Welcome Friends!

10 years ago I thought I worked at a school that had a transient population. Now, I just think that all of society is a transient population with ever-changing jobs, interests, and life.  It is common for kids to attend 2 or 3 schools, just in elementary school! At my current school, new students pour in all year long even up to the last weeks of school when we are taking End of Grade tests. I have become accustomed to welcoming all students, including new students, during my Introduction to the School Counselor lessons. I also like to spend at least one lunch period with all new students in my grade levels, second grade and up, in a New Student Group.

In previous years, we have played New Student Bingo as a "getting to know you" activity and then we discuss how new students are transitioning to the school, emphasizing friendship skills.  This year, I am trying a few new things with a Skittles icebreaker and question cards to structure the discussion a little more.  Here are a few examples of my question cards........

I also updated my welcome certificates for new students.  At the end of last year, our Leadership Club decorated the certificates and added sweet message for new students to give them a more personal feel. I loved handing them out to new students in the spring and had some left over for the beginning of this year; now I have to replenish!  I use the welcome certificates to close the group and encourage the students to hang them on their wall at home to remind them how excited we are to have them at our school now.  

 

If you want a ready-made New Student Group Pack, check out my new addition at the Life on the Fly TPT store. It will be 20% off for the next 24 hours!  

Happy Almost-Fall and Enjoy! ~ Angela

Make an Investment: TOP 10 School Counselor Resources

In my last post, I mentioned that I was in the process of buying new resources for my new school. One of the good things about starting fresh somewhere is that you get rid of clutter and can really focus in on your most essential "go to" items that work no matter what your school population, demographic, or location.  After three schools in three different counties, here are my top 10 "investment" items for a school counselor (FYI- I have no affiliations with any of these products; I just love them all!)

1.  Kimochis.  Love this doll for talking to kids, especially young ones, about feelings and situations that are causing those feelings. I used to have this one, but now it is not easily available in full size  so I switched things up.  Meet "Lovey Dovey"....kids love putting the feelings under his wing.














2.  Wooden dollhouse.  Another great "must-have" for talking with younger kids, but I must say ALL ages at my schools have loved to look at it. I have noticed that if you ask kids to "organize" the fu
rniture while you are talking to them, they are much more relaxed.  This new version is smaller than my old one and was pretty reasonable here.





















3.  Kinetic sand.  You may remember all my STEM projects over the past two years.  After using kinetic sand with those activities, I decided that I  loved using it in individual counseling, too.  The kids would agree. It is probably the number 1 item kids love to look at while we are meeting. This year I added a sand tray so kids could play with it more easily without a mess. Note: You can use a 40% or 50% off coupon and get it for a great price at Michaels.

4.  Butcher paper and markers.  This old-school standby has been a "go to" since DAY ONE of my counseling career.  Cheap, easy, replaceable, and totally open to kids' (and your) creativity.  Cover your table today!

5.  Mirror decals.  My new addition to the office is becoming a big hit. So far it has mainly been a conversation piece during new student lunches, but I added some positive thought decals above and below the rectangles for future use with replacing negative thoughts.

6.  Number line scale. If you use solution-focused counseling as a main theory, as I do, having a visual where kids can clip their number is a must-have.  Mine was created by a PTA volunteer years ago and probably should be updated. However, if it's not broken, don't fix it (or something like that)!

7. Check-in feeling sheet.  Nothing helps kids zero in on the main issue at hand faster than this check-in sheet. It is laminated so students can put feeling faces with a dry erase marker or make faces with play-doh.  Easy breezy!

8.  Problem solving card (picture coming).  I use this card when I work with students on friendship problems or conflict resolution EVERY WEEK. It is a great laminated "take away" resource for kids to have and helps them transfer problem solving skills to other areas when they aren't with me. Here is a very early version I used for K-2. I will take a current pic ASAP!

9.  I didn't want to list every bibliotherapy book that I LOVE because then my entire blog post would be purely about books (maybe a later post?!). However, here are a few top books that I love for behavior, academics, and social skills (All are available on Amazon and a few have lessons on my TPT that correspond).

10.  Balloons. I wrote about balloons in my Found Objects post, and I am still using them today.  Whether using them as an icebreaker or in a celebration moment with "Balloon Balloon", illustrating anger management, or practicing specific skills such as coping strategies or friendship skills, balloons come in handy. They are inexpensive, don't take up a lot of space, and are a fun,concrete visual.

So, there you have it! Write a grant, ask your PTA for money, or beg your principal so you can get some of these fun resources.  What are your faves?! I'd love to hear!

Happy Counseling! ~ Angela

GRIT...Get Ready, It's Time!

Has the honeymoon period worn off yet?! For some school counselors, last week was your first week of school.  Students eyes were bright and smiles were wide as they came in for that first day of school ready to conquer a new year (at least 99% of them).  For other school counselors, especially my year rounders, the honeymoon period is G.O.N.E.  Reality has set in and there is real work to be done with students, staff, and parents.

I'm about to start week 3 with students and am concentrating on being as proactive as possible so that when the bubbles burst (and they will), I am ready.  In my previous posts here and here I mentioned some of my "Introduction to the School Counselor" lessons.  I am still delivering SMART GOALS with my upper grade students to help them create a positive vision for themselves this year.














I added to my fourth and fifth Smartboard lessons (Here on TPT) and included this awesome YouTube video after I did my pre-test on the best definition for Perseverance and students' perceptions of their goals for the year.  Pretty engaging, right?!

I also am being proactive with my data collection.  Google Docs is truly my friend.  I have my individual counseling form ready to go and have used it already to begin this year's data collection process. You can access the form here to get a better idea of how it looks, and I discussed creating Google forms in my blog post here with character trait surveys. The process is the same for any form, you just change the type of question to the formats below. 

I was able to use the summary of response information at the end of last year to present a nice "School Counseling Data Summary At A Glance" with my staff.  You won't be able to click on all the links but check out the graphics.  I have Google Docs created for pre/post perception and outcome data on all of my classroom guidance lessons and small groups.  It does take some GRIT to stay on top of adding the data throughout the year, but the payoff is so worth it when I can show a quick presentation like this one to highlight my work when it's all said and done.




Most important, I have my ASCA National Model forms completed and ready to show my administrators in my management agreement meeting and in my first advisory council meeting. If you want to get started with the National Model forms, access some of the blank templates here.  The Smart Goals Worksheet is a phenomenal place to start once you have school data so that you narrow in on what your school NEEDS this year.  I also have a 5-page PDF example of my monthly annual calendar from last year with classroom lesson topics, small group topics, schoolwide/parent involvement events, character traits, and bulletin board ideas available on TPT here. All of the classroom lesson topics are cross-referenced with the ASCA indicators and Guidance Essential Standards (picture below) to give an idea of how you can create a comprehensive core curriculum plan throughout the year.

As the above YouTube video emphasizes, take it one step at a time.  It will take some GRIT, but you can do it a little at a time, adding another layer of data or another step of the National Model each year.            
                   Good Luck and Happy Counseling! ~ Angela