Relaxation, Organization, and Games....say what?

Hey y'all! I have missed you so much!! I have so been neglecting my blog! I have been busy starting my new position and prepping for the year. I hope you all are having time to get ready while finding time to still relax. Relaxation is SOOO important even if it means grabbing Starbucks and getting a pedi/mani. I know that and shopping are my ways to relax! : )
I know many readers on here are super busy and have a lot going on outside of counseling, so that is why it is super important to make sure you get your YOU time in. It seems that counselors are the worse about this (even though we know how important it is) because we juggle so many things at work and many times juggle so many things at home (family, outside activities, keeping up the house, Pinterest). I found this quote online and created a little picture below...this quote is so stinkin' true!

This quote is so true. I think about this in regards to being a counselor and a wife and mom. If I don't take rest, how will I be effective to my students and give them my all while I am at work?? If I don't take rest, how will I have the energy and calm mind set to play outside with my kids or spend time with my husband? I thought it was a quote worth sharing!

So I experienced my first day in my new district and by.golly do I love it!!

me trying to be cool and not sure why I wore a cardigan in 100 degree Texas weather...haha


I have my office, for the most part, complete. I have some things to hang and I would love a shelf to store games and activities. I think it's pretty cozy but it feels so empty. After being in elementary for so long, I am used to having tons of stuff everywhere!!

I can't wait to hang my dream.believe.achieve signs somewhere on the wall in a cluster. I want all my kiddos to see them because I want them to have big dreams, believe they can accomplish them, and achieve it!!!

You can get your own copy of these signs for FREE, here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inspirational-Posters-Set-of-3-783919
I just purchased some cheap $3 frames to put them in! 

And if you haven't downloaded this for your office, here is the link for FREE counseling signs. They are great for testing and to let people know when you're in a session so they won't interrupt.

You can get them here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freebie-Signs-801442

I have been posting on facebook how I would try to blog about organization. I think it will be in small parts because there are so many things to cover. Today, I will start with the basic thing that I can't.live.without.....and that would be my calendars. I have blogged about my love for Erin Condren calendars which you can still order here: http://www.erincondren.com/store/

I use this mostly for personal/family stuff like appointments, birthdays, and reminders but if I have a big meeting or something important at work I record it here so if I am trying to make an appointment for my kids I will know what day not to do it.

At work, I created a binder using my calendar in my TPT store which you can find here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2013-2014-Calendar-717126

I created a cover and I put all of the important notes/reference pages that I know I will use often in the front pocket.

This is my absolute.must.have item!!! I record any meetings, appointments, staff development, special days (Red Ribbon Week, Education Week, etc) here! I love technology but I am the type of person that has to write it all down. So basically this little binder is my BFF!

I feel that forgetting a meeting or important date is a horrible feeling! So this is my first key to organization, this is also where I map things out in guidance or small group.

Another way I keep myself together is with binders. I am not a file folder kinda gal. I like having everything clear to see and a place to go.

I like having everything hole punched and behind labeled dividers so if I am looking for something I can flip to it, copy it, and put it right back. That's just me and maybe I am weird. Well, probably...haha.

The next thing and I promise last thing I wanted to highlight are the use of games in counseling sessions. I am a big believer of play therapy and I think kids express the most through play. Below are some games I have used and have heard of people using. I am sure the possibilities are endless with how you use them. I will try to link up where you can purchase them.

 

This game is Bullies, Victims, and ByStanders. I used this game A WHOLE LOT last year. The kids loved it and it had really good scenarios. I used it a lot in my Friendship group and it was great to hear the conversations that would come up just from reading the cards. 

http://www.amazon.com/toys-games/dp/B003ZFXGIA

 

I have seen some counselors even tape scenarios to the jenga blocks in group and I have also seen this in team building activities. http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-A2120-Jenga-Classic-Refresh/dp/B00ABA0ZOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1375813483&sr=1-1&keywords=jenga+game 

How cool is this? I found this on an AMAZING site called Child Therapy Toys....I am so starting a wish list tonight!!! This would be great as an introductory activity for a group or for a social skills group. 

http://www.childtherapytoys.com/store/product6917.html

I know there are plenty more and I would love any comments about games you use and how you use them!!!

I also wanted to show you a new pack I created. It is great for starting up your counseling office if you're new or starting fresh. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Counseling-Office-Starter-Pack-793679 

This pack includes the August through June calendar, a check in scale, small group rules (which I always have posted), Rules of Confidentiality (I always have posted, too), to do list, counseling log, and a little activity!



If you have started this school year already, I hope you are having a fabulous start and if you haven't started yet, I wish you the best!!! Don't forget to RELAX!!! : )

A BIG Change!!!

Wow, I would say I feel refreshed after our family vacations to the beach and then Disneyworld but I would have to say I am EXHAUSTED!!!

 

But many memories were made that I will never forget!!! It was such a blessing just having time to be with my family and see the excitement in the kids when they met Mickey for the first time...priceless.

So....my big news is that...I have accepted a position as a middle school counselor at a district closer to home. I loved where I was and I must say it was a dream counseling job but being closer to home is what is best for our family and you can't beat a 10 minute drive!!! The district I am going to is absolutely fabulous and I am sooo excited!!! A lot of people seem super surprised that I will be at the middle school level because if you knew me, I am just exploding with elementary cheerfulness but I just felt like this is where I needed to go and it all felt right. I will be doing 8th grade and I can't wait to meet those kiddos!!! 

I will still continue my blog and still keep blogging about elementary, as well. I will create elementary and secondary level units and items...so, no worries! I really enjoy doing that!!! So that is my big news. We came home from Disney World last night and  unpacked. We woke up this morning and took down and packed up my office and came home to grocery shop so I am pretty tired but I can't wait to show you my new space!!!! 

Before I go, I wanted to share some things that I am getting ready to order that are my must-haves for a new school year!!!!

I so can't wait until July 9th so I can order this new Vera Bradley laptop case!!! 

http://www.verabradley.com/product/Category/Tech-Cases/Neoprene-Laptop-Case/1002048/defaultColorVariantId/181920/pc/638/c/0/sc/821/p/1002048.uts

The second thing is, of course, the Erin Condren planner that I am in love with!! I use this for personal use and use the pages in between the months for work, meetings, and appointments. 

http://www.erincondren.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=1454_1455&products_id=4442 

 

And how cute is this? It will be perfect for my morning coffee or tea....

http://www.verabradley.com/product/Category/Home/Travel-Mug/1002030/defaultColorVariantId/181828/pc/638/c/0/sc/649/p/1002030.uts 

 

 And last, something to carry it all in....

http://www.etsy.com/listing/102178377/candy-pink-and-white-large-monogramed?ref=shop_home_feat 

I got this bag last year (different color and it says Mrs. Acker) and I love it!! It is huge and can hold everything I need!!!

    

I also have this new blackboard small group rules since blackboard/chalkboard seem to be the big thing this upcoming school year so feel free to check it out in my TPT store!!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/BlackboardChalkboard-Small-Group-Rules-746786

Have a wonderful week!!! I hope to post some freebies soon!! What are some of your must-have school items???? Feel free to comment or link up below!

End of Year Fun!

I am literally counting down the days until summer! Our little family is heading to the beach and then Disney World and I can't contain my excitement. Don't get me wrong, I will totally miss my sweet students! Counseling won't be far from my mind though. I am sure I will be blogging away this summer when I complete all of the pinterest projects I have been saying I will do!!!

This past Monday, we had our awards ceremony. This was my first time to be in charge of it all and I was so stinkin' nervous. Luckily, one of our teacher' aides was awesome enough to help me out because I created, printed, and filled out all the certificates for the teachers. I love our teachers and like to spoil them...haha! Our amazing staff made it a wonderful experience!!! I had a folder for each teacher and me and Ms. K put the awards in alphabetical order. So, basically the teachers just had to come up to the podium and read their awards in order. We also had an amazing program in the Dallas area come out to help give out awards called Heroes, Cops, and Kids. Oh my word, it made it super cool!!! The kids were in awe!!! How cool is it for Batman, Green Lantern, Captain America, and Superman to give you an award?  Here are some pictures of the event:


The awards



All decorated and ready to go....we did a summer fun theme!



I was very safe that day and well protected! Haha!

If you would like your own copy of the awards, you can get them here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-Year-Awards-716314
Here is a sneak peek.

I also worked on a calendar for next school year. I don't know about you but I am in love with the Erin Condren planners and you can purchase them now for next year's dates. Yay!! Even though I am crazy about that little bundle of planning goodness, I still like to have a big calendar page to plan out guidance and special events at our school such as Red Ribbon Week, Random Acts of Kindness, and Bully Free Week. I created a calendar for August 2013-June 2014. I made it with only 5 days so that I could have the maximum amount of space possible. This would also be great for students in an organization group for assignments. You can get yours here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2013-2014-Calendar-717126

And don't forget to order your Erin Condren planner here: http://www.erincondren.com/store/

And of course, I want to leave you with a little freebie. I don't ever want to seem like my blog is just an advertisement for my TPT store! I want to make sure you always walk away from my blog with either an idea or something you can use in your counseling program. This summer I hope to have A WHOLE LOTTA' resources that are free or things you can make and use!!

I use this check in scale bunches!!! Anytime, I see one of my regular kiddos they always know to check in because it is usually our springboard for our conversation. I even use this in groups and the kids will not let me forget to use it...they love it and I think it allows them to feel like they can tell me how they feel and why without them having to bring it up. Love it!!!

You can click here to download your own for FREE!!! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Check-In-Scale-717486

I hope you all have a great rest of the week and are getting to spend quality time with all of your sweet students!!

Summer Fever!

I may have posted about spring fever in the past, but I would have to say I have Summer fever now. I am so ready for days of wearing cute sandals, laying out, and making memories with my sweet family. Don't get me wrong, my brain has been running like crazy thinking of things I want to make and do for next school year but I am also ready to relax with my sweet little ones.

This past week, our oldest one graduated Pre-K and we were pretty proud parents!!

And I hope you all had a fabulous mother's day, I definitely did!

So...now down to what we are here for...counseling! My program is really winding down and I have been working on cleaning out files, creating data spreadsheets of every student and what tier they are on as of now from SST, and gathering any referral documents needed. For the most part, I am prepping for next year so I can come in and just pick back up.

I also worked on a couple of activity packets....they are available in my lil' TPT store.....
The first one is a Summer Safety Packet that I used with my students. About 98% of our kiddos live in apartments and most have pools there. A lot of our students are unsupervised during the summer days, so I knew I wanted to do some kind of safety lesson and this went along great because not only did they have activities to reinforce what we talked about in guidance, they had a page of summer rules to keep with them.

Get It Here!

I also created a activity pack to go with My Mouth is a Volcano. I so heart this book. I love everything Julia Cook, I would say that now I am a counselor she is one of my absolute fav authors. You can also find this in my TPT store.

Check it Out!

I also have a FREEBIE because if some of you are like me...you LOVE anything free, who doesn't. I already hung this up in my office and may get a huge print made at Costco because I think this is a great reminder. I heard it awhile back so I thought I could put it into poster form.

Click here for your freebie!!!

I am looking to create more activities that are paper friendly...and more craftivities. The kids love anything that involves coloring, creating, and a dash of glitter or the use of googley eyes. While thinking ahead, I will definitely be making a to do list.....I have been pinning such cute things and I just want to have a whole day or week to make Dollar Tree runs, Target dollar bin visits, and Hobby Lobby trips. Oooh, the excitement!

Before I go, I want to share the one thing that I don't think I could live without in my office and that is my Erin Condren life planner. 

This planner is to die for and it keeps me on track with work, meetings, and my personal life. I know they are coming out with their new ones for next school year in July...so check it out! You will completely fall in love with all of her organizational stuff....it's ah-mazing.

www.erincondren.com

Well, that's it for today.....y'all have an awesome week and Memorial day!!!

Career Day!!!

Wow, this week has been fast and furious! But I will say I feel so stinkin' excited that Career Day was successful. We had it last Friday and I am so pleased with how it turned out. We had some amazing speakers and our staff and kiddos impressed me and the visitors. Here is a peek at how I organized my Career Day.

It took weeks and weeks of planning, my master schedule looked a little cray-cray at first..haha! I am the type of person that probably takes the long route to figure and plan stuff out but I have to because it makes so much more sense to me! I placed the presenters in set rooms and I had the kids go from class to class. Many have asked me why I didn't have the presenters move.....but to me I wanted the visitors to not have to figure out where to go or worry about moving anything they brought. Plus, the kids get to move and get their wiggles out between each session.

After I created my master schedule, I made a schedule for each presenter so they would know who to expect and when. It looked something like this.

I also made sure to provide all speakers with talking points in case they weren't exactly sure where to take the discussion next.

I set it all up and had snacks and refreshments ready for the big day. I also provided a copy of activities and notes for the teachers and resources they could use and activities to try in the classroom.

We even had a local news anchor come in! I wish I could post more pictures of all of the awesome career volunteers we had but I have to protect our kiddos' privacy.

It was a wonderful experience and I couldn't have wished for a better Career Day! And the sweet staff at school even game me a basket of goodies....

I also am soooo excited to have been nominated for Counselor of the Year and won for Division 2. We are in a very large urban school district which is divided into five divisions. I was so honored and confused...haha...since it was only my first year. I have been truly blessed with my experience I have gained at my school and in my district. I am pretty happy in the pic below but nothing beats getting to be a motivator and supporter for students....not even an award. It was cool to get but I also know I still have tons and tons to learn and ways to make next year even better.

I hope to be posting some freebies in the next week that I am working on and also a Summer Safety packet in my TPT store that I will be using with my guidance for this month. I am just so excited because there are so many things I want to create but with so little time....I am thinking of ideas for grief and also for next school year. I also found this book today which I thought would be fun to use also. Random subjects, I know....but I am just so excited!! (I think that's about the 11th time I have said the word "excited").
                                                         

The reason I haven't had much time is because these two have been keeping me busy but I wouldn't have it any other way. My hubby and I are enjoying every.possible.minute. with them!

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to tell those teachers you know to have a Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!! I am blessed to have a hubby, sister in law, and mother in law plus many more family members that are teachers.Y'all have a relaxing weekend!