and development. They also enable positive behavior and allow us to make healthy choices for ourselves, families and communities.
Executive Functioning Topics
- Organization
- Planning
- Time management
- Self control
- Impulse control
- Testing strategies
- Mindfulness
- Growth mindset
What Parents Can Do At Home to Help with Executive Functioning
As we begin the school year, students in Grades 2 through 4 are expected to use their agenda’s nightly. The agenda is a good communication device for parents and teachers along with helps students make plans to complete their work and to help remember what they are responsible for on a nightly basis. Please work with your student nightly to help them use this important communication device.
Ways that we will talk about using the student's agenda
- Nightly homework assignments
- Long term projects
- Tests
- Keeping track of special classes
- Notes for parents and teachers
Mission Statement
Empowering all students to reach their fullest potential by providing a comprehensive school counseling program to facilitate their academic, career, social and emotional development by working in a collaborative partnership with parents/guardians, school personnel, community members, and community agencies.