Lieck Elementary Counselor Corner

We can hardly believe that our first six weeks of school is coming to an end. It has been wonderful reuniting with students, meeting new students and learning together. Over the last six weeks we have learned about how counselors help kids, families, and staff. We also discussed the importance of school safety and reaching out and including others.

We have so much to look forward in October. We will have our NISD Decision of Respect Day on October 4th. We will also have our Multicultural Night on October 10th and our Fall Learner Profile Awards on October 15th. We will wrap up the month with our Red Ribbon Week celebrations the week of October 28th.

We look forward to cooler weather and a wonderful October!

Your counselors,

Mrs. Gonzales & Ms. Moore

Below are the topics students will learn about this month during their classroom guidance time.

One of NISD core beliefs is that all students will be learners who are ready to tackle the 21st Century by building on eight different attributes. Here at Lieck we will support, guide, and build on these characteristics through our class meetings and guidance lessons. Each month students will be introduced to one of the NISD Learner Profiles. For the month of October, we will be focusing on the NISD Learner Profile, Creator. Creators Design new ideas, techniques, or products. A creator is curious, innovative, and flexible, and asks thought-provoking questions. They are also described as people who challenge existing ways of thinking and learn from their experiences.

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Fostering creativity in children requires an environment that encourages the brain to create. Yes, children tend to be naturally creative, but these skills don’t develop in a vacuum. Kids need tools that equip them to create, whether it’s through play, objects, or even academic materials. Creativity is a skill we all benefit from and one that flourishes with encouragement. We’ve put together some tips that parents can use to foster creativity in their child at home.

Provide creative materials and experiences

Just as you might create a separate station to complete homework, carve out a space that is designated for “creativity.” There are so many tools, toys, and materials that can spark creativity. Supply your child with a variety of materials for drawing, building, and crafting that match your child's interests, such as drawing, painting, music, photography, and working with clay, paper, wood, or water. You can use everything from old-fashioned items like sidewalk chalk to the latest computers and other technology.

• Suggestions for creativity-sparking tools:
• Robotics kits
• 3D printer
• Toy car and ship kits
• Beads and sequins
• Cloth materials
• Sewing machine (there are child versions)
• Newspapers/magazines
• Play-Doh or modeling clay
• Kinetic Sand
• Tracing paper
• Stickers
• Cut-out letters
• Markers/crayons/colored pencils
• Colored chalk
• Paint kits
• Costume jewelry
• Jewelry boxes for decorating

Expose your child to new experiences

Creativity is fostered through all of the senses. Expose your child to the world around them in ways that use all of the senses, including the eyes, ears, and hands. What does your child love to do? What are their interests? Where do they excel? Encourage them to pursue those interests. Does your child love dinosaurs? Find books about dinosaurs or kits that build them. Maybe your child loves jewelry? There are kits with beads and thread so your child can make jewelry. Take your child to museums, cultural festivals, your local library, science centers, and nature trails to expose them to new perspectives.

Give children unstructured time
Allow your child time to explore and pursue their ideas without boundaries. So many children have every day scheduled down to the minute. This leaves little precious time for play and imagination. Unstructured time is just as important as soccer practice or dance lessons. This is when your child will have more freedom to create and explore their imagination.

Ask questions

Questions are a great way to get a child to think about and reflect on what they are doing. Encourage your child to ask questions and wonder about the world around them. Ask about the project they are working on with questions like…

• How did you come up with that idea?
• What inspired this project?
• What do you want this object to do?
  
• What will you do next?
  
• What surprised you about this project?
  
• What’s been the hardest part of this project?
  
• What would you do differently next time?
  
• Did the project turn out as you wanted?

Make sure to go beyond questions with “yes” or “no” answers. You want to encourage your child to think and respond in a more complex manner.

Encourage risk taking

Help your child learn to take healthy risks and make mistakes. You can try to reframe the way they think about mistakes by asking "But what if it goes right?" Share your own creative problem solving process and how you overcame frustrations this will encourage your child to do the same and give them tools to overcome challenges they may face. This helps to foster a growth mindset where your child will feel confident in taking risks and trying new things.

This section will be updated monthly as our 5th graders prepare for their transition to middle school. There are some exciting events coming up in November and December for our 5th graders. Middle School counselors will be visiting to share with our 5th graders all the exciting new things they will experience in middle school. Students will also go through the process of selecting their 6th grade courses and several other events. Please contact your counselors, Ms. Moore and Mrs. Gonzales, at anytime should you have questions regarding your child's transition to middle school.

NISD Threads is a clothes closet program where NISD students, PreK through 12th grade, who are in need can get clothing at no cost. All clothing is donated from families throughout the NISD community.

NISD Threads is always in need of gently used clothing items as well as new socks and underwear donations in all sizes from elementary through high school aged children and youth. You can drop off any donations at the NISD Threads Clothes Closet located at 5223 Blessing St, San Antonio, TX 78228.

If your students are in need of (gently used) clothing for the changing seasons, please contact your school counselors, Mrs. Gonzales or Ms. Moore for more information.

Here are some websites you might find helpful. They include resources for discipline, student safety, school success, kid's health, and other materials you might find useful. Please call or email anytime you or your child need help.