Step-Up, Service and Stress

I'm not sure how we are already staring Thanksgiving weekend in the face, but we certainly are!  Before we break for 5 days I wanted to share with you some of the things that have been happening in the counseling world at PHS.

The 6th grade boys and I have now had three meetings together through their version of Step-Up.  When we return from break we are excited to have Kathy Lamb, high school counselor, and a group of male senior students come in to talk with our young men.  The boys did a great job brainstorming a long list of questions to ask their visitors.  Their questions ranged from "What sports do you play?" to "What do you do when all of your friends are going to a party/event, and you need to stay home to study?"  I am anxious to watch their interactions next week and hear their responses. 

Though the next two days of advisory have been set aside for socialization and bonding time, each group has been hard at work determining a way to give back to our community next month for their service project.  A handful of advisories are banding together to assemble care kits for Heart to Heart International, which has sent all of their existing care kits to the Philippines.  Other advisories are adopting a family, ringing bells on the plaza for the Salvation Army and even supporting a charity created by one of our own students which seeks to provide toys to children in need.  It is an honor to watch these young hearts fill with excitement over making a difference in the life of someone else.  It is clear that this community is one that values gratitude and generosity.

If you missed the Parent Awareness presentation last Thursday morning, I wanted to share with you the links to a couple of videos that were shown.  We examined teenage stress through the lens of perfectionism.  We had a thought-provoking discussion as well and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with our parents.  I walked away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the challenges of raising a teenager! 

video: Dr. Dan Peters

video: Dr. Brene Brown

Finally, in this time to be thankful, I wanted to express my thankfulness for the PHS community.  All of you have made the transition to a new school such a positive experience!  Every day I look forward to coming to work and that is truly a gift!  I sincerely hope your families have a restful and enjoyable long weekend.

Warm Fuzzies

 It's official!  I've had my first chess lesson!  The 7th grade students are excitedly (and patiently) teaching me to play!  I am really enjoying this time with the students and the opportunity to get to know them better.  I have the best job in the world!

Today and tomorrow I will wrap up self-esteem lessons with the 7th and 8th graders through wellness classes.  We have begun each session with anonymous written compliments.

This activity is followed by each student's compliments being read aloud by another student and a discussion regarding their reactions to complimenting each other.  The students often say that although it was a little weird, especially hearing their compliments read aloud, it was also pretty cool.  They appreciate having the opportunity to think about their peers in a positive light, as well as the opportunity to tell them something they might not otherwise say.  The students are able to keep their written compliments and I have heard comments about hanging them up in their lockers, as well as putting them in their rooms at home.  After the compliments, I turn the discussion to defining self-esteem.  We talk about how our self-esteem can be influenced by what others think about us, but ultimately it comes from what we think about ourselves.  Students are invited to take a short self-assessment to think about how well they understand their identity and at what level they accept and appreciate themselves.  I shared with the students that their identity is changing and is sometimes in question throughout middle school, high school and even early adulthood, so they can expect that sometimes their feelings of self-confidence may waiver as well.  I want students to know that struggling with self-esteem can be pretty normal and is not permanent. 

As we are nearing the end of 1st semester, our advisory groups are wrapping up their focus on Compassion.  This week each advisory watched this video and then worked to create their own photo that showed "humanity as it could be."  Here are some of their photos, enjoy!

Advisory Spotlight

This week I wanted to spotlight a few of our advisory groups.  As we go through the year I hope to get the chance to highlight each advisory group.

Mrs. Anderson’s Advisory

Mrs. Anderson’s advisory group is quite an active bunch!  The room is always filled with excited conversation and friendly competition.  The students and Mrs. Anderson work hard during their advisory contests.  They had a particularly tough challenge the day they were asked to flip a plastic table cloth over using on their feet!  After several failed attempts, Ellie had a plan and Noah became the leading voice to make it happen.  “Shuffle people!  Bigger shuffles!” Noah shouted to motivate the group.  Everyone had a good laugh and eventually found success!  It was amazing to watch the students come together to complete a tough task! 

This dynamic group includes football, field hockey and soccer players, as well as some very talented musicians and puzzle “completers”!  We saw Sloane have great success with puzzles during the first Minute to Win It competition!

Mrs. Anderson has started having her fall One-on-One conferences with her students.  The kids value having this time with their advisor.  It allows Mrs. Anderson a chance to get to know each child individually and learn how she can support them through middle school.  She will hold One-on-One meetings throughout the year to check in with the students and stay on top of any areas of support they may need.

Senora Wolfe’s Advisory

In Senora Wolfe’s advisory, there is no shortage of laughter and friendship.  The students have each contributed to a community candy bag and they enjoy sharing treats with each other every day after lunch.  While there is a lot of fun, the students also work hard when the time comes.  They gave great effort to creating their own personal goals for this year.

Mrs. Kobolt interviewed Senora Wolfe’s advisees and learned that they love having projects and activities in advisory and the Senora is like a family member to them.  They love that she is nice and gives them responsibilities.  Students enjoy having a say in the activities their advisory will participate in and a time to relax from the daily grind of classes.  The students also reported that they can talk to each other about anything in advisory, they even wish advisory was a longer period of time in the day.  What would they do with the extra time?  More contests!!!

Senora Araiza’s Advisory

Senora Araiza has created a very relaxed advisory atmosphere.  The students were excited about the bullying video project and were motivated by the prize of going to the Lower School to present their video to the 5^th grade.  While, they did not win, they were selected as a runner up and their project was shown at the Lower School!

Araiza’s students very clearly works together as a group.  They report that Senora Araiza is nice and comfortable to be around.  The students can tell that she cares for them when she listens to their rants and checks in on them.  

Mrs. Blakenship’s Advisory

The students in Mrs. Blankenship’s advisory love contests!  Their favorite was the spaghetti and marshmallow structure contest.  They tackled the bullying video project by aiming to show the perspective of the student who is bullying others and encouraging their fellow students to be empathetic to everyone.  Mrs. Blankenship’s “Junk Closet” came in handy during the contest in which students had to decorate a pumpkin to look like their advisor, it even contained a hot glue gun which came in quite handy!

Even when there is not a formal contest, the students use their advisory time to answer trivia questions on a website that donates rice to those who are hungry for every correct answer. 

Mrs. Blakenship’s advisees like having her as an advisor because she is nice and they are comfortable approaching her with questions.  They especially like that she will let them do homework when they need to!

Mr. Wilson’s Advisory

Mr. Wilson is a Baylor fan and he happily shares Baylor football highlight reels in his advisory!  However, he also allows his students to choose school-appropriate videos to share, even silly animated ones.  The students are right when they say Mr. Wilson’s advisory is fun.  They report that Mr. Wilson makes the room a positive place to be and they very much look forward to the break in their school day in his room.  One student said that school would be too overwhelming without advisory.

The students had a great time decorating their pumpkin to look like their beloved Mr. Wilson.  Though the beginning of the year it was a bit unclear who the leaders would be in Mr. Wilson’s group, a few a starting to emerge as leaders in different areas.  Nevertheless, the balance of everyone being included and feeling a part of the group continues!