New book buys

Here are a few books I picked up this week, that I am excited about for next year:


" With the help of his imaginary friend, Weasel, Ellison finds his very own voice - a jazzy sound that charms all the other animals!" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/563061.Ellison_the_Elephant?from_search=true).


How I want to use:  This comes with a CD so it would be a great read aloud for students (I can save my voice) to talk about friendship and finding your talent. I also think this would be a great book to lend teachers to continue the lesson in the classroom. They can use it as a Daily 5 station and the students can listen to the cd.



"This endearing friendship story about a boy and his dog from a Pulitzer Prize–winning writer gently explores a timeless question: who’s really in charge?
Meet Sid. He’s an ordinary kid. He’s far from perfect. But to Murphy, Sid’s faithful dog, Sid is the whole world. Murphy thinks Sid is the absolute best—and that he’s in charge of everything.
Sid loves Murphy right back, but he can’t help but wonder what Murphy would think if he realized the truth: Sid’s just a kid, and Murphy’s just a dog, and neither one can control the world." (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18122696-me-dog)

Topics to cover with this book: self control, friendship, respecting adults/teachers, rules, perfectionism, self acceptance and self esteem, etc.

"A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty road. But in his mind, he envisions himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light. This brilliant mind will one day offer up some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly fascinated by the wonders around him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows into a man of genius recognized the world over for profoundly illuminating our understanding of the universe. "  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14955390-on-a-beam-of-light?from_search=true)

Testing TIme

It's that time of year! Testing time.
Here is what I am doing to help our students and families prep for testing this year:

Class Lessons

3rd Grade- Since this is their first year taking it, we are doing test preparation.

We read "The Big Test" (or "Testing Miss Malarkey") and discussed the strategies in the book. Then we practiced in our class.

Visit TPT for the test taking version.

We completing the "teat taking" gold pot activity by the amazing Savvy School Counselor. Get yours here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counselors-March-Activity-Pack-Savvy-School-Counselor-1110842

Then if time allowed we practiced relaxing, just like the students in the book did. We did a Go Noodle, but you can also have them practice 5-star breathing.

4th Grade- We addressed perseverance and not giving up. We talked about ways we show perseverance at home, at school, and on "the test." We read my favorite book on this topic "The Three Ninja Pigs" and then students drew a Ninja Pig that represented something they wanted to practice, persevere and get better at. We then took turns guessing what each persons pig represented. On the back of the pigs I had a copy of the Scholastic word search (for my speed racers.)

Are you ready for testing season?

I know I'm not!!

It happens every year, yet every year I think wait it can't be testing time already. What gets me through this time is the hilarious http://www.loveteachblog.com/ and teaching some of my favorite topics like stress reduction.

Here are a few parent resources to help you get ready for testing season.

First,
I created this brochure for parents on tips on help their child deal with stress.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Stress-Management-Tips-For-Parents-To-Help-Their-Child-1744182

Next, I created a few testing tips for parents that you can also use in your classroom.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Test-Taking-Tip-Packet-For-Parents-1743462

This packet has everything you need to host a parent workshop. It's full of ideas, handouts, and games parents can play with students. I love playing the Let's Rock (roll and respond) game with my 3rd-5th graders. It's a great way to review our lessons on test prep and let them have fun during this stressful time.

This packet includes a variety of testing resources for parents and teachers. 

Parent Packet- This packet was designed to host a parent workshop. It includes parent conversation cards to help improve parent/student communication, a family game night roll and respond game, a resource page, and three pages of tips for before, during, and after the test.

Parent Brochure- Designed to be copied double sided to create a one page handout for parents. It includes tips for before, during, and after the test as well as additional resources.

5 Star Breathing- An activity for parents and teachers to practice with their students before and during the test to help reduce test stress.

What are your favorite testing resources?

Brooklyn Barks at Open House

This past Friday we had our school's open house. I created a handout for parents and one for teachers. What do you normally do at your open house or to introduce yourself to teachers?

See teacher newsletter here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_6T4rR2pFj5eU1kQkJaV25wX0k/edit?usp=sharing

See parent newsletter here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_6T4rR2pFj5TU5UaGRIb0dWOWM/edit?usp=sharing

ASCA #14 Reflections

Wow! What an amazing conference. How many newbie ASCA conference attenders can say at their first conference they heard the First Lady speak!!

I am writing this post for 3 reasons:
1) To share with you my highlights and lessons/knowledge learned at the best conference ever.
2) To help ADHD brain remember all the things I want to share with the other counselors in our district.
3) To help me go back and access the information. A online "storage space" for reference if you will.

So let's get started:

Is "bullying" the most overused word in schools today?

My pup Brooklyn has a new 'boyfriend' named Gatsby. She watches at the window and if she sees him going for a walk she cries and whines and paces. She loves him. Over Spring Break we were walking and she saw him from afar so she started her happy wiggle dance. Suddenly, Gatsby walked up to another dog and Brooklyn pulled so hard she literally ripped the leash out of my hand leaving one finger so burned and bloody it still hasn't healed. She ran up to the other dog barking and yipping. Was she bullying him? No, but oh my jealousy became her. I have never seen such jealous actions.

Why this story? Well I swear if I have one more parent complaint about "bullying" I might scream. The term bullying has somehow become synonomous with conflict, fighting, and simply not getting along. Friends fight, peers don't always like each other, and yes sometimes bullying does occur. However, when I look at the definition of bullying (is this repeated aggression? is there an imbalance of power? are the feelings from the "victim" different from those of the "aggressor"?) rarely does the reported situation meet the definition. Now, I am not saying bullying isn't a real issue- it is! However, just because two students aren't getting along it doesn't mean that one student is being bullied.

There are so many red flags that go off in my head when a report is made: the student wants to be friends with the so called "bully," they aren't sure it was actually directed at them (especially true in nonverbal situations), the "victim" wants to/is willing to do a mediation with the "bully" (a big no no in real bullying situations),  they have been friends all year and the 'bullying' report comes after they had a big falling out, the so called "bullying" is just now getting reported but we have no examples, cases, documentation, etc. that it's every happened before.

This week I started paying more attention to this phenomena. I realized that students were reporting to me that someone in their class was being a real "bully," but as we discussed it it wasn't so much bullying as a conflict among peers. I think the word has become so overused by adults and students that  my students simply say it without a second thought. As I noticed this I would simply rephrase "what I hear you saying is that you guys aren't getting along" or "sounds like their is some tension between friends right now" and every time they said "yes, that's exactly it."

The term "bully" comes with a lot of baggage. It's a powerful word full of negative connotations and legal ramifications so I think it's vital that we teach students, parents, teachers, and stakeholders what bullying is and what it is not. I think we need to model better phrasing such as "peer conflict, fighting, teasing, etc." so that students are labeled "bullies." It's a word I think we need to use more sparingly. We plaster walls with "anti-bullying" messages. They see the word everywhere, no wonder it's so ingrained in their vocabulary. Instead, I think we should plaster walls with "good friendship skills/good character" so that students can report having trouble with peers and know the important difference. Bullying is important and yes we need to do lessons on reporting it, bystander empowerment, and ending it, but we also need to know and model the difference, we need to distinguish between "lessons on bullying" and "lessons on improving peer relations" so that the term "bullying" doesn't creep into our everyday vocabulary.

So I am off my soap box to share a little newsletter I came up with for my parents. It's two pages of what bullying is, the difference between bullying and fighting, what is teasing, tips and resources for parents. I uploaded it as a google doc for you guys!

Please note that someone page 1 in the pdf is actually page 2 of the handout.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_6T4rR2pFj5RGtqdTlHZXltNTQ/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks to 3amTeacher for the amazing frame used in this doc. Check out her TPT store!!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Summer Reading

I really enjoy hosting a series of parent workshops throughout the year. Not only does it give me a chance to meet the parents, but it gives the opportunities to collaborate with other professionals and sneak in my own professional development.

Our most popular workshop by far is the Summer Reading Workshop with our librarian and our music teacher (who is completing her degree in library science). Here is why it's the best:

1) The parents get lots of goodies.

Read about all the free goodies to encourage summer reading at Mrs. Svarda's Blog!

2) There is always coffee.

2) We get to show off our favorite books.

We hang out at Barnes and Noble a lot, so this is fun way to show off our "finds." Here are some of my favorites:

Body Language Video

As you have probably read I think the dog safety lesson is truly one of the most important of the year. So many of my kids have dogs in their homes and so I think it's important to discuss how we treat them respect. Many of my kids struggle with social skills, including reading body language and tone. I love this video because it combines two important lessons: the importance/message of body language and safety.

What I took away from this video: I often see pictures my friends post (and probably I even have a few) where I thought the dogs looked ok, but really they look tense. I didn't notice it until I watched this video, but now I see the subtle hints.

Please share with anyone you know that has a doggie!

Diabetes: A paws-itively great lesson on health

Diabetes and Dogs make for an incredible class.

This week we had two special guests visit our students in 2nd-6th grade! 

The first was Mrs. Reeves, a mother at my school and a diabetic herself. She read this book with our students:

The Great Katie Kate Discusses Diabetes by M. Maitland DeLand 

The class then discussed what they knew about diabetes and she explained what it meant to live with diabetes. It was so interesting to hear our students discuss this matter. Many of them shared they believed you got diabetes from eating too much candy and that it meant if you had it you couldn't ever have cake or sugar again. She discussed myths (that it is contagious) and explained how they tracked carbs not sugar.

Next Ann Walling, Owner and Trainer of the Diabetic Alert Dog program Borderland explained to our kids how she trains dogs to help alert a diabetic when their sugars are too low or high. She demonstrated the training process, explained the science behind it, and then demonstrated what an alert looks like. What was so interesting was that during the demonstration wonder dog Minnie alerted to Mrs. Reeves to check her blood sugar levels. When Mrs. Reeves did, sure enough she was low!

I loved this new spin on our health lesson on diabetes and health. It was a great way to get parents, stakeholders, and the kids involved.

Our librarian just got this book in so students can continue to learn more about diabetes:

Even Superheroes Get Diabetes (Insulin Comics) by Sue Ganz-Schmitt and Micah Chambers-Goldberg (May 1, 2007)

Is That Bullying?

I was recently talking to our behavior specialist about my theory that you could incorporate dog training techniques into classroom and behavior management. She didn't laugh, in fact she agreed. We discussed the idea that classroom are much like packs. You have the dominant dogs as well as the submissives, that much like a pack there will be a student (or students) fighting for their role as alpha (much to the dismay of the teacher.)

In a pack dogs are looking to understand where they fit, similar to our students. Where do they sit at lunch? Who do they hang out with? In a group who is the leader and who are the followers?  Watching our students interact with each other isn't too much different from watching a group of dogs get together, except there is no name calling.

What does this have to do with bullying? I can't tell you how many times I get a "bullying" report from a parent or student that is actually not bullying. The most common scenario is this:
Three girls: Girl A is friends with Girl B and Girl C, but Girl B and Girl C do not get along. So Girl A and B get along fine, Girl A and C get along fine, but B and C not so much. This means when all three get together there are fireworks. This normally means Girl A gets put in the middle, trying to figure out her role. Should she be a peacemaker and encourage everyone to "just get along?" How should she divide her time? If she doesn't divide it equal an encore of fireworks. Similar Girls B and C are fighting for her attention, each one trying to dominate.

This is not bullying, and yet I get the "bullying report" weekly. So right now I am working with my fourth grade students to discuss what is bullying and what is simply students trying to work out group dynamics.

To tackle this issue I came up with a three part plan.

First, I am going into the classroom to do a seminar with my students on "what is bullying and what is not?" I gave them a list of scenarios and asked them to discuss as small and then large group. (I wish I had a video of this discussion because it was unbelievable- also I found my alpha, a young man who would "interrupt" and assert his dominance by talking over everyone and if they tried to stop him he just got louder.)

I put the survey on my website so parents and students in other grades coud take it together.

 Next,  I  sent home follow up information with my students to share with their parents.

Lastly, I will host a parent workshop on bullying. I am asking one of our counselors/school psychologists who has received Olweus training to be our speaker.

Bullying is  a serious issue, but in my school it's a buzz word that is being overused. I am hoping my three part plan will help my students understand what bullying really is.

On a side note, I hung out with the best dog ever this weekend. Sweet, calm, loves children, well behaved and well mannered. His name is Mike and some might say he is a bully breed. I saw he is a sweet heart breed. He also needs a home! If you or anyone you know want to adopt this handsome man please contact Nashville Pittie.

The Other Leaders of Our Pack

There is no doubt that our connection with parents is vital. It's a delicate balance of telling them what they need to hear and what they want to hear. So I find it helpful to get to know my parents through "fun" ways.


Last year I held a parent book club each month, and this year I will host a book swap each month. We will meet, share great titles, discuss ideas, and bond. I can't wait. So this summer I collected lots of books and resources. From "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk" to "Look Me In The Eye" we have a variety of nonfiction, fiction, self help, workbooks, handouts, flyers and magazines.

The best part is I spent $10 on over 50 books. First, I hit up garage sales and second, our library had a wonderful sale where we could fill a paper bag for $5 (I loaded it to the top).

I know when I got Brooklyn I read and read and read. We train, we practice, and still we read. I kept thinking- "if only I had some of these books before hand (i.e. crate training)". So some of my books are focused on the dreaded teenage years and even preparing for college. I must admit I am pretty proud so I hope my parents enjoy the new library.

Organization Through Technology

One of my bucket list goals was to incorporate more technology into my program. Reading and following some amazing blogs has really inspired and encouraged me to do this.

Andrea Burston at JYJ Counselor just turned me on to Livebinders, which is a virtual 3-ring binder.  You can upload videos, images, documents, and more. What a green idea. I re-did my parent resource page to help organize all of my resources and help me cut down or even eliminate the paper I use. See my Livebinder for parent resources! I think this will really help me organize my career day materials as well.

I can't wait to share this with my teachers when school starts, especially this binder on "How To Make Your Classroom A Playground"! 
I wish I had this when I was working at the high school, what a perfect way to organize scholarship, college, job, and career information. You could even upload and organize the schools program of study book, by using a different tab for each subject area.

Parent Workshop - Summer Reading Success

You know I love my co-workers and brag on them all the time. Well today's post is no different.

I knew I wanted to do my last parent workshop of the year on something parents could do with their student(s) during their summer. I was a huge reader as a child and I remember doing the Pizza Hut Book It! program and loving it- I dared myself to read every book at the library one summer. So summer reading seemed like the perfect workshop. I asked our amazing librarian, technology teacher, and FOCUS/Intervention teacher if they wouldn't mind teaming up to do the workshop, and less than a month later I had my most popular workshop yet.

What made this workshop so great? Let me show you.

Tips For A Successful Workshop:

1) Ask parents to RSVP. It gives it a sense of urgency and that space is 'limited.' Even if you don't have limited space the RSVP really excites parents. Last year the workshops where I requested an RSVP had double the attendance of those where I did not ask for an RSVP. We used Google Docs to make a sign up sheet and set a deadline. The link to our doc went out in the PTA newsletter, was put on our websites and the school's main website, and was sent to teacher's to pass along.

2) Feed Em'!  Each teacher set up a table with their favorite books and 'must read' books for the summer. As parents entered they could browse the tables and get coffee and breakfast goodies set up by our amazing PTA. We started the workshop as soon as school started, so after parents dropped off their student(s) they could come straight into the library and begin browsing.

 3) Keep them entertained!- Our parents spent the first few minutes eating, chatting, and browsing books. We quickly had them sit around the library for three presentations. Next year I am going to make this a two part workshop because our teacher's had so many amazing things to share. This will also allow me to offer two dates and times. From writing down book titles and to sharing sites on the SmartBoard our parent's didn't have time to stop.

 4) Give them something to take home- don't let anyone leave with empty hands. On our signup sheet we asked parents to list the names of their children and then the team made custom reading log packs.

Using colored card stock, paint chip strips, and ribbon my amazing co-workers put together these great reading packets. Our librarian found a  free template online to make the pocket sleeves so all we needed was colored card stock to make the packet holders.

Pink, yellow, and purple for the girls.

Blue, green, and yellow packets for the boys.

Each pack included a bookmark, reading log list, place for students and parents to write down favorite titles and a 'wish list' of books, and some yummy book worms.

4) Provide a way for them to get the information later- websites, blog, printed copies, make sure they have easy access to the information.  After the parents had an opportunity to eat, drink, and catch up each teacher gave a presentation about summer reading programs.  Mrs. Bunyi discussed summer writing through blogging. What a great way to incorporate social media into our lessons! Read more about her presentation on her Scholastic Blog and visit her website.

 I put copies of the handouts distributed in the parent library so parents that were unable to attend could easy pick them up later.

 Mrs. Svarda, librarian extraordinaire, discussed local book programs offered, such as the Barnes and Noble reading programs, and how to pick a good book. More information is available on her website.

 Our tech-savvy, crafty, incredible Elizabeth Shepherd shared with parents fun crafts and games they could play with their kiddos in the summer that would encourage reading. See her favorites on her Pinterest page.


So there you have it! It was an incredibly successful workshop and I can't wait to do it again. What workshops have been your most successful? What tips do you have for increasing parent participation?