Here we go!
In starting out the year, we know it’s going to be another wild ride. I hope these resources will help you with your back-to-school journey.
#1 Kindergarten Intro Coloring Booklet: This one is what I use in kinder to introduce myself. Click the link for a copy of the booklet. It has my photo and a note to parent/guardian on back. Obviously, save and edit for your use. It’s 2 pages. Copy it front and back, cut it in half and staple. Voila… a booklet that students can color and take home.
#2 Magic Carpet: Tell your kids a story of the rug (any rug) that you put in front of your door.
Kids love stories and they are also enamored with a little fantastic thinking. I always tell kids this story. Feel free to steal. It gets the kids so quiet and they listen so intently. I tell them,
“When I started working here, I went to a store to buy cute decorations . I bought this cute rug. One night, I was working late and I might have been so tired that my imagination was playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw it hovering outside my door. and that perhaps I was just tired but My guess is that it flies around the school at night to keep the school safe. And whenever you see the magic carpet you know that you are at the counselor’s office.”
I have high school seniors come back to ask about the magic carpet and they swear I tripped them out at age 5 with this story. I tell K-5 this story. It’s a keeper.
#3 Counseling Forms for Starting the Year and Counselor Pass/Holder Template
#4 Mini-Lessons for Intro: I do 15 minute counselor introductions to grades 2-5 since most of the students know me. I always want to go in to meet the new students and remind students how they can make an appointment with me, my role, etc… but for the start of school I squeeze this into a mini-lesson. Sometimes I use the posters/props in the photo here.
#5 New Student Lunch Bunches: Click the blue link to see the form I use to generate a list of kids I’ll see for lunch bunches. These kids might need the extra support plus it’s a great way to create a sense of community and belonging.
#6 Creative Introductions by Counselor Chelsey: Lots of ideas about meet the counselor lessons.
Hope this was helpful and let me know if you have any start of the year show stoppers that I should add.
~Lisa