COUNSELOR'S COUCH

Please note that the SAVY program for Talented Youth application is available for the Spring 2009 session.  This is a Vanderbilt University program that runs for six Saturdays.  The tuition is $400 for the six classes, classroom materials, t-shirt andSAVY Chats for parents.  To apply, you may contact me, Meridith Dyer, at school, or contact SAVY directly by calling 615-322-8261, or by going to pty.vanderbilt.edu. To be eligble, the child applying must have scored at the 95 percentile or above on a standardized or achievement ability test. 

Personal safety is still the topic for most classroom guidance sessions.  We are continuing to discuss the three rules of encountering a stranger or someone who asks us to break a safety rule, safe touches and unsafe touches, and safe and unsafe secrets.  The three rules are: Say "NO", run away and tell a safe person today.  Please continue to have discussions with your children about strangers, and people you know but you do not know well enough for your children to call them a safe person. 

In the fifth and sixth grades we are also discussing internet safety.  Children sometimes make the mistake of giving out too much personal information over the internet.  Also, they can sometimes get into trouble by writing hurtful or innappropriate messages to or about others.  Please know what sites your children visit and talk with them about safely and properly using technology, including cell phone texting!

Child Internet Safety Expert, Parry Aftab, will be at the St. Cecilia Academy Theater for a free seminar on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 6:30 p. m.  Overbrook is sponsering this speaker.  I have heard her and found her to be very informative!  I highly recommend attending this seminar.

In seventh grade, the diocesean program is called "Be Safe".  The goal of this program is to help the students understand what healthy and unhealthy relationships are.  We discuss the signs of healthy relationships, such as, trust, keeping your own identity, fairness, respect and others.  We also discuss unhealthy relationships and warning signs, such as, physical abuse, controlling behavior, mental abuse, sexual abuse and sexual harrassment.  One entire session is devoted to the laws regarding sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

In the eighth grade, we will be working on career development and goal setting.  They will hopefully get to take an interest survey to help them in understanding what to look for when choosing a career.