Counselors' Corner

Thanksgiving Food Drive, October and November Updates

Our Thanksgiving Food Drive begins

Monday 10/31 and goes through 11/11. 

Each grade level is asked to bring something different

Kindergarten please bring - Cake mix and frosting

1st grade - Corn bread mix, biscuit mix, gravy, drink mix

2nd grade - Instant potatoes, boxed stuffing mix

3rd grade - macaroni, rice, dried or canned beans

4th grade - canned fruit, cranberry sauce

5th grade - canned vegetables

 

This is very special because it goes directly to our Dowell families in need.  Bins are located in the front lobby.  Thank you for giving!

We've completed our first full month of FBI's (Friendly Behavior Identifiers) being on the buses.  FBI's are 4th adn 5th grade students chosen by their bus drivers to give students good bus behavior tickets when they see appropriate bus behavior.  Students turn in the tickets with their names on them to a box in the cafeteria.  Each week we pull 14 good bus behavior tickets out of the box, recognize those students on the morning announcements, call them to the media center and allow them to choose a prize.   On October 31st the first Bus of the Month will be recognized.  The criteria for this recognition is no bus referrals and  students following posted bus rules.  The bus that is selected will be rewarded with a pizza party the week of October 31st!  They will also have a banner on the bus announcing that they are Bus of the Month.  The majority of bus drivers have reported great improvements in bus behavior. 

Our second group of safety patrols are doing an excellent job!  We appreciate parent support of this program. 

The next parent Lunch and Learn for "Parenting with Love and Logic" is November 9th from 11 - 12 in the media center.  You are welcome to attend even if you were unable to attend the first session.  Parents were very pleased with our first session and learned some valuable tips and strategies.

It's been great to see parents at the conferences we've attended as well as supporting the Book Fair.  Please contact your counselor with any concerns. 

Counselors were not in classrooms for lessons during conference week which was also Red Ribbon Week.  We will do a Red Ribbon Week lesson in each class and continue with our series of bullying lessons.

 

September and October Updates

Safety Patrols and doing a great job! We will have our end of the 9 weeks party the week of October 10th and train our next group that same week.

Dowell has FBI's on the buses!  This is a new program in support of the Safe Riders Program. FBI's or Friendly Behavior Identifiers are 4th and 5th grade students who hand out tickets to boys and girls who are following the rules on the buses.  Students put their names and class on the back of the tickets and turn them into a box in the cafeteria.  Every week 7 names are drawn from the box and those students get prizes!  Their names are announced on the morning announcements.

October is Bullying Awareness Month.  Counselors will present lessons to k-5 that cover the topics

1.  Tattling vs. Telling

2.  Teasing vs. Inappropriate teasing

3.  Bullying

4.  Bystander Strategies

5th grade students will act out different scenarios on the morning announcements, and teachers will be given follow up questions to address the different topics.

Parent Workshop for kindergarten parents will be held October 11, 2011 in the media center at 7:15 and 6pm.  There was not enough interest in the 11:00 session, therefore, we ask those parents to join us at 7:15 or 6pm. 

Parenting with Love and Logic lunch and learn sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, October 19, November 9 and December 7th.    Each session builds on the previous one.  Please plan to attend all three for maximum benefit.  Flyers went home 9/29.  Please return bottom of flyer if interested or contact your counselor at 678-594-8062.

Red Ribbon Week is October 23 - 31.  This is a special week where we teach about being drug free.  Teachers and counselors will do lots of activities to emphasize the importance of saying no to drugs.

Free Elementary/Middle School Parenting Workshops offered at Pine Mountain Middle School
9/8, 9/15, and 9/22 11:30 - 1:30
Email stuart.bachman@cobbk12.org or call 678-736-9419 to register

Welcome Back!

We hope everyone is having a great 2nd week of school.  Counselors will train selected 5th grade students for our Safety Patrols Friday August, 26.  Look for permission slips in Thursday folders.  With the initiation of the Safe Rider program we will train selected 4th and 5th grade students as bus monitors in the next two weeks.  They are Dowell's FBI Agents (Friendly Bus Identifiers).  The students that are identified as being friendly, respectful and following bus rules will be rewarded.  At the end of the month we will identify the bus with the least number of bus referrals and reward all the riders on that bus! Counselors will also be training selected students from each class grades 1 - 5 to serve as the Welcome Team.  These students help to make new students transferring to Dowell feel like part of our Dowell Family.  The counselors will begin classroom guidance in the next two weeks.  Please call, email  or stop by if you have any concerns about your student.  Our contact information is located in the previous post.

 

2011 - 2012 Professional School Counselors

"Helping Students Navigate the SEAS of Life."

Dowell Elementary's Professional School Counselors serve the following grade levels

Dr. Jeri Bryant - Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade

geraldine.bryant@cobbk12.org - 678-594-8059 ext 226 or 678-594-8062

Ms. Kelli Beechler - 3rd, 4th and 5th grade 

kelli.beechler@cobbk12.org - 678-594-8059 ext 234 or 678-594-8062

 

The Mission of the Dowell Elementary School Counseling program in alignments with the Dowell Elementary School and Cobb County mission statements is to help all students achieve academic excellence by maximizing time on task and fostering mutual respect among all members of the school community.  We will provide a developmental, comprehensive, standards based program that addresses the academic, career and personal/social development of all students.  The goal of the Dowell Elementary School Counseling Department is to assist all students in acquiring the attitudes, skills and knowledge to become effective students, responsible citizens, productive workers, and life long learners. 

 

Our services include Classroom Guidance, Group Counseling, Individual Counseling, Parent Consultation and Responsive Services.

Classroom Guidance

Counselors teach lessons in each classroom every other week.  These lessons meet the American School Counseling Association national model in the domains of:

• Academic Achievement
• Career Exploration
• Personal/Social  Growth

Group Counseling

Teachers, parents and administrators may refer students for small group counseling in the following areas

• peer relations
• changing families
• social skills
• anger management
• self esteem
• study/organization skills
• other area not listed

Individual Counseling

Personal, social and academic counseling are available during the school day.  Sessions are kept confidential except when students disclose they are being hurt, are hurting someone else, or want to hurt themselves. 

Parent Consultation

Counselors are available by appointment to assist parents with concerns regarding their students. Counselors will also offer parent workshops during the second semester of the year.

Responsive Services

 

Counselors respond to the needs of students, staff and community in times of crisis.