Sunny Hills
School Counseling
Resources and Support
Middle School transition
The transition to middle school can be exciting and intimidating for both students and parents. I am here to support with any questions or concerns!
Check your email and sign up for the middle school
e-news to get all the info for incoming 6th graders.
You can also look at the school websites for more information:
Pine Lake Middle School (PLMS) Website
Click the button below for incoming 6th grade information
If you have any questions about registration and/or the process, please contact the PLMS Registrar, Lakshmi Palaniappan, 425-837-5710.
PLMS Counselors:
-
M-Z - Meagan Elliot
IMPORTANT DATES - check the school website for dates
TCOB and Compass Days!
Taking Care of Business (TCOB) Day
Students are assigned lockers, PE clothes and other school supplies like planners, goggles, etc., turn in health information forms, buy a yearbook, add $ to their lunch accounts, etc.
Compass Day (6th Grade Orientation)
Students will have a chance to meet other new students and their compass leaders, get a campus tour, and ask questions.
Pacific Cascade Middle School (PCMS) Website
Click the button below for incoming 6th grade information
If you have any questions about registration and/or the process, please contact PCMS Registrar,
Nicole Smith, 425-837-5911.
PCMS Counselors:
-
A-K - Laura Meserole (Ms. Mes)
-
L-Z - Miranda Williams
IMPORTANT DATES: check the school website for dates
Orientation and Lynx Days!
6th Grade Orientation
Lynx Day
Students are assigned lockers and combos, books, P.E. clothes, and a list of their classes (this does not include their full schedule or teacher names).
Curriculum Night in September!
Watch e-news for dates. You will go class to class just like students do each day. It is a great way to learn more and become familiar with what your child is doing at school.
5th Grade Middle School FAQ
Click the button below for answers to the most commonly asked questions about middle school!
Worried about lockers?
Watch this video to practice using a combination lock! One idea is to purchase a lock and practice over the summer.
There are no tardies those first few weeks and teachers will be available to help students with lockers.
Organization
Useful tips for helping your student stay organized in Middle School:
Middle School Student Interviews
Hear what middle school is like from former Sunny Hills students!
Pacific Cascade Middle School
2021-2022
Pacific Cascade Middle School
2020-2021
Pine Lake Middle School
2021-2022
Pine Lake Middle School
2020-2021
PCMS 2019-2020
PLMS 2019-2020
PBSES Coach - Julie Harding
April 20, 2020
Here is a link to the Childmind website regarding parenting, autism, and the Coronavirus.
April 6, 2020
Our school counselor Celina Schulenberg provided resources to this week to help support our kiddos with feelings such as anxiety or worry which they are likely experiencing during this extended time away from school and adjusting to our new normal. Celina provided some creative ideas for sensory tools to help calm those big emotions; to take it one step further, just as you have created a designated workspace for schoolwork, it helps to have a designated area (can be in a corner in a room but it doesn't have to be!) that is always "open" as a safe space to calm down - ready with those sensory tools and a visual reminder of the steps involved. Using that space can become a routine, which always helps.
Here is an article about creating a calm down area in your home:
Link to Celina's post for calming sensory tools:
Hang the calm down poster that we use in school from
our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum.
March 30, 2020
This week, I am excited to share a great resource for assistance with common struggles we all experience as parents, but may now seem magnified being that we are all together around the clock, all day... everyday. ;0)
What I love about this site is you can select a parenting challenge, such as motivation or attitude and defiance, which opens up to specific scenarios you can choose from, and then click through for parenting tips. The website is GreatSchools.org (so there are other educational resources, too!), and the page is "Parenting Cue Cards." The resources were created in partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Here is the link: www.greatschools.org/gk/cue-cards/
Being a Positive Behavior gal, I love that they have a challenge titled "Positive Discipline" and a link for Social Emotional learning under the "Emotional Smarts" heading. Here is a screen shot for a little preview:
March 24, 2020
Something we do at school to help support desired behavior is to create structure, predictability, and routine. Kids behave best when a pattern of behavior is established and maintained because they know what to expect and what is expected of them. Something I found to be very helpful at my home is to create a daily to-do list for my girls that includes academics, some household chores, and activities for their social/emotional well-being such as doing art or spending time outside.
This website allows you to customize your own daily schedule: mommyhood101.com/daily-schedule-for-kids
Here is a link to an example of what a daily schedule could look like for an elementary-aged child:
www.prodigygame.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/COVID-19-Daily-Schedule-for-Families.pdf
If you are feeling more ambitious, you could try using this website:
www.101planners.com/daily-planner-template/
May 4, 2020
Mind Yeti is a library of research-based guided mindfulness sessions that help kids and their adults calm their minds, focus their attention and connect to the world around them. Created by nonprofit Committee for Children.
