As we all are spending our days at home, my time is spent waiting in anticipation for kittens to be born. You see, I am an animal lover and find it hard to turn any animal away. When you look into my back yard, you may see a possum, a raccoon, a turtle, a rabbit, a deer, or even a fox. Now those sightings have become few and far between because of Charlotte. One of my favorite ways to relieve stress is reading in my backyard. A few months ago, while doing so, I noticed a visitor at the edge of my yard; a very skittish, apprehensive cat. For weeks now, at the end of the day, as I have been lounging in my chair with my book, this cat would assume her position still at the edge of the yard. Recently, however, her courage and curiosity have grown as she has begun lounging on the patio with me. Having this new cat to keep me company during my reading time has brought me great comfort because Francie, my sweet 17-year-old cat, is no longer with me. I now see that Charlotte, my new furry friend, has been sizing me up. She has been looking for a new home and safe place to deliver her kittens. I believe her trust has now come full circle. I’m so glad because we both apparently have needed each other. Now, I’m calling this time at home “kitty watch 2020”. I look at Charlotte and think to myself that she has no idea what is going on in the world around her. Wouldn’t it be nice to be that oblivious? Unfortunately, we aren’t like Charlotte who is continuing on with life as normal. That’s ok though because I know life will get back to normal. In the meantime, I choose to find peace and joy in the simple things of life: my backyard, the birds singing, the sunshine, a good book, and my new furry friend and soon to be baby kittens. By the way, anyone want a kitten? Rachel Reich School Counselor West Collierville Middle School
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Master A New Skill
Exercise (Remember to practice social distancing)
Take Deep Breath’s
Connect with loved ones
Other Ways to Relax
❤️Remember, we are all in this together❤️ Stay Safe and Healthy! 😊 Yolanda Anderson, ED.S. WCMS So, how have you been feeling? It’s a common question, but in these uncommon times, it’s an important one to spend time thinking about. Hopefully everyone is having an opportunity to slow down a bit and enjoy more focused family time. However, recognizing that we are also in the midst of a world-wide crisis can take its toll on our emotions. Feelings can be intensified with stressful situations and can seem to overwhelm us. As adults, we have a better understanding of how our emotions can lead to certain behaviors as we attempt to cope with how we feel. Sometimes children don’t realize that feelings drive their behavior. It’s important for all of us to find healthy coping skills while teaching and modeling for kids how to handle these BIG feelings. Here are some tips: 1.Talk about feelings: recognize feelings and use feeling words often Examples:
Examples:
Examples of ways to shorten the intensity:
It’s important to give yourself and your children grace during this time. Our new normal is not so normal and we are all having to adjust, and we might find our feelings seem out of whack. It’s ok to feel the BIG feelings. We just have to manage our behavior with appropriate ways to respond to those feelings. We found a list of great books to read with your kids about feelings. If you don’t have the books, there are many book read alouds that you can find on YouTube. Also, we included a fun way to talk about feelings with kids using this clip from the movie Inside Out. We miss you all!
Be well, Tracey Brown and Ethan Langston Crosswind Elementary School Counselors With everyone’s world turned upside down, daily routines are important to help maintain normalcy and a sense of control. Routines help us cope with change and reduce stress levels.
West Collierville Middle School encourages everyone to choose a routine of kindness on a daily basis during our new normalcy with these 7 simple tips: 1. Be good to others. This can be as simple as doing good for those in your home. Keep your room clean, do chores without complaining, remember to say please and thank you. 2. Be outside soaking up the sun rays. When in the house, open the windows and let the fresh air in. 3. Be with others by connecting on Face Time or Skype. Share how you’re feeling and actively listen to others when they share how they are feeling. 4. Be kind to your body by drinking lots of water and eating healthy. 5. Be forgiving. Offer a little more grace to everyone. 6. Be cheerful. Find a reason to smile and laugh every day. 7. Be grateful. Find three things every day that you are grateful for and write then down. Put the lists in a jar and look at your lists months from now to remind you of all the little reasons you were able to get through this period. Rachel Reich School Counselor West Collierville Middle School Mark Twain once wrote “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Kindness is all the different ways — both big and small — we express care, concern, and consideration for ourselves and those with whom we share the world. But why is it so important to share kindness in the midst of all that is going on in our world and how do you show kindness when you are social distancing from others?
There are three important things to consider when answering this question: 1.Who can you be kind to? 2.How will my acts of kindness impact others? 3.What can you do to show kindness? It is important that we choose to be kind to everyone, including ourselves.Kindness leads to many good things like better relationships, improved self-esteem, compassion, happiness, future success, and good mental and physical health. Choosing to be kind is reflective of a strong character and creates opportunities for others to carry on the kindness that was shown to them. Whether you show kindness to your friends, family, neighbors or even strangers, kindness is a powerful force that reminds us that there is goodness is a world that can appear very chaotic and confusing. Acts of kindness can have a huge impact on others. Kindness is the action of showing love, support and encouragement to others. It shows others that they are important and valued, it builds bridges and creates a common thread between people from all walks of life and it reminds us that simple acts of kindness can change the world one act at a time. Finally, what can you do to show kindness? Kindness does not have to be an elaborate gesture—it can be a smile, a helping hand, a kind word of encouragement or even something as simple as holding the door for someone else. And, while many of us are currently at home trying to make a positive difference, there are many things we can do to show kindness. Here are a few ideas from Kids for Peace (www.kidsforpeaceglobal.org):
Remember, kindness is a gift that everyone can afford to give-so, in a world where you can be anything, choose to be kind. Mrs. Martha Grammer Intervention Counselor While worry is a normal emotion that all of us experience at different times in our lives, it is a feeling that can easily become overwhelming to adults and kids alike. With all that is going on in the world today, it’s especially important to examine our own worries and respond to those worries in constructive ways. Oftentimes, when we examine worries, we will find that we have control over some worries but very little control over others. When we spend a lot of energy focusing on things we cannot control, we find ourselves not being productive and merely continuing the downward spiral of negativity.
On the other hand, when we focus on those worries that we do have some level of control over, we gain power over our worries and become more productive. For example, we may not be able to control whether or not the coronavirus is “worrisome” to our children, but we can choose not to watch the news in front of them. We may not be able to singlehandedly stop the spread of the virus, but we can choose to practice good hygiene. We may not be able to force others to stay in their homes, but we can choose to distance ourselves from others and stay inside whenever possible. We may not be able to control when school will be back in session, but we can choose some fun academic activities to do at home. Next time you start to become worried or upset, ask yourself if this is something in your control. If it’s not in your control, try to let it go and refocus your mind on something that you have the power to change. It will help you take charge of your worries instead of your worries taking charge of you! =) Erin Reagan School Counselor Schilling Farms Elementary School Today, give yourself permission to listen to your best friend…
Sometimes we all have a voice in our heads telling us that we aren’t doing enough. Everyone else is doing more. We should be further along, doing better, more this, more that, more whatever… Does this sound familiar? If not…good talk. Have a great day! If it does sound familiar, let’s give ourselves permission to pause that voice for a second and listen to what our best friend would say to us. What would someone who cared about you be telling you right now? If you laid everything out in front of him or her, what would they give you permission to do? Would they encourage you to get up and move around? Would they encourage you to sit down and relax? Would they encourage you to eat that ice cream sandwich for dinner because it totally qualifies as a meal since it is in fact a sandwich? (Oops, how did that one get in there?) We can be so hard on ourselves. What would happen if we paused that inner voice that tells us we aren’t enough and listened to the one that wants us to take care of ourselves? Really try it today. You might decide that voice is worth listening to all the time. Mrs. Ann Blake School Counselor, Collierville Middle School Hello,
I hope that our students and families are staying safe and are doing well. Though this may be a tough time with the many changes or stresses we may be experiencing due to COVID-19, we want our parents, students, and community to know that we are still here to support you! Please know that both you and your child(ren) can feel free to check-in with their school counselor(s) throughout this season. We are always available by email, and we are here to help. All school counselors email addresses are listed on this site. Sincerely, Adrian McField, School Counselor 3rd – 5th Grades SyCamore Elementary School Hello Collierville Schools Family! I’ll never forget the great Memphis Ice Storm in 1994. The tree limbs looked like beautiful crystal chandeliers and the icicles hanging from the roof of my home were all so sharply pointed yet differently shaped. Our family was going to be at home for a while with no school and five siblings to share the space. I’ll never forget the smell of my mom’s homemade rolls in the oven. We each had a turn kneading and rolling the dough. We knew when we heard the timer that we’d all have one. But first, mom had to slide a slab of butter until it glistened to perfection. There was a puzzle on the card table my dad pulled out of the closet just for this event. Every time we passed by it, we’d stop and try one piece to see if it would fit. I still remember the reaction my parents had when they found a piece that fit (and when they didn’t). Although my parents weren’t perfect, they were to me. Looking back, what I thought was them just being the best parents, was probably more like them being intentional in their behavior to model to us what loving others should look like. By the way, my name is Ashley Snow and I am honored to be one of the School Counselors at BSE. I share that story because I want to inspire our community of families to take this opportunity and be intentional, make memories with our children and family. We can see how quickly life can change. This is the time to build memories and teach skills our children will always remember. As this is a serious time to work together to mitigate this horrible virus, we can use it as an opportunity to bring some good as well. Leading by example teaches our children what it means to be a good citizen, a fair team player, a strong leader and a happy person. So what can you do with your child today to make a fun memory or start a new tradition? I will be back to post some practical ideas to connect with each other while managing stress and moods. We, along with our children, will learn valuable lessons along this new journey. Collierville Schools Family, I empower you to Be intentional, Take this Opportunity, Enjoy your Children and Family, Make Memories, Love Others and we will all be stronger on the other side of this. Ashley W. Snow, LPC-MHSP, School Counselor PrK-2 Bailey Station Elementary School The counselors at West Collierville Middle School would like to say HELLO and WE MISS YOU. As we ALL navigate through these unprecedented times please know that YOUR school counselors are still here to help and serve you. Below are just a few activities to help you occupy your time and maybe burn a little energy. Feel-good activities 1. Go for a walk Walking is completely fine during social distancing – just remember to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. 2. Write letters Not many people take the time to write letters anymore – but everyone loves receiving them. If you want to work on your fine motor skills or just do something a little old-fashioned, letter writing is a great activity. 3. Exercise People feel better when they get some physical activity in – even if it’s just a light walk. If you want more of a workout, there are plenty of online videos and apps that offer free workouts. 4. Practice Social Distancing Remember, email your counselor if you need to talk or if you need any type of assistance.
Ms. Latonya Johnson, Ms. Yolanda Anderson, and Ms. Rachel Reich |
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May 2020
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