The counseling program at East Olympia Elementary School is designed to be preventive and developmental. In addition to counseling students individually and in small-group settings, I teach bullying prevention programs in each classroom. These programs are designed to teach social and friendship skills, empathy training, impulse control, and anger management. Following is an outline of the classes taught:
An Anti-Harassment course is taught in each classroom during the month of September. The students are taught the difference between conflict, bullying and harassment.
A bullying-prevention program is taught in K-5th grade classrooms. The Second Step Program is taught in the K-2 classrooms, and Steps to Respect is taught in 3rd –5th grade classrooms. Both of these programs are designed to teach friendship skills that reduce the risk of being bullied. Emotional skills are developed, such as understanding the feelings of others and managing their emotions.
A combination of two curriculums are used for the 6h grade classes: Life Skills Training and The Why Try Program. These programs focus on goal setting, self-image, decision making, smoking biofeedback, marijuana-myths & realities, advertising, coping with stress, anger management and resolving conflicts.
Please feel free to drop by the Counselor’s office to review any of the curriculums mentioned above.
