Las Vegas Presentation!

On a daily basis my email is inundated with requests to attend various counseling conferences and webinars.  This spring there was a particular email that caught my attention.  I found myself completely engrossed in a flyer discussing a national counseling conference in LAS VEGAS!!!  

I saw the line that read "call for proposals".  Why not??  I have helped to facilitate a workshop session at the state level with two of my district's student support services team members, I could do this, right?!  Before I could talk myself out of taking this leap, I completed the online proposal and pressed SUBMIT!

Done!

No going back!

The next day I received an email with my letter of acceptance!!  Fast forward ahead....

I presented a technology session called, "The Tech-Savvy Counselor" at the Wired Differently/National Conference on Innovative Counseling Skills and Strategies, June 11th - 14th.

SMORE Newsletter with Tech Tips!

The Tech-Savvy Counselor Prezi

Girl's Day Out!

Girl's Day Out!

Empowering girls through lessons on self-esteem, relational aggression, and body image.

This is one of my FAVORITE activities to do with the students on my campus.  I found some wonderful ideas on one of my favorite blogs: 

http://www.schcounselor.com/ with regard to lessons to do with girls to help empower them.

I chose two days last year to work with each grade level of girls.  On our campus our students go to "Specials" class: computers, music, library, p.e., art, etc....  The boys went to P.E. while the girls and some of the Specials teachers joined me in the music room for some Girly FUN!  

During our forty-five minutes together the students listened to music videos, participated in group activities, and ended with an individual quick writing portion.  

I paired the fourth and fifth grade girls together for over an hour for their lesson.  This year I plan to create special "invitations" for this day and present them to each of the girls.

(The kindergarten and first grade presentation was shorter: 

no Prezi, reading The Recess Queen, and looking into the Mirror: "What do I Like When I look in the Mirror?")

**Before you ask, yes, I had a Boy T.A.L.K. day**

Activities:
Back to Back: Girls sat with their backs to each other and had to only use their backs/legs to get up.  :)

Mirrors: (Students are sitting in a circle) Look into the mirror and either say it out loud or think it inside, what do you like about the person looking back at you?  2nd time around: One person holds the mirror and the girl to her right says something about her that she likes (body image).

Paper Chain: Students are given a slip of colored construction paper.  Brainstorm one thing you can do to help empower girls, make a difference on our campus, or help someone in your community. Staple links together to make a long chain of powerful statements! (Together we can be the change we wish to see in the world!)

The program's design for grades 2-5 is outlined 

in this PREZI:

Adding Pizzazz with Prezi!

I absolutely LOVE using Prezi to support my guidance lessons with students!  Thankfully, this year I will have my own classroom with a projector and screen so I won't have to roll my computer cart or have to rely on other classrooms' equipment to work!