Counselor’s Corner
2016 Personal Safety
Staying Calm: Both good
decision-making and the
ability to pull strategies
from our brain in certain
situations greatly depends
if we know how to calm
ourselves.
Just like practicing reading or math facts, we too, need to practice calming strategies: *Practice deep breathing with your child. Breathe in through your nose and blow out stress through your mouth. *Use positive thinking. “I can do this!” “I’m brave, I have courage!” *Go for a walk or drink a cold glass of water. Safety Websites You can find great resources, free downloads, and information about …………. *Family Watchdog www.thesafeside.com *ikeepsafe http://ikeepsafe.org/parents/ Safety Apps *Mama Bear Family Safety *Family GPS Tracker *FBI Child ID May’s Guidance Lessons As the warmer weather comes upon us, students are busy playing outside, going to parks, visiting the zoo, and traveling with their families to fun vacation spots. We want to empower our students to make wise healthy decisions as well as think about stranger safety tips to keep themselves safe especially during these summer months. Below are some important safety points that students have already or will discuss and strategies that have been role-­‐played... *A stranger is someone that you don’t know. *Always be aware of who is around you. *Be aware of tricks. *Never open the door for a stranger. *Use the buddy system; try not to go anywhere alone. *Never go anywhere with anyone unless you have your parent’s permission. *If someone tries to touch you in a private part that is covered by a bathing suit, Say, “no”, get away, and tell a trusted adult. *If you get lost in a store or park, go to someone who works there for help. *Say “no”, change the subject, walk away, or distract a friend that tries to encourage you to make an unhealthy choice. *If a stranger grabs you, yell, “This is not my mom, this is not my dad!” Parenting Book Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe by Gavin de Becker. This pretty intense book creates an awareness of potential dangers and provides parents with the knowledge necessary for prevention and control. A Resource for Parents
Laurie Coon, Glacier Ridge School Counselor
coon_laurie@dublinschools.net
(614) 718-8893
As we definitely do not want to scare our students, this would be a great time for you as parents to sit down with your children and talk about family safety plans. Review and role-­‐play stranger safety scenarios with your children. Upcoming Events *Register for the 4th Annual SOAR (Dublin Special Olympics Annual Run) 5k/1-­‐
Mile Walk on May 14th! Follow the link below to register: https://dublinsoar5k.itsyourrace.com/register/ *GRE Talent Show: Register for the talent show at http://tinyurl.com/h3m2lo4 The deadline to register online is Thursday, May 12, 2016. Follow me on twitter @gre138 and don’t forget to check out the Guidance Webpage for more information about classroom lessons, parent resources, student resources, and much more! http://www.dublinschools.net/Laurie.Coon.aspx