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Counselor's Corner

October 2023

Counselor'sCornerOctober 2023

Classroom Counseling Lessons

Your student receives a classroom counseling lesson once a month from me during their resource time. Lesson topics include kindness, growth mindset, making and keeping friends, conflict resolution, cooperation and teamwork, character education, career awareness, bullying, personal safety, and so much more. These lessons help support Social Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL is a lifelong process of learning how to better understand ourselves, connect with others, and work together to achieve goals and support each other.

October Counseling Lesson Topics

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Kindergarten-1st Grade: Self-Control

In Kindergarten and 1st grade counseling, we learned about self-control. We read the book Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale. Clark the Shark loves his life but he acts impulsively and struggles with self-control. He learns that self-control is the ability to manage our choices, feelings, and thoughts so that we can learn, make friends, and avoid trouble. We talked about how there is a time and a place for everything and discussed school expectations for the different places we visit (classroom, lunchroom, recess, home, etc.). Then we played a sorting game where students had to decide if the student in the example was in control or out of control. Lastly, we completed a coloring activity and discussed the steps and strategies of staying in control: stop, think, and act. When we feel our bodies start to lose control or we act impulsively, we need to stop and calm our bodies (i.e. count to 10, take deep breaths, take a break, ask for help, etc.). Then we need to think to ourselves about what the problem is and how we can handle it differently before we act on the decision that is most appropriate.
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2nd-3rd Grade: Standing Up for Others

In 2nd and 3rd grade, after discussing what bullying is (repetitive, on purpose, one-sided) and how they may be a witness to a bullying situation, we read The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy, a book that empowers kids to stand up for others. We discussed ways that we can help stop bullying if we or someone we know ever experiences it: not being a bystander to bully behavior, standing up for the person being bullied, reporting to a trusted adult, treating others respectfully, being a friend to those who need it, etc. We also talked about how its important to stand up for yourself and practiced ways to do so. For more information on bullying, please visit www.stopbullying.gov.
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4th-5th Grade: Bullying vs. Conflict

This month in 4th-5th grade counseling, we had a lesson on bullying. We learned that in order to be considered bullying three things must be present: repetition, harm, and one-sidedness. Bullying is not a one time action. The bully must commit multiple offenses over a course of time. Bullying is purposeful and harmful. For something to be bullying, it must be intentional, not an accident. And bullying must be unfair or one-sided. It is important to teach the definition of bullying because when kids don’t know what something is, they won’t be able to identify it when they see or experience it. While some students may not realize that something is bullying, other students might think that any unkind action is bullying. This can lead to students telling an adult right away about a minor incident instead of using their own conflict resolution strategies. This can also lead to students referring to someone as a “bully,” even though what they did was not actually bullying. When students know the definition of what bullying is, they are more likely to speak up or report it.

Small Group Counseling

My goal is to help all students succeed academically and socially. To do this I often work with students individually or in small groups. Small groups generally consist of 6-8 students from the same grade level and focus on topics similar to the classroom lessons but take a deeper dive. Groups meet for approximately 30 minutes once a week for 6 weeks. Parent permission forms will be sent out prior to the start of group.


Current small groups include Kindergarten self-control group and 3rd grade lunch bunch. 2nd grade lunch bunch just finished up. More groups will be added throughout the year. Students will be referred by their teacher but if you are interested in your child participating, please email me at smccaskill@camden.k12.ga.us.

Individual Counseling

To refer your student to be seen by the school counselor, please complete the School Counselor Request Google Form. If you need more immediate assistance, please call me at 912-882-4839. If you are interested in outside counseling services, please click here to open the Camden Behavioral Health Providers, Prevention Services, and Groups Resource List.

SMES Volunteer Training

Toys for Tots

To complete a family application for Toys for Tots, please click here. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, November 15th. If you would like to donate, please send in a new toy to place in our collection box located at the school. We will collect toys through the month of November.

Angel Tree

The Salvation Army Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts for hundreds of thousands of children around the country each year. Once a child has been registered and accepted as an Angel their Christmas wish list is shared with donors in your community who purchase gifts of new clothing and toys. Applications are due Monday, November 13th. If you are interested, please contact Ms. McCaskill for an application.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application

To complete an application for your student to receive free and/or reduced lunch at school, please click here.

Attendance

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the academic year for any reason, including excused absences and unexcused absences. Based on a 180-day school year, that means approximately 18 days per year or 2-3 days per month.


For your child to obtain the maximum benefit from his/her educational experience, it must be a joint responsibility between you and your child, and the school. We would like you to help ensure that your student attends regularly. If your student is going to be absent, please contact your child’s teacher and send in a written excuse note.

Camden Community Behavioral Health Resources

Click here to open the Camden Behavioral Health Providers, Prevention Services, and Groups Resource List. For immediate access to routine or crisis services, please call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225.

Meet Your School Counselor, Ms. McCaskill

I graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors in Public Relations in 2018, earned my Masters of Education in School Counseling from Valdosta State University in 2020, and recently graduated with my Educational Specialist Degree in School Counseling from Valdosta State University in 2023. This will be my fourth year as a school counselor. I love working with students and families at SMES and helping them through life's challenges. Fun fact: I attended SMES as a child!


My primary goal is to help all students become successful learners by providing a comprehensive counseling program that meets their academic and social/emotional needs. I meet with students individually, conduct small groups, and teach classroom counseling lessons. I provide solution-focused brief counseling to help students overcome issues that have an impact on their school performance, but my role is not to diagnose or provide long-term therapy. I am, however, happy to provide a list of community resources if you are interested in outside counseling services. I also work closely with parents, administrators, and teachers regarding attendance concerns, Section 504 plans, and the MTSS process. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can help with!