Character Ed

             Mrs. Ginny Riedman      School Counselor                  
                                                                  

                                                 Welcome to the Character Ed web page!

                I would like to take this time to wish you and your families a peaceful
               and safe summer. It has been a great year of learning, discovery and
               growth!
    

                                               
                         
                       I would like to offer families ideas of children’s literature
                       that support both character education and social-emotional
                       learning. Reading with your child during the summer
                       is one good way to support your child’s social-emotional
                       development.

A Rainbow of Friends (Ages 4-8)                Words Are Not For Hurting (Ages 3-6)
The Rainbow Fish (Ages 3-8)                       Listen and Learn (Ages 3-6)
We Are Best Friends (Ages 4-7)                  Talk and Work It Out (Ages 4-8)


Also, below are a few ideas for supporting your
young child with self-regulation skills. You can best support your child
with these as they are interacting with friends or siblings in
a playful environment.
 

• Redirect inappropriate words or actions when needed
• Provide a structured and predictable daily routine and schedule
• Anticipate transitions and provide ample warning
• Role play with your child, or using puppets, how to act or what to say in certain situations they may encounter
• Use of time out, if necessary ( 1 minute for every year of the child’s age)

 
Relevant language to teach your child that supports self-regulation skills.

                                                 Can you play with me?
                                                 Please stop doing that.
                                                      I don’t like that.
                                         I would like to play with that too.
                                          Can I play when you are done?
 

Character education lessons that are taught during the year are provided for the students once a week. The lessons touch upon topics that address both social/emotional learning such as problem-solving and communication, as well as issues of respect, honesty and kindness. 

I also provide education around anti-bullying awareness through the use of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Bullying described within the program is when " someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself."

Here are the four anti-bullying rules that we teach and discuss at St. Lawrence School:

1. We will not bully others.
2. We will try to help students who are bullied.
3. We will try to include students who are left out.
4. If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home


                                                                                                                              
                                           Recommended Resources For Parents

                                         123 Magic- Effective Discipline for Children
                                                Building Emotional Intelligence
                                                      The Whole Brain Child
                                                         Mindful Parenting

Parents, feel free to stop by my office, also. The parent library offers excellent resources for parents to borrow.

                
                   SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL-LEARNING

Social and emotional learning are important aspects of a child’s development. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, depending on the age of the child. With younger children, play is an important learning tool for these skills to develop. Older children gain these skills with sports, hobbies and positive interactions with peers. Skills that are a part of social-emotional development include:

• Self-confidence
• Emotional regulation
• Decisions making skills
• Resilience
• Ability to resolve conflict

The link below is to a wonderful resource for younger children, with information on ways to help develop their social-emotional capabilities. I hope you find it helpful!



http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/


  "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."
                                                              John Kennedy