School Counselor Blog

There are so many great resources and items that I use as a school counselor. I wanted to create a way to share the items that get the most use in my office. I have decided to call this way of sharing great items "Fabulous Find Friday!" Each week I will be selecting an item for Fabulous Find Friday. If you have a suggestion for a Fabulous Find, email me and I will try it out! Your Fabulous Find may be Featured on a Future Friday! ;) Today is the first Fabulous Find Friday! Since the weather is getting warmer and summer is just around the corner, I chose bubble solution as the first Fabulous Find! It may sound simplistic, but bubbles are a great resource! Bubbles do not have to be used only in the spring or only outdoors! Bubbles can be used indoors – any time of the year – in your classroom guidance lessons, group sessions, and individual sessions! I have worked in many different settings and found that students of all ages enjoy blowing bubbles .  Younger students...

A reader asked me about navigating the process for applying to graduate schools, which can definitely be a bewildering process. Q: Is there any advice or pointers you could give me regarding graduate school and what I should start doing at this point? I have started looking into schools but it's an overwhelming process. I would like to stay in the DC are if possible. I guess it's time to start thinking about taking the GRE's...  I actually looked at the professors and heads of the School Counseling program at GWU and contacted one of them to learn more about the program.  If you have any other tips on anything, feel free to let me know :) A: The first thing I would recommend is checking out CACREP 's website. CACREP Stands for Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. There are many reasons to choose a CACREP accredited program, but the main reason I recommend choosing a CACREP accredited program is because CACREP programs m...

The following is a guest blog post I wrote for the Really Good Stuff Teacher's Lounge Blog . Three Tips for a Smooth Transition The school year is winding down. State testing is in full swing and summer is right around the corner. As educational professionals we get used to the routine of the school year. It important to remember, however, that although we may be in our groove, students are moving on and transitioning. As a school counselor, I work with students and teachers through various transitions. Transitions can be challenging, whether the transition is from Pre-school to Kindergarten, elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, or even from one grade to the next. I have found that there are three things that can create a smooth transition for students: involving stakeholders, addressing questions and concerns, and having fun! 1. Involve Stakeholders Involving stakeholders is a great first step to a smooth transition. Stakeholders can be anyone...

Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others? - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. April marks the 42nd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Death. I was recently informed about efforts to create a National Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy. For more information about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial visit http://mlkmemorialnews.org/. The site has banners available and a search engine toolbar available for download. There is a great companion website available for kids called Kids for King. The site has information, activities, and contests for kids. Comment below,  email me ,  tweet , or share on the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page ! Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at  School Counselor Blog , a place where school counselors share innovative ideas,  creative lesson plans,  and quality resources.  Conta...

I wanted to share a poem that our district's Homelessness Coalition shared with the counselors and social workers. I have it hanging on the wall in my office.  For more information about homelessness and resources visit the Pennsylvania Homeless Children's Initiative website. 7 Hours of Sanity by Russell Valentini 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place with heat, water and light, And somewhere to rest after a sleepless night. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place I can get two meals to eat, And every day I attend, I have the same seat. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place to get a band-aid from the nurse, And maybe antiseptic so it doesn’t get worse. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place I can jump rope and play basketball, And see the gym teacher who is six foot tall. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place...

I have been so busy lately... I have been too bogged down with everything to blog. There is a lot going on at school right now. In addition to my normal roles and responsibilities, I am assisting in coordinating state testing, proctoring testing, and planning big events in May (5th grade transition and career week). On top of that I am planning my wedding, which is June 26th! I was also training for a half-marathon. I decided that to postpone my half-marathon training to sometime in the summer or later in the year. My longest run was 7 miles and the half marathon is less than a month away.  Needless to say, training was the first to go. I am still running, because it helps my sanity. I was feeling pressured by the training schedule and my work schedule. Running was not as enjoyable for me as it had once been. The last thing I need right now is to feel unnecessary pressure. I have come to the conclusion, as much as I hate to admit it, I can't do it all.  I need to learn t...

Our district is hosting a career week in May.  I am so excited to participate! At my previous job, one of my colleagues and I were planning on having a career fashion show to make learning the PA Career and Work Standards more meaningful for students. The purpose of the event was to teach 8th graders appropriate dress for interviews and work. I told one of my current co-workers about the idea and she thought it was great.  She suggested that we model the event after the Black Entertainment Television (BET ) show Rip the Runway. We presented the idea to the career committee for our district and they loved it. We are going to do the event district wide. All of the students in 8th grade will be able to participate. Not only will students be showcasing proper work attire, but the event will showcase student talent. We will have have student performances of singing, dancing, step, and drill. I think it would be really cool to have a section of students to dress up like their ...