School Psychologist
- What is a School Psychologist?
- Calendar
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Circle of Friends Programs
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Circle of Friends Class Lessons
- Kindergarten Learns About The Group Plan
- Kindergarten Classes Learn About Thinking With Your Eyes
- First Graders Learned the Difference Between Tattling & Telling
- First Graders Learn About Bully Behavior
- Second Graders Become Problem Solvers
- Third Graders Learn About Anger Management
- Third Graders Learn About Inclusion and Exclusion
- Third Graders Learn About The Power of Mean Words
- Fourth Graders Learn About the Role of the Bystander
- Fourth Graders Learn About Bully Behavior
- Fourth Graders Learn How to Handle Being the Target of Bully Behavior
- Fifth Graders Learn About Bully Behaviors
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Circle of Friends Class Lessons
- Socialization Clubs
- Banana Splits Club (for Children of Non-Nuclear Families)
- Peer Mediation Program
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Parenting
- 10 Ways to Teach Your Child the Skills to Prevent Sexual Abuse
- Camp Homesickness
- Developing Organizational Skills
- Guided Problem Solving
- Helicopter Parenting
- Learning a Second Language
- Manners Matter
- Self Concept Builders and Stealers
- Sharing Control Through Choices
- Small Steps Change Lives
- Talking to Children About Death
- Understanding Your Child's Anger
- Using Enforceable Statements
- Socialization
- Media
- Starting a New School
- Raising Successful Children
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Friendship is the overriding theme of the group.
However, more specifically, we engage in a variety of activities geared toward the following:
Week 1. The relationship between our own behavior and forming friendships. We talk about different animals and the behaviors they display. For example, “shark friends” are on the attack; they bite and hurt. They don’t care about our feelings. After discussing several animals and their character traits, we decide that we want to be “teddy bear friends” because teddy bears are there for you whenever you need them. They listen and comfort you.
Week 2. Differentiating between friendly and unfriendly behaviors and how behavior/words help or impede friendship. We make a list of the phrases/actions people use when trying to be friendly and those we want to avoid because they are unfriendly. For example: “Don’t touch those. They’re mine” “We don’t want you to play with us.” “Let’s use your Legos and myLegos together and we’ll make a farm.” “Can I share your crayons?”
Week 3. Conflict Management Skills-importance of apologies. We read a book called Matthew and Tilly by Rebecca C. Jones and discuss the idea that even best friends sometimes make mistakes and need to say they are sorry. The girls talk about the need to say “I’m sorry child’s name for action” and the fact that apologies help people to feel better even though they don’t make the mistakes go away.
Week 4. Cooperation. The girls work in small groups on projects such as sequencing a set of story cards and putting together small puzzles. In the small groups, they are able to practice working together, making sure everyone is included, and using cooperative language with their peers.
Week 5. Courtesy language. The children brainstorm polite language such as “Excuse Me”, “Thank you", and “Please”, and then use the words written on paper body parts to create a polite person. They pack their polite people to take home as a reminder to use this language in their daily lives.