Here's a quick summary of how I've started the 2014-2015 school year at my building:

Our staff decorated our building with a "Surfing into a New School Year" theme. Here's a sample bulletin board introducing our staff to students and parents.

Very similar to last year's office. Here are some pictures and a video of my space.

I used a LEGO theme to introduce/reintroduce myself to my students. The students loved it, especially because of The LEGO Movie. Check out additional beginning of the year lessons here. Make your custom LEGO icon here.

At my District Leadership Team meeting this evening, we opened with this very entertaining and also VERY enlightening video from TEDx Talks. The presenter, Shawn Achor, discusses how happiness can positively impact our lives, including how successful we feel at work, home, and beyond.

I think this would be a great video to show at a staff meeting or to cut into segments to discuss with older students. I would like to use these concepts to help my 6th graders, in particular, find better ways to deal with stress, disappointment, frustration, and failure. There are some aspects of the talk that may be inappropriate for your intended population, so be sure to view and decide which sections, if any, you'd like to share with those specific individuals.

Just watch. You will be glad you did.

Let me know your ideas in the comments section! :)

For the past few weeks, I've been adding content to my website. In case you've missed the new additions, here's a list of all of the new material. Just click on the numbers to visit each page.

You may remember a post from August 2012 that described a school counselor Pinterest Party I hosted. Well, my school decided to take it one step further and have an all staff Pinterest Party during one of our scheduled professional development times.

To learn more, click here.

My school has an AMAZING climate committee that focuses on highlighting special events to boost staff morale. They pick random days, like National Pasta Day or Friday the 13th, and decorate our lounge. The staff love it! Here are some pictures from our latest special day: National "Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work" Day!

Maintaining positive relationships with your school staff is essential for every school counselor. One way I try to show my appreciation is by writing a note to each of my school's employees on their birthdays. Of course, we must be sensitive to all religions, so in some situations, this idea may not be appropriate and, in fact, could be offensive. If you do not celebrate birthdays at your school, you could still incorporate this idea into your school counseling program, but select random dates to recognize your colleagues for their efforts.

This American Life is one of my favorite radio programs. The content is always thought-provoking, engaging, and sometimes even heart-breaking.

When I heard this episode, I knew I had to share it on my blog. As school counselors, we are handed extremely difficult situations and, with other school personnel, must help our students rise up out of their challenges and succeed. "Back to School" offers great information to help with this task. Check it out!

Click here to read the transcript.

On Thursday, August 16th, all 8 elementary school counselors in my district got together for a Pinterest Party! Each school counselor brought materials for at least one project. It was unbelievably fun and energizing! I thought I'd share some of the projects we made, with links to the actual Pinterest activities. Also, two of my brave colleagues agreed to explain a couple of their ideas on camera. Enjoy!