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Counseling Center

Welcome Back to Highland Park for the 2022-2023 School Year!

My name is TJ Wolfe (Mr. Wolfe) and I am the school counselor here at Highland Park, and I am excited to be working with all of your students again this year. My office has moved from the main office down to the Kindergarten hall in room 131, with this change I do have a lot more space this year, and I am excited for the changes that this will allow. Having a larger room means that I can have the classes come to my room this year for my Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, instead of me going into their classrooms. This will allow me to have the space to encourage more involvement in the activities that we will be doing in alignment with the lessons. I am also setting up a calming area in my room that I hope will provide the students a space to reset quickly when needed. For my SEL lessons, I will be teaching every class every other week, and I will be alternating between a structured SEL lesson one week followed by either an activity aligned with the previous lesson or a class circle focused on the needs of each classroom or grade level on the following week. I will be posting information about the lessons on the school site at Social and Emotional Learning - Highland Park Elementary School (slcschools.org) If you have any questions or concerns or would like to request services for your student please reach out and let me know.

Thanks,

TJ Wolfe

  • Email: timothy.wolfe@slcschools.org
  • Phone: (801) 481-4833 extension 1310
  • Office/Room#: 131

 

What do I do as a School Counselor?

Here’s a list of the things I spend the most time doing on a “normal” day:

  • Teach social and emotional skills to whole classes of students—i.e. empathy, conflict resolution, friendship building
  • Collaborate with teachers to meet individual student needs (academic, social, or even physical needs)
  • Collaborate with parents to address family or school concerns
  • Meet with students in small groups (2-5 kids) to build friendships, strengthen community, and/or to work on specific skills needed by the students
  • Monitor friendships and peer interactions at lunch and recesses to try and head off minor issues before they become problems
  • Meet with students individually to check in, ensuring kids feel safe and giving them tools to be successful

If a student is upset about a specific situation that happened, I will talk with them for anywhere from 2-60 minutes to try to solve the problem. If it’s a small problem, I may even just talk to them in the hallway for a short time. If it turns out to be a symptom of a more long-term problem going on, I will always contact parents to make sure they are aware of it, and we may meet to discuss how we can provide the best supports possible for the students.

Inner Explorer - An Online Mindfulness Tool for our Students and Families

***Access has been extended through the 2022-2023 School Year***

 

Dear Highland Park Families,

Great news! Our school has signed up for another year of Inner Explorer, giving all of us the opportunity to start practicing mindfulness with our students. The simple "just press play" program fosters life skills such as improved focus, compassion, gratitude, and self-regulation as key elements in a student's continuous improvement.

Inner Explorer has advantages For Educators, too. The program is designed to be easy, requires no preparation or previous experience, and can be incorporated into any part of the school day. Proven effectiveness of daily practice includes:

  • Increases average GPA by 15%
  • Improves reading, math and science grades by 28%
  • Decreases disciplinary referrals by 60%; and
  • Reduces teacher stress by 43%

The sooner we begin practicing mindfulness, the sooner we enjoy the benefits. Register today!

 

Every family can setup an account to allow your students easy access at home. To set up your account, click on the link below or scan the QR Code. You will be asked to enter your name, email address, designate your account password, and input your contact number (optional) to get started.

https://i6.innerexplorer.org/compass/adminInvites?param1=T//V1eW8HKST6ad2oZZFrQaRcOOE8hN1dFY+V2OlZDo=&param2=+4fYqZaXOQdeKegT3vwCaA==

For more information, please watch the Introduction to Inner Explorer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pljVvqxt3A&feature=youtu.be

For questions about the program, please feel free to email tech@innerexplorer.org.

 

 

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Salt Lake Education Foundation

First page of the PDF file: SLEFAppInfoFlyer

Extended Learning Program

Link to Application for Students Currently in Grades 1-7:

https://saltlakedistrict.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ezaxv4dlsdyrY8e

Link to Application for Students Currently in Grades Pre-K4 and Kindergarten:

 https://saltlakedistrict.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_87dpGP5IsMQFpbg

Mr. Wolfe's Contact Information:

Email: timothy.wolfe@slcschools.org

Phone: (801) 481-4833 Ext. 1310

Office/Room: #131

Contact Mr. Wolfe