 |
My Home Page
|
|
Welcome!  
My name is Ms. Sauers and I am pleased and excited to be starting my second year as Advocate at St. John Neumann Catholic School! I look forward to another wonderful year! A school advocate is one in the same as a school counselor. My role is to support and advocate for the needs of our school's children and their families. As a school advocate it is my responsibility to become involved in the many different aspects of "school-life". This includes helping children succeed as a student, have healthy relationships with their peers, as well as promoting positive morals and values in each student. I can help students with any personal, peer, home or family issues that may be troubling them, may effect their ability to focus on school, as well as being available to any student who may simply want to talk and say what is on their mind. Here at St. John Neumann I am part of team. I work closely with the school faculty as well as families to best serve the students. As advocate I offer the following: Individual Counseling: To deal with issues of grief, anger, behavior, friends, change/transition, academics, stress and anything else that may be a concern. Small Group Counseling: Throughout the year I hold several small groups. Small groups consist of about 6-8 students who share similar needs or interests. These groups meet weekly for about six sessions. Kids feel comfortable being able to talk and share in a safe setting with a small group of their peers. Counseling can be set up as regular weekly sessions and/or on an "as-needed" basis. Sometimes kids just have a bad day or may be going through a hard time and want someone to talk to. Referrals to community agencies: When outside help is needed, I can help connect students and families to outside agencies or organizations. Classroom Lessons: As counselor I also go into classrooms often. I observe the kids and how they interact and relate to their peers. I also arrange for a variety of guest speakers from the community to present to our students on a variety of important issues. Topics include internet safety, drug awareness, helmet and seatbelt safety, anti-bullying and leadership. Throughout the year I visit all the classes to present on a variety of age-appropriate lessons. Topics include understanding emotions, how to say no to peer pressure, as well as to reinforce or prepare the students for the topics presented by outside guest speakers. With younger students I have a variety of wonderful picture books that help illustrate topics. I ask questions and may follow-up with a game or worksheet to help kids learn and understand the message. With the older kids open class discussions are very effective. I present topics with either a short video or story. I give the kids time to pause and reflect by writing short answers on a worksheet. I then open a forum for kids to express and share their own thoughts, experiences and opinions. It is important for kids to learn that they are not alone in their feelings and experiences. Often kids can learn from and help one another. Field Trips - Each year I arrange field trips to visit different places in the community. In the past I have taken grade six to Camp Stella Maris for a day of team-building experiences. I also regularly take grade six to visit Catholic middle-schools that they may like to attend once they graduate St. John Neumann. Counseling is open to all students. Individual and group counseling is voluntary. Before regular counseling sessions begin I will obtain consent from the parent/guardian. Never hesitate to call or email me with any concerns, questions or ideas. ksauers@dordcs.org
My Web Site!
 |
