School Counselor Blog

Acts of domestic terrorism were perpetrated at the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. There is unrest and uncertainty in the aftermath of these events.  In an already tumultuous time - and in the middle of a pandemic - students (and educators) are likely experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety.  The pandemic brings unique challenges for being present with and holding space for students. However, finding ways to let students know you are there for them (in-person or virtually) and willing to listen can make a huge impact. Below I compiled a list of resources for supporting students in times of crisis for school counselors to use in their work with students or to share with other educators and/or parents.  I will continue to update this post as I find additional resources. If you are aware of an additional resource, please add it in the comment section or message me on Twitter or Instagram . Resources specific to the insurrection at the Capitol: Helping

Last year, I wanted to create a fun, Valentine's Day themed bulletin board that would fit in with our school's monthly PBIS theme of Kindness. I used conversation hearts as my inspiration and made them fit with the kindness theme. This bulletin board also works great for Random Acts of Kindness week which is February 14th - 20th this year. I created a printable version of this bulletin board so you can recreate it at your school. The file includes the conversation hearts and the letters for this bulletin board. To make this bulletin board as shown, you will need the following: Bulletin Board Roll paper for the background White paper or card stock Pastel paper or card stock - I use  Astrobrights  when possible Color printer (you can choose to print the everything in black and white instead of the red letters) Scissors Paper cutter (optional - I like to use them for cutting straight lines) Staples and/or a Scotch Glue Dot Roller (I love using  glue dots

It's almost time to break out the New Year's party supplies, say farewell to 2020, and make a bulletin board for the New Year! 🥳 One thing I love about being an educator is that we have two New Years - January 1st and the first day of the new school year. Two opportunities to celebrate new beginnings and a fresh start. The first day of school always feels like a celebration to me. I have had the idea for a long time to somehow use a "New Year's party" theme for the start of the new school year.  For the 2019-2020 school year, I created a bulletin board out of discounted New Year's Eve Party supplies from Target. I saved them from the beginning of January 2019 until the beginning of the new school year. I was so excited to put this bulletin board together.  To make this bulletin board, I used a black piece of roll paper, chalk, and the New Year's Eve supplies. I stapled the party hats and the banner onto the board. I used roll glue

I have been making Winter Stovetop Potpourri for years. It is an easy last minute gift that makes the recipient's home smell amazing. Before I start making bags, I like to lay out all of my ingredients. You will need cranberries, candy ginger, mandarin oranges, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves. (No worries if you can't find candied ginger... I added a tag that doesn't list ingredients other than the citrus so you can replace the ginger with something else or omit it). Each bag contains the following:  1 mandarin orange 1/2 cup of cranberries  3 pieces of candied ginger (optional) 2-3 cinnamon sticks 1 tsp of whole cloves fresh pine branches (optional) I add all the items to the bags in an assembly line. I put everything in small cellophane bags, tie them shut with a ribbon, and attach the instruction gift tag. I like to put everything in a cellophane bag so the recipient can see the festive colors of the ingredients. Another

I have a confession. I love packaging, wrapping, and giving gifts. Really I love everything that goes along with the gift-giving process. I especially love a good theme. This year it has been a little more difficult to purchase gifts since I have been primarily relying on things I can pick up curbside or get shipped.  For my daughter's therapists, I decided to keep it simple with a candle and a gift card. I bought candles via Target drive up and Starbucks gift cards in the drive-thru.  I put the candles in cellophane bags, tied them with ribbon, and clipped the gift card and tag to the candle with a clothespin.  I like to save ribbon and other accents throughout the year to add some flair to gifts. Tinsel also makes a great gift accent year-round! (I learned these awesome tips from following Amy Lou Hawthorne on Instagram. She owns a shop, The Ever Co. ) A few years ago I purchased these cute printable gift tags from The

When browsing Instagram one day, I stumbled upon an idea from another school counselor, Jonathon Allen. He had his students decorate coffee sleeves for a local coffee shop for the Great Kindness Challenge. You can view the post here .  I loved the idea and decided to try at my school. I met with a student from the Student Council Service Committee that I advise. She assisted me in calling Starbucks near our school and inquiring about decorating coffee sleeves. Our local Starbucks was super supportive and gave us over 150 coffee sleeves to decorate. Students came during lunches to decorate Starbucks Coffee Sleeves with kindness messages. I then took them to our local Starbucks to be distributed for Random Acts of Kindness Day, which was February 17th this year (#RAKWEEK). This activity was a quick and easy way for students to spread kindness in our community. How do you celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week at your school? Comment below,  tweet ,  contact Danielle , or