Welcome
to Fayetteville Intermediate School
"Where Cougars Roar"
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August 7, 2006 Dear Parents and Guardians, We hope you are familiar with the Second Step program at our school. Second Step is a part of our Character Education program that teaches skills that can help all children get along with other people (including siblings) and do better at school. Second Step lessons are divided into three main areas: Empathy, which means identifying and understanding others’ feelings in order to get along better with other people, is the first unit of the program. Children will practice empathy skills at school by: - Identifying their own and others feelings by looking at faces, listening to voices, and watching what is happening. (Help your child practice by asking, “You’re clenching your teeth and fists. Are you mad? Why?”) - Recognizing that people may react differently to different situations. (Help your child practice by saying, “You like to play practical jokes, but your friends don’t seem to like that kind of play.”) - Predicting feelings. (Help you child practice by asking, “How do you think your friend might feel when she asks you a question and you don’t answer?”) - Learning the difference between accidents and things done on purpose. (Help your child practice by asking, “Do you think he meant to knock over your bike?”) - Sharing feelings. (Help your child practice by sharing your own feelings, “I feel happy when you do your homework on time.”) - Understanding and accepting differences in others. (Help your child practice by saying, “It is OK for your friend to be different from you. You two are alike in some ways too. How?”) Listening and talking about feelings helps children to become more understanding of others. Impulse Control is the second unit of the program. Impulse Control means slowing down and thinking through several solutions when facing a difficult problem or situation. In this section your child will practice using skills such as apologizing, ignoring distractions, and dealing with peer pressure. Anger Management is the third unit of the program. The Anger Management steps that children learn help them to recognize, understand, and manage their anger. Second Step does not teach that feeling angry is bad. It does teach that how you act when you are angry is important. Physical aggression or bullying is not allowed at our school. If you would like more information on the Second Step Program, we have parent videos available for checkout. Please contact Ms. Dunn, the school counselor, and she will send these to you. You may also check out the web site at www.cfchildren.org for further information about this award-winning program. Thank you, Maria Dunn
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