Better late than never, right?! Between school counseling and theatre, I've had very little time lately to keep up with blogging. So, what did I do to celebrate National School Counseling Week? Well, every day, I wore a different school counseling t-shirt, which was fun. In the past, I've also given my staff certificates to show my appreciation of their constant love and support. On Friday, I had a fun surprise from my 1st graders (left). Their banner was hanging outside my office door. I almost cried! Overall, NSCW is one area I'd like to improve in. I think it's hard to promote and celebrate ourselves, because it can feel a little self-indulgent. However, like it or not, we still need to "sell" our services, especially now that money is tight for most school districts. We must show that we are essential members of the school team. |
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If you're a school counselor, then I know you've been asked to, in some capacity, manage bullying and bullying prevention at your building(s). The trouble is, we don't always have materials available to us. I've had to create my own lessons and materials more times than I can count and while I love to exercise my creative muscles, sometimes I need something that's ready to go.
The Captain McFinn website has a lot of great extras too! There are 3 sing-a-long songs (have your puppet ready!), coloring pages, interactive games, and more! Whether you need books, activities, puppets, posters, or songs, you can find it with S.H.A.R.K. Patrol. The kids will love the characters. Check it out!
Like most of you, I'm two days into my school's Red Ribbon Week festivities. I wanted to share my first two morning messages from this week. My students have loved hearing from Tim! Want to know what else I do during Red Ribbon Week?
Check out my RRW page 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.
You may remember my BFF, Tim. Oh, the fun times we have at our school! Tim helps with my office tour, visits classrooms, catches students being good, makes videos for special school events, and is often a behavior reward for my students. But, I still thought Tim could add another job to his resume. I have a bulletin board that I update monthly to focus on my district's core values. This year, I am including pictures of Tim demonstrating the core values with me. So far, the students LOVE this new addition to the interactive board. Last month, our core value was "courage."
Take a look at how Tim and I demonstrated this character trait... I have received a lot of questions regarding what new school counselors need for their offices. Here are my Top 10 supplies for elementary school counselors, which expands upon this list that I made in July. I'm sure I missed some of your favorites, but like I always say, every building is different.
2. Portable Sandtray
1. School Puppet
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AuthorMy name is Marissa Rex and I am a 1st Grade teacher and an elementary school counselor from Ohio. I hope you enjoy my site! Archives
June 2017
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