Counselor Connection
Collaboration is essential for school counselors. This mini-blog is for my counselor colleagues to share ideas, lessons and inspiration
Transitions are a major part of life! And in the life of an elementary school student transitioning to a new school is a BIG DEAL! After spending time researching best practices in Transitioning and Welcoming new students last year I created a great system for making our new Cougars feel welcome. When students first arrive at our school they are greeted by Student Ambassadors who show them around our school. These Ambassadors are typically 7th or 8th grade National Junior Honor Society students, but could be any student who demonstrates responsibility and leadership. Each quarter I hold a Breakfast with the Counselor for all new students (all students on our campus eat free breakfast in their classrooms daily). I have a survey (posted below) that I give out to the students to get a feel for how they are adapting to our school. I also do some sort of "Get to Know You" activity. This week our new 3rd through 5th graders filled out a Facebook type Introduction Sheet (posted below). I took their pictures and created the bulletin board you see below. I did something similar for our Kinder-2nd graders (see below). Also during our breakfast I give the students a Cougar Bingo card (attached). It is their homework to fill it out and return it to me as a prize. This allows them to get acquainted with the resources available to them at our school. Finally, I created an "Award" that says (Student Name) is an an Official Cougar (attached). I invite our Principal and other Caring Adults from our campus to come to breakfast and introduce themselves to our new students. Through all of this, I hope that our new students feel more connected to our school community.
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AuthorProfessional School Counselor since 2004. National Award winner just trying to make an impact on our profession. Archives
October 2014
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