Letter From School Guidance Counselor Mr. Kriger

Dear Families,

During the month of April your child will be having guidance lessons focused on how they can stay safe.  Act 1 Section 3 of Vermont Law (V.S.A) states ALL Vermont schools (K-12) are required to provide instruction about how to recognize and prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence.  I know this is a sensitive subject, but this unit is a developmentally appropriate curriculum with an emphasis on equipping students with the skills needed to respond to unsafe situations.  Below you will find the topics covered for this unit according to grade level:  
• Kindergarten
o To use our words assertively to stay safe.
o Being safe out in the community: How to handle those situations when you may feel scared such as getting lost in a store.
o “Uh Oh” feeling and what those feelings tell us and how should we respond.
o Safe touch; some touches makes us feel good, some touches makes us feel uncomfortable like a push, punch, or when someone touches any of our body parts that are private.
• First Grade
o Personal safety concepts: being safe around people you know as well as around strangers, checking with a parent or caregiver before going anywhere.
o To be able to identify trusting adults in our lives and what things we need to tell them.
o Comfortable touch verses uncomfortable touch:  How to respond to uncomfortable touch.
• Second Grade
o People are like the weather:  We make an analogy between the weather and people, how the weather is safe most of the time.  There are those exceptions when the weather is not safe.  Just like the weather, most people behave in safe ways, but there are times when people act in ways that are not safe.
o How to tell the difference between good (happy) secrets and bad (uncomfortable) secrets, and the importance of telling secrets that make you feel uncomfortable to a trusted adult.
o Practice telling an adult about unsafe situations:  We’ll use role playing to practice telling trusted adults about unsafe situations.

If you have questions or concerns about this unit I will have detailed lesson plans posted on my blog or you can feel free to email me at krigerg@csdvt.org or give me a call directly at 264-5927.
                                                                               Sincerely,
      Greg Kriger