Guidance
A Snap Shot of the Swanton School Guidance Counseling Program
The Swanton School Guidance Counseling Program is designed to meet the needs of all students in grades K through 6. School counselors work together with teachers, staff, families and students to help students be successful in school.
Our School Guidance Counselors provide:
- Developmental classroom guidance lessons for all students. The lessons are based on the Vermont Framework, Health Standards. Topics may include: Feelings Vocabulary, Friendship and Social Skills, Conflict and Problem Solving, Bullying Prevention, Diversity, Tobacco Prevention, and Personal Growth and Safety. Research-based Programs are used to complement the lessons. These may include, Second Step, Know Your Body, Child -Lures Prevention Program and Botvin’s Life Skills.
- Facilitation of Small Groups– Topics may include friendship, team building, working together, tobacco prevention and anti-bullying.
- Short-term supportive counseling.
- Consultation and support to Parents, and information about community resources.
- Coordination and consultation with all school staff.
- Cindy Rose supports classrooms at the Babcock building, (Kindergarten through Second grades). She can be reached at 868-4920, X110 or e-mail at [email protected]
- Katy Thompson supports the 5th and 6th grades. She can be reached at 868-5346, X244 or e-mail at [email protected]
- Sandra Simmons supports the 3rd and 4th grades. She can be reached at 868-5346, X211 or e-mail at [email protected]
Dear Parents and Friends,
As of July of 2011 Act 1 requires schools to teach children how to recognize child sexual abuse and what to do about it if it occurs. Beginning this year we will be teaching these important concepts in all grades, from kindergarten through sixth grades. These lessons will begin in the next few weeks.
In order to best teach personal safety, our school implemented the Think First & Stay Safe program by Child Lures Prevention of Shelburne, Vermont, back in 2009. This acclaimed personal safety program is currently taught in over 5,000 school systems nationwide. You may have seen Child Lures Prevention profiled on such television programs as Oprah, CNN, MSNBC, NBC Today and CBS News.
The Think First & Stay Safe program teaches students to identify and outsmart the lures that are consistently used in predatory crimes against children. Students learn essential personal safety skills to improve their self-reliance and raise their self-esteem. These students are reassured that most people are kind, safe and committed to their well being. Depending on the grade level, lessons on recognizing additional lures such as offers of jobs or money and Internet lures will be taught.
We recognize that you may be concerned about whether or not the information in this program is appropriate for your child. With this in mind, we invite you to review the Child Lures website at childluresprevention.com. There is detailed information about this school program as well as parent information about specific issues around child safety. We would be happy to show you the curriculum in detail if you have questions.
Also, you may want to review the information on Act 1 on The State of Vermont Department of Children and Families website. Go to theprotectkidsvt.org website and click on Step Up to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. The specific parts of the new Act 1 child protection law are outlined here. Also, we have detailed pamphlets available.
Thank you for your support regarding this important topic. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions or would like a pamphlet.
Cindy Rose
School Counselor – Grades K, 1 and 2, Babcock Building
868-4920, [email protected]
Katy Thompson
School Counselor – Grades 5 to 6
868-5346, X211, [email protected]