Counseling
Hello,
My name is Ken Castagno and I look forward to helping students with issues that may be affecting their academic, career, and personal/social interaction. I will work with students through individual, group, and classroom guidance lessons.
I am able to help students with:
* Promoting positive attitudes among students towards self, family, peers and community.
* Assisting students in learning how school performance relates to future opportunities.
*Developing and delivering classroom guidance lessons that teach skills such as decision making, resolving conflict and respecting others.
* Working with students, parents and school staff to identify learning needs and to design interventions to enhance student success.
* Helping students to recognize and make the best of their abilities.
* Providing support during a personal crisis.
* Working with students on attendance issues.
* Coordinating referrals to outside agencies.
* Developing student career awareness.
* Helping to create a safe and positive learning experience.
- Classroom Guidance
- Classroom Lesson Schedule
- Counseling Groups
- Individual Counseling
- Lessons
- Topics
- Career Information for Parents and Students
- College and University Information for Parents and Students
Classroom Guidance
Classroom guidance is an integral part of the School Counseling program at Ibapah Elementary. Classroom visits focus on topics dealing with personal/social, career, and academic matters. Lessons support and encourage positive core values and traits, including, but not limited to, fairness, responsibility, citizenship, trustworthiness, caring, and respectfulness.
Please stop by this page regularly to see what each lesson topic will be! You can view the Classroom Guidance Calendar Schedule to see when Mr. Castagno will be in your child's class.
Classroom Lesson Schedule
Anna Smith & Ibapah Counselor
Classroom Lesson Schedule 2026-2027
Ibapah
Monday
12:15 Lower Grades
1:45 Upper Grades
Anna Smith
Tuesday
10:50 1st Grade Red
11:30 4th Grade Red
1:00 2nd Grade Red
1:30 3rd Grade Red
2:00 5th Grade Red
2:30 6th Grade Blue
Wednesday
10:50 1st Grade Blue
12:30 Kindergarten Blue
Thursday
11:30 4th Grade Blue
12:30 Kindergarten Red
1:00 2nd Grade Blue
1:30 3rd Grade Blue
2:00 5th Grade Blue
2:30 6th Grade Red
Counseling Groups
Lunch groups are small groups of children (typically 4-5) from the same grade level. These children are chosen to be part of a group depending on the topic. Students may sign up for a specific group, teachers or parents may refer, or students could be chosen by the counselor. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Divorce
* Changing families
* Study skills
* New students
* Bullying
* Social skills
* Friendship
* Anger management
* Respect
* Academic Excellence
Typically, groups meet over the lunch/recess hour, once a week, for a period of 6 weeks. Students will not miss any instructional time during our meetings. Parents will be informed when their child is being asked to participate in a group via a parent permission letter and/or a phone call from the counselor.
***Confidentiality is stressed at our first meeting.
Individual Counseling
Lessons
2026-2027
2025-2026
8.25.2025: Introduction and Icebreaker
9.8.2025: Responsibility to Self
9.15.2025: WhyTry! Icebreaker Activities
9.22.2025: Responsibility to Family
9.29.2025: Caring Video
10.6.2025: Lower Grades - WhyTry! Reality Ride; Upper Grades - Readers Theater The Human Services Reunion
10.13.2025: Responsibility Getting to and from School
10.20.2025: Growth Mindset
10.27.2025: Blooket Review and Halloween
11.3.2025: Holland Code and Colege/Career
11.10.2025: Responsibility With Our Words
11.17.2025: Readers Theater Hexagon Help Line
11.24.2025: Blooket Review and Thanksgiving
12.1.2025: WhyTry! Labels; Upper Grades - LST 1 Self Esteem
12.8.2025: Respect for Life; Upper Grades -LST 2 Decision Making
12.15.2025: Blooket Review & Winter Holiday
1.5.2026: Blue Day; Upper Grades - LST 3 Smoking Information
1.12.2026: Trustworthy; LST 4 Advertising
1.26.2026: Responsibility In Our Classroom
2.2.2026: Blooket Review and Valentines Day
2.9.2026: Simon's Hook
2.23.2026: Understanding Responsibilities LST 5 Dealing With Stress
3.2.2026: Careers When I Grow Up
3.9.2026: Responsibility to Our School Community; LST 6 Communication Skills
3.16.2026: Responsibility in Our Community
3.23.2026: Blooket Review and Spring
4.6.2026: Test Anxiety; LST 7 Social Skills
4.13.2026: Responsibility to Our Country
4.20.2026: Responsibility to Our World
4.27.2026: Careers When I Grow Up
5.4.2026: Blooket Review and Summer
5.11.2026: Summertime is Coming!
5.18.2026: Transitioning to Next Grade
2024-2025
8.19.2024: Ice Breaker and Introduction
8.26.2024: Hygiene
9.9.2024: Lower Grades Pin the Tail on The Tattletale; Upper Grades Positive Ball
9.16.2024: Lower Grades How to Make Friends; Upper Grades AI Career Search
9.23.2024: Introduction to Resilience
9.30.2024: Bullying 2a and 2b
10.7.2024: ReThinkEd Social Strength
10.14.2024: Lower Grades Friendship Circle; Upper Grades High School Counselor Values Sorter
11.4.2024: Blooket Halloween and Review
11.11.2024: Bullying... What's Your Stand?
11.18.2024: Blooket Review and Thanksgiving
11.25.2024: Bullying, A Problem We All Need to Deal With
12.2.2024: How To Respond To Bullying
12.9.2024: Christmas! A Special Time of Year
12.16.2024: Blooket Christmas and Review
1.6.2025: What Do We Do With All of These Emotions?
1.13.2025: Holland Code
1.27.2025: Bystander, The Person With The Power
2.3.2025: Social Emotional Learning
2.10.2025: Blooket Valentine Day and Review
2.17.2025: WhyTry! Did You Know Activities
2.24.2025: Building A Healthy Relationship
3.3.2025: Lower Grades: Building Healthy Relationships, Millie Fierce; Upper Grades: Readers Theater, The Dangers of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs
3.17.2025: WhyTry! Activity Statue Tag
3.24,2025: Blooket Spring Break and Review
4.7.2025: Test Preparation
4.14.2025: Readers Theater Impulse Control
4.28.2025: Summertime is Coming!
5.5.2025: Blooket Summertime and Review
5.12.2025: Oh, The Places You'll Go!
2023-2024
8.21.2023: Ice Breaker
8.28.2023: WhyTry Over the Wall Activities
9.11.2023: WhyTry! Climbing Out
9.18.2023: Competence
9.25.2023: Hygiene, Wash Your Hands
10.2.2023: WhyTry! Climbing Out Activities
10.9.2023: K-3 Confidence; 4-6 Confidence
10.16.2023: K-3 Careers; 4-6 Readers Theater Careers
10.23.2023: Growth Mindset
1030.2023: Halloween Blooket and Review
11.6.2023: Leadership
11.13.2023: Connections
11.20.2023: Thanksgiving Blooket and Review
11.27.2023: Building Positive Relationships
12.4.2023: WhyTry! Jumping Hurdles
12.11.2023: Christmastime is Coming
12.18.2023: Christmas Blooket and Review
1.8.2024: Lower Grades What to Do With All These Emotions! Upper Grades AI Career Search Activity
1.22.2024: Lower Grades Character; Upper Grades High School Counselor Career Search Activity
1.29.2024: WhyTry! Desire, Time, Effort Activity
2.5.2024: WhyTry! Desire, Time, Effort
2.12.2024: Valentine's Day Blooket and Review
2.26.2024: Hygiene
3.4.2024: WhyTry! Lift The Weight
3.11.2024: WhyTry! ;Desire, Time, Effort Activity Part 2
3.18.2024: Spring Blooket and Review
4.1.2024: Contribution
4.8.2024: WhyTry! Plugging In
4.15.2024: Test Preparation
4.22.2024: WhyTry! Seeing Over the Wall
4.29.2024: WhyTry! Seeing Over the Wall Activities
5.6.2024: Summertime is Coming!
5.13.2024: Summer Blooket and Review
2021-2022
8.25.2021 Beginning School Survey
8.31.2021 What is Respect?
9.21.2021 Bullying, What's Your Stand?
9.28.2021: Bullying, A Problem We All Need to Deal With
10.5.2021: Refusing Bullying
10.12.2021: Bystander, The Person with The Power
10.19.2021: Building Healthy Relationships
10.26.2021: Kahoot! Review and Halloween
11.2.2021: Leadership
11.9.2021: Recognizing The Value In Everyone
11.16.2021: Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors
11.23.2021: Kahoot! Review and Thanksgiving
11.30.2021: Respect for Life
12.7.2021: Holland Code
12.14.2021: Kahoot! Review and Christmas
1.4.2022: The Importance of Sleep
1.11.2022: What Do I Do With All These Emotions?
1.18.2022: Let's Regulate Our Emotions
1.25.2022: Creating A Healthy Routine
2.1.2022: Responsibility To Self
2.8.2022: Responsibility To Family
2.15.2022: Kahoot! Review and Valentine’s Day
3.1.2022: K, 1, 2 WhyTry Reality Ride Stop Think Choose; 4, 5, 6 Responsibility To
Others
3.8.2022: Responsibility In My Classroom
3.15.2022: Kahoot! Review and Spring
3.29.2022: Responsibility In My Community
4.5.2022: Responsibility To My Country
4.12.2022: Responsibility To My World
4.19.2022: Test-Taking Strategies
4.26.2022: Responsibility With Our Words
5.3.2022: Responsibility Getting To and From School
5.10.2022: It's Almost Summertime!; 6th Grade Transition to Junior High Video
5.17.2022: Kahoot! and Blooket Review and Summer
2020-2021
9.16.2020: Resilience Videos K, 1, 2 watch 123; 3, 4, 5, 6 watch 131211
10.7.2020: Nearpod Building Class Community
10.21.2020: Nearpod K, 1, 2 Safety in my Online Neighborhood; Nearpod 3, 4, 5, 6
Private and Personal Information
11.4.2020: Nearpod Hygiene
11.11.2020: Kahoot! Halloween and Review of Digital Citizenship
11.18.2020: Nearpod I'm Listening
12.2.2020: Nearpod School, One of Our Greatest Gifts
12.9.2020: Nearpod Christmas, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
1.6.2021: Nearpod Creative Elective
1.20.2021: Nearpod K, 1, 2 Introduction to Resilience; 3, 4, 5, 6 College Information
Virtual Tour
1.27.2021: Nearpod Competence
2.3.2021: Nearpod Magic Manners
2.10.2021: Kahoot! Review of Manners and Valentines Day
2.17.2021: Nearpod What do I do with all these Emotions?
2.24.2021: Nearpod Confidence
3.3.2021: Zoom Recording Connection
3.10.2021: Nearpod Character
3.17.2021: Kahoot! Review of Resilience, Manners, Spring
3.24.2021: Nearpod I Am Me
4.7.2021: Nearpod Contribution
4.21.2021: ReThinkEd The Resilient Kid
4.28.2021: Nearpod Coping
5.5.2021: Nearpod Control in Our Lives
5.12.2021: Nearpod Summertime is Coming!
Topics
GROWING UP ISN'T EASY! HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT CAN BE DISCUSSED DURING COUNSELING:
*Career options
*Selecting college/universities
* Making friends
* Liking myself
* Getting along with others
* Parents' divorce
* Being a "new kid"
* Studying
* Bullying
* Learning and responsibility
* Death and dying
* Sexual abuse
* Moving away
* Being honest
* Organization
* Drug and alcohol abuse
* College/Career Readiness
Career Information for Parents and Students
Interactive career exploration tool that allows students and families to explore Utah career clusters, pathways, education requirements, salaries, and future job opportunities. [explorations.studio]
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Includes videos, career profiles, and career exploration activities.
Student-friendly career exploration tool with interest assessments.
Students can explore jobs through familiar characters while practicing problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, and communication.
Community helper games introduce careers such as:
· Firefighter
· Police officer
· Doctor
· Teacher
· Farmer
· Mail carrier
BLS Career Exploration for Kids
The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers career information organized around student interests.
Students can explore:
· Building things
· Helping people
· Working with animals
· Technology
· Science
Smithsonian Career Explorer Activities
Students discover careers connected to:
· Museums
· History
· Science
· Art
· Research
· Technology
College and University Information for Parents and Students
- Utah Colleges and Universities
- University of Utah
- Utah State University
- Utah Valley University
- Weber State University
- Southern Utah University
- Snow College
- Technical Colleges and Skilled Trades
Utah Colleges and Universities
Why Learn About Colleges Now?
Even elementary students can begin to see themselves as future college students, skilled trades professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, healthcare workers, educators, and community leaders.
Conversation Starters
· What would you like to study if you went to college?
· Would you rather attend a large university or a smaller campus?
· Which careers interest you most?
· What skills are you learning today that might help you in a future career?
University of Utah
Utah State University
Utah Valley University
Weber State University
Southern Utah University
Snow College
Technical Colleges and Skilled Trades
Tooele Technical College (Tooele Tech)
What Is Tooele Tech?
Tooele Tech helps students and adults prepare for careers through hands-on training programs. Students can learn skills for high-demand careers while gaining experience in real-world settings.
Career Areas
· Nursing Assistant
· Medical Assisting
· Welding
· Automotive Technology
· Information Technology
· Cybersecurity
· Construction Trades
· Diesel Technology
· Manufacturing
Family Discussion
· Which program sounds interesting?
· What skills would you need?
· Why are skilled trades important to our community?
Elementary Career Connection
Invite students to think about:
"What things do I like to build, fix, create, or help with?"


