Small Moments, a blog about school counseling at Armstrong Elementary School
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The American Girl Doll Book Series

4/20/2016

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A few months ago, an Armstrong parent generously donated a couple of books from the American Girl Doll book series to my School Counselor library.  As someone with no daughters, I only have a vague sense of American Girl dolls, but I do know that they are beloved by many students at Armstrong.
 
Despite the appreciation of our students, I was dubious that a doll manufacturer could produce thoughtful, well-written literature.  So I thanked the parent for their donation, put the books in my closet, and forgot about them. 
 
A couple of months later, I found the books on my shelf, and despite my continued reluctance, I decided to give them a shot.  What I found was a series of books that do a really nice job of talking through the complexities of friendship, especially between girls. 
 
Of the books I read, the one I enjoyed most is called “Friendship Troubles.”  Targeting children eight and above, it talks through qualities to look for in a friend, resolving friendship conflicts, even bullying.  It is realistic about the expected range of emotions that come in the course of any relationship and is thoughtful about ways to process these feelings.  Most importantly, it encourages kids to never sacrifice their own values to maintain a troubled friendship. 
 
As our third grade students get ready to make the transition to Mill Pond, I encourage you to check out “Friendship Troubles,” part of the American Girl Doll book series.  And if you have other book recommendations, please consider passing them along!
 
Sincerely,
 
David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH:  (508) 836-7760     Email:  starrd@westboroughk12.org

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First Grade Bullying Awareness Lesson

4/12/2016

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Dear First Grade Parents and Guardians,

This week, we are discussing bullying in first grade.  Given the continued goal of improving bullying prevention and response in schools, it is not only incredibly important for us to begin to educate our students on bullying at an early age, it is also the law.

In our lesson, we defined bullying as repeated mean behaviors directed at another student.  Often, these actions make the target, or victim, feel scared, angry, upset, even powerless.

We read the book, “The Bully Blockers Club,” by Teresa Bateman.  In it, the main character tries a number of different strategies to get another student to stop bullying her.  In the end, asking for help from other students as well as her parents and teachers ends up being the best strategy to solve the problem.  We connected bullying to our discussion on dangerous and destructive behaviors from last week, and realized that when someone is hurting our feelings and we cannot solve the problem on our own, reaching out to friends and adults is an important next step. 

If you have a moment, please take time to review the definition of bullying with your children and remind them that if someone is ever hurting their feelings and they cannot get them to stop, it is important to tell a friend or adult.

Thank you for your help supporting this important lesson.

Sincerely,

David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School

PH:  508-836-7760, Email:  starrd@westboroughk12.org  

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Kindergarten Bullying Awareness Lesson

4/12/2016

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Dear Kindergarten Parents and Guardians,

This week, we are discussing bullying in kindergarten.  Given the continued goal of improving bullying prevention and response in schools, it is not only incredibly important for us to begin to educate our students about bullying at an early age, it is also the law.

In our lesson, we defined bullying as repeated mean behaviors directed at another person.  Often, these actions make the target, or victim, feel scared, angry, upset, even powerless.

We read the book “One,” by Kathryn Otoshi.  The book says that when it comes to resolving a bullying situation, everyone counts.  Bystanders play an important role.  They can be nice to the victim, help the victim get an adult, or even tell the student who is bullying to stop if they feel comfortable speaking up.   Students had a chance to write about and illustrate ways they could help someone who is being bullied.

If you have a moment, please review the definition of bullying with your children and encourage them to be active bystanders, people who do something to help those who are being bullied.

Thank you for your help reinforcing this important lesson.

Sincerely,

David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH:  508-836-7760, Email:  starrd@westboroughk12.org  


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Third Grade Bullying Awareness

4/6/2016

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​Dear Third Grade Parents and Guardians,

This week, we are discussing bullying in third grade.  Given the Massachusetts bullying legislation, it is not only incredibly important for us to begin to educate our students on bullying at an early age, but it is also the law.
 
In our lesson, we defined bullying as repeated unexpected behaviors directed at another student.  Often, these behaviors make the target, or victim of bullying, feel scared, angry, or upset.
 
As part of the lesson, we worked to define the roles people play in a bullying situation.  These include:

Person bullying:  Person doing the unexpected behaviors
Person who is the target:  Person experiencing the unexpected behaviors
Bystanders:  People who see the bullying happen
 
We read the book “Say Something,” by Peggy Moss.  The book talks about the role of a bystander in reaching out and supporting the target of bullying.   
 
Next time we meet, we will talk more about the role of bystanders in helping to stop bullying.  If you have a moment, please review with your children the roles students have in a bullying situation.
 
Thank you for your help supporting this important lesson.
 
Sincerely,
 David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH:  508-836-7760, Email:  starrd@westboroughk12.org  

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2nd Grade Bullying Awareness

4/6/2016

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Dear Second Grade Parents and Guardians,

This week, we are discussing bullying in second grade.  Given the Massachusetts bullying legislation, it is not only incredibly important for us to begin to educate our students on bullying at an early age, but is also the law.

For this lesson, students watched an episode from the show Arthur, a cartoon about the experience of a group of students in elementary school.  In the episode, Arthur, the main character, who is usually nice to his peers, starts to make fun of a friend for the sweater she is wearing.  It takes the work of his teacher, friends, and the target of the bullying for him to realize that what he thought was a joke was actually bullying.

As part of the lesson, the students took time to consider what made Arthur’s actions bullying.  They learned that when a person continues to tease someone even after they have been told to stop, it’s bullying.  The students shared their surprise that Arthur, who is usually a nice character, could become a bully.  They learned that anyone can make the mistake of teasing someone repeatedly without realizing how hurtful it can be.  We also highlighted the importance of the bystanders, the other friends who saw what was happening and worked to help the target.  Students learned that bystanders have a lot of power in a bullying situation.  They can make things worse by laughing at the actions of the bullying student.  Or they can work to help resolve the situation. 

If you have a moment, ask your child what they remember from the cartoon we watched.  You can even review the questions we discussed.  The episode can be found online by searching for “Arthur, So Funny I Forgot to Laugh,” and the questions we reviewed are:

  1. What made Arthur’s actions bullying?
  2. Were you surprised that a usually kind character like Arthur could become a bully, why or why not?
  3. Why do you think he bullied the girl in the video?
  4. In the end, who helped him figure out that what he was doing was wrong?

Thank you for your work reviewing this important lesson.
​
Sincerely,
David Starr
School Counselor, Armstrong Elementary School
PH:  508-836-7760              Email:  starrd@westboroughk12.org


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    David Starr is the School Counselor at Armstrong Elementary School in Westborough, MA.

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