Counseling

Hello Super Stars! My name is Meghan Greenwood and I am your school counselor. This is my sixth year at Sun Valley, and I love being a part of the Happy Lane Family! As an SRCS School Counselor, I am committed to providing support services for all students to enhance their academic, social/emotional and college and career growth. The goal of my counseling program is to ensure all students develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that will lead to behaviors that support academic achievement and social-emotional well-being.

Sun Valley's counseling program will provide a variety of services throughout the school year for students, parents, and families in order to support that growth. These services include:

• Classroom Guidance Lessons
• Short-term Individual Counseling
• Short-term Group Counseling
• Crisis Intervention
• Conflict Mediation
• Positive Behavior Support
• Community Referrals and Resources
• Student and Parent Workshops
• Consultation

Please email me if you have any questions about the counseling services provided at Sun Valley. If you would like to refer a student, please use the link located on the left hand side of this web page.

Sun Valley has a whole school curriculum intended to deepen our school community through common school wide language and lessons. Through monthly themes we emphasize the following aspects of social-emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Other parts of our program include:

• Monthly Themes. Every month we have a theme of focus for the entire school. Families will receive information on our themes each month so that you can reinforce social emotional activites and practices at home. Each week we have a "word of the week" that is related to our theme. Student can earn "shout outs" by showing particular citizenship traits realted to our themes during weekly announcements. We have schoolwide activities that correspond to themes as well as connect with social-emotional learning partners such as Beyond Differences, The Sandy Hook Project, The Great Kindness Challenge and more.

 

• Mindfulness. One of our most important school wide tools is mindfulness: paying attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity so that we can choose our behavior. We have a mindfulness coach that works in the classrooms and in small group settings on developing mindful strategies students can use anytime. Our teachers use mindfulness throughout the day to help kids stay calm and focused.

 

• Guidance Lessons. Throughout the year, students will be joined by the counselor in their classroom to teach mini lessons on topics such as empathy, emotional regulation, and effective problem solving. We use a variety of social emotional tools including Soul Shoppe, Second Step, Kimochis, Zones of Regulation, Positive Powers and Digital Citizenship. Check out the Resource Section for more information on these programs.

 

• Groups. Placing students into small groups for focused lessons and activities provides more in depth practice on key student success skills. Kinders, 1st and 2nd graders take part in "friendship clubs." These groups give children a chance to practice social skills such as taking turns, active listening, joining in a group, and making new friends. For 3rd, 4th, and 5th grader groups we tend to focus on leadership skills and personal empowerment. Through games and crafts we cover topics such as setting personal goals, managing difficult emotions, effective team work, building self-confidence, and being an assertive communicator. We also have specialized groups that focus on executive skills (such as focus, concentration, and impulse control) and stress management. We have a fun, interactive curriculum that helps kids see the value in taking control of their actions so that they can chose behavior wisely.

 

• Restorative Circles. Circles are a structured way of helping students get to the heart of an issue. Teachers, parents, or students can call a circle anytime they need help building or restoring a relationship. This could be because of a conflict, misunderstanding, or disagreement between students. It could also be because a child is feeling lonely or left out, and we are looking for ways to build new friendships. During a circle, we do not focus on past problems, but rather look at ways we can support each other moving forward. We also have specialized techniques if we are dealing with a bullying type situation.

 

• Peace Partners. Peace Partners are students who serve as role models in our school community during their lunch and recess breaks a few times each week. They receive training in problem solving, and they often help out when there is a conflict between students. They also help oversee our Buddy Bench, and they are always on the look out for students that might need help finding or making a new friend.

 

• Consultations and Individual Counseling. I am available to help process or problem solve situations unique to your child and family, and do work with students in individual settings. School counseling is not the same as child therapy, social work, or school psychological services. I can, however, provide a community resource list if this is the type of support you believe is needed for your child.

 

 

School counselors work with students on a range of issues from school work to classroom behavioral concerns to social relationships such as navigating friendships and bullying to emotional hurdles that make focusing on school challenging. It is appropriate for a school counselor to work with a child if something is going on in their life that is directly affecting their schoolwork or experience on campus.  School counseling is different from school psychological services and child therapy. As a school counselor, I follow the ASCA (American School Counseling Association) National Model which has a set of 35 mindsets and behavior standards that we address in working with children. Check them out here! 

May Counselor's Corner

April Counselor's Corner

February Counselor's Corner

December Counselor's Corner

November Counselor's Corner

October Counselor's Corner

September Counselor's Corner

 

 

 

Our school is interested in the behavioral and emotional health of our students. This year, Sun Valley will be participating in a brief universal screening survey for measuring behavioral and emotional strengths and weaknesses in adolescents called CoVitality. The 5th Grade students will be taking this survey the week of October 24th and then repeat the survey in the Spring. This survey has been approved by San Rafael City Schools in collaboration with researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

 

You can learn more about Covitality from the following links:

Covitality Website

Covitality Research

Covitality Brief Video

Covitality Brief Slideshow

Covitality Survey Items

 

Assessing the behavioral and emotional functioning of adolescents helps to promote student success. Academic difficulties, along with challenges associated with developing and maintaining positive relationships with others, can be the result of underlying behavioral and emotional factors. When caught early, any difficulties can be addressed before negatively affecting an adolescent.

 

Your child does not have to participate. Participation in the survey is voluntary and opting out will not impact your child’s academic status or access to services. Prior to taking the survey, all students will be informed that participation is voluntary and that opting out will in no way impact their standing at school. All information collected will be kept confidential.

Covitality Passive Consent Form 2022-2023

Sun Valley has developed our social-emotional learning program by selecting CASEL approved curriculum, guidelines, and domains. This comprehensive framework includes promoting self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. You can learn more about this framework by clicking the link below.