15 Secrets to Starting the School Counseling Year

Starting your school counseling year can be daunting if you are a brand new school counselor… or even a seasoned counselor without a checklist! I have been there too… remembering what it was like to be running around doing five things at once and feeling overwhelmed in my first few weeks. That’s why I created the 15 Secrets to Starting the School Counseling Year to hopefully, get you off on the right foot so you can create an amazing start to your school year.

These are some of the things I do on my back-to-school checklist!

#1. Meet with the principal to determine goals for the year

This is huge for me because I want to make sure our expectations are on the same track! If I do not go over this information with my principal, we may be having conflicting thoughts on what was most important for the year. Then my counseling program would not be as successful. You have to work as a team and set yourself up for success.

#2. Complete IIR for your Building to determine your program goals/ align them with building goals

I am from Missouri, so we have what’s called an Internal Improvement Plan. You can find it on DESE.mo.gov. This helps me plan my goals for the year for my building, as well as, my district. I can find the strengths and weaknesses of my program and build upon that to see growth (aka… data piece). I also try to align my goals with the goals my principal and I set.

#3. Start setting up your calendar

This is a huge task… but well worth the time! I have tried so many different ways to do my calendars. There are so many to choose from such as Google Calendar, other online versions, SCUTA, and paper planners. However, I have not found anything with it all-in-one.

I am a paper, pencil kinda gal… so I love my Simply Perfect Planner notebook! It helps me stay on track and have everything in one place! You can read more about that in this post, Here’s the Perfect Planner for Any School Counselor!

Anywhoo… These are the things I put in my calendar first…

Write in Awareness Weeks
Set dates for Character Assemblies
Write in Conference Dates
Testing Dates
Set up Lesson times with teachers (google doc or your schedule)
Birthdays of Staff

#3. Make a brochure, postcard, handout, or tri-fold for parents to see

Our school does an Open House before school starts. Because of this, I set up an area by the entrance with a tri-fold all decorated about me and my counseling program. I also have baskets of brochures, my business cards, and a handout on The Leader in Me. During Open House, I stand by my set-up and greet parents and kiddos as they come in to meet their teacher. This way I can get information into their hands, as well as, help them if they need further assistance.

#4. Make a Counseling Binder to house all your important info

I love this part! I really am one of those people who hearts paper school products… like binders, notepads, and sticky notes! But developing a counseling binder has saved my sanity many times. I house all my important go-to resources in there, so when I need a quick reference I just open my binder and its right there. These are the things I put in my binder… Completed IIR, Program Goals, Building Goals, Procedures, Community Resource List, Standards to Cover, Mandated Reporting Info, Meeting Notes, etc.

#5. Decorate your office and counseling space

Try to make your office as inviting and comfortable for kids as possible. Make sure it’s clean and clutter free. Also, designate a space for your “office/business” side and a space for “kids counseling” with toys, games, and small group things. I have an amazing bookshelf that divides my room into two sections. So, when parents come in to meet, I have an adult side that looks professional and then I have a kid side that is made for them in mind. Take a little peek at my office… 5 Rules for Maximizing Your School Counseling Office.

#6. Prepare and send out Needs Assessments

Needs Assessments should be one of the factors that drive your counseling program. The information you get from them can help determine the way you teach your lessons. Because ultimately, you are wanting to teach what the students need…plus much more! So, how do you know what they need… by doing a needs assessment. There are three assessments you should give out. One to parents, students, and teachers. I used to do paper needs assessments and I am telling you… I wanted to pull my hair out! Collecting them and recording the data to find my goals was a nightmare. I had to do something about it and make it way easier. Therefore, I made 3 Easy Peasy Needs Assessments that utilize Google Docs! These are super easy, you digitally send them out, they take the survey and you get instant data and graphs! I absolutely love it and there are no more headaches. I can actually use that time more efficiently and see more kids! Read about my assessments and how I use them… Painless Way to Collect Needs Assessments.

#7. Start Lesson Planning

As I said, I am old-school and I love paper! LOL! So, I write all the standards on small sticky notes and place them strategically in my calendar. This way I know if I run out of the sticky notes they are all in my calendar, ready to be planned out! I take this a step further and go to the month of August in my planner and remove the sticky note… actually, write it in the planner and write the lesson I am going to use underneath it. I do this for a few months at a time, because something may come up where I need to move my lessons/standards around.

Once I have the lesson written under the standard, I like to see what I could use for pre & post data. My goal this year is to collect some sort of formal or informal data with every lesson. I’m not meaning to make a big production of it… sometimes I’m just going to use “Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down”.

#8. Gather a way to collect your data (I put mine in my planner)

As I mentioned before about the upcoming Simply Perfect Planner for School Counselors, there is a spot in there to record all your pre/post data! Very simple format and easy visually see if something was beneficial or not. Once a lesson is completed or I get data back from a school-wide program, I record it in my planner so I can advocate for my program. I can also see what I need to change or tweak for my students to understand better. I write down… pre/post data, needs assessments data, minute meetings data, school-wide data, TTAs and Action Research Data.

#9. Set up a procedure to get referrals

Depending on your district and building, there may be different rules to follow in order to get referrals. In my building, I have a sign-up form the students can use to come to see me. But most of the time, the teacher sends a student down when they know I (should) be free or they email me when a student needs to talk.

On a side note, I don’t have a basket or anything on my door or desk for them to leave the notes in. First of all, I don’t think it’s confidential and second, what if it was an emergency they didn’t tell anyone else about, and then I got to it late. I have had kids want to see me right at the end of the day when I am in a classroom. If this student put a note in my box, I wouldn’t see it until they were gone to the bus. Instead, the teacher emails me, I get it on my computer or phone right there in the classroom… and I stop by the student’s room to chat before they ever go home!

#10. Update your website

You don’t want parents checking your site only to find the information was from last year! That looks unprofessional and you can do better than that! With a few minor tweaks and a simple “welcome to a new year” blurb, your parents will feel right at ease knowing you are ready for their kids! Maybe include updated contact info or school supply lists. Remember, you are their go-to resource so let your website express that!

#11. Update Mental Health Community Referrals

Another thing that needs to be updated and preferably put onto your website is your community list. So many times parents are looking for resources in the community and they don’t want to come to ask you for help. If you reach out by putting this on your website, parents will thank you in the long run. You will be able to help people, you never knew needed it.
But first, make sure it is up-to-date. Call the providers and see if the number is correct. I take it a step further with the mental health section and send out letters letting them know who I am and asking for their information. Then, they send me things like hours of operation, who do they see, pricing, types of counseling services, etc. Super surprised the first year to find, they really appreciate this and they even sent in business cards and handouts!

#12. Stock up on student supplies

This is pretty self-explanatory… just stock up! Kids will need supplies throughout the year and most likely they will come to you to find it!

#13. Welcome Back newsletter

This is something I do every year to introduce myself. Of course, returning 4th-grade parents have already heard my spiel, but new kindergarten parents or transitioning parents of all grades like to get a welcome letter letting them know who I am and what I can do for their kids.

#14. Plan how to get Leadership Group or School-Wide Jobs

If you are a Leader in Me school, you are well aware of school and classroom jobs. Our school does school-wide jobs where the students fill out an application and they are specifically chosen for certain jobs. I love seeing these kids in action and taking ownership of their school. They amaze me every day with new ideas of how to help out. Before school starts, I come up with a list of jobs and run it by the principal to see if it is feasible. Once we get them lined out, I start the application process during my first few lessons with the kids. For more information on what jobs you can do… check my list out here.

#15. Set your mind up for success

I know if you have been doing this for a long time, you may be running on autopilot and returning from summer break may not sound appealing. But, if you “steer your ship with positivity” (thanks to Alexander) you can really go a long way. See yourself running a successful program this year, get organized, and plan to do something different. Doing these things may get you excited about your counseling program and offer insight into what you could be doing more of.

How do you prepare for the start of school? What things are overwhelming you? I would love to help!