What will May bring?

I cannot believe it is May already! Eek! I am happy for state testing to be over so that I can resume my regular roles and responsibilities. I am so excited to start my groups back up. Students have been asking me everyday when groups will begin again!  I am also excited for all of the great events that I have been planning for May!

A brief summary of my plans for May include: resuming my anger management groups, starting an after school program (CARE Club), planning/coordinating 5th grade transition, presenting at two different conferences, and planning/coordinating career week!

I will be resuming my Anger Management Groups using Seeing Red: An Anger Management and Peacemaking Curriculum.  I will be running five groups total: fourth grade boys, fifth grade girls, fifth grade boys, sixth grade girls, and sixth grade boys.

I am starting an after school program I created called CARE Club.  CARE club stands for Character And Resiliency Education Club. I will be facilitating the group for fourth grade students. The group will focus on positive character traits and social/emotional learning. I can't wait to get started. I am planning some fun activities for the students. The program will be once a week after school for an hour.  I will write more about CARE Club once I get the group rolling. I will share resources and activities that I use in the group.

I am planning and coordinating 5th Grade Transition with another counselor in my district. Students from her school come to my school in 6th grade. We are planning some fun and interactive programs to help all of the 5th graders have a smooth transition to 6th grade.  We will be facilitating team-building activities, getting to know you activities, and allowing the students to have some unstructured time to get to know each other. We also have a nutritionist from a local grocery store coming in to help students make a healthy snack. You can read more about creating a smooth transition at your school in my guest blog post for the Really Good Stuff Blog!

I am presenting at the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA) Conference, "School Counselors: Building Today for Tomorrow" at the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center May 20-22.  I will be presenting, "Social Networking for School Counselors" on May 21st at 3:45pm.  In my presentation participants will learn about the various ways that school counselors can use social networking tools. I will explain the advantages of creating a professional blog, using Twitter, and Shutterfly Share Sites to communicate with their school and professional communities. Everyone who participates will learn how to blog, tweet, and create a school counseling website. I am really excited to present at PSCA about social networking!

I am also planning and hosting Career Week events with other counselors in my district. See my post on Monday for updates on Career Week and Work the Runway!

What do you have planned for this month? Comment below, email me, tweet, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.

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