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Guidance Corner

The Guidance Counselor at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic School provides short-term individual and small group guidance lessons that address academic and personal success. The Counselor provides classroom guidance lessons that include respect, bullying, conflict resolution/problem solving, study skills/test taking skills, and character education.  Communication between the Guidance Counselor and parents is vital. If you have a concern about your child, please call or email.

Guidance Resources

 

August 2023 - Back to School Conversations: Click HERE for some great dinner table conversation starters for the BTS season!

September 2023 - National Start with Hello: Click HERE to learn more about how StMM is helping students get connected with one another while avoiding social isolation. 

October 2023- Respect:  The guidance lessons for the month of October focused on respecting ourselves and others. In the younger grades, the students read the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today, by Carol McCloud, and through class discussion developed ways they can each show respect and kindness to those around them. In middle school, the students identified the types of disrespect we may see and hear in school and discussed the positive attributes of a respectful school community. StMM’s seminarian, Robert Lane, read from the Bible and highlighted a parable where Jesus was able to teach that earthly circumstances can be seen as showing disrespect against God. When we disrespect each other, we are disrespecting God, but if we are willing to repent and sin no more, then God will grant us mercy.

November 2023- Gratitude: November is the time of year to focus on having an “attitude of gratitude”. Recently, guidance lessons focused on developing a habit of gratitude. Gratitude can boost your ability to learn, balance out negative emotions, increase self-esteem, lead to better relationships and a more caring attitude toward self and others. Middle School students spent time thinking about what they were grateful for while playing Gratitude Jenga. The elementary grades focused on drawing thankful turkeys filled with drawings of what they are thankful for. We can all focus on showing more gratitude by writing thankful notes to others, including gratitude to God in our prayers, and keeping a gratitude journal.  These are just a few ideas to create an “attitude of gratitude”.

December 2023- Empathy: Click HERE to read more about this month's guidance lessons focused on empathy and understanding others’ feelings. To try and understand others and love them is more than just being kind to others. 

Questions?  Contact Nikki Curliss, Guidance Counselor