Counselor's Corner

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) News:

Thank you, students and faculty, for implementing our PRIDE expectations each day at Magnolia. Students take pride in demonstrating our school-wide expectations, which are Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Empathy. Students can earn PRIDE cards for following expectations. They can redeem their PRIDE cards for prizes, gift cards, and even a trip to our amazing PRIDE game room on Fridays at lunch if they earn 10 cards or more. Keep up the great work, Mustangs!

Request for Support:

Students, families, and staff members have been utilizing our Request for Support QR code when they need assistance or support. Please reach out to us if one of our students at Magnolia has a concern or is struggling by completing the referral form using the QR code below. We will get in contact with you soon.

Social skills are used in social interactions that assist a person in communicating with others in a meaningful way. Social skills are closely related to Emotional Intelligence, which involves the ability to perceive, assess, and positively influence one’s own emotions along with other people’s emotions. For some, social skills come easily and naturally. For others, social skill building is a more difficult process. It may take extra guidance and practice for these skills to become integrated into a person’s natural behavior. No matter who you are, it is always good to practice these important life skills.

Here are some ways to strengthen and reinforce social skills:

• Teach conversation skills. Practice saying hello, asking questions, and keeping the conversation going.
• Teach your child to ask for the name of the person they are interacting with. Using names when talking makes others feel important.
• Teach your child to give honest compliments.
• Discourage bossiness and encourage your child to allow friends to select activities from time to time.
• Teach your child to use “I statements” when in a conflict: “I feel ___ when you___, so please ___.”
• Teach your child to look friendly by smiling.
• Help your child understand the concept of boundaries, respecting space, and ensuring that others are respecting their boundaries as well.
• Teach your child to make eye contact.
• Listen to your child when they share conflicts. However, instead of trying to fix the problem, you can say, “Hmm, you sound upset. What are you going to do about that?” This validates your child’s feelings and communicates that you believe your child has conflict resolution skills.

Remember, as a parent/guardian, you are the most important model for your child’s social development. Children learn by watching and practicing what adults do. By speaking kindly to your children, you are teaching them to speak kindly to others. Be sure to model for them what appropriate interactions look like. I encourage you to practice these skills with your children over the spring and summer months. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's social skills, feel free to contact me for more resources and support.