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Opening a New School as a School Counselor

10/13/2018

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I’ve always dreamed of opening a new school. Maybe it’s the fresh paint but I also think it’s excitement of planning and setting up everything from scratch. You know I love to organize…

Today I am super excited to welcome Sara from
the Responsive Counselor to share her experience opening a new school this year.


​What led you to decide to open a new school? Did you go with an admin or seek it out?

After 6 years at my previous school, I was starting to feel a little antsy. I was worried about become complacent and I started wondering if a change would help challenge and push me. My goal professionally is to always be growing and improving. When my district announced a new elementary was opening and named the executive principal, I reached out to the counselors currently working with him. They knew me personally and professionally and I thought they would know whether or not it would be a good "fit" for me. They said "Yes, run!" and then put in a good word for me.

What has been the most surprising challenge?
Starting from scratch with relationships...with adults. I knew how important this was and I guess I'm not surprised that it's a challenge but I didn't realize how much of a challenge it would be. So much of our success in our jobs is related to our connections with faculty and with the mutual trust that comes with that. My teachers don't know what to expect from me yet. They don't know what to ask me for help with. They don't know that I only ever email if I really need to. Since they're also all coming from different places, they're coming in with different ideas and expectations of what a school counseling program is. It's a big responsibility to shape that for a new faculty!

What has been the most surprising fun thing/ good thing?
A brand new building means brand new technology! We aren't one to one or anything but each room (including my office) has a Promethean board. I'm still figuring out all the ways I can use it but I'm already loving it. Writing directly on PowerPoints, being one click away from GoNoodle, etc. - it's a great perk. Also, little things like...no spiders! Well placed faculty bathrooms! No peeling paint! Stuff that counselors in old buildings (like me before this year) really appreciate. As counselors it sometimes feels shallow to appreciate cosmetic things or fancy things - but the truth is that the physical environment of a school has a real impact on all of the people inside - students and faculty!

Did you decide to do many of the same things as your previous school or did you change it up?
For now, I'm doing most of the same things. My co-counselor and I are just finishing up our program management agreement to present to admin and even that I'm keeping mostly the same for now. As I learn more about the student needs (and once all my needs assessments are back in!), I'll find changes I need to make but for now, I'm going to plug in what I know and do best. The only piece significantly different right from the get go is the intentionality that I'm coordinating Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavior services. We are trying to follow a true RTI/MTSS model for behavior, including using a universal screener and doing check in/check out with fidelity.

What advice do you have for getting started in a new school?
Be patient. There are lots of things that won't be established or ready right away. You might not get into your building until a couple days before the kids arrive. You might not have a school mission or vision statement. You might not have any baseline data to work with. It might take longer than you'd hoped to establish a relationship and rapport with teachers. You will feel a little comfortable. Be patient. It just takes a little longer for all the pieces to fall into place.

Is there something you've learned that would apply to any counselor starting at a *new to them* school?
Prioritize relationships. That might mean spending time in the cafeteria (even though it's loud and chaotic and awful). It might mean using your only "sit down" time in the day to pop into teachers during their lunch. Maybe it's calling parents instead of sending a note home. There are small sacrifices that can come with doing this but it's crucial, especially at the start when norms and expectations and attitudes and beliefs are being established.

Thanks Sara! What questions do y’all have? Leave in the comments and Sara and I will check back in to answer. While you’re at it, check out Sara’s post on 5 Tips for Setting Up Your First Office.
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I’ve always dreamed of opening a new school. Maybe it’s the fresh paint but I also think it’s excitement of planning and setting up everything from scratch. You know I love to organize…
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Welcome to Our School!

8/5/2017

2 Comments

 
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Starting a new school can be intimidating and scary for students. I went to 9 schools by the time I was in 9th grade and I remember the feeling well! I am happy to welcome a guest blogger, Erainna Winnett, to share her clever idea for welcoming students! Erainna was a classroom teacher for 15 years before becoming a school counselor. She saw a need for newer resources in the field and self-published her first book Mrs. Joyce Gives the Best High Fives . Find out how to win a free copy at the end of this post! 

When new students arrive on our campus, I always go to their classrooms and introduce myself. I generally pull them into the hallway, tell them who I am, explain our Kindness Climate (we are part of Rachel’s Challenge), and walk them to our banner where they sign agreeing to show kindness and compassion daily. I also give them a pencil and walk them back to class leaving them with a high-five. To continue our relationship building, I send them a Welcome to Our School postcard. Students rarely, if ever, receive mail. When their parents hand them something addressed specifically to them, I believe it’s meaningful and memorable. 

A Note from the Heart

Order inexpensive welcome postcards online or print at school using heavy cardstock. The first year I worked with our registrar and hand wrote a welcome message to each child the day they enrolled. This ensured they would receive the postcard the next day or the day after that. At first, about a third of my postcards would be returned undeliverable. After
talking with the post office, I discovered that most apartment buildings will only accept mail with the leaser's name. Remember, I want this to be special to the child and this particular piece of mail is FOR THEM. So, I began writing the child’s name, then c/o the parent’s name. This alleviated the problem. I’ve had several parents come into the office to thank me for just a unique greeting.
Our principal LOVED the idea but wanted to tweak it a little. She wanted to have our fourth graders (the seniors on our campus) write the welcome message. We had a contest where all fourth graders wrote a two to three sentence welcome. Next, we selected three winners and those are the messages new students receive in the mail.

Cost Saving

One year, we were on a little stricter budget, so I addressed the postcard to the student and the teacher’s classroom name and number and delivered them when I went to introduce myself to the new student. Ensuring a successful transition for new students I think receiving this Welcome to Our School postcard is unique and lets children know they truly are welcome to THEIR new school and they’ve got a friend in the school counselor.
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Giveaway

Thanks Erainna! What a great idea for welcoming new students with a personal touch! If you would like to win one of five copies of Erainna's book Mrs. Joyce Gives the Best High Fives, sign up for the Counselor Up VIP List! Five of our superstar VIPs will win a copy of the book on Friday, August 11 at 4:00pm, sign up before then! It's that easy - no rafflecopter, no form, just VIP treatment - and I promise to never spam you! If you'd like an editable Welcome to Our School template, I got your back too! UPDATE: This giveaway has now ended. You can check to see if you were a winner on Instagram and Facebook! 
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Fun Ways to Learn About Feelings Through Play

5/28/2017

1 Comment

 
I'm always looking for ideas that I can create ahead of time and grab in the moment. I want it to be quick but meaningful and ready for use. Enter Feelings Go Fish - print on cardstock, laminate, and get ready to use over and over.
I'm always looking for ideas that I can create ahead of time and grab in the moment. I want it to be quick but meaningful and ready for use. Enter Feelings Go Fish - print on cardstock, laminate, and get ready to use over and over.  You can even make this yourself! Just cut up two copies of multiple feelings pictures from google searches and you're good to go. If you're not so into DIY, you can purchase the cards seen here on TpT.

Individual Counseling

This can be a great ice breaker for a kid that needs some practice talking about their feelings. Each time you ask each other for a card - "Do you have a shocked friend?" - you are identifying the feeling on the card. You can also practice sharing a time that you have experienced that feeling each time you take a turn or make a pair. To help, I've created a poster that shows all the feelings on one page. Keep it posted in your room to reference each time you discuss feelings.
I'm always looking for ideas that I can create ahead of time and grab in the moment. I want it to be quick but meaningful and ready for use. Enter Feelings Go Fish - print on cardstock, laminate, and get ready to use over and over.

Group Counseling

I think it's fun to practice tone of voice of body language to "go fish." When I need an angry card, I can use an angry tone of voice or make an angry face. The other student has to guess which feeling I am showing and the let me know if they have that card. Playing games in groups is a great way to practice turn taking, managing frustration, and communication. 
I'm always looking for ideas that I can create ahead of time and grab in the moment. I want it to be quick but meaningful and ready for use. Enter Feelings Go Fish - print on cardstock, laminate, and get ready to use over and over.

Whole Class Stations

Do you teach a lot of classes? Many of the counselors in my area teach on the specialist rotation (weekly) so they need a lot of lessons. That's a lot to plan! One idea is to create stations that kids can visit multiple times over the course of a few weeks. Most kids know how to play Go Fish so this station would need very little explanation. Just make sure to laminate those cards! Use the cards again to play a memory game, flipping over two cards at a time to find pairs. 
I'm always looking for ideas that I can create ahead of time and grab in the moment. I want it to be quick but meaningful and ready for use. Enter Feelings Go Fish - print on cardstock, laminate, and get ready to use over and over.
What fun game hacks do you have? Please share in the comments, I would love to hear! I always love to be creative with items I have so I don't have to store too much. Gotta be - Productive. Organized. Effective.
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National School Counseling Week

2/2/2017

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National School Counseling Week is coming up next week. I can't wait to celebrate. I plan to keep up with ASCA's Photo Challenge. You can also read about what I've done in my schools or laugh at some funny memes. What are some meaningful ways you celebrate school counseling week?
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Back to Class Pass

8/31/2016

2 Comments

 
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Do you use hall passes at your school? We have tried a million different ideas over the years but I find that hall passes in elementary school tend to fizzle as the year progresses. Let's not even talk about passes that get taken to the bathroom. Ew. No matter what, you always have a few friends that need a note to let their teacher know exactly when they left your room. Some people are wonderers, what can we say??

One of my lovely readers suggested the idea to me to make a cute pass. I've always used post-it notes but love this idea. Something fun to keep on hand to add a little brightness to your day. Download the Back to Class Pass right here and view it below.

Love you, mean it. ​Mwah. 
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    Rebecca Atkins

    Welcome to my blog where I talk about all things school counselor and encourage others to Counselor Up!

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