Counselor's Corner

Hello Craig Elementary students and parents! I'm Ms. Melissa Peavey. The 2024-25 school year will be my 9th year at Craig Schools. I am looking forward to spending another year with you! 

As a School Counselor, I perform the following roles in order to promote positive development in academic, career, and personal/social domains:

 

• Individual counseling

• Small group counseling

• Classroom guidance lessons (Character Education)

• Attend and participate in academic intervention meetings

• Assists on IEP/504 teams

• Consult and collaborate with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, social workers, and students

• Respond to school crisis or emergency situations

• Provide information and resources to parents on a variety of issues

• Connect families to resources when needed

• Serves as a positive role model & team player

The Craig Comprehensive Counseling Program utilizes the Second Step Guidance Curriculum which is intended for students in grades kindergarten into middle-school.  The curriculum is divided into three parts: empathy training, impulse control and anger management.  Empathy training teaches students about recognizing feelings, how they change and strategies to manage them.  Impulse control focuses on teaching students how to control impulsive behaviors that at times, can be problematic in the classroom.  Finally, anger management teaches students ways of calming down and appropriate strategies on how to identify angry feelings before they become a problem.

Other developmental guidance topics your counselor may teach depending on students' grade-level include:

 

Suicide Awareness	Drug/Alcohol Awareness	Peer Pressure
Grief/Loss	Empathy Skills	Impulse Control
Coping with Stress	Managing Anger	Good Touch/Bad Touch
Study Skills	Conflict Resolution	Healthy Choices
Bullying Awareness	Cyber-Bullying	Self-Esteem /Image
Accepting Diversity	Gossip/Rumors	Career Awareness

Covid19 Resources for students and families:

How to Explain the Coronavirus-19 to Children

Explaining the Coronavirus-19 to children can be challenging. Please use these resources to help you explain this complicated concept to children.

Videos:

• Julia Cook reads The Yucky Bug (K-2 grade)
• Vimeo (2-6 grade)
• Brain Pop Video
• Just for Kids: Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus from NPR
• How to Talk to Your Kid about Coronavirus

Documents:

• Coronavirus-19 Social Story
• Yucky Bug PowerPoint
• A Story to Help Children Understand Coronavirus from Music City Counselor
• Coronavirus Talksheet from Counselor Keri
• PBS How to Talk to your Kid about Coronavirus
• Talking to Your Child About COVID-19: A Parent Resource

Social-Emotional Activities:

Many counselors around the country have been sharing resources for families to help with Social-Emotional Learning. The resources below are options to help. Please click on them as fun activities to help during this challenging time.

• SEL Scavenger Hunt
• 25 At Home Socio-Emotional Activities
• Centervention Website
• 30 Things Kids Can Do
• School Closure Wellness Activities
• SEL for K-2 (PowerPoint) - Counseling with Ms. Ramirez
• SEL for 3-5 (PowerPoint) - Counseling with Ms. Ramirez
• Howard B. Wigglebottom Books, Animated Books, Songs, Posters, and Lessons
• Giant List of Ideas for Being Home with Your Kids
• Supporting your Children’s Social, Emotional, and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• BrainPop Videos and Activities
• 10 Days of Live ‘Choose Love’ Lessons For Parents and Children
• Kindness Videos

Calming Activities

• Calm My Worry
• Coloring Pages
• Action for Happiness Coloring Posters
• Grounding Techniques Instructions
• Keys to Resiliency
• Coronavirus Stress Activities - from Bright Futures Counseling
• Mindfulness Choice Board - Free Download on Teachers Pay Teachers from Mindful Counselor Molly
• Yoga, Mindfulness and Relaxation Designed for Kids Aged 3+
• Videos for Sleep, Meditation, and Relaxation
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Kids
• Coping Skills Resources
• Mini Meditation
• Down Dog App (Yoga) - Free until April 1
• Feeling Anxious or Worried? Listen to These 8 Podcasts
• Apps, Games, Websites
• Device Free Dinner
• Free Calming Tools Website
• Whole Child Counseling Website

 Mental Health First Aid

• Self-Care/Mental Health (Covid-19)

• Love in a Time of Corona:A Homebound Self-Care Guide for Parents and Students - from School Counselor Stephanie
• ASCA Coronavirus Resources
• Ultimate Guide to Mental Health and Education Resources for Kids and Teens
• Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty
• 5 Ways to Help Teens Manage Anxiety about the Coronavirus
• Stress/Worry

Schedule Ideas

• Parent Academy K-2 Schedule

• COVID 19 Daily Schedule - From Amy on Instagram (allthings_lovelyxo)

Activities to do at Home

• GoNoodle

• BrainPOP
• Time for Kids (K-6)
• PBS Kids
• Ideas for Activities During School Closings
• Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video)
• ByrdseedTV (Educational Videos)
• Reading Eggs
• Epic! Digital Book Library (for kids 12 and under) (there is a cost - $7.99/month)
• Storyline - Streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations
• Best Music Apps and Games for Kids
• New Kids' TV Shows
• 50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12
• Best Family Movies
• Common Sense Selections highlighting the best movies and TV shows
• Sibling Watch-Together TV
• Best Documentaries for Kids and Families
• Common Sense Media (reviews for what your kids want to watch before they watch it)
• Write notes, letters, draw pictures to send or drop off at local nursing homes - the elderly in nursing homes aren’t allowed to have visitors right now and it will brighten their day!
• Scratch Jr. - Coding is the new literacy! With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer
• Code.org - Learn computer science
• Kodable - Programming for kids
• Hello Ruby - Hello Ruby is the world's most whimsical way to learn about computers, technology and programming. The story started with a book, and now Ruby continues her adventures in exercises, activities and videos. It’s suited for kids age 5 years and older (but even adults might learn something new)
• Public libraries - many public libraries have digital books you can rent for free on their websites, along with other resources
• Stick Figure Art YouTube channel
• 450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free
• Met to launch “Nightly Met Opera Streams” - A free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website during the coronavirus closure
• Emotional ABCs - We teach children ages 4-11 how to figure out WHAT they are feeling, WHY they are having that emotion, and HOW to make better choices
• TED-Ed Video Playlist - Sorted by categories
• Virtual Field Trips - Over 30 virtual field trips with links
• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
• Educational YouTube channels
• Unite for Literacy - free online audiobooks
• Cincinnati Zoo is Bringing the Zoo to You!
• 100 things to do while stuck inside due to a pandemic
• Story time from space
• 11 Amazing Places Around New York That You Can Virtually Travel To Without Ever Leaving Your Home
• Discover 10 Parks & Preserves in Albany County - Are you social distancing but want to get out of the house? If you are healthy, explore one of the parks or preserves in Albany County! Governor Cuomo announced that NYS will waive all park fees as of March 16, 2020
• Podcasts for Kids
• Calendar/list of live streams to watch
• Netflix Party Chrome extension - a Chrome extension for watching Netflix remotely with friends
• 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home
• 20 Virtual Field Trips
• Entertainment for a Quarantine
• Math card games
• Library of Congress digital collections
• NASA has made their entire media library - images, sounds, and video - public
• com - formerly stumbleupon, Mix is a social content curation site that allows you to collect articles, and content about specific interests or topics that you like. When you curate and add to your collections, your content is shared with friends and made discoverable to others on Mix who share similar interests.
• Use DuoLingo to learn a new language or practice one you already know!
• You Can Now Tour 2,500 World-Famous Museums From the Comfort of Your Own Sofa
• Free audiobooks
• The Actor’s Fund will be producing daily Broadway Virtual Concerts featuring stars of the stage and screen, singing and performing live (from home)! Tune in each day at 2pm and 8pm
• Getting outdoors and connecting with nature is a way to help maintain our physical and mental health (as long as you are maintaining social distancing!). Find a location near you at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
• The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with videos, activities, and games!
• Tour Yellowstone National Park
• Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover
• The Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs
• 40+ Best Indoor Activities from Busy Toddler
• Atlantic White Shark Conservancy story hour
• Wash Your Lyrics - Generate a hand washing lyrics meme based on your favorite song lyrics
• Google Earth Has Virtual Tours of 31 National Parks in the U.S.
• 50 Ways to Keep Kids Engaged at Home During the Coronavirus Shutdown
• Chris Field - live streaming Afternoon Adventures on Facebook every Monday-Friday until April 3rd at 3pm Eastern time (previous videos will be saved for viewing at any time)
• Coronavirus: Kids stuck at home should go on these virtual Disney World rides
• The Palace of Versailles is offering a free virtual tour
• Free virtual tours of museums, parks, and cities
• com - all stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet
• Coach Edson’s PE Classes on YouTube
•  

Crisis/Medical/Mental Health Resources:

 

• SEARHC 24/7 Crisis Hotline 1-877-294-0074

 

• Hopeline - A suicide prevention hotline available 24/7 @ 1-800-SUICIDE http://www.preventsuicide.us/hopeline-new/

 

• National Sexual Assault Hotline - A website and 24/7 hotline dedicated to helping those dealing with sexual assault. 1-800-656-HOPE http://www.rainn.org/

 

• SEARHC - Provider of physical and mental health services to the Prince of Wales community and southeast Alaska http://www.searhc.org

 

• Community Connections - Provider of mental health services to the Prince of Wales community and southeast Alaska http://comconnections.org/

 

• Denali KidCare - A health-insurance program for Alaskan children up to age 19 whose families meet set income guidelines http://dhss.alaska.gov/dhcs/Pages/denalikidcare/default.aspx

 

Drugs & Alcohol Resources:

 

• SEARHC - Provider of physical and mental health services to the Prince of Wales communities and southeast Alaskahttp://www.searhc.org

 

Parenting Resources:

 

• MVParents - A site designed for parents by the SEARCH Institute with great parenting tips and information on the 40 developmental assets http://www.mvparents.com

 

• American School Counselor Association Resources for Parents --A variety of articles for parents endorsed by the American School Counselor Association http://www.ascaschoolcounselor.org/article_section.asp?edition=91§ion=145

 

• Family Education - Information about communication, money, work, dating and relationships, drugs and alcohol, and safety issues http://www.familyeducation.com/home/

 

• Parenting Teens - Information and articles on parenting teenagers http://parentingteens.about.com/

 

• By Parents For Parents - Parenting resources written by fellow parents http://www.byparents-forparents.com/

 

• Council for Exceptional Children - Information on gifted students, students with disabilities, and students with exceptionalities https://www.cec.sped.org/

 

• National Parent-Teacher Association - Website for the National Parent-Teacher Association http://www.pta.org

 

• PowerSchool - Check your student's grades, attendance, and progress here. Username and password required. https://hbsd.powerschool.com/public/home.html

 

• Love and Logic - Develop strong parenting techniques and strategies https://www.loveandlogic.com