September is Attendance Awareness Month!

September is Alabama Attendance Awareness Month!  Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason— it can cause them to fall behind academically.  Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent and we know absences can add up quickly.  A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!! Research shows that by 6^th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for dropping out of school.  By 9^th grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8^th grade test scores.  Clearly going to school regularly matters!

At Paine Intermediate, we want to help establish positive attendance habits for our students.   In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of attending school, we will recognize all students who achieve perfect attendance for the month of September.  Perfect attendance means being at school 100% of the month with no check-ins or check-outs!  All students who achieve perfect attendance, beginning September 2, will receive the following incentives: 

• Week of September 12: A pack of Smarties because Smarties come to school every day!  Students must be present 9/2-9/12 to receive this treat.
• Week of September 19:  Perfect Attendance pencils.  Students must be present 9/2-9/19 to receive a pencil.
• Week of September 26: Perfect Attendance paw print bracelets.  Students must be present 9/2-9/26 to receive a bracelet.
• September 30: Perfect Attendance certificates and classroom recognition.  Students must be present 9/2-9/30 to receive a certificate for a month of perfect attendance.

Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick
• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
• Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.
• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up.  Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Let us know how we can best support you and your children so that they can show up for school on time every day.   We want your child to be successful in school!

4th and 5th Grade Small Group Counseling

As part of the school counseling program, we offer small group counseling for students each year.  I typically offer one set of groups during the fall semester and another set of groups during the spring semester.  This semester, I would like to offer the groups listed below.  Please note, I may not have enough students to create a group on each topic below, but I will be glad to meet with your child one-on-one if needed.

• Divorce – This group is for students whose parents are currently going through a divorce or have divorced in the past year.  Dealing with the Problems of Divorce will focus on helping children develop plans of action to cope with the hurts of divorce, being “caught in the middle”, and other concerns regarding divorce.
• Grief of a Parent  – This group is for students who have lost a parent.  Students will learn coping strategies as well as talk to other kids who may be dealing with the same kinds of feelings regarding death.
• College Bound Siblings – This group is for students who are having a difficult time adjusting to a sibling going off to college or moving out of the home.
• Families Who Foster – This group is for children whose families foster children in their homes and would like to talk to other children who are experiencing the same thing.
• Family Additions – This group is for students who have added family members in the past 6 months or are in the process of adding a family member.  Additions to the family may include new babies or adopted siblings.
• Siblings with Special Needs – This group is for students who have a sibling with special needs.  By participating in the group, students will have a chance to talk to other children who have similar experiences as they have at home and learn how to cope with these special needs.
• Anger Management – This group is for students who need help learning how to manage and deal with angry feelings in an appropriate way.  Cool and In Control will focus not only on anger management skills but also provide additional skills to reduce the frustration and anger that may be caused by poor interpersonal skills and negative thinking.
• Fabulous Me – This group is for students who need help with self-esteem.  We will focus on personal strengths, managing negative thoughts, and building up the positives about ourselves. This group is for students who truly deal with self-esteem and positive self-concept.

If you are interested in your child participating in one of the groups above, please click here to complete the online referral form.  If you have any questions regarding small groups, please feel free to e-mail me at lauren.blake@trussvillecityschools.com or call me at 228-3387.

Club Day Overview and How to Make Selections Online

Our students at Paine Intermediate are excited about Club Day but parents might be asking themselves what in the world Club Day is!  Take a look at the pictures below from our PowerPoint presentation to learn more about this exciting opportunity for all of our students.

Information about Club Day was sent home and e-mailed to parents on Friday, August 22nd. If your child misplaced his or her form, you can print another one from my website by clicking here.

Instructions for Entering Club Choices Online
Click on your child's grade level below to enter their Club Day choices online. Remember, students need to turn their Club Day Selection Forms in to their homeroom teachers signed by a parent by Wednesday, August 27th.

Students will know what Club they are in by Tuesday, September 9th. If you have any questions, please let your child's teacher or Mrs. Blake know.

August Counseling Lesson

Fourth and fifth grade students participated in their first counseling lesson of the school year this week.  Swap classes came together to meet with me in the amphitheater for around 50 minutes to learn about me and my role as their school counselor.  Through listening to various song clips, students identified reasons they might want to talk to a school counselor.  They also learned how to make an appointment with me and how to know when it is their turn to come to my office.  In addition, each grade level participated in an activity to help them recognize that our words and actions have a lasting effect on others.  The activities for each grade level are summarized below.

4th Grade - The Wadded Paper Activity.  Each student was given a plain piece of white paper.  I explained that they were mad at the piece of paper and that they had 15 seconds to show the paper how mad they were.  Students showed the paper how mad they were by crumpling it up, stomping on it, and even yelling at and talking to the paper.  After 15 seconds, I told the students that they were no longer mad at the paper and they had to smooth the paper out and make it look exactly like it did when I gave it to them.  The students were given time to try to straighten out the paper, but they could not make the crumpled up papers look new again.  We discussed the fact that the paper they were given represents a person's heart.  The things we do and say to people leave wrinkles in people's hearts.  We can't make the wrinkles go away on the paper by telling the paper we are sorry.  This is true of the wrinkles in people's hearts, too.  People may forgive us, but we can never take back the things we do or say.  We discussed the acronym THINK (pictured below courtesy of Technology Rocks) and the students were reminded that they are in charge of their legacies and of the choices they make.

5th Grade - Kid President Video "20 Things We Should Say More Often".  We reviewed the Wadded Paper Activity (described above) from last year and discussed the fact that the things we do and say to people leave a lasting impression.  We can choose to be kind or choose to be unkind.  We watched the Kid President Video "20 Things We Should Say More Often".  As we watched, I paused the video and we talked about the underlying ideas behind the "surprise corn dogs" and the "BBQ sauce on someone's shirt" to make sure the students understood the meaning behind these analogies.  The students were reminded that their words and actions make a difference in the lives of others.  We reviewed the acronym THINK (pictured above courtesy of Technology Rocks) and the students were reminded that they are in charge of their legacies and of the choices they make.

You can view the PowerPoint I used for this month's lesson by clicking here.

Thank you for your support of the counseling program at Paine Intermediate.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me via e-mail (lauren.blake@trussvillecityschools.com) or you call me at 228-3387.  Thank you for sharing your children with me!

Explanation of Counseling Program

We are off to a great start here at Paine Intermediate!  My name is Lauren Blake and I am the 4^th and 5^th grade school guidance counselor.  I am excited to be your child’s counselor and look forward to working with the students in various settings this year.  Below you will find a summary of my role at Paine Intermediate and how I will be working with your child.

Whole Group Guidance Lessons – Fourth and fifth grade classes will join me in the amphitheater monthly where they will participate in lessons on such topics as character traits, feelings and emotions, peer relationships, friendships, study habits, career awareness, communication skills, and decision making.  The lessons are engaging, interactive, and informative and are meant to help students become more successful in all areas of their daily life.

Small Peer Groups – Throughout the school year, I will be conducting small groups on a variety of topics such as dealing with anger, school success, behavior/self-control, divorce, grief, and self-esteem.  With parent permission, these groups meet weekly for 6-8 sessions.  During this time, students have discussions and participate in a variety of activities to develop the skills and strategies needed to help them become more successful personally, socially, and academically.  Groups offered vary as it depends on the needs of the students at Paine Intermediate.  Teachers and parents may recommend students for these small groups.  In addition, students can choose to participate in a Lunch Bunch when available.  During a Lunch Bunch, groups of students eat lunch with the counselor and talk about things relevant to their lives including broad topics such as friendship, homework, conflict resolution, concerns they have about school, etc. These groups are more informal and do not require parent permission.  

One-on-One Counseling Appointments – I am available throughout the school day to meet with students on a one-on-one basis and discuss any concerns they may have.  Students may schedule an appointment with me by completing an Appointment Request Form.  These forms can be obtained from their classroom teacher or from the basket outside my office.  There is also an online form students may access by visiting my school website.  Parents may also contact me and request that I meet with their student using the contact information provided below.

A peek into my office space!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your 4^th or 5^th grader, please feel free to call me at 228-3387 or e-mail me at lauren.blake@trussvillecityschools.com.  I look forward to a great year!