Red Ribbon

This year during guidance lessons, my students created a class display for Red Ribbon. Here are some ideas that you might can use:

Kindergarten: Stay Sweet!  Drugs are corny!

2nd Grade: We SCARE drugs away!

2nd Grade section 2: Don't get wrapped up in DRUGS!

1st grade: We scare drugs away.

4th grade: Look WHOOOOO's pledging to just say no!

3rd grade: {chalk spiders} We would rather eat bugs, than do DRUGS!!!

High School Seniors

I am wanting to gather ideas on how High School Senior Counselors keep their parents posted on everything their Senior child needs to be doing.....

How do you share:
Application deadlines
Reminders to sign up for the ACT/SAT
Scholarships
Etc., etc., etc

Year after year I hear from parents, "that we didn't know."

What I currently do is:
Senior class email notifications
 Announcements
 Letters to parents
 School website


&&& the (but) is.... We didn't know!

How do you make sure your parents "KNOW?"

I would love to hear your ideas!

Please share.

Suicide Link

I loved this and really wanted to share with my followers.  The Middle School Counselor has a great form posted: suicidal severity rating scale.

Please check it out.

The Middle School Counselor


I think as school counselors, we can never have too many great resources.

September Checklist

September Checklist

Textbooks (funding)

At-Risk list completed

Do your teachers have:

Special Education List/Accommodations

504 List/Accommodations

Gifted and Talented List

ESL List

Renew AP Course (Audit)

STAAR updates

Senior Meeting (things to do each month)

ACT/SAT Test dates to Juniors and Seniors (mail-out)

Personal graduation plans completed and mailed home

Upload test data to Eduphoria

August Checklist

This year, I have started a checklist system for every month.  I thought I would share it with you.  It is absolutely NOTHING fancy, but I love to share ways to keep me organized, to keep me from forgetting those very important items, and from going off the deep end.

August Checklist

Eduphoria new teachers/archive records

Schedule Changes (Check Transcripts)

Modified Courses updated

Textbooks (Allotment fund/Auditor list)

At-Risk

Special Education List

504 List

Gifted and Talented

ESL

Renew AP Course (Audit)

Check new 5^th & 8^th Grade STAAR scores

STAAR Enrollment Due Sept. 1^st

Senior Meeting

ACT/SAT Test dates

Recheck Schedules/Graduation Plans Juniors and Seniors

Guidance Schedule

Recheck new student’s transcripts/records

Schedule ASVAB

Order PSAT, PLAN, EXPLORE Tests (set dates on calendar)

6th Grade Guidance

I always struggle with my preteen middle school student's guidance lessons.

Until..... I found this!

7 Habits of Happy Kids

I am not going to waste your time {okay... or mine}

posting where I found all the super cool 7 Habits handouts, videos, and lots of freebies!

Just go HERE ----- Pinterest!

I have to be honest.  I was a little worried that my 6th graders would think {blah, blah, blah} BUT they loved it.

Here is the run down:

Each lesson, we will discuss a habit of the 7 Habits of Happy kids.

For lesson 1, our topic was Be Proactive!

I asked the students what does is mean to be proactive?

Students, then had to write down things they were in charge of.  What are choices you can make for yourself? {ideas: choose my friends, choose my clothes, choose what I eat, etc.}

We also did an activity where students had to write down the things they control and those they do not. Some of the ideas I gave them were: a parent's bad day, my day, walking away from trouble, asking for help, where I was born, what other people say or do, etc.

We then watched the videos, I posted to my Pinterest boards.

There are a lot of great ideas out there for lessons geared toward being proactive!  Enjoy!

No David!

1st Grade 

Lesson 1 Guidance 

was the good ole classic books:

1st graders told me ideas for

"What Makes a Good Student?"

I wrote them on this chart.

At the end of the lesson I also used these great ideas from Pinterest!

I found some cute lesson ideas and printables from:

ayearofmanyfirsts.blogspot.com teacherytidbits.blogspot.com

Soda Pop Head

I had the amazing honor of listening to Julia Cook at the Texas School Counselor Association Conference.  I LOVE HER!

This year, I am working extremely hard to set up lessons for each grade level that are unique and different.  That way.... I don't have to keep recreating every year.  In the past, I would take the same lesson and adapt it for each grade level.  Then, I discovered that year after year I was running out of great ideas.

Lesson 1 for 2nd grade was Soda Pop Head!  

Click here for Amazon link!

Before we read the book, I asked the kids to write down one thing they already knew about volcanoes on a sticky note.  They stuck their "What I Know" sticky note on the chart above.

We read the book and then talked about ways to control our anger.

We then came up with "Rules for Being Angry..."

To end the lesson, students had to write down one strategy they would use to keep from erupting!

How to listen

Every year I use chart paper to create this:

One thing I must do as a school counselor is set my standards and rules for my elementary students.  If I don't take the time to go over my rules, then my guidance lessons are {shot}!  They have to know and learn what my expectations are.  I also remind them, that they do NOT want to miss out on our super cool and super fun lesson!

My updated office space

Chevron is the new me!

This year I decided to update my office with some new fabric.

I love how fabric can transform a small space.

My daughter, Addi and I sewed some new pillows!

{I also added a few owls here and there!}

I also had this old desk at home and decided to bring it up to school!

{I really had to convince some teachers that the school did not buy this super cool desk for me.  It has been in my family for a few years collecting dust at home.  My husband swears that HE WILL NOT move it again.  So, if I ever leave this school.... I guess the next counselor gets this super cool desk!}