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Welcome to Tara Oaks Elementary School! I look forward to seeing the many returning faces and look forward to meeting new ones. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as one of your School Counselors. My name is Patricia King. This year I will be the pre-school, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade counselor at Tara Oaks Elementary School. I am extremely excited to work with you, your student(s), and our staff at Tara Oaks Elementary School this year.

Fun Facts about Me

My husband, Frank, and I live in Collierville. We have a giant schnauzer, a miniature schnauzer, a schnoodle, and a mutt. Our family loves to bike, swim, and go out on the boat when we are not walking the dogs!

Academy

Demystifying ADHD

Great presentation about ADHD by Heather Hardison, Clinical Psychologist, PHD.

Teaching Children how to handle disappointments and failures.

https://carolynescorner.wordpress.com/2016/06/06/teaching-children-to-fail/

I have many books about anger, stress, and self-esteem. Please feel free to contact me.

Food for Kids Program

The Food for Kids program is designed to increase easy to prepare, single servings of food for school age children. There is no fee for participating, and you do not have to qualify. At times the Mid-South Food Bank would like you to provide feedback by completing a survey that will be sent home with your child. This program provides food over the weekend. A family might need food for may different reasons, and we are here to provide resources to support you. Please fill out the form under files Food for Kids and return this form to Mrs. King.

A Food for Kids Summer Program is also available. Those forms to register are distributed in the Spring.

Separation Anxiety: Letting Your Child Go

Many loving parents get anxious sending their children off to school. The strategies below are designed to help you let your child go. Keep in mind that the more secure you feel, the more confident your child may be.

Read More at www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to.../separation-anxiety/

Books I recommend:

"The Invisible String" by Patrice Karst

"The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn

Family Life for 5th graders

Tips for Parents

When talking to children about this growing and changing time of life, here are some helpful guidelines:

Start early with little pieces. Don’t always wait until your child comes to you. Chances are they are already hearing things from other sources such as, peers, radio, TV, a commercial, newspaper, etc….
Pick a good time to talk to your child. If they ask you something in rush hour traffic, you may have to say, “That is a very important subject, but I am driving and we can talk tonight after dinner.” However, sometimes, kids want to talk to you when there is a more “non-threatening” environment, so they are picking rush hour traffic for a reason- less eye contact!
Create an open environment. Let your child know that they can come to you with their questions. If you don’t know the answer, you can always say, “ I am not really sure of the answer to your question, but I will find out for you.”
Tell the truth, as age appropriate.
Listen to the question. Don’t give any more information than that.
Clarify the question by repeating it.
Find out what the child knows already by asking what they think the answer is.
If a child does not want to say the word or question, they can write it down or draw a picture of it.
Use children’s literature or TV to help you. There are some good family programs and books that deal with certain issues.
If there are younger siblings, please be aware that they have ears and explain to the older sibling, “Your brother/sister is a little young for this subject. We need to keep this to ourselves right now. I know you are mature enough to handle it.”
Have patience. You will get through it!