APE Center believes that one of the most basic needs in our society is the ability to communicate with others positively and effectively, and to resolve conflicts without creating new ones.
If children do not have their social and coping skills developed, they cannot manage their emotions and focus on academics and thereby succeed. Children who know how to successfully communicate and interact with others are usually better learners with higher self-esteem, and less behavioral problems.
APE Center offers interventions and demonstrations for teachers how to incorporate communication and social skills education together with positive conflict resolution skills across the whole curriculum.
APE Center strives for sustainability. Teachers are given lesson plans of the interventions so they can share them with other colleagues as well as keep applying the intervention later on their own.
CHARACTER EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SKILLS PROGRAMS
Grades K - 6
The main goal is to build character and increase social skills among K-6 students through proactive teaching methods and targeted classroom interventions.
We are flexible in the lengths of some of our programs, and are willing to meet your needs.
These programs are designed to support the school counselor's role.
Where: at your elementary school
Length: one school year, other arrangements can be made
Descriptions of the Programs:
BULLY-PROOF SCHOOL
Grades K-6
Anti-bullying program developed by a teacher trainer and school counselor Domi Adamova.
This program was piloted at West Elementary School, Athens, OH.
Goals:to increase awareness about bullying among students, teachers and parents (what is bullying, what is not, who is a bully, who is a target, who is a bystander)
to identify helpful and harmful reactions to bullies; suggest how bystanders, teachers and parents can help targets
to facilitate discussions regarding possible reasons why people become bullies; how schoolmates, teachers and parents might help a person to stop being a bully
to prepare schoolmates, teachers and parents to aid targets; help them heal, increase self-confidence and self-trust
to train teachers and parents to help their students/children identify and cope with bullying issues
Through:at least 2 guidance classroom interventions for students in every grade (adjusted for each grade, time varies according to the attention span of students, but no less than 30 min per session)
observation and working with bullies one-on-one to help change unhealthy behavior (as needed by school)
1 in-service workshop for teachers/school-counselors on the bullying topic
1 workshop for parents on the bullying topic
useful literature on the bullying topic (stories, fairy-tales, plays, and resource literature) teachers can use in their lessons, and parents can use at home
list of useful websites on the bullying topic - parent/teacher as well as children friendly
When:guidance classroom interventions during the day
observation of the bullies/targets during lessons, recess and lunch time
one-on-one sessions during the day and as needed
in-service workshop for teachers/school counselors during the in-service day
parent workshop session scheduled during evening event
DIVERSITY-FRIENDLY SCHOOL
Grades K - 6
Program developed and taught by teacher and a school counselor Domi Adamova.
Goals:
enable students to meet and understand people from different orientations (national origins, social backgrounds, physical abilities, mental and psychological burdens)
provide students with a forum for discussion as well as art and theater work as follow up to their new experiences
Through:
meeting the members of different orientations and having an open forum with them
follow-up on the forum focused on students’ feelings and their expressions of those through expressive art and theater techniques
When:
after-school program sessions (one session per scheduled group each week; two grade levels per session)
one-hour afternoon sessions every week
Alliance for Friends in Hard TimesAFHT Club
Grades K-6
Program developed and taught by a teacher and school counselor Domi Adamova.
This school counseling initiative supports school counselors' role in the schools.
It enables students to support each other when experiencing difficulties at home or at school. Come and join us in becoming an ally!
Possible AFHT Club topics:
Divorce issues
Academic issues
Grief - death of a close one issue
Maturation
Drug and substance abuse
Friendship issues
And other issues according to the needs of a school/grade/class
Advantages of AFHT Club:
Enhances students' empathy skills
Strengthens students' skills in dealing with problems in their lives
Enables students to resolve their problems
Helps students to feel better and so study better and have better academic results
The content discussed in particular groups is highly confidential (confidentiality is signed by a contract), that way all the participants can feel free to share their feelings and difficult situations.
The program can be incorporated into the school curriculum during lunch and recess time, or regularly each group once a week as an after-school program in your school.
JASMINE & JUNIPER
Grades K-6
A whole-school guidance program friendship, self-esteem, cooperation and team-building; brings together the whole school community to work on a creative project.
- An original musical designed in a way that a whole school can actively participate in its production.
Students are provided with the opportunity to try out their ideas and investigate their skills. They serve as actors/actresses, dancers, singers, costumers, prop and backdrop makers, publicity artists, musicians and stagehands.
Students experience the sense of community, cooperation and support that comes hand-in-hand with such broad involvement in a project.
- The musical sends several messages to the audience: Don’t give up, trust yourself and keep trying, and that friendship needs care, patience and tolerance.
This guidance program was developed and lead by Domi Adamova, and piloted at West Elementary School in Athens, OH, in spring 2007. There were 120 students participating in the production.
The whole program is 2.5-months of after-school (3:45-5:30pm) activities and practice. Ms Adamova comes to your school and works with the kids in afternoons. As an outcome of the whole intervention there are two or three shows (1 hour long).
“The haunting melody floated over our gymnasium, which was packed to capacity with adoring parents, interested fellow students, and crowds of curious townsfolk. The rousing applause brought ear-to-ear grins both onstage and backstage, but our pleasure a tour success was mingled with ‘What now?’ regret.”
Faith Knutsen, West Elementary School parent, participating in the project, mother of two
“When you see how the students grow, how their self-esteem changed, how they keep coming up with great ideas, and how they are less shy to speak up in front of their class, you just know it’s worked.”
Patsy Barrington, Athens City School Counselor
“The songs are great. Keely keeps singing them and her younger sister knows them all by heart. She certainly wants to be involved in this year’s project.”
BJ Harper,West Elementary School parent, father of two girls, one of them participating in the project