Mrs. Heilman's Counselor Corner

School is in full swing, now. I guess. It's very weird. We, teachers, are here at our buildings every day, but most of our students are not. Roughly 1/3rd* of our students are remote and the remaining 2/3rd* are split between A days and B days, with some exceptions. Staff has been in session for 27 days, A-schedule kids have been in session for 12 days, and B-schedule kids have been in session for 11 days. The start to this school year has been different and weird and, quite honestly, uncomfortable. Some students and staff are worried about getting sick. We know parents are worried about how to teach their kids at home and maintain their job responsibilities. I've seen parents get frustrated for kids being sent home with minor physical ailments because no one really understands the nature of the Covid-19 virus. Social distancing and masks are all over the place. It’s a lot. Most of us are wondering, “When is this going to end?”  Because this has been different and weird and unc

Dear Parents, "We are living in unprecedented times!" I bet you have been hearing this phrase a lot, lately. What our community, country, and world are going through right now is just...surreal. It's hard to believe this is all happening. It's confusing and scary and packed with a whole lot of uncertainty. No one who is alive now has been through anything like this. If you're like me, you've probably got a lot of thoughts swimming through your head, so let's break them down. Here's what we know so far: There's a brand new virus that's got some scary symptoms that's going around the entire planet. There are some cases of this virus in the United States, including in Illinois. Illinois Governor Pritzker has ordered public and private K-12 schools to close from March 17-30, in hopes of slowing the spread of the illness. As of now, here's what we're doing to move forward: Pekin Public School Dist. 108 is closing school Mar

The title for this post comes from the book Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook. It is the book that I have used for January's and February's lessons for 2nd and 3rd grade. In January, I read Jonathan James and the WhatIf Monster  to 1st grade and When I'm Feeling Scared  for kindergarten. In February, I will focus on building coping skills for anxiety for grades 1-3 and coping with anger for kindergarten. I decided to cover the topic of fear and anxiety based on data I collected from parents at the end of last school year and because so many of the student referrals I receive have connections to anxiety. Spotting Anxiety in Kids Sometimes, anxiety in kids is easy to spot. They may cry or cling to a parent. They may say how they are scared. Other times, anxiety can be sneaky and show itself in ways we don't expect, like through aggression or refusal to follow directions. This happens because anxiety causes a stress response, so the body and brain go into f

The holiday season is known for it's colorful lights, twinkling music, beautiful decorations, and it's many activities. So many activities. There are parades, Christmas concerts, parties, visits to Santa, shopping trips, and even tours of our beloved local attraction, the East Peoria Festival of Lights. There's a lot going on, so much, that it often leads to overstimulation in kids. What is overstimulation? Overstimulation occurs when "a child is swamped by more experiences, sensations, noise and activity than she can cope with" ( https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/behaviour/common-concerns/overstimulation#signs-of-overstimulation-nav-title ). Imagine you're having a Nerf battle with your kids. You could probably take a few hits from the soft projectiles without being bothered, but if you are being pelted with them, you might run away, duck and cover, or rally in a counterattack. This is what's it's like for a kid's brai

What does it mean to have ADHD? ADHD is a disorder of the brain. Brains are very complicated, even to a brain surgeon. The workings of a brains are hard to understand. If a normal brain is hard to understand, imagine how a differently-working brain can be misunderstood. Here are some basic facts about ADHD to help you more fully understand the diagnosis: What having ADHD means: Your child's brain takes in information or stimuli differently. Your child's brain organizes information or stimuli differently. Your child struggles with paying attention...sometimes. Other times, your child may hyperfocus on, or pay A LOT of attention to, something that interests him/her. Your child may be more sensitive than others to certain noises, smells, tastes, or to movement or visual stimuli. Your child may have difficulty regulating, or controlling, their emotions. Your child is awesome! What having ADHD doesn't mean: Your child is dumb. Some kids with AD

Sleep and Your Student's Behavior One of the Cardinal Rules at CB Smith is "Do your best learning." Both Starke and Willow have a rule about taking care of ourselves. One very important way we can do our best learning and  tkae care of ourselves is to get a good night's sleep. Good sleep habits, or sleep hygiene, can help us bring our "A Game" to school. Not enough sleep for our students can lead to learning difficulties, thorny behavior problems, and mood managing issues. Teachers and support staff have often noticed that individual students struggle more with choose good behaviors on days when they don't get a good night's sleep. (The day after Halloween is universally difficult at school.) Sometimes, we suspect that chronic thorny behaviors are a result of poor sleep or not enough sleep over many days and/or weeks. To help your student get a good night's sleep throughout the school year, follow these tips. Tips for Good Sleep Habit