Hello everyone! How are we already at the end of July this week?? Summer flew, and I am partially dreading the reality of going back to work on Thursday. I am also excited though, can that happen? Every year it does, so I am just going to roll with it! Have you ever been presented with a task that you were unsure about? And no, I am not talking about the regular school stuff that happens; we all know new. tasks are a given for school counselors. This year I have been given the task of leading a book study for a group of teachers.......yikes! Even after eight years, this task sounds scary to me. I mean, asking a colleague to read a book during the school year??? Even this sounds a little difficult, and I am the one leading the book study!! Nevertheless, I am going to do this, and I am determined to do it well! Even though I have not yet started this book study, here are some things that I feel are going to set me and my colleagues up for success: 1. Choose a short book. We are all educators, and I am almost positive that most colleagues are going to be less than thrilled to lear they are going to have to do something extra for work. To ease the pain, I suggest choosing a short, easy read book with a big message. Need some help choosing a book? Jon Gordon has many short, great reads. Other great books are Todd Whitaker books or Teach Like a Pirate. If you do not have a say in the book that is chosen, that is ok too! If it is a longer book, I would suggest highlighting the important parts of the book and have the group read those portions. People will appreciate the time-saving action while still getting something out of the book. 2. Read the book first, duh! I know this sounds like a given, but sometimes tasks are sprung on us and we do not have time. As much as possible, try to read the book before you start the group, or at least a good portion. Remember, its hard to ask someone to do something that you have not done yourself. Plus, it will allow you to be prepared to answer questions and lead the discussions in the right way. If you do complete the book before the book study happens, I also suggest rereading as you go, so that you can experience the book in the book study setting. Lots of work, I know! But I feel like it will be worth it, and will provide a positive experience with your colleagues. 3. Change up the discussion setting. Let's be honest: coming together and sitting in a circle and talking about personal stuff can be intimidating for those of us who are not counselors. Even though I am the type of person who thrives on sharing, not everyone shares that same joy. So, we have to improvise. In order to make it not seem like a chore, change it up every week. Nothing works better than applying some cooperative learning strategies teachers can take back to their own classrooms and use with their students. Need some ideas? check out the Kagan books, they are perfect for classroom cooperative learning! Do not be afraid to put your colleagues on the spot; try assigning a chapter to each person and they are in charge of teaching the group the content of the chapter. Remember, use what works for the group, and always read your participants. 4. Expect silence. As any good counselor knows, we should embrace the silence in any session. This strategy applies in a group discussion, no matter how painful. You would think a group of teachers who expect students to participate and answer questions would be chomping at the bit to talk, right? Well, any of you who have ever presented or trained a group of education professionals know that it doesn't exactly go that way. In fact, some may start to embody some of the behaviors of their students! Not to worry though, you have to expect some pushback. Expect the silence, and unfortunately, expect the eye rolls. If you do encounter some heavy pushback, do your best to redirect the conversation and move on from the topic. Movement in the discussion is key in a positive book study, so keep things moving! 5. Apply the book to your own experiences.
This is always easier said than done. First, remember what your goal for the group is, and then share how you will implement this in your own professional practice. For example, the book we are using in our book study is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The goal for the group is to learn about the seven habits and how they can incorporate them into their classrooms. During the book study, I am planning on sharing on how I can form these habits in my classroom so I can teach these habits to my students through action. Does this sound difficult? Yes! I am still going to give it a try though! Even though I am on the front end of my book study journey, I am hopeful that I will get to share a helpful book with my colleagues and. they can take something away from it. Stay tuned to see how it goes!
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Happy Monday all! I hope many of you are able to extend this weekend until Tuesday! I totally get it if you can't, so hopefully today will go quick for you and you are able to enjoy tomorrow with your family and friends! I have been busy prepping my calendar and schedule for next year, and I thought I would share with you some important dates that I put on my calendar and plan some school-wide event around them. No school counselor can plan an event around every week or month (trust me, I have given it a good shot and usually fail miserably) I hope that you find these useful, or you can find one to bring into your school counseling program that will put your program on your school's professional map. Here are some of my favorite weeks to highlight during the year: Red Ribbon Week Red Ribbon Week is a national week that is celebrated during the last week and half in October. It is a perfect time to bring awareness to how important it is for students to make good choices and keep their bodies safe and drug-free. Each year they have a different theme; check out the National Red Ribbon Week site here to see what the theme is for 2017! I will be honest, I am super pumped about this one! Whatever you do, have fun and get creative! National School Counseling Week I have the MOST fun with this week! Some people feel that it is a week for people to thank the school counselor, but I feel that it is a week to thank everyone in my building for all they do to support me and also to really focus on my students. Where do you start if you have never planned a School Counseling week? First, go to the American School Counselor Association website for start-up ideas and some awesome FREE resources! Second, talk with your administrator to make sure any school-wide things you would like to do are approved by them. Third, HAVE FUN! It does seem like extra work, but it is well worth getting your name and program promoted in the building. Check out some fun things I did this past year for National School Counseling week in this post. Pinterest, Instagram, and TpT are also great resources to help you think of some ideas. National Bullying Prevention Month National Bullying Awareness month is held in October every year. This month is a great time to discuss this hot topic across our country. As educators, this word can be scary to us; but I feel that is why it is even more important to help our students and parents understand what it is, how do sea with it, and what steps we can take as a whole to combat the issue. I use this month to focus on conflict resolution and bullying awareness lessons in my classroom, as well as send home information in my monthly newsletter to parents. See the list of following websites that have some information and resources available to educators: Boss's Day/Principal's Day It may seem weird that I highlight this one, but I feel that these days are super important to remember! These are the two positions that help me out the most in my building, so I am eternally grateful for the wonderful people that fill these spots. Teachers are just as important, but it seems that PTOs and PTAs tend to do a good job honoring our teachers. If no one has taken it upon themselves to organize something for these positions, do it! No matter what, every person works harder when they feel appreciated, and that includes these two people! SW-PBS Spirit Week This week is somewhat specialized to our building, but the concept can be adapted to any school! We have a "Spirit Week" during some of our tougher weeks; right before Thanksgiving, spring break, or any other week where times can be tough for teachers and students. We hold this week twice a year, and every time it is a huge hit! We highlight good behavior by students, and also do a few "extra"things for teachers to let them know we care about them. Check out my post to see how we have done spirit weeks in our building. ANY School Events
No matter what it is: Parent/Teacher Conferences, PTO meetings, Family Nights, sporting events, concerts, etc, try your best to make an appearance at one at least once a month! This not only helps show you are committed to your job, but it also helps students see you in a different light. Plus, you may become involved in a different way that you never thought you would be able to help! It also helps you to get to know parents and the community members. You don't have to make EVERY one, just one event once in awhile. Check out my Parent/Teacher Conference post to see how I utilize this night to connect with parents! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday week and enjoy the start of July! Happy week every one! I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend and did something to relax and rejuvenate! It was beautiful weather here in Missouri; who can believe 70 degrees in February?!?! This weekend was definitely needed after a busy week of parent/teacher conferences. Parent/teacher conferences can be a stressful and exhausting time for teachers and counselors. Presenting data to parents, delivering tough messages, and making sure that your information is well-recepted can be daunting. As a school counselor, I feel that this tends to be a time when we need to be at the forefront and make our presence known to parents and teachers. But how do you reach every parent for every student?? That task almost seems impossible, especially if you think I am talking about attending each and every conference (don't worry, that is NOT what I am recommending). But you CAN reach every parent without making it feel impersonal or just one more email they receive and delete. So, how do you do this? Below are some simple steps I follow to implement an effective parent connection table at parent/teacher conferences: 1. Choose a Theme. One of the ways our district has come up with to help provide social/emotional information to parents during conferences is called "Coffee with the Counselor". Now, please note I have done different variations of this over the years. For example, this last week I did "Chocolate with the Counselor". I have also done "Cupcakes with the Counselor" and "Cookies with the Counselor". Basically, any way that you can involve free food works and will get parents and students to walk over to the table. Below are the signs I placed on the table:
2. Pick a location. A central location is usually a good choice for your table or location. I usually set up a table in the front foyer of our school where parents will be coming in and out of the building. You could also try outside of your office, but depending on where you office is located that may or may not work. I tried that once, but because my office is located more towards the the upper grade hallway in our school, I missed a good portion of parents for the lower grades. 3. Pick a topic. This is by far the most important part of your event. I would suggest picking a topic that is a focus for your school or district for that time. Some topics that I have covered are:
4. Provide valuable information.
An important thing to remember when providing parents with information is to watch the length of the handouts provided. A three page handout is something that most parents probably will not read. I know I wouldn't! I usually try to keep handouts to a one-page length maximum. Second, I would make sure your sources are creditable. Double check your information is coming from a site or organization that people will recognize. Remember, the information you provide reflects back on you and your district. I usually have my administrator approve what I am setting out ahead of time. Book lists, coloring pages, and applicable charts are also great things to add to your table. Parents love things they can use! I hope your conferences go well and you are able to share information with parents, even if you are enable to see them all face-to-face. It feels impossible to meet with every parent, but it IS impossible to make contact with each one! What are some topics you have shared with your parents? How do you ensure you reach the most parents that you can? I would love to hear your feedback! Have a great week! Jessica Hello all! How is it already February?? In the midst of preparing small groups, prepping for 8th grade transition, and starting the year off on the right foot, somehow January has flown by! The weather has been so mild here in Missouri, and we have taken advantage of the beautiful weather in school and outside. Who else doesn't enjoy 60-egree weather in the middle of January?? Since February is quickly approaching, it is time for me to start planning one of my favorite weeks: National School Counseling Week! This year ASCA has chosen Helping Students Realize Their Potential as 2017's theme. This theme is great, and our school district is taking it a step further and adding our own twist onto it. This idea comes from the 2016 Missouri School Counselor Association's theme. Check it out below: The 80's may be the decad I was born, but I am almost positive it is the decade I was meant to live my youth in. So I am very pumped to be implementing this theme this year! So what do I do with this week? This week is all about advocating for my school counseling program; I make my students feel valued, bring awareness to important character traits, and thank all the people that make it possible to implement my program. Below is a list of key factors I feel can help implement a successful school counseling week: 1. Daily Announcements Having a daily short announcement that gives a quick, positive message for the day is important. I usually have a short paragraph or quote that can be read during our school's morning announcements. You can do this through an email, newsletter, or video. Feel free to get creative with it! Looking for ideas or inspiration? Check out ASCA's sample morning announcements. 2. Individualized Student Tags Students are the sole reason why we do what we do, so my goal is always to somehow make sure that I make every student feel special in some way. One way that I have thought of to do this is to make a mini-sign for each student that is related to the year's theme. For example, a few years ago when they theme was building blocks, I make Legos out of paper and put each students name on them. I hung them up in the cafeteria next to the school counseling week sign I made. Here is an example from last year: I would tell teachers that if students came to find their name, they could bring it to me and they would get a prize (pencil, piece of candy, etc). This way I get to touch base with each of my students for the week and see them. 3. Teacher Thank-you Gifts Without teachers, I would be nothing as a school counselor. It is only fitting that I make sure they know how special they are! Pinterest has TONS of ideas for this; go ahead, go crazy and show those teachers some love! 4. Prizes There is nothing students and teachers like more than an opportunity to win something! Make a drawing happen, or have a teacher win an extra school counseling lesson time for the week. What better way to get to see your students more, and let teachers know you appreciate them. You can also have a contest among students. One year I had students guess how many legos there were in a jar, and the student that was the closest won a prize. Any way you can promote your program is a win-win situation for you! 5. Have Fun! Last, but definitely not least, have some fun with the week! Sometimes the daily grind of being a counselor can get to you, but at the end of the day there is at least one reason why we do what we do. Whatever that reason is for you, I challenge you to find it during school counseling week and embrace it. Our jobs are unique; I truly feel there isn't another job that I could do that would help as many students or let me use my strengths to help my community. A career of service can be exhausting, but there is no other that is more rewarding. In closing, please remember that you are a great counselor, and no matter what, YOU are making a difference!! How are you planning on celebrating National School Counseling Week 2017?? Stay tuned for FREE downloads and ideas! Please comment below! Have a great week! Jessica
The abundance of papers. The lockers that are bursting at the seams. The "I don't know where it is, I lost it" phrase that echos the hallways. If you work in any sort of middle school setting, I guarantee that at all of these situations happen at least on a daily basis. If it doesn't, then I would love to hear how you are being successful with your students! The reality is that middle school is already a tough for most students, and then we attempt to overload them with responsibility of staying organized and changing their schedule without properly showing them HOW to do this. In the last seven years, I have seen lots of unorganized students. In fact, sometimes I have been convinced that they are performing magic, because I have witnessed students lose a piece of paper in ten minutes, and literally have no idea where it went. To me, it is unreal; to these students, this is real life! As a counselor, I am constantly challenged to put aside my Type A personality and really delve into the lives of the students who are struggling with staying organized. So, how do we do this? How do we reach the students who are struggling every day to stay on top of things, while still holding high expectations for them? I may not have the magical answer, but I do have a list of resources that may be able to help: 1. Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills Intervention (HOPS) by Joshua M. Langberg This intervention book has a great step-by-step system to help students with their organizational woes. A colleague and I are currently implementing this intervention during a 50 minute time frame. We have a total of six students in the group, and the goal is to help students with the program components the first 25 minutes, and the last 25 minutes is geared towards homework help or study hall time. The intervention has wonderful components, but can seem overwhelming if you are trying to implement it during a small time frame. The first three sessions were broken up into almost a week for us, so that may be helpful. Overall, it really does break down into detailed skills what we would like to see from our students. 2. How To Do Homework Without Losing It by Janet S. Fox This is a great short-read to introduce the transition from elementary to middle school homework load. I have had great experience with reading the key points to my fifth graders at the end of their school year before they are about to go into middle school. Since the actual size of the book is small, I would recommend ordering a few copies and using it in a small group setting. This will help keeping students focused and with the conversation as you read it. 3. The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg
4. Smart But Scattered by Peg Dawson This book focuses on the the executive functioning skills and how to adapt the learning environment to help student succeed with them. This book is parent focused, but provides some very insightful questions for educators and counselors. There are many useful handouts and template available within the text, as well as questionnaires and reflection questions. 5. Small Group Settings No matter what, there is nothing that helps middle school students more than a daily (or at least weekly) meeting to discuss organizational skills and academic goals. All the resources above can be used in a small group setting, but it is imperative to make sure you are visiting with these students (and their backpacks) at least on a weekly basis. Habits take at least 20 days to develop, so if we are wanting these student to develop good academic skills, we need to make helping them a priority for at least 6 weeks of the school year. My home state has some great resources for academic small groups, click here to see a middle school small group solution. Middle school can be a challenging time for students, but I feel it is our responsibility to help them navigate the way and help them develop successful habits. What are some ways you help students academically? Comment below to share your ideas or questions! Happy Monday!! Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2017 finds you well and I wish for all of you the best year yet! I cannot wait to get started this year with some of my plans for my students. Every year I am always so excited to go back after break, I truly do miss my job! But planning is key to not get overwhelmed after the first few days. Here is how I stay on top of things and maintain my comprehensive school counseling program: 1. Plan out lessons for the rest of the year. For some of you, this may sound like something you do already; for others, I know it sounds VERY overwhelming. According to the comprehensive school counseling model, your whole class lessons should take up the majority of the time. Even if they don't, these are usually the first thing to go on the back-burner due to all the other different hats we have to wear. In our district, our counseling team has worked together to come up with a curriculum map for the whole year for each grade. We decide which units we are teaching at what times in the year, and then every counselor is able to pick the lessons they feel match their student's needs in that unit. Planning your lessons out ahead of time will make things SO much simpler. If planning the entire 2nd semester sounds daunting, just do it one month a time. Unsure how to start? Check out my Resources tab. I give examples of our districts curriculum maps for kindergarten and first grade. Remember, "Failing to plan is planning to fail", and I truly believe that as a school counselor! 2. Plan for weather days. This may or may not apply to you, but if you are an educator in the Midwest or any other place where snow days exist, it certainly does! You never know when they are going to hit, and nothing can throw off your schedule like a cluster of snow days. The name of our game is flexibility, so when they happen, you need to prioritize and condense. Make a list of the top things that need to be done or made up out of the days you missed, and then go from there. You can't do it all, and no one expects you to to. Oh, and make sure you enjoy your snow day instead of stressing about all the stuff you are missing! 3. Be realistic about testing time. We all were a part of a school counseling program that taught us that test coordinating should not be an activity of a school counselor. In theory, it sounds great. In reality, we know that is not the case. A lot of us end up with playing some role in testing even if we are not the coordinator, so the best advice I would give you is to talk with your administrator and discuss openly what your schedule will look like during the weeks of testing. This way you can let teachers know ahead of time if lessons and small groups will have to be postponed or cancelled. This is never ideal, but I promise having a plan will help your schedule and the teachers. If you are new to your position or have a new administrator, I urge you to sit down and talk about what expectations they have for you during this time. That way you are on the same page and there is not miscommunication about who is doing what. Trust me, this is not the time to be playing guessing games. 4. Maintain your small groups, no matter what! Small groups are the easiest things that can get pushed to the side during the craziness of snow days, testing, and every other daily task that comes up out of nowhere. For me, my small groups are the way I stay connected to my students who may not be my high-flyers; the way I still address those students who do not need a behavioral intervention, but still need another session on skill practice. I have days of the week scheduled for each grade's small groups, and I have wonderful teachers that are ok with me pulling them even if it is not the time we discussed at the beginning of the year. I pull my third through fifth grade small groups during their lunch times so we avoid missing any instructional time with those grades. I know there may be some days where you feel you need to sit in your office and just work for those twenty minutes, but I urge you to pull that small group! Any sort of small group is better than no small group! 5. Stay positive! This is always easier said than done, especially during February and March. However, maintaining positivity is crucial as the role of the school counselor. Teachers look to you for assistance with students emotional needs, and your administrators look to for skills and assistance with family connections. You are (hopefully) seen and heard in many different aspects of your school, so it is important that positivity is something that you portray to students, staff, and parents. Having a hard time staying positive? Here are some resources that I have read to help maintain the positive attitude during those rough days (or weeks)!:
I hope the second half of your school year starts off on a positive note! What are some things you do with your students at the beginning of the year?? I would love to hear about them! Please comment below or ask any questions about the beginning of 2017 for my school counseling program.
Happy New Year! Happy December All! Throughout the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I hope you find some way to take a moment and appreciate your school, students, and program. This time of year always makes me feel so happy, yet so sad at the same time; there are so many students who do not get to celebrate in the joy as we do with families at home, or there are hardships taking place that put extra stress onto the family. No matter what the situation, I hope you all find it in your hearts to take each day with a grateful heart and reach out to those students who may be struggling with the holiday season. In my counseling program, we feel December is a perfect time to discuss the topics of diversity and acceptance. There are so many different holidays and happenings taking place, no matter where you are from you will be able to find an event that can spur a classroom discussion. I am sure we all can agree that these can be very delicate topics, but that makes them all the more important in our schools. I have compiled a list of books and resources I turn to when I am working on my lesson plans for this time of year: 1. Lil' Rabbit Kwanzaa- by Donna L. Washington This book is a great way to introduce the basic meaning of Kwanzaa to younger students. I use it in grades Kindergarten, first, and second primarily, but you could use it with thrid graders as well. It gives some of the basic terms associated with the holiday, and the meaning behind the book is very sweet! 2. Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat: A Channukah Story- by Naomi Howland This is one of may all-tiem favorite stores to share with fourth and fifth graders. It gives a different way to introduce the holidy of Hanukkah, plus it is a great way for students to inference as we read the story. This book captures any audience; plus it make us all want to whip up a batch of latkes! 3. My Two Holidays: A Hannukah and Christmas Story- by Danielle Novack This story is a wonderful way to teach students how families can celebrate multiple holidays and combine the traditions of both seasons. I use this book with my second and third grade students, and they love it! They love learning about the traditions of both holidays, and it is also a great way to cross reference emotion recogntion and empathy. I highly recommend this quick, great story! 4. Throw a Tooth on a Roof-by Shelby Beeler This book is one of my favorite ways to kick off my diversity unit with younger students; what better way to start talking about outher kids around the world than what happens when you lose a tooth? My Kindergarten and first graders love this book, and I follow it up with an activity where they draw a picutre of what happens at their house when they lose a tooth. We discuss how some people have different traditions, and different is ok. 5. The Name Jar- by Yangsook Choi This year was the first time I read this book in my classroom, and my students loved it! The story of Unhei is a great way to bring up the topics if diversity, compassion, and empathy with students. Reading this story help ease the difficuly conversation of just because something is different than what we know doesn't mean it is "weird" or "bad", it is simply just different. There are also MANY different activities to do with students with this book! I hope these books help you teach your diversity lessons in your school counseling progream! This is truly the best season, and we can utilize it so much to help teach our students to appreciate diversity and be open to everyone.
Happy Holidays! Hello Everyone! I hope your week has been filled with starting your school year and getting your program underway. I have been focusing the last two weeks on getting my small groups and individual counseling started in my building. One of the things I first struggled with as a new counselor is having a plan for the students I was counseling in individual sessions. There were always specific topics that I was focusing on with them, but I would not spend a lot of time thinking about the specific skills I was wanting them to develop. I have been using forms similar to the one below, but I decided to create my own! I feel that keeping a binder of all the students I meet with individually, along with the days and times I meet with them will help me stay on track. Also, who else feels they hold themselves more accountable when it is on paper?? I definitely do! Below is a template I use to help keep me on track: Click HERE to download a FREE copy of the document!
I hope you all are successful this school year when working with your students! Hello Friends! Where has time gone? The first week of school is in full swing, and I am completely exhausted, yet blissfully happy. My brain has been pulled in a million different directions, but I feel that our students and faculty are doing an amazing job every day! So with that being said, I thought I would share some of the fun things I have done with my office and program to kick off the school year. 1. Zones of Regulation Posters Here is a peek at my new Zones of Regulation posters! I love the movie Inside Out, so I thought these were a great way to introduce the zones to help the students relate to them! 2. Back to School Night Table I wanted to share with you my set-up for our back-to-school night. ON this night I am usually busy helping junior high students with lockers and schedules, so sometimes I feel like I don't really get to SEE the students or talk to their parents. Solution: I set up this table right outside my door! I had about 40 brochures taken and two bags of bubble gum gone. I will consider this a win!
I hope your first week back as been as great as mine has! What is your favorite go-to activity for the first week of school? Happy School Year! Happy Week Friends! This week brings the first day of school in my building, and there is still a lot of finishing touches to do! This will be my seventh year as a school counselor, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I finally have a grasp on things. I cherish this feeling because I know it is rare, and this school year will most likely bring something that causes me to grow even more as a professional. Whatever you are feeling right now as your school year begins, I hope you are embracing it!! As a school counselor, you may feel conflicted about what your role is during the back-to-school night. Don't worry; it is completely ok to feel that way! It is up to you to make a name for your program, and here are some ways you can do that. The beginning of the year is the best time to start these activities, but it will be imperative to maintain these throughout the year. Here are some ways I have advocated for my school counseling program in my building: 1. Create a school counseling program brochure. Having a tangible brochure you can hand to people or place in the main school office is always a great way to get your name out there. Plus, if anyone every questions exactly what you do, you can always pull it out and it provides a perfect summary of what your program. Need some ideas?? You can create a brochure using almost any Microsoft Word or Publisher template. I created my revamped brochure with Canva.com. 2. Create a presence at school events. The only way that people will know who you are is by being PRESENT. I know we all have busy lives, but it is so important to be apart of your building community. Make sure to attend family nights, sporting events, school board meetings, etc. The more you attend, the more people know you are invested in the school and the students. 3. Introduce yourself to parents AND teachers. It is nice to be present, but you must also go TALK to people. This was the hardest hurdle for me; I am an introvert by nature and I always overthink social situations. I would love nothing more than to just be a wallflower! But when you work in a school, that cannot always be possible. When talking to parents, find students you have seen do something great recently, and then go tell the parents! It is a great start into a conversation, and you will be making a positive parent contact at the same time! At the beginning of the year, make sure you go introduce yourself to ALL new teachers. Even if you work in a small building, it is important that you introduce yourself and make sure you come off as an approachable person. If teachers do not feel comfortable coming to talk to you, they will be less apt to tell you about students who may be struggling throughout the school year. Being a school counselor is about building positive relationships with everyone, not just students and parents. 4. Create a website parents can access. This will be a new endeavor for me this year; but I am excited to try! I have loved my journey with this blog; I highly suggest everyone giving it a try. But this blog isn't necessarily for my parents. I will be attempting something will Google sites, and I cannot wait to let you know how it goes! 5. Send out monthly newsletters. Newsletters are essential to keeping your presence known throughout the school year. Even if people do not read the bulk of it; it is free marketing for your program! I always try to put a theme with my newsletters. Try and find a topic you know parents will find interesting and write a short blurb about it. I don't reinvent the wheel; I find an article online (make sure you cite your source!) and highlight the best points. Want some examples of newsletters?? Check out my blog post from this last spring that also highlights the importance of Positive Parent Contacts. I wish all of you the best start to your school year! I hope you know that you make a difference in your students' lives!! |
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