And just like that, we are into February!  Responsibility is the theme for most of the guidance classes this month.  This is such an important pillar for character!  There are so many other characteristics tied to it, as well.  I hope you notice your student making an extra effort to be responsible.  Kindergarten transition will have a power point called, "That's Not My Cape."  They will then play a game reinforcing what they have learned in the power point.  First grade will have a power point from their safari friends that demonstrates the importance of being responsible.  They will then play a game of musical chairs.  Whenever a student is out, they will draw a card and decide whether that card demonstrates a responsible behavior.  Second grade has a power point that lists behaviors that will help a person be responsible.  Then they will play a game where they are divided into 4 teams.  Each team has to decide if the case scenario read aloud in showing responsible behaviors or not.  If the behavior is responsible one student from each team will race to get a pineapple card.  The team with the most cards at the end wins.  Third grade is playing a power point game where they determine responsible behaviors.  Kindergarten is focusing on tattle telling.  We have a dinosaur story to review and then will be playing a game to determine if certain scenarios are a "tell" or "don't tell" situation.
      Teaching our kids to be responsible is an ongoing situation (at least in my home it is.)  As I may have mentioned before, laundry is the usual hot topic when it comes to chores-as in bring your laundry to the laundry room.  I wish I had a dollar for every time that I have said, "If it's not in my laundry room, then it doesn't get washed."  I would be independently wealthy!  My statement doesn't seem to have much meaning until there is an immediate crisis, such as no clean underwear!  There is a phrase that states: "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."  Ouch!  That is a rough way to learn a lesson.  Yet there are those kids that will make that mistake over and over.  Yes, I have one of those living in my home.  Sometimes it does seem like I am talking to a concrete wall, but I'm not going to stop because I feel that way.  I hope you don't either.  Here is an article from the Focus on the Family website that gives suggestions for age appropriate chores.  There are some hyper links within the lists that offer suggestions to implement that particular chore.
www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting-challenges/motivating-kids-to-clean-up/age-appropriate-chores
     As always, please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help.  I can be reached at kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or (270)684-7583.

     Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful break filled with many blessings!  January is usually a time when we reflect on the past and set new goals for the future.  Personally, I have never been very successful at doing this.  I seem to set my mind to doing something at random times.  Sometimes it's the beginning of the school year.  Sometimes it's in the middle of some random week that's not really related to anything.  But which is more important: setting a new goal at the beginning of the year or just setting a goal and working towards it?  Maybe it depends on the particular goal or the motivation to reach it.  Either way, I have found a great article for setting a goal regarding prayer.  I think it's a good one to read at the beginning of the year and then reread as needed.  Since it talks about "asking Him to wreck your plans and to replace them with HIS," I will probably reread it weekly and sometimes daily.  So set your goals!  Work hard to reach them.  If you mess up just pick your self back up and keep going.  As I have told the students repeatedly, no one is perfect except God.  And remember the phrase, "We plan, God laughs."  Oh, He can have a very amusing sense of humor at times!  Here is the link to the article: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/how-to-pray-even-bigger-in-the-year-ahead
     It is hard to believe that the first half of the school year is over. The students are getting back into their routines and the learning continues.  This month in guidance class, we are learning about coping skills.  In the guidance world, this is sometimes referred to as "mindfulness," which is knowing where your body is in space and time as well as what you are feeling and doing.  Often times, when a child gets upset, we will tell a student "You can't do that" or "You can't do this."  My goal is to teach them what they CAN do when they are upset, angry, sad or however they are feeling.  Now does that mean that they will automatically using these skills when needed?  The answer is "No."  That is where we, as adults-parents, teachers, coaches, youth ministers, etc. have to help guide them.  Think about your New Year's resolutions.  Are you doing your resolutions naturally, with no reminders?  My guess is "No."  If you were, they probably would not be considered New Year's resolutions?  My hopes are that we, as the adults, will remind them of whichever skills they need to/want to use.  And when I say remind them, I mean over and over and over...I think you get the picture!  So here is what we are learning.
     *Kindergarten will be reading the "Worry Mammoth," learning about "bubble breathing," drawing about their concerns and using "worry eggs" to store their worries.  "Bubble breathing" is slow, deep breathing as if the person is blowing bubbles.  The longer and slower the breathe, the bigger the bubble.  (We might even be blowing some actual bubbles!)  A "Worry Egg" is an Easter egg, that can be decorated and can "hold" worries for a person.  By writing/drawing the worry down and putting it in the egg, it is giving the person "permission" to not think about the worry because it is safely stored in the egg.  They can come back to talk about the worry, at an appropriate time.
     *Kindergarten Transition will talk about the Incredible Hulk and what happens to him when he gets really mad.  Then they will learn breathing exercises that can help them calm down.  We will use a cartoon illustration of the Hulk to identify what happens to our bodies when we get upset.  We will learn and practice deep breathing and "bee breathing," which is making the sound of a bee when exhaling.
     *First Grade will learn and practice four different coping skills, taught by their safari friends, that can help them when they are upset.  There is "buffalo breathing, giraffe journaling, parakeet positivity and chimp chatting.  "Buffalo breathing" is a deep breathing technique.  "Giraffe journaling" is imagining that you are high above the situation and looking at it from a different perspective.  "Parakeet positivity" is using positive affirmations to help overcome the situation.  "Chimp chatting" is talking with a trusted family member, adult or friend about the situation causing distress.
     *Second grade will be doing coping skills centers where they will learn about various ways to cope with stressful situations.  The stations are listed below:
          -Helicopter View-Looking at the situation from a different viewpoint.
          -Imagery-Visualizing a calm and peaceful place and immersing all your senses into that image.
          -Art-Creating art as a way to express feelings.
          -Grounding-Using your senses to pay attention to your surroundings.
          -Body Scan-Learning how to figure out how your body is feeling at that moment.
          -Breathing Deeply-Practicing breathing using bubbles and pinwheels.
     *Third grade will learn specifically about anger, what triggers angry feelings and what to do when feeling angry.  The students will play a "scoot" game to help determine what triggers their anger and then skills to calm down, which are the following:
          -Counting backwards
          -"Hocus Pocus" breathing
          -Pushing on a wall
          -Squeezing a stress ball
          -Listening to music
          -Writing in a journal
          -Doing some exercises
          -Picture a peaceful place
I think all of the lessons will be fun and interactive for the students.  Make sure to ask you child/children what they learned in guidance class!
      May God bless you and your family throughout the year!  As always, please contact me if you have any questions or need any help.  kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or (270) 684-7583

    "Be kind."  Have you seen all the signs around town saying, "Be kind"?  I love it!  A saying so simple yet so strong and very much needed in today's world.  Kindness is the focus of the guidance lessons for the month of December and a big emphasis for what we are doing during Advent, at the K-3 Campus.  In every lesson, we discuss the "ripple effect" and how each student has the power to cause a "ripple effect" through their kind actions.  Kindergarten will be reading a story about the "Do Good Dragons" and play a game that reinforces showing acts of kindness.  The kindergarten transition through 3rd grade classes will be reading the story "He Was Kind Anyway."  The kindergarten transition class will learn how superheros are kind and villains are unkind.  Then they will play a game where they decide if various actions are those of superheros or villains.  The first grade students will play a game similar to musical chairs but instead of being out when the music stops, they have to draw a case scenario from a cup and decide how they could show kindness in that particular situation and talk about whether or not showing kindness in that situation would be difficult our easy.  The second grade students will do a  little science experiment where they are given a picture of an object and are asked to pretend that they don't know what it is.  (The four groups are given different pictures of pineapples.)  After answering some questions, we talk about how you cannot judge a person by their exterior and sometimes actions, as well,  just as you cannot know the sweet fruit of a pineapple by looking at its exterior.  By being kind, even to the mean, snarky people, we can get to know them and help them.  Third grade students also will do a little science experiment!  The students watch as one drop of food coloring is added to a clear bowl of water.  We talk about what happens to the dye and slowly add more drops of dye.  Very slowly, the water changes color.  We compare acts of kindness to the drops of dye and discuss how our acts of kindness slowly spread more kindness to others.  The students then write two positive affirmation statements on white paper.  They wad up their two sheets of paper and have a quick "snow ball" fight.  At the end, each student picks up two "snow balls" and read the positive affirmations, which makes them feel good!  They then make a "cool to be kind" snowman.  There are some very interactive lessons this month.
     The month of December is always so exciting but always so busy.  It is too easy to get wrapped up in all the programs, parties and other festivities.  I hope everyone (myself included) is able to take a moment and truly enjoy the season and especially Christmas day!  Here is an article to help promote that thought.  (It also touches on the "being thankful" attitude that I mentioned last month.) www.foxnews.com/opinion/mom-didnt-enjoy-her-last-christmas-with-all-of-her-kids-and-thats-ok  Here is another article that tackles focusing on the "miracle and not the material."  www.foxnews.com/opinion/give-your-kids-what-they-really-want-this-christmas  There was a link inside the previous article that had suggestions for random acts of kindnesses that families can do together.  There really are some sweet ideas on the list.  Here is the link: https://courtneydefeo.com/lightemup/
     I hope that you all have a blessed and peaceful Christmas and a New Year that brings even more blessings and peace!  As always, feel free to contact me at kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or at (270) 684-7583

    

     In a recent reflection from The Word Among Us, the author asked the readers to think about what they would have if they only had what they had given thanks for the previous day.  That stopped me in my tracks!  It was a very effective way to drive home the point that I should be thankful and grateful in all that I do.  Yes that includes even the very trying situations that we face in this life.  A very good friend has been teaching me to find the positive in situations that aren't the greatest.  In truth, these not so favorable situations do have valuable lessons to learn.  Those lessons help gain wisdom that can help me and others down the road.  So yes, I need to be more thankful for the good and the bad.  (Although, there are some situations that I don't know that I would ever be thankful for such as natural disasters and personal tragedies.)  After reading that, I began to think about everything for which I needed to be grateful.  Then I began to think about how I need to teach this to my kids more, as well.  In thinking about the various ways to teach gratitude and looking at different articles that address the topic, the reality is that that this is more than saying "please" and "thank you."  True thankfulness and gratitude includes being appreciative of others and having patience as well as counting your blessings.  The Focus on the Family website has a series called "Training Kids To Be Thankful."  The articles address these issues and offer a variety of practical ways to teach kids how to be thankful in the "me-centered" world.  https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual-growth-for-kids/gratitude/training-kids-to-be-grateful
     This month in guidance classes, we're  focusing on feelings, with a Thanksgiving twist.  Kindergarten students will see a power point about a dinosaur friend named Cryceratop and then create a small "Thanksgiving themed" book about feelings. The kindergarten transition class will be the first to have guidance centers, all focusing on feelings.  Each activity will have a fall/Thanksgiving theme.  First grade has a Safari Friends "Name That Feeling" game (very similar to Jeopardy).  The second grade students will be watching video clips from the movie, "Inside Out" and then playing a Thanksgiving feeling bingo game.  The kindergarten through second grade lessons teach students to look at body language and facial expressions to help determine how a person may be feeling.  The third grade students have a power point from the Hocus Pocus series, titled "Emotions Potions.  Students will learn the steps for voicing how they feel, in a non-confrontive way.  The students will then play a feeings story telling game, using scarecrow feelings cards.
     I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful to work with such amazing children and awesome staff at the K-3 Campus.  Please contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.  kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org  or (270)- 684-7583 

     Happy Fall!  October is both Bully Awareness month and National Substance Abuse Prevention month.  Here at the K-3 Campus, we used to participate in Red Ribbon Week.  However, we found that many of the students just didn't "get" the whole point of Red Ribbon Week.  Sometimes we got a lot of questions concerning drugs and alcohol because they were unaware of them.  That's a good thing!  Last year we decided to have lessons about bullying during the month of October.  I want to continue the topic and expand it a little more to cyber bullying and internet safety.  While the internet can be an amazing thing to explore, it can also be very scary.  Internet safety is something that I have always tried to sprinkle into lessons, when it was appropriate.  As the number of children on the internet grows, here are some statistics to give some perspective to the topic.  According to growingwireless.com, 56% of children ages 8 to 12 have a cellphone.  Among children 8 years and younger 21% use  smartphones.  38% of children under the age of 2 use a mobile device for media purposes.  According to guardchild.com, 21% of kindergarten to second grade students have cell phones.  70% of children ages 7 to 18 have accidentally encountered online pornography.  65% of 8 to 14 year olds have been in a cyber bullying incident. Children are stepping into a world where they think they can safely play.  In reality, more and more children (and sometimes very young children) are exposed to the dangers of the internet.  I feel that it is an important topic that needs to be discussed.  In their guidance lessons, they will be introduced to some basic rules for internet safety.  The curriculum comes from the NetSmartz Workshop resources created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  Guidance lessons will be in the Chromebook lab.  There will be two lessons this month.  In the first lesson, the students will watch a video called, "Router's Birthday Surprise."  The video has fun, age appropriate characters that learn about rules that address what they should do if they:
     *see something inappropriate online
     *are asked to share personal information
     *are asked to meet offline
     *encounter a cyberbully
Students will also learn about four "out-laws," who they may encounter while on the internet;
     *Meet-Me Mack who encourages people to meet face-to-face
     *Look-At-Dis Louie who tries to get people to look at sites, images, etc. that could make them
       feel "sad, scared or confused"
     *Potty-Mouth Pete who encourages people to be mean or rude online
     *Wanta-Know Wally who encourages people to share personal information
After watching the video students will complete some activities to reinforce what they have learned and also be allowed to explore the NetSmatzKids.org website which is a kid friendly website that focuses on the concepts taught in the lessons.  I hope that the lessons create boundaries for kids when they are on line and that these boundaries will stick with them as they grow!
     Parenting with the internet has created a new challenge.  As I tell my kids, my version of snap chat was writing everything on a piece of notebook paper and folding it in a variety of creative ways.  We did not face the challenges that our young people face today.  I encourage you to visit the websites listed above.  There are some excellent resources for parents.  Here are a few more links to some resources for various online topics.  https://www.netsmartz.org/TrendsandTopics  Here is another article about dangerous apps.  https://foreverymom.com/family-parenting/6-dangerous-apps-jenny-rapson/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Mique&utm_campaign=danger+apps
     As always, please feel free to contact me at kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or (270) 684-7583.   I hope everyone has a very blessed and restful fall break!

     Welcome to a new school year!  I hope that everyone has had a great start to the school year.  Before I go any farther, I would like to introduce myself to any new families.  My name is Kim Bennett and I am the guidance counselor at the K-3 Campus.  This is my 7th year in the Owensboro Catholic Schools.  I divided my time between the K-3 Campus and the 4-6 Campus for the first five years.  This is my second year being at the K-3 Campus full time.  I teach monthly guidance lessons to the students, and the focus of each lesson is always included in my monthly blog.   My husband is Dan Bennett and I am the mother of four: Noah, Jonah, Allison and Anna Claire.  It is a blessing to be able to work in the Owensboro Catholic School system!
     By this time, students should be getting settled into a routine for school.  Having a consistent morning routine, bedtime and homework schedule will help a lot, in this area.  With that being said, I know that consistent routines can be very difficult at times and even seem impossible at times.  Sometimes you have to "shoot for the moon and hope you land among the stars"-just do your best, that's all any of us can do.
     The beginning of the school year can be so difficult, on many levels.  For some (and this would be me!), it can be difficult because we are saying good bye to the lazy days of summer.  For some, it is the dread of school work and homework.  And for some, it is the "letting go" process, which can be very difficult.  I noticed on my Facebook feed that there were lots of parents struggling with watching their little one go off to school.  If you are reading this, then chances are, you have been through this stage, to some degree.  Some parents cannot wait for their child to start school, while some cry more than the student does.  There is no right or wrong, regarding feelings, in this situation.  But I can assure you that each of the students are walking into a classroom where there is an adult ready to take on several roles, first and foremost being an educator.  There is an adult who can not wait to watch their students' minds grow.  There is an adult who is excited to watch them mature throughout the year.  There is an adult who will guide each student to where they need to go.  There is an adult to help them if there is a problem and rejoice with them when they succeed.  There is an adult who will be a shoulder to cry on and who will be a cheerleader for motivation.  That adult is called a teacher.  Having experienced seven beginnings of school years here at OCS, I can tell you that the teachers pray for the students, their families and the upcoming year, before the year even begins.  So whether your child laughed and skipped as they got out of the car or onto the bus that first morning or resisted letting go of your hand, your child is surrounded by adults who love them and have made it their mission to educate them, through Christ, in which all things are possible!
     So on with the guidance lessons!  The kindergarten lessons come from the "Dino-mite Students" curriculum.  All of these lessons have a dinosaur theme.  In this month's lesson, the class will be introduced to the guidance program and the various ways that I may work with students.  We will also talk about making friends and what a good friend looks like.  Each lesson usually begins with a short power point presentation that introduces our theme.  After the power point, there will be some type of activity.  This month the students will be working on a coloring sheet.  In later lessons, we also will have some cool games to play, as well!
      First grade lessons also focus on making and keeping friends.  The first grade lessons come from the "Counseling Safari" curriculum.  There are safari friends that introduce and talk about the monthly topic.   After watching the power point, the students will play a few games of musical chairs.  One game has people "get out" while the second game does not let anyone "get out."
      Second grade lessons come from the "Pineapple Posse" curriculum.  All of these lessons have a pineapple theme.  "Pineapple Posse" frequently uses acronyms to help student remember the topic of focus.  After watching the power point, students will make a flip book about how to be a great "pal."
      Third grade lessons come from the "Hocus Pocus" curriculum.  These are magic themed lessons.  After watching the power point presentation, students will participate in an interactive google slide activity that will help them with friendship skills.
     There is going to be lots of learning going on in the month of September!  Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help your student(s) and/or family.  I can be reached through email: kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or by calling the school at (270)-684-7583.

                                                                   I hope you have a blessed September!

     We have finally made it to May and as of this posting, there are 20 days of school left!  AND we are finally beginning to have warm, spring weather!  We are on the down hill stretch!  We are wrapping things up in guidance classes. The focus for the kindergarten students is growth mindset.  They will watch a power point and then participate in a small group challenge that will encourage them to practice what they have learned.  Both first and second grades will be reflecting on what they have learned and accomplished throughout the year.  Each grade level has a fun activity to complete, which will help them reflect.  The third grade students will play a jeopardy game that focuses on growth mindset.
     With summer getting close, I have been thinking about various activities that I would like to add to my "Summer 2018 bucket list."  Schedules can still be somewhat hectic with extra curricular activities, but I am certain that I will hear that dreaded phrase: "I'm bored."   I think this is something every kid has said at some point or another during summer break.  (If your child has never said this, count yourself one of the blessed few.)  When I was little, I made the phrase into a song, that drove my mother crazy.  Sometimes I would get suggestions of what I could do and sometimes I was left to figure it out on my own.  In revisiting my previous end of the year blogs, I talked about how it is not the parents sole responsibility to keep a child entertained.  I still stand by that!  We are parents, not the children's activities director at a camp or on a cruise ship.  It is ok to encourage your child to entertain themselves from time to time.  In doing this, you are helping your child develop skills that will be used throughout their lives.  Problem solving skills, social skills and creative thinking to name a few.   Here is a website that offers many ideas for pool noodles (not all of them require a pool!)  https://www.themaven.net/kidsactivities/kidsactivities/21-ways-to-play-with-pool-noodles-this-summer-8YfUOavD_kGF0g5cV8LVTw?full=1  Here is an article with activity ideas using Dollar Store finds.  https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/29-dollar-store-finds-that-will-keep-your-kids-busy-all-summ?bffb&utm_term=.dgZEPGD9x#.qkvlW7gNM  Here is one last article that warns about some dangerous apps, that may be on a child's device.  https://foreverymom.com/family-parenting/6-dangerous-apps-jenny-rapson/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Mique&utm_campaign=danger+apps  I'm not certain how old this article is and may have used it before, however it never hurts to throw out a reminder of the dangers of the internet.   It can be too easy to let kids play on devices for long periods of times.  What may seem like a peaceful time for an adult, can actually be very dangerous for kids.  It can seem like an uphill battle because the internet is constantly changing.  Some of the apps mentioned in the article may not be as popular now, but it doesn't hurt to revisit the security settings on devices!
     I hope that everyone has a wonderful and restful summer break!  Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way!   -Kim Bennett, Guidance Counselor, K-3 Campus