Summer Time

Forget Christmas, summer break is the "most wonderful time of the year" for me!  Another busy and productive school year completed.  Whether it's your 1st year or 21st year, I'm sure that you can now sit back and reflect upon how your school year went.  I certainly can!

So now that summer's here what will I be up to?  Well I'll be doing quite a bit of resting, relaxing and traveling.  If you aren't quite sure how to rest and chill during the summer, I'll be glad to show you!  I will continue to blog, but it may not be as frequently (maybe twice a month) during the summer.  It's not because I don't want to but because I just want to fully enjoy my summer (and unplug just a bit).

What are you summer plans? Pin It

Staff Summer Homework & Bulletin Board Idea

For some of you, your summer vacation has or is just about to start  (whoot whoot, I get out on Thursday and can't wait).  Here's one small homework assignment that you can give to your staff over the summer...have staff members take pictures of themselves on their vacations or trips over the summer in their school shirt.  Those pictures can be used for a back to school bulletin board, that way people can see what fun you had over the summer and while even showing a little school spirit.  Here's an example....Ms. Burston visited the Grand Canyon!

Well clearly I wasn't at the Grand Canyon (this is actually me at the park at field day in a school shirt) but it would go along that route.  I've made a mental note to pack a school shirt with me on a summer trip for this "homework".

We did this last year with the theme "Oh the Places You Can Go" and it was a hit.  It was such a hit that we'll be doing it again!  I'll post a finished product of the bulletin board later on. Pin It

#ASCA14 1st Timer Tips

I've been seeing and hearing the buzz via social media from other school counselors about going to the upcoming ASCA conference in Orlando, FL.  The exciting part is that many of the counselors sharing the buzz are 1st timers going to the conference.  Now that got me "buzzing"!  I had absolutely no idea what to expect my first time attending the conference either.  So here are a few tips that I've learned to share with first timers or even tenth timers at the conference.

-Attend the reception events where you'll have an opportunity to mix and mingle with other counselors in a non-presentation style setting (meaning you can talk more).  I actually met a lot of counselor friends that I still keep in touch with at the first timers reception, dance and tweet up (all are fantastic opportunities for networking and fun).

-Bring plenty of your business cards to share, which is another way to stay connected with other school counselors.

-Pack comfy business casual clothing and shoes. It's usually chilly in the session rooms, so a sweater (or in my case cardigan, I love cardigans) or light jacket will help to keep you warm.

-There's usually food (lunch and snack) at the conference, but I always pack my own snacks just case.  

-Take some time to see the host city!  But of course especially since it's Disney (that's a no brainer).

-Make a shopping list of things that you'd be willing to purchase at the conference.  The vendors section can be overwhelming because there's so much to choose from and you'll just want it all (ok maybe that was just me).

-Download the conference app.  Having a conference app is awesome, you have the ability to take a look and get an idea of the sessions you'd like to attend.  Some fabulous school counselor blogger & Twitter friends will be presenting this year and I 'd like to mention their sessions for you to consider attending:

Monday 06/30 9-10:15am- Brand and Market Your School Counseling Program (Jeremy Goldman & Jeff Ream)

Monday 06/30 9-10:15am- Build Your Professional Community With Social Media (Lisa Savinon, Carli Segal, Carol Miller)

Monday 06/30 11:15-12:30pm- Help Girls Unlock Their Leadership Potential (Julia V. Taylor)

Monday 06/30 1:30-2:45pm- Going Gaga for Google (Russ Sabella)

Monday 06/30 3:45-5:00pm- Wi-Fi to Sci-Fi: Motivate anad Teach Students via Technology and Literature (Angela Poovey)  

Tuesday 07/01 11:15-12:30pm- Empower Girls Using Narrative Theory (Lee Grimes & Natalie Spencer)

Tuesday 07/01 11:15-12:30pm- Professional Development in 140 Characters or Fewer (Danielle Schultz & Erin Mason)

Tuesday 07/01 1:15-2:45pm- Create a Data-Driven Anti-Bullying Action Plan (Raychelle Lohmann)

Tuesday 07/01 1:30-4:30pm- Creating Magic Through Group Counseling (Matthew McClain, Rhonda Williams)

Wednesday 07/02 9-10:15am- Teach Students to Recognize and Report Sexual Abuse (Rebecca Lallier)

Oooooh, as I type these sessions I'm getting so excited!!!  Unfortunately I will not be attending the conference this year.  I have an amazing opportunity to participate in an educator study abroad program in Europe so I'll be following the conference through social media (use the hash tag #ASCA14). Please tweet, post and share your experiences so those of us that aren't there can "be there" via social media.  I look forward to seeing what others share from the conference this year.

What other tips would you give for 1st timers attending the conference?



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Gearing up for Testing Season

What's a four letter word that (sometimes) makes students and staff cringe?  T-E-S-T!  Especially when we're talking about end of the year state testing which drives up everyone's anxiety levels.  Each year I try to do a lesson/activity and staff treat to ease some testing worries on both ends.  This year is no different. Here's what we're doing at my school:

-For Students:

• For my 3rd graders (1st timers taking a state test) we did our Testing Survival Kit lesson which is always a hit.
• For our EOG school pep rally there were 3 different team events.  During these events students in grades 3-5 are chosen to participate in the event prior to the pep rally.  Students chosen are super excited when chosen, it's like they won the jackpot!  Here are the 3 events we did:

-Dizzy Bat Scramble:  Teams of 5 have to each jump 10 times with a jump rope, go over and under the "obstacles", spin with the bat 6 times and when all of the team has finished put together a puzzle.

Dizzy Bat relay

-Watermelon Relay:  Teams of 5 have to eat as much watermelon (without using their hands).

Watermelon fun, I loved how another student held another student's hair while she ate the watermelon!

-Water Toss: Teams of 4 each have water buckets, the first person dips their bucket in the water then "tosses" the water to the next person to "catch".  The last person on the team pours the water into a larger team bucket.  The team that fills their team bucket first is the winner.

A common theme that we reiterated about each of the games is that you have to take your time, concentrate and do your best...just like on the test!  To close out the pep rally the younger students in grades K-2 each do a cheer to pump up the students taking the test.  It's quite creative to see what they come up with.

 I even got mentioned by my principal via twitter, whoot whoot (I have on my comfy clothes because not only did we have a pep rally, but earlier that day was field day so wearing a skirt wasn't the best choice, yoga pants are pretty awesome too).

-For staff

• As in previous years, there will be a daily testing treat with a fun saying on it.  Click here to see my previous post about this.
• I saw this "it's Crunch Time" sign with Crunch candy bars on Pinterest.  I put this in the staff mail room.
• To relieve some testing stress, I asked some parents at our school that teach yoga if they could come in a do a class for staff after school.  I really enjoy yoga and feel so relaxed after each class.  

Don't we look so relaxed after our yoga class?  It was so awesome!

The madness of testing can be tamed to some degree and I appreciate other school counselors sharing cool and fun ways to pump up staff and students for state testing.

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Gift Ideas for Your Counselor Interns

 For those of us that supervised interns this year, when the internship comes to an end, we usually want to get them something to show our appreciation.  Here are some gift ideas:

-Plan a celebration, this year at my school there were 3 interns so I assigned each grade level a breakfast item to bring (muffins, doughnuts, juice, flowers, plates, cups/napkins, utensils, biscuits, flowers, etc) and we had a breakfast for our interns.

JYJ Interns, congrats ladies!

Intern breakfast

-School supplies!  You know that you have extra school supplies laying around your house and counselor office.  Pens, notebook paper, folders, crayons, you name it, I probably had 3 or 4 sets of them.

-Personalized note cards, I am a HUGE fan of bringing back a letter writing campaign.  Writing notes to students, parents and staff especially when someone does something nice for you is a must for me.  I ordered note cards from Vistaprint.  Also from Vistaprint I ordered a confidentiality poster and a welcome to the school counselor's office banner.

-Personalized binder covers, I found (free) printables on Pinterest (click on the link).

-A counselor bag, of course!  I ordered a SCOUT multi-pocket tote from Amazon (I had to stop myself from ordering one for myself). 

-Where's the counselor sign (taken from a previous post, printable in the post)

 Here's the finished gift:

Intern gifts: Bag, personalized note cards & binder cover, where's the counselor sign, confidentiality poster

 Each year I'm excited to work with a energetic and excited intern and at the end of the year I'm always sad to see them leave, but glad to know that I had an opportunity to learn and them learn from me.  Congrats Kelly and to all counselor interns graduating! Pin It

Planning for a 5th Grade Graduation/Celebration

Whoo hoo, it's a new month which is exciting for most of us in the education world this time of year since it's literally crunch time since the school year is coming to a close.  One event that we play a role in is "graduation" on any school level (5th, 8th & of course 12th).  I previously did a post about planning for a 5th grade graduation a couple of years ago and wanted to revisit and add some more tips. Here goes:

-Recruit help from others (this is a biggie) you certainly don't want to wind up doing all the work.  At my school there's a committee of parents that organize and plan the event (I'm also on the committee).

-Line the hallways with butcher paper and let the students "leave their mark" as they leave and begin a new chapter in their school careers.  This idea came from a local university where there's a "free expression tunnel" and students can express themselves freely (we do monitor to make sure that appropriate things are being written).

"free expression" hallway

-There's always a class t-shirt, but the last couple of years the shirts have been ordered early so that they can be worn during the school year, rather than the last day of school.

-Borrow plants to decorate the stage (recruit help from parents).  There's usually a creative parent(s) who would love to take on a task like this. 

Plant display for the stage

-Make a playlist of songs to play for the celebration.  Use your iPod to connect to external speakers, instant party!

iPod easily plugs into sound system

-Make a slideshow of the "graduates".  Have students bring in a baby picture and use a current picture for the slideshow.  I collect and scan the baby photos and use the fall pictures from the picture company.  It's also a good idea to ask for pictures throughout the years from class events, field trips, etc, to include in the slideshow.  A group of parents work on creating the slideshow and getting the slideshow burned to DVD's for all the students to have.

-Make ribbons in your school colors for all of the graduates to make.  Again, some crafty parents have been willing to make them.

What other tips or suggestions do you have for planning an end of year celebration/graduation?

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Tips for Navigating a Job Fair/Interview

I had the pleasure of joining my administration team for my district's annual teacher recruitment fair. This my first time going as a representative of my school.  Being there made me think and reflect on the time that I was the newbie attending the job fair.  I had all types of emotions going through my head, excitement, anxiousness, nervousness and being a little overwhelmed.  I  know that graduation season is in full effect and many of you recent school counselor graduates are embarking upon the next chapter in your careers and from that thought, I wanted to share a few tips and pointers I thought of as I got to be the person "on the other end" this time around.

-It's time to "suit up" meaning that wearing a suit or professional attire is an absolute must when job hunting.  I'm all for fun prints and bold colors (you've seen what I wear in my wear to work series posts) but save that look for when you land the job.  When in doubt, go for a conservative look.  Black, navy, gray suits and closed toed pumps (no sandals) are a safe bet.  For males a shirt and tie with a blazer goes a long way.  Stuck on what to wear, check out Pinterest for ideas.

-Research the school district and schools that you're interested in.  Almost every school/district will have some sort of web info, be sure to check it out.  When you meet with a representative of the school(s) you're interested in, mentioning some programs, school theme or something school specific screams that you've taken time to research the school and feel that you'll be a good fit for it.

-Be prepared, have plenty of copies of your resume, be prepared to talk about why you're so awesome and need to be the person that the school hires.  Play up your skills and use school lingo like "student achievement/success" in your dialog.

-Network, this is a biggie.  Make a good impression when talking with school principals, etc. School principals have a connection between one another, even if one school doesn't hire you, doesn't mean that they can't recommend you to another school to hire (this has happened to me and I've had friends have the same thing happen to them).

-Be flexible, as a school counselor are you interested in working with just a certain grade level or particular part of town?  Keeping your options open may allow for more opportunities to come your way.  I had no intention of working on the elementary level but I began to broaden my search from just high school to all levels and I got a position (elementary has worked out well for me).

-Patience, the bulk of hiring is done during the summer months so check job postings periodically.  I've always been a late hire.

Good luck to you as you interview and prepare to begin your career as a school counselor.




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