|
Welcome to the Cottage Grove School Guidance Program
The guidance program at Cottage Grove School is facilitated by one full-time and two part-time School Psychologists. We have the pleasure of leading guidance lessons within the classrooms as well as leading small groups and working individually with students. Our objective is to provide lessons and activities that help children learn about themselves and others and to use this information to solve interpersonal and situational problems. Click on the tabs to the left to learn more about our services.
CLASSROOM DEVELOPMENTAL GUIDANCE PROGRAM
The classroom elementary guidance program consists of several units per year in each regular education classroom. The lesson units are presented every other week throughout the school year and are approximately 40 minutes in length. The activities are age appropriate and developmental in nature beginning with simple concepts and moving toward more complex ideas and skills.
Summary of some topics presented and the key concepts for each unit:
Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum:
- Unit I: Empathy training. This unit provides children with skills to increase their ability to identify their own and others’ feelings, understand the complexity of feelings, take others’ perspectives, and learn ways to respond empathically.
- Unit II: Impulse control and problem solving. This second unit of the program focuses on calming down, recognizing impulsive behaviors in problem situations, and thinking through problems rather than doing the first thing that comes to mind.
- UNIT III: Anger management. The third unit teaches techniques to manage stressful emotions, decrease aggression, and promote social problem solving.
Talking About Touching: A Personal Safety Curriculum:
- Unit I: Personal safety. The goal of this unit is to increase children’s knowledge of and adherence to rules that will help keep them safe.
- Unit II: Touching safety: The goal of this unit is to strengthen children’s ability to distinguish between safe touch and unsafe touch and to increase children’s knowledge of safety rules about touching.
- Unit III: Assertiveness and support. The goal of this unit is to increase children’s ability to stand up for themselves in an assertive, but not aggressive way and to ask for help in difficult, uncomfortable, or dangerous situations.
SMALL GROUPS
Small groups are also an important component of the developmental guidance program. Frequently, children have similar needs as other children in their grade. Small groups help children learn from each other and help them understand that they share a common concern with others. During the course of the school year, some children may be offered an opportunity to take part in a group. Some of the topics for groups include: new student, family change, death, and problem solving.
INDIVIDUAL
We are also available for parent consultation and meeting with children on an individual basis with parental consent. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, or just to say hello (608-839-4576).
MEET THE GUIDANCE STAFF
My name is Jessica Schiltz and I am the full-time school psychologist at Cottage Grove School. I recently relocated from the Milwaukee area where I completed my graduate training and worked in the Milwaukee Public School District. I have a passion for working with children and families to facilitate their socio-emotional and academic development. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I am here to serve you and your children and truly value that opportunity.
608-839-4576 ext. 1103
My name is Christa Macomber and I have had the pleasure to serve as a school psychologist at both Cottage Grove and Taylor Prairie Schools for the previous 4 years. I will be part-time at Cottage Grove School and will also be supporting the new Together 4 Kids, 4-year-old kindergarten program. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with questions regarding guidance and counseling services, special education, parent education opportunities, early education, and community outreach. We are all looking forward to an exciting year of working with Cottage Grove students and families!
608-839-4576 ext. 1138
Mary Vosters is a school psychologist at both Cottage Grove and Taylor Prairie schools, splitting her time between both. She has previously worked in the Milwaukee Public School District as a school psychologist.
608-839-4576 ext. 1159
| 
